Song of joy

Congratulations to my author Marit Menzin, whose picture book Song for Papa Crow has just been published! It's a beautiful book, so order yourself a copy today.

- L'Editrice

Big news!

I'm proud to announce that A.G. Henley, author of The Scourge has secured representation: Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Agency. Congratulations, Aimee!

I also wanted to let everyone know that I have reached my fill of projects for the fall, and so will not be taking on any new ones for the time being. But I can recommend some other great freelance editors:

- Lindsey Alexander

- Marijane F. Leonard

- Julie Romeis:
Julie Romeis began her career in publishing by helping launch the U.S. division of Bloomsbury Children’s Books in 2001. There she edited books for all ages and discovered award winning authors such as 2010 Printz Honoree Rick Yancey. In 2007, she joined Chronicle Books to launch their fiction program for older readers, including the powerful debut by Katie Williams, The Space Between Trees. She also published memorable picture books such as Keith Graves’ E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor Book, Chicken Big, along with many other books and gift products. Julie has taught as a book workshop instructor at the Columbia Publishing Course since 2004 and offered workshops and critiques at SCBWI conferences around the world. With more than eleven years of experience in children’s books, with an emphasis on fiction for all ages and a fondness for funny picture books, Julie is now available as a freelance editor based in San Francisco. Creative collaboration and constructive feedback is at the heart of her editorial philosophy. She offers a range of services including manuscript critique, in-depth editorial development, line editing, project management, and consultation on careers in the publishing industry. Please contact Julie directly for a quote based on your particular project: jnr.romeis@gmail.com

Best,
L'Editrice

Re-branding

Howdy, folks,

I am envisioning some changes to the site in the near future, and part of this involves re-branding the whole thing. ClootsAmini.com is a lovely name, but it is all about me, and not about my other co-editors, who I would like to incorporate even more as I grow the business. So, I am trying to brainstorm a new URL/company name. I personally like L'Editrice, and think I have kind of created a site identity around that, but some people I have spoken to have said it is too French for everyone to get.  So, I am asking you folks if you have any ideas.

Of course I'll have to google like a maniac to see if whatever I like is already taken, but some other ideas I've had are:

- Chandelier
- Candelabra
- Ampersand
- Inkwell
- SC Communications
- Busy Bee

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks,
L'Editrice

Local love

Here are a couple of really tough (for me) things that I aspire to: veganism and local-and/or-handmade-only shopping. The past couple weekends have found me visiting some inspiring places that fit the bill, so I thought I'd share my suggestions for a perfect Saturday in Houston. (Bring your appetite and a camera!)


Morning:
Get your hair cut at Shine in the Heights. The salon is based out of an old house, they always have cookies to help yourself to (whoops, there goes the veganism), and there is a real community feel in the interactions between the stylists and their "regulars."

If you didn't grab breakfast before (knowing me, I went straight to the salon from bed), your next step is to grab some goodies from Revival Market. Definitely not a vegan place, but local and yummy. Plus it has an old-fashioned vibe, so the workers there all wear charming striped aprons, bowties, newsboy caps, etc. They also have fancy coffee there for all you caffeine addicts.

The Heights has tons of cool independent shops on 19th Street, so that's definitely worth a stroll after your grub, but don't miss Hello Lucky on Studewood either!

Next head over to the museum district, but check out some of the less-usual suspects: the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Lawndale Art Center. The former's gift shop is an exhibition space in itself, with amazing gifts at really reasonable prices from artisans all over the country, but especially locally. You can even visit some of these artists in their studios right in the building! And don't miss the historic theater next door, which you can apparently rent out for events. Then walk through the cool garden to the awesome, mural-decorated Lawndale building and check out their current exhibitions.


Lunch:
By now you're probably ready to eat again, so make your way to Almeda Rd., where you'll find the innovative Green Seed Vegan. (A word to the wise: arrive a little bit before you're super starving, because you will have to wait a little while for your food.)


Afternoon:
Spend some time in Rice Village, where ignoring the chain stores will result in some very good finds, particularly at Rush and Asha (both really cool jewelry stores on Rice Blvd.), and Ten Thousand Villages (which is simultaneously not at all local and at the same time very much supporting independent, local artisans . . . from around the world).


Evening:
Now that you've killed some time, you can eat again! Check out Field of Greens. Despite their being very confused in their signage over how to correctly (not) puncutate their name and an ambiance lacking some elegance, I give them an A+ for the food.


Dessert:
Did you not partake in the chocolate tofu pie at Field of Greens? Then treat yourself to gelato, sorbet, or cappucino at SweetCup, which I can never rave enough about.


Hooray, what a full day! Want more? For Sunday I recommend a when-it-opens arrival at Tiny Boxwood's (the beet burger is divine, and I believe their chocolate-chip cookie is the best I've ever had--again, not sure if this vegan thing is ever going to happen) as well as the wonderfully whimsical strip of Main St. between Alabama and Berry (Ensemble/HCC stop on the light rail), especially My Flaming Heart.

These folks also have some great Houston recommendations.


Listily,
L'Editrice