A Christmas gift that's both classic and very "now"

1) From Martha Mihalick, my colleague at my alma mater, Greenwillow (Isn't that a cute way of thinking of it? It just came to me):

"Greenwillow Books has been developing an iPhone app version of one of our classic picture books-- FREIGHT TRAIN, by Donald Crews--over the last several months. And now it's finally available in the Apple store!

It's really a cool app (and you can get it for iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad), so please please please check it out and download it if you have an i-Thing and a spare $2.99 lying around. It's perfect for preschoolers, those of you who have toddlers yourselves, and those of you who just see a lot of your friends' and family's kiddos. Or just to download because you like me and support the efforts to bring books into the future so that I still have a job in 5 years. :) Tell all your friends.

Here's the link right to the app store: http://bit.ly/epbBtc"

2) Also, my present to you is this article I am loving today.

Rapturously repellent,
L'Editrice

At-long-last lists

I'm back! . . . and am finally blogging about the awesome cover article of the fall issue of Ms. as I hav been meaning to do ever since I read it weeks and weeks ago. It's called "Kick-Ass Girls and Feminist Boys" and is all about feminist YA. You need to run to a newstand and pick up the issue . . . and if you're a dork like me, check off which of their recommended books you've already read and add those you haven't to your GoodReads queue ASAP (I had read 50%). (Speaking of great reads, I'm sure the whole magazine will inspire you to subscribe, as I have proudly for 10 years now.)

Also, I need to finally start reading these "Mad Men"-mentioned books. The only book I've read of the list is Atlas Shrugged, though I've seen several of the movies they mention (and the movie verson of The Best of Everything--publishing back in the day!). If only I had a fainting couch like Betty's to read on . . .

I think I will add all these titles to my new Kindle, which I received as a birthday gift from my lovely family last weekend. That's right--I have entered Life, Act II, according to Jane Fonda--The Building Act. Can't wait to see what I build.

One thing I know I will be building up tonight is fat cells, as I plan to finally go here. The hubby and have been waiting for this place to open for ages, and I love their website (check out the interactive comic-inspired tabs at top) and their origin story--well done, non-Belgians!

- L'Editrice

First International Red Panda Day!

I love pandas, and am quite partial to my fellow redheads, so I was intrigued when my talented friend Leeza Hernandez told me about the red panda. She is currently shopping around a fabulous book she's written about this adorable, endangered creature, and has gotten quite involved with the nonprofit organization The Red Panda Network.

So, if any of you live near Flemington, NJ, stop by the Hunterdon County Library this Saturday, November 13, from 10:00am to noon to meet Leeza and join her in some family-friendly activities celebrating and raising awareness for the lovely firefox (that's another name for the red panda--cool, huh?).

If you can't make the event, Leeza is selling a commemorative pin that she designed, and 100% of the proceeds will go to The Red Panda Network.

- L'Editrice

And the winner is . . .

Thanks to my five (: P) lovelies for voting. I wrote out all of your names (and, boy, is my hand tired), dropped them into a hat (well, actually, a gift bag I had on hand), and drew out . . . Nancy K! Nancy, e-mail me your mailing address and I will send you your very own L'Editrice-stamped copy of Forget-Her-Nots!

And what stamp did I decide on, you ask? Well, despite the overall love for bee, I decided to go with the French one--I just felt its layout would work best for the text I am going to input in. But I'm going to try to incorporate bees somewhere else, because I just love them.

Bzzzzz (or should I say, Bises),
L'Editrice

A score with SCORE!

I'm honored to announce that one of my clients, Miranda Kenneally, has gotten herself a book deal! I will let her tell you all about it in her own fabulous words.

Miranda is such a prolific writer with such great range that Score is just one of several manuscripts I've worked with Miranda on over the past year or so. I just know that the others are going to get snatched up soon as well.

Also, take a moment to surf on over to Sourcebooks Fire, the cool new imprint Miranda's book is being published under, and check out the entire Sourcebooks-at-large's amazing founding story. (I'm having difficulty linking to these right now, but they are worth Googling.) Inspired yet?

- L'Editrice

P.S. Stay tuned this weekend, when I'll (finally) announce the results of my first-ever survey and contest! (Meaning: it's not to late to enter!)

1 is the loneliest number . . .

Anybody there? I am keeping my contest/survey open for another week, so please join in! (And unlike most sweepstakes, family and friends are eligible to enter. : P)
- L'Editrice

Centennial contest!

This, on 10.10.10, is my 100th L'Editrice post! To celebrate, I'm conducting my first contest/survey!

Here's the deal: I'm in the market for a new correspondence stamp, and I'd love my readers' feedback. I am going to keep the voting open until Sunday, October 17. Please post your choice in the comments section (if the first time it doesn't go through, please try again--I know sometimes it is finicky) or send me an email. I will take everyone's opinions into consideration, and let you know of the results on the 18th.

Then, I will draw names of all those who responded from a hat, and the winner will be sent a copy of Amy Brecount White's Forget-Her-Nots. (I'll even stamp it with my new stamp, if you want.)

Here are the choices:
A. French-inspired (to go with my blog name)
B. A nod to what editing is largely about
C. Tying into my website logo
D. Mod and professional
E. Because I'll work like a busy bee for you! (And I love bees.)

Can't wait to hear from y'all!

- L'Editrice

P.S. Both Alex Mack and Doyle on "Mad Men" in the same episode? I was in heaven!

Updated October

I've finally made some long overdue updates to the Biography, Hiring Sarah, and Resume sections of my website. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Next on my remodeling list: the Testimonials page. So, if you have worked with me and would like to write a testimonial, or if you've already done one but would like to update your bio line (maybe you have a new project you're shopping around, a new website of your own, etc.), I'd love to hear from you.

- L'Editrice

Dramatically wicked

Seeing as we're getting close to Halloween (my favorite holiday), I thought I'd comment on a couple of costume-related things:

1) My "Mad Men" costume
Alas, these people each somehow got about 20,000 more votes than me. But I like quality over quantity, so I sincerely thank all of you who voted for me.

2) "Wicked" awesome
It had witches, amazing costumes, and the most female-centered storyline I've ever seen in a musical. I finally saw "Wicked" the other night at the Boston Opera House, and it did not disappoint. I love how the story was ultimately all about female friendship. Amazing stuff. Of course, I would expect nothing less from Winnie Holzman, who I discovered (upon perusing my program) wrote the show's book*. (*That's theater-speak for script/book-to-stage adapatation. The original book book was written by Gregory Maguire, and I have been inspired to take another stab at reading it. The first time I tried it was just too high-fantasy for me.)

This past week actually has rekindled my obsession for Holzman, as I've been watching the excellent "Huge", and found myself thinking, This gives me the kind of feeling I get watching "My So-Called Life," right before discovering that MSCL creator Holzman co-created "Huge" with her (quite young) daughter! And her husband is an actor (appearing in "Huge" as well)--what a creative power family! (Of course, W.G. Snuffy Walden's score may also have triggered the connection in my brain. He does the music for all my favorite shows, really.)

Gone a little crazy with the IMDB-connect-the-dots game,
L'Editrice

Kindred bloggists

Today my favorite blog re-posted a spot-on video from what may very well become one of my new favorites.



This supremely well-articulated op-ed has me wishing I had been less moderate in my P.S. in this previous post. So now I will let it all out:

I've never understood how mainstream European newspapers (and I'm sure some in other countries as well, but I'm only familiar with the Euro ones) can print features like "Topless Model of the Day" or what have you and still be considered legitimate news sources. I agree completely with Sarkeesian (especially on the hypocrisy of this "progressive" rag), and will add that the crazy juxtapositions in The Huffington Post makes the New York Post look like classy, subdued reading material in comparison.

Arianna, I love your accent and your politics in general, but I've got no love for the HuPo.

- L'Editrice

My name in lights . . . err, print

I finally got my hands on a copy of Book Markets for Children's Writers 2010--and you should, too, because I wrote an article in it! It's called "Hungry for More: Exploring Middle-Grade and YA Series Fiction."

(Well, now they've already got the 2011 edition ready to go, so 2010 might be hard to find, but if you can, check it out.)

- L'Editrice

This should be called "*Inappropriate* Quotation Marks". . .

. . . because the way people use them is not unncessary, it is *wrong.* (Also, notice how I put little asterisks around words I want to emphasize--that is what you can do to emphasize a word. Or you could italicize it, capitalize, bold it, underline it . . . But do NOT put quotation marks around it, because technically that serves to undermine it.)

Oh, but I think slide number 12 is fine. The "real" world as opposed to the school world is an expression/subjective concept, so quotation marks are appropriate there.

- L'Editrice

P.S. I don't love The Huffington Post uniformly. I feel like the trashy, Euro-tabloid-style celebrity gossip and photos they include on the site undermine the credibility of their real reporting.

More TV fangirl-ing (and some book stuff as well)

- As my BFF said when she sent this to me, "So, I think Jon Stewart has a crush on your TV BF, too . . . " (I can't believe he was in Boston this week and I missed him!)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Jon Hamm
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

- "Gilmore Girls," the movie?

- When I first heard rumors of this yesterday, I thought, What the heck, Oprah? But now I'm thinking it's simply more evidence of her genius. Though I still think Franzen is pretentious.

- Hmm, maybe this is what I should do to get people to RSVP (and come!) to my parties.

- For all the dog lovers out there.

Happy Friday!
L'Editrice

In which I obsess about TV (potential spoilers)

Indulge me for a bit, please, as I'm reveling in all the fall shows starting up again:

- Not that this is a unique plot point or anything, but I feel like the meh "Life, Unexpected" is totally stealing from the far-superior "Pretty Little Liars" (read the books before you watch the show!) with the whole teen-and-teacher-fall-in-love-without-knowing-the-age-of-each-other thing. (I keep debating taking L,U off my DVR schedule, but it does make for good background TV while I'm doing housework . . . )

- Is Oprah God? I kind of think when you have that much money, you pretty much have all earthly powers, and luckily she seems to use them for good.

- "Gossip Girl" is definitely stealing from "Mad Men" with that whole Chuck-assumes-a-new-identity thing.

- Speaking of "Mad Men," if you can get your hands on the September 13th issue of Rolling Stone, the article on MM is excellent. I especially thought the insight on Joan's character and her place in society was profound, and relates to how awesome the past two episodes of the show have been. (The September 5 episode is my favorite episode of the whole show thus far.)

- I'll end with some MM-related self-promotion: Friday is the last day to vote for me in the Mad Men Casting Call Contest. : )

TTFN,
L'Editrice

Things that are inspiring me today

- Cake pops (anyone want to make me some?)

- Ever-approaching Halloween

- Voting!

- Kate DiCamillo's and Alison McGhee's answers to the question, "Can a tall person and a tall person truly be friends?" I love DiCamillo's perspective on making appearing "benign" as a short person work for you--as my similarly short and young-looking sister says, "We could easily be spies!"

Not short, but fun size--
L'Editrice

Fierce

A thought-provoking read in the Times's T Magazine. Beautifully written, too. (Though again, I don't always agree with the writings of the author.)

My favorite line: "All the same, it is hard to imagine that flesh in all its ungainly specificity will ever be given its due so long as a woman's power continues to hinge more often than not on her beauty, and so long as beauty equals thin." (Though I would have put quotation marks around "power.")

- L'Editrice

Sharing stories

This is so cool! Give it a listen. And coincidentally, I just finished reading my first Perrotta novel, The Abstinence Teacher.

Maybe I can read the story while lounging on this communal hammock! Awesome Foundation, indeed.

- L'Editrice

Little Red Riding Hood and the Red Cross

I've got one more picture here of absolute pajama cuteness, very appropriate to kid lit . . .

. . . and then I'm going to get serious, and encourage everyone to do as I did last week--please give to the millions suffering in Pakistan. For these people, cooing over baby pajamas is a luxury that they probably wouldn't even entertain in their wildest dreams. Here are many organizations you can donate through.

- L'Editrice

From the cocoon

For some reason my hometown is only ever in the national news for bad things. (I guess because no news is good news?) Anyway, I was sad to hear about this ignorance there (and by a librarian, no less), but I hope that there's still time enough for H.I.S.D. to educate themselves and retract their stance, thus allowing Hopkins and her compatriots to go to the Teen Lit Fest in 2011. (Also, an "annual" event? How cool. We definitely never had that when I was a teen--though I guess we never had teen lit as it is today, either.)

Speaking of "emerging adults," I found this article fascinating.

- L'Editrice

2 cute

1) Although the above photos have next to nothing to do with the alleged focus of this blog (aside from the fact that they are for kids, and inspire me/make me happy), I saw these today while running some errands, and I just had to share.

Note that I do not have baby fever, I just want to buy awesome baby things for someone. Will someone have a little girl soon, please, so I can buy her one of these as a present? Normally I dislike the prissy, pink offerings for baby girls, and look to the boys' department for more gender-neutral gear when I have a baby present to buy--for boy or girl--but I was impressed by these offerings. Especially love the cars on the romper and the positive, non-stereotypical message on the T--very rare finds in baby-girl clothes! (Honestly, it's a good thing they didn't have these in adult sizes, or I would probably have come home with several pairs of novelty pajamas.)

2) This is more relevant: Saw this ad for the Sharjah International Book Fair, and it made me smile. I would love to finally visit my birth country for a reason as cool as this. (Plus my parents did live in Sharjah proper for a while.)

- L'Editrice

Blogger to blogger

One of my clients is also a blogger, and she recently blogged about revising her manuscript with my edits in mind. I thought you all would be interested in (and impressed by!) her post.

Also, if you haven't read this yet, The Times is (finally) acknowledging what the rest of us have known for so long. (Embarrassed to be seen reading YA, really?)

- L'Editrice

Marvelous "Mad"-ness

As some of you may remember from last year, I am one of the many who has fallen under the spell of the TV show "Mad Men." So I would love it if you would indulge me once again and vote for my photo (you can vote once a day, through September 17) and help me win a chance for a walk-on role on the show!

Relatedly, I thought this discussion of the show was quite interesting (though I've never been a fan of the author's).

I heard "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner on "Fresh Air" the other day, and found myself disagreeing with his assessment of the characters--characters he created, and so ostensibly knows best . . . but yet I still think it's okay that I felt I knew the "truth," because that's what's so cool about storytelling and art, that it means something different to every person.

Truly, madly, deeply,
L'Editrice

Sorry for the delay, folks . . .

. . . I am back from the old country, and busier than ever. So here are just a few links for your enjoyment:

- This should be required reading for every adult in America (as they all seem to have forgotten what they learned in school).

- A story on my new role model. We seem to have a lot in common already:
Live in Boston? Check.
Majored in political science? Check.
Contemplated career as a lawyer? Check.
Into planning elaborate theme parties? Check.
Known for good looks, engaging manner, and whimsical designs? Check--ha, just kidding.

- A cool article about my town and its library.

Literally yours,
L'Editrice

An American in Brussels

Hello, friends. This will be my last post for a couple of weeks, as I'm leaving on vacation Monday morning. So I thought I'd leave you with some morsels to work your way through while I'm gone:

- "The iPad and I: Of Love and Meh." I found the author's comments on the weakness of adapted e-books being like that of TV--in that it's a "one-way experience" that doesn't engage the brain of the "reader" much at all--very interesting. It related to what I've always said: that I feel letting kids watch very "mature" movies and TV shows is much worse than letting them read a book with the same content--because with a book a reader can interpret the material for himself, and may not understand the parts that are still too adult for him, but with a movie a child is pretty much handed the director's vision on a platter, with little room for dissection and introspection by a naive audience. Do you know what I mean?

- I saw this advertised on GoodReads, and thought it was pretty funny.

- "Compelling Stories, If Not Literature." One of my clients sent me this one, and I thought it was worth sharing. Writing as therapy, indeed.

- While we're at the NYT, anyone else see this article? "Food Is the Thrill at Some Bachelor Parties." While I'm still not certain I understand the point of bachelor/bachelorette shindigs, I sure do understand the point of eating delicious food. And though as a vegetarian, much of the meat-heavy meals described in the article have no appeal for me, I do think it's a welcome alternative to treating people like pieces of meat! (Badum-bum. Thanks, folks! I'll be here all week. . . . Umm, well, actually, not really.)

- As my husband earnestly said the other day (and then tried to retract right after), "I don't understand why Oprah's ending her show. She helps so many people." Just one example: Her Debt Diet series (which just ended) was so great, and the Spending Plan Pie Chart they talked about on the show is so simple yet so smart that I want to share it with everyone.

- Finally, some bleak-and-yet-inspiring words via the Yes Means Yes blog: "At this point, thinking you are beautiful the way you are is an act of rebellion."

Indeed, "We all have a right to our own beauty." So embrace and fight for all your rights! . . . And have a very happy Independence Day!

- L'Editrice

Things that are making me happy today

- Barbara's summer reading list.

- A magical cottage (I will make one someday, only mine will be a treehouse!) and terrariums. (And apparently both these things fall under the label "Victoriana," so finally I have a word to describe my aesthetic tendencies toward chandeliers, canopy beds, and all things whimsical and cute--but not in a treacly, "country" way.)

- Pretty boys in great outfits. (Which also applies to this.)

- And on a more serious note, this piece on fellow Texan Bill Moyers. (I am behind on my podcasts, clearly.)

My favorite quotes from the interviews:

• "There are things in this country that the market will not provide: public education, public art, public schools, public broadcasting, public toilets. I mean, there are things that are not profitable, but that still serve a value. And I think the most important thing that we can do is to continue to treat Americans as citizens, not just consumers. If you look out and see an audience of consumers, you want to sell them something. If you look out and see an audience of citizens, you want to share something with them--and there is a difference."
• ". . . [P]residents shouldn't go to war unless it's a war of necessity, not a war of choice, beccause you can't fight a war in a democratic way without undermining the success of the war. And if you don't fight in a democratic way, you undermine democracy itself. . . . [I]f you start a war on tragic-- on flawed premises, you're going to have terrible things happen, and ultimately, you're going to come to grief."
• On the importance of the Freedom of Information Act: "I really do think that we need more openness, not more secrecy. . . . We are living in a closed society today."

- L'Editrice

Dads, daughters, mothers, sons

Hope everyone had a lovely Father's Day. Though hopefully all of you already gave your dad his present, if not (or for any future occasion) I thought these ideas were great.

And here's a priceless gift you can give for free, which I'm sure many hard-working dads (and moms) would be very grateful for: Take a minute to speak out in support of the very important DREAM Act.

- L'Editrice

Short and to the (important) point

. . . At least my post today is. The must-read in this week's PW Shelftalker is quite long, but necessarily so.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

- L'Editrice

Listen up

My recent NPR-listening has my to-read list growing longer and longer!

Here are a couple of recent books--and links to the fascinating, worth-a-listen discussions they prompt--that piqued my interest:

- Getting it Wrong: Ten of the Greatest Misreported Stories in American Journalism, by W. Joseph Campbell. Certainly such myths continue today, so it's a good wake-up call to us to always analyze the news/"facts" we hear/see/absorb/consume--whatever the source--with a critical mind.

- Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths about Our Air-Conditioned World, by Stan Cox. Just in time for summer! (Here's an abstract of the Adaptive Model of Thermal Comfort Cox mentions.) Not to sound like a luddite, but does anyone else also feel that sometimes our "advanced" technology (be it in digital media, air conditioning, or what have you) sometimes takes us too far, leading us to forget the simple facts and pleasures of nature and being human?

- I also learned about this amazing series/project this morning: Hidden World of Girls.

Finally, I love librarians, not least because of their staunch defense of civil liberties. For example, there have been many instances when libraries have refused to release the list of books a particular patron has checked out, even when the government/court tried to get force them to, because they belief in personal privacy. So, I hope that everyone else's librarian keeps in mind this importance of respect for and liberty of the individual, and there is no one else out there who gets snarky comments from the librarian on the books she is checking out, as I did this morning.

Bookishly,
L'Editrice

Long time no blog

I've been quite busy working and traveling the last few weeks, so here are a few quick highlights:

- My brother-in-law, Frankie, was in town last weekend, and we had a lot of fun doing touristy things with him and just hanging out.

We went on a Duck Tour (I was even called upon to drive the boat on the Charles!), and our tour guide told us some things that really confirmed that Boston/Mass. is a perfect fit for me:

1) The official drink of Massachusetts is cranberry juice,

2) the official dessert of Massachusetts is the chocolate-chip cookie, and

3) Massachusetts consumes more ice cream than any other state. (Not sure if that's per capita or what, but I'm sure the numbers went up even higher when I moved here. Also, this "statistic"--because not really sure how scientific these claims are--is especially impressive when you consider the fact that almost all ice-cream places in MA are closed from Labor Day to April. Which I think is just silly, but anyway . . . when the ice-cream shops do open, they seriously give you about a pint of ice cream per cone.)

. . . These are three of my very favorite things!

- More evidence that a great kids' book is not just for kids: To congratulate Frank on passing the bar, we gave him the adorable Frankie Works the Night Shift. (No more night shift for you, Frankie!) As you can see from the above photo, Frankie and his big brother really enjoyed reading it together.

- After Frank left, I headed to NYC to celebrate my sister's grad-school graduation. (Congratulations, Stephanie!) It was held at the beautiful St. John the Divine, and I thought this part of the cathedral was especially cool.

- And finally, because the New York Public Library was such an important part of my life in New York, I'm still on their mailing list. Recently I learned about the proposed $37 million budget cut, which would greatly hurt the city's libraries and all who benefit from them. If you're a New Yorker (in real life, or at heart) or just a library lover, speak out here.

- L'Editrice

Today's Highlights

Today I received an e-mail from Elinor Teele, an author I've worked with over the past few years, announcing some good news: Her short story, entitled 'Yard Sale,' is appearing in the June 2010 issue of Highlights Magazine. Check it out!

She's also published her girls' mystery novel, The Doll's Head, as an e-book, and has generously offered a free download of it to my readers! (Enter the coupon code EF65C (which expires 6/4/10) at checkout.)

Elinor says, "I'm thinking of it as an advance copy. The more feedback, critiques, reviews, comments, suggestions for website improvement I get the better"--so let her know what you think!

Elinor is a great example of a self-motivated, creative author who is successfully working to get her writing published, rather than seeing "traditional" publishing as the only path.

- L'Editrice

Room for genre revulsion, but not snobbery

I was watching Twilight in Forks, a documentary on the real-life town the Twilight books are set in and their impact on the town, and found this quote from author John Granger interesting:

"I'm not putting people down that have genre revulsion, except when they say she's a bad writer. When they come after her and say, This isn't just a matter of taste, I can't get that. Basically they say that, No, these are stupid readers who have no taste, and their experience is not real. That's the part that gets me: Wow, can you really say that? That these people are having what they feel are profound literary experiences, engagement in this text, and resonance at their core being, that's not real. That's something that they're faking?"

Now I'm no Twihard--I read the first book and didn't like it enough to read the second one, but I could see why they are popular--but I think Granger makes an interesting point, especially when we're talking about kids' books. If kids are reading, should we be snobby about what they're reading? I mean, there are obviously limits to this flexibility, but it is food for thought.

Granger also notes that Stephen King has panned the Twilight books for bad writing. However, King himself has had to defend himself against the critics who say his books are "just" genre fiction, and has said "If my book sells, I'm a good writer."

By that measure, Granger argues, "Well, Stephenie Meyer is a great writer."

What do you think? All I know is, I love this new term I've learned: genre revulsion. I'm going to apply it to lots of things from now on . . .

- L'Editrice

Julieta!

If you're anything like me, you can't wait to see the upcoming movie Letters to Juliet. If you're even more like me, as soon as you heard the film's plot, it reminded you of Suzanne Harper's amazing YA novel, The Juliet Club (now out in paperback!) . . .

Check out the cool trailer Suzanne made, with that very connection in mind, and read her book if you haven't yet!

- L'Editrice

Happy Earth Day!

As we know, Earth Day is Every Day, but I do think today is a great opportunity to make new resolutions on how to be more earth-friendly (a plus: you can then feel less badly about those New Year's resolutions for 2010 that have gone way by the wayside by now).

Here's one resolution suggestion I have: Don't buy this product! Really, Kleenex? Even public bathrooms are moving away from paper towels in favor of hand dryers. I mean, if you are going to market a home-bathroom product similar to something found in public bathrooms (but, really, why in the world would you?) at least go for something more modern, like the hand dryers. For shame.

Tree-huggingly,

L'Editrice

Late-breaking post!

I forgot to mention that tomorrow, April 20, I will be wearing red (and seeing it) in solidarity with Equal Pay Day. As the National Organization for Women says, "If we're going to be 'in the red,' we might as well wear it proudly to show our determination to end the wage gap."

Did you know that if women worked the equivalent of what their work is valued, they’d be clocking out at 3:15 p.m. every day?! This is just what NOW-NYC members and supporters (and maybe others in your area!) will be doing in commemoration of Equal Pay Day tomorrow. They figure that if women earn only 78 cents to every dollar a man makes (and the numbers are even bleaker when you look specifically at the data for women of color), why should we work more than 78% of the workday?

Learn more here and here.

- L'Editrice

Lame, Actually

So I've been catching up on my "Parenthood" episodes, and I watched one yesterday in which teenage Haddie gets mad at her new boyfriend, Steve (aka "YoYo"), because he does not think "Love Actually" is at all romantic. He says it is superficial and should be called "Lame, Actually." Hee! (Though in the end Steve tells Haddie (lies?) that he was wrong, and they make up. Blah, blah, blech.)

Anyway, I squealed when I heard that one-liner, because remember my post on that film back in December? I was sure that's what I'd called it, too, and thus surmised that:

a) Someone on the "Parenthood" writing staff is reading my blog. (Far-fetched, I know, but a girl can dream.)
AND/OR
b) I have what it takes to be on the "Parenthood" writing staff.

Turns out I had re-named the movie "Love, Crappily," which, IMHO, I think is better, but I like that there are some people in Hollywood thinking like me. Hey, Jason Katims (who, by the way, was also show runner on "My So-Called Life"): call me!

- L'Editrice

P.S. Hooray for a Lauren Graham project being a success! The poor actor gets no respect in the movies, but I think TV people appreciate her.

And it's okay if she is slightly typecast as the harried single mom who dates her daughter's teacher--at least they always cast yummy men (and this one a younger one = love it) in the roles.

L'Editrice quoted in The Boston Globe . . .

. . . website.

Two whole words! (Which is actually a relief, because I rambled on and on to the reporter nervously, whilst giggling. It felt like she was interrograting me.)

About cupcakes! (I think it's pretty funny, too, that from her article she seems to be a serious baker of cupcakes, even though she's a cupcake skeptic, while I earnestly love cupcakes but baked some for the first time in my life this past Tuesday.)

I am actually in the accompanying photo as well--major cupcake points to whoever can spot me.

Anyway, the whole event was amazing, so don't be fooled by Ms. Dreilinger's jaded descriptions: even the "amateur" cupcakes put my first-ever batch of cupcakes to shame. All that I sampled (chocolate-chocolate, chipotle-chocolate, s'mores, and yellow-cake-in-an-ice-cream-cone) were beautiful and delicious! (I'm very glad my homemade funfetti-with-chocolate-icing were gobbled up at my house long before I could even contemplate bringing them to camp.)

- L'Editrice

Linky love

Here are some things I've found interesting as of late, and thought you might, too:

- "The Danger of Always Being On" (which I stole from my former colleague/forever friend : P Martha Mihalick)

- What it really means to work your way up in publishing

- Growing success in self-publishing

- Super-cool clothing/style site ModCloth is writing a book--and asking for submissions!

- L'Editrice

A momentous occasion

Great news! One of my clients, Jen Salvato Doktorski, just sold her YA manuscript Dead Lines to Eve Adler at Henry Holt BFYR!

This is a momentous occasion for her, as it will be her first published book, but it's also a momentous occasion for me--because this is the first book that I've worked on as an independent editor that has been acquired. And, hey, it's pretty close to the one-year anniversary of my starting my freelance business, so nice timing there! Peep cupcakes all around! (See photo.)

Anyway, my work with Jen has been especially rewarding, because there's some history there. I first heard Jen read the first page of Dead Lines aloud at a New Jersey SCBWI conference in the spring of 2008, when I was still working at Greenwillow. I was intrigued by her premise of a precocious-yet-naive New Jersey teen who finds she fits in better at the obituary desk of her local newspaper than at her high school, and asked her to send me the full manuscript. Once I read the whole thing, I felt it still needed work, but knew amazing potential was there, and encouraged Jen to keep revising.

Fast-forward to June 2009, when Jen found out about my new business and hired me to look at her revision of the manuscript. Not too long after this she landed an agent, and today she is an official published-author-to-be!

Jen's is definitely an inspirational story, showing the importance of persistence, patience, and hard work.

Congratulations, Jen! We will be waiting impatiently for your 2012 publication date--and of course wishing that it will be bumped up to even sooner!

- L'Editrice

Say hello to your friends

So sad that I missed this!

Appropriately, this write-up was forwarded to me by BFF-since-second-grade/fellow-BSC-fanatic, Rekha Rad. We shared our BSC collection (both owned by us and borrowed from the library, as we did not have the kind of parents who were going to buy us the new installment every month or so, which I agree was reasonable of them), and instead of playing outside after school, we would read our respective copies together in companionable silence.

Nerdy since the beginning,
L'Editrice

P.S. Major props to whoever can tell me what the title of this post has to do with the subject matter of this post.

This is for my Peeps

The winner and finalists of this year's Washington Post's Peeps Diorama Contest are up!

I have been slightly obsessed with Peeps ever since a good friend of mine introduced me to them years ago (and since I heard the perhaps-urban-legend about their indestructability). These entries are so clever, it makes me want to enter next year--though it looks like I may have to live in the D.C. area to be eligible?

- L'Edi-Peeps

Doing the tap dance

It's World Water Week, and I just heard about this awesome nationwide project for UNICEF.

Perhaps this week will even get you used to drinking tap water all the time, and you will no longer waste your money (or the valuable resources used to bottle, ship, and dispose of the plastic bottles housing what is pretty much just tap water that you've already paid for in taxes) on bottled water anymore.

I strongly believe that access to clean water is a human right, and that rights should not be privatized. When we privileged few start paying high prices for things that should come to us free, all that happens is the poor people who can't afford this newly commodified resource will end up with no access at all. (For an analagous, if less serious example, see the rise of cell phones and the decline of pay phones.)

Activistically yours,
L'Editrice

W/b/s!

It just occurred to me that my job allows me to do not just one but TWO of my favorite childhood pasttimes for a living: The first one is obviously reading, but the second one is writing to penpals.

When I read authors' manuscripts, I'm learning so much about them and their characters and different worlds, just like I did when I was little and would write to all my penpals (some of whom were, ahem, better correspondents than others). And then I get to write back these long letters to everyone. And even though I've never met the majority of them--just like I never met my Romanian penpal, Laura--I feel I know them so well and that we're friends. (I hope my authors feel the same way--or at least recognize my niceness through my constructive criticism/bossiness. Come to think of it, bossiness may also have been one of my childhood hobbies . . .)

All that's missing is the Lisa Frank stationery. I may just have to remedy that. . . .

TTFN!

L'Editrice

P.S. Woah, I just came across a bakery that makes Lisa Frank cupcakes. And they're in my hometown!

Cool things I learned from this week's PW Children's Bookshelf

- Publishers introduce a high-tech way to share storytime (with a super-cute name)--now that's a smart way for old media to embrace new media without compromise.

- John Grisham is writing a middle-grade series. My dad and I (cautiously) squeal! (Though it would have been even better news had the 13-year-old legal-whiz protagonist been named Theodora.)

- And I didn't even know they'd replicated that famous cookie test with marshmallows recently, but I'm glad to see it confirmed that one's childhood lack of self-control involving sweets has nothing to do with one's long-term self-control on more important things. I mean, I was a good kid who followed instructions, but I have never been able to turn down a cookie or a marshallow--and I think I've done okay in life. So stop maligning us sweet-tooth types!

- L'Editrice

Think (and re-think, and say out loud) before you write

I don't mean to make fun of what I'm sure are fine establishments, but I've now seen one too many Universal Technical Institute commercials and I have to say something: Did no one realize that their acronym (which they definitely go by) is also shared with urinary tract infection?

It reminds me of a store I passed when I was home last month: its name was PooLife, which I was hoping was some sort of ayurvedic vitamin store with an unfortunate transliteration, but no, it is a pool-cleaning store.

Listen, when one of your needed words has "poo" in it, you can't make a cutesey compound name. Just call it "Pool Life." Because "poo" is one thing you don't want in a pool--unless they are advertising their ability to help you get rid of it.

Scatalogically yours,
L'Editrice

An epiphany (of sorts)

I often tell authors of picture books to leave room in their manuscript for the illustrator to tell an equal part of the story (and perhaps even add more), and in turn, I tell illustrators to not just illustrate exactly what's happening in the text. Out of the blue today, a great example of this came to me (and perhaps it's really obvious, but it felt genius to me): commercials, epecially pharmaceutical commercials.

You know how they tell this amazing story of running through fields and being in side-to-side bathtubs with your partner and being attractive but not intimidatingly so, and you are captivated by it and start to get convinced that that drug would give you that kind of life, even though you don't even need that drug and even though you're very aware that the announcer is telling all these horrible side effects at the same time? Talk about successful synergy. That's kind of like what a picture book should be like--the illustrations should add to the story, and make it even fuller, and it's not up to the text to tell the whole story, because then it's not as moving.

Now, I'm not saying you should have a horrible, depressing text or that your picture book should be used to manipulate people (no offense to anyone in the advertising and/or pharm industries), but I still like my example. And yes, maybe it could work with any commercial or even a movie, but I just think those sneaky pharm ads are so darn smart in achieving their goals. What do you think?

- L'Editrice

Don't throw in the TOWEL

I regret not being able to make it to this panel, but I still learned a lot from its write-up--and think you might, too.

I thought this was interesting, since I often advise authors to write what works best for their voice, rather than what they think will sell: "But aside from coming to their careers as if by accident, the four panelists seemed to have something else in common—something that may be a sort of secret weapon for staying the game for as long as they have. Over the course of their careers, they have been willing and able to write many types of book, from picture book to YA, and on many different subjects. "

Hmm, so, yes, write different genres if you can and want to--but I think the important thing is to stay true to your voice in every format. Otherwise I think your writing will be forced, and thus not good. Also, Marilyn Singer's advice is so great: "She sums up a successful career with the acronym TOWEL, which she said stands for talent, optimism, widespread interests, endurance, and luck. 'This is a marathon, not a sprint,' she said. 'Don’t throw in the towel, use it.'"

With those words to inspire you, I hope you all have a great Valentine's weekend, and if you're looking for a last-minute V-Day gift for someone you care about (including yourself!), check out author-illustrator Julie Gissler's super-cool jewelry line.

XOXO,
L'Editrice

All the Scholar Ladies

If you haven't already seen this in the PW Shelftalker blog, here's a remake of one of my fave Beyonce songs, made even cooler--and more age-appopriate to its stars. (Though I could do without the mention of lipgloss and the hip-smacking. But I'm a fuddy-duddy like that.)



- L'Editrice

Make my Valentine

Anyone who really knows me knows that I am obsessed with greeting cards and stationery-type things. I have this dream of one day working as a writer at a greeting-card company (no matter what Joseph Gordon-Levitt said about the job at the end of "500 Days of Summer") and/or owning a stationery-shop-and-bakery with my best friend. I would also love to design cards, but I can't illustrate at all, so they'd all have to be collage-y and basic, like my homemade cards already are.

For those of you who share my obsession (calling all author-illustrators!), check out this super-cool contest from Kate's Paperie. (True, you may go broke buying the supplies--since they have to be from Kate's--but wouldn't seeing your creation in the store window be worth it?)

Luv,
L'Editrice

Inscripted

Blasts from my reading past:

First of all, I apparently thought "stage fright" was an adjective. Secondly, that was so not true--I was totally shy, but really wanted to be a star in spite of this. So I guess I was trying to brainwash myself.

So ambitious/modest! George Bush, Sr. was on the cover of this book, so, no, they are not eighty years old, despite looking that way. I guess paperbacks don't age well.

I was very careful about keeping my books in pristine condition, and demanded this of those who borrowed from me. (I may or may not have just had an unfortunate discovery of one of my precious BSC books littered with food stains, after my best friend let her sister read it.)

A slightly creepy inscription from one of my parents' friends. (But it was Where the Sidewalk Ends, so a great book choice.)

A super-cool collection, with different illustrators and styles for each story. I also had a chocolate cake with gummi bears on it that year. No idea, then, what has me crying in the photos from that day.

So much better than another My Little Pony.

A Christmas present from my fifth-grade teacher. I still love this book. . . .

I've been at my parents' house for the past week, and decided to go through my old room and see what stuff I could give away. The accumulation of stuff (I won't say "junk" because it offends my dad--who asked me, "Do you want to bring any of this twine back with you? I could roll some up for you.") in a big suburban house (and in my bedroom alone) is really just astounding, and it has me wanting to never give or receive any thing as a gift ever again, except for really practical things (like super-cute stationery on recycled paper), edible things (in reusable packaging that you can then pass on to your next friend, rather than throw them out or just let them pile up in your cupboards), or BOOKS!

I really think books are the perfect gift, and the one that keeps on giving. In looking at some of the inscriptions in my childhood books (made both by myself and by others), I was struck with a really fun idea for a new tradition: writing in your name and when you read the book, and then passing it on to your friend, who will do the same, and then pass it on to the next person. . . . Then it would be like when you used to look in the inside front covers of your textbooks at the beginning of the school year and see all the names and dates of the students had used them before you, and feel like you were part of this legacy. Or maybe it was just nerds like me who thought that. . . .

Anyway, this past Christmas a friend of mine had a great idea for our yearly Secret Santa exchange that I thought was just great--we were each to send one of our books that we had read and loved in the previous year to the person whose name we had drawn. So maybe next year I'll suggest that we add my little inscription idea to this new tradition.

- L'Editrice

Spotlight on my peers

One of my clients, Sharon Biggs, made a suggestion for a blog post, and I will happily indulge her (and myself, because it means an easier posting for me):

"I so agree with your blog on words we can retire. You should do one on words and phrases writers should retire. The one I hate the most is: 'I swallowed hard.' I stopped counting how many times Alyson Noel wrote that in her latest book Shadowland. My other favorite is: 'She tossed her head' (where exactly?). 'Chuckling,' 'strolling,' or 'padding barefoot' into rooms should also be axed. Descriptions of eyes as 'liquid pools' of amber/topaz/emerald should also be sent on their way. : )"

Anyone want to add their own writing bugaboos?

Also, I'm going to take this opportunity to make a shout-out to my former colleague Martha Mihalick's blog (and Twitter feed and Flickr stream). (I would have it and many others on my blog roll, if I could only figure out how to post one on here.) It's a charming representation of Martha's personality, smarts, and many talents. (But here's a warning: don't look at her "Crafty" photos if you're on a diet, or trying to save money--they will make you want to eat many delicious desserts and go on an Etsy shopping spree. How adorable are these?)

- L'Editrice

Ode to Estonian sheep gloves

In five years of taking the subway in New York, I never lost anything, but I'm already on my second loss on the MBTA after living in Boston for less than a year. Last March I lost a puffy coat, and while I am still perplexed as to how this was possible (I really remember wearing the coat the whole evening, since it was cold enough to have taken it with me, plus it was kind of a big, noticeable thing that would be hard to leave behind), I'd had it for several years, and was happy with the idea of some cold, coatless person adopting it from me.

But this week I lost my Estonian sheep gloves, which makes me very sad. I bought them from a market in Tallin back in August for far too much (the kroon was very strong), but they were worth it--adorable white gloves with a three-dimensional, fluffy gray sheep embroidered onto each of them, and of course memories of my trip sewn in as well. So far no one has turned them into the lost-and-found, either. My only consolation is imagining some little child with big hands finding them and loving them (since most adults don't have my childish tastes), and then coming up with a great story about the new adventures my gloves are going on.

I try to do that with all the material things I lose, or things I give away--be happy for the life they spent with me, and be even happier for the new lives they are embarking on. Just like with books.

Sentimentally,
L'Editrice

Today's guest blogger is Jezebel (and, distantly, Ann M. Martin)

. . . because they're just spot on with this (also love how that post title could also totally be an Onion headline) and this (hey, as much as I love the originals, I don't mind getting a little snarky and academic in analyzing them).

(This is pretty amazing, too.)

- L'Editrice

Were Meg Cabot and I separated at birth?

I've been catching up on all the blogs I missed when I was away, and saw that Meg Cabot had a post on the inexplicably addictive Lifetime Christmas-movie marathon, too.

Then in this post, not only does she admit to reading quinceañera magazines (which is totally something I would do), she also made me feel a whole lot less sheepish about the fact that my TeenVogue subscription won't expire until I'm almost 31, by making it known that the average subscriber is 27. Hooray!

Meg, call me! We'd totally be BFF.

- L'Editrice