books

Just Kids

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

                 

I’m having a great time reading an eclectic mix of books lately,
and that includes JUST KIDS by Patti Smith.

She promised Robert Mapplethorpe she’d tell their story,
and she does.

From the inside flap (because it’s so beautiful and spot-on):
It was the summer Coltrane died, the summer of love and riots,
and the summer when a chance encounter in Brooklyn led two
young people on a path of art, devotion, and initiation.  Patti Smith
would evolve as a poet and performer, and Robert Mapplethorpe
would direct his highly provocative style toward photography.
Bound in innocence and enthusiasm, they traversed the city from
Coney Island to Forty-second Street; and in 1969, the pair set up
camp at the infamous Hotel Chelsea.  It was a time of heightened
awareness, when the worlds of poetry, rock and roll, art, and sexual
politics were colliding and exploding.  In this milieu, fueled by their
mutual dreams and drives, they would prod and provide for one
another during the hungry years.

JUST KIDS begins as a love story and ends as an elegy.  It serves
as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to
its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions.  A true fable, it is a portrait of
two young artists’ ascent, a prelude to fame.

I was blown away by the circumstances they faced together,
the literal cold and hunger, and their ability to scratch out an existence
on their own terms.

And because I’ve long been a fan of the Chelsea Hotel (after learning
it was where Bob Dylan stayed up all night writing "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands"
for his wife), I particularly enjoyed the section on Patti and Robert’s time there.

I even dug out my copy of this photographic essay,
CHELSEA HOTEL By Claudio Edinger, 

and read up on some of the people Patti mentioned in her book.

(I’m a bit torn about what to call the hotel since Patti refers to it as the
Hotel Chelsea but the other book calls it the Chelsea Hotel, as does
Bob Dylan in his song, Sara).

I highly recommend JUST KIDS.  It’s beautifully written (and gave me a
whole new way of listening to Horses).

If you’ve ever loved and lost someone, this book will speak to you.
And if you’ve ever held dreams but despaired of reaching them,
JUST KIDS will speak to you plus give you a kick in the ass.   
            

The Heroine’s Bookshelf

/ Tracy Abell / 20 Comments

          

Way back in October,  posted an interview
with Erin Blakemore, author of THE HEROINE’S BOOKSHELF:
Life Lessons from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder. 


Lucky duck that I am, I won a copy of the book.
I read it as soon as it arrived but am only just now getting around
to sharing my thoughts because I worried I wouldn’t do the book justice.
I’m still not confident I will, but am forging ahead.  

Ahem.

I have three words for you: Read this now.

Erin Blakemore divided her book into twelve parts
and assigned each a fictional character:

Self
Faith
Happiness
Dignity
Family Ties
Indulgence
Fight 
Compassion
Simplicity
Steadfastness
Ambition
Magic

For instance, Celie from THE COLOR PURPLE comes under Dignity,
and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’s Scout Finch represents Compassion.

Not only does Ms. Blakemore highlight the characters’ connections to
those traits, but also the women who created those characters.

Wow.
As a writer who has experienced a fair share of the emotional ups and downs
associated with the pursuit of publication, I very much appreciated learning the
background on the authors’ lives.
(A sneak peek: They lived some turbulent lives.  Wow.)

I’ve read all but two of the highlighted novels (and will read those others!),
but gained fresh perspectives on all those heroines.  
Reading THE HEROINE’S BOOKSHELF was like having a private book club
discussion in the luxury of my own bed (yes, I read the entire book propped
against pillows.)  At the risk of sounding contradictory, I felt both comforted and
adventurous as I read this book; it reaffirmed earlier thoughts and exposed me to new ideas.

Do your literary soul a favor and read THE HEROINE’S BOOKSHELF now.

           

Reading Banned Books

/ Tracy Abell / 16 Comments

             

It’s my turn at From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors,
and I’ve posted My Childhood, My Reading List, an exploration
of banned books I have loved.

I hope you can stop by.

Wishing everyone a glorious autumnal weekend!


                                                                                                                                          Image from Morguefile.com
                

Middle-Grade Blog Launch!

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

         

I don’t know how I would’ve made it through childhood without books.
I’m the fourth of five children, and don’t have memories of picture books and lap reading,
maybe because life was hectic and it didn’t happen often.

But I do remember reading books by myself, some of them over and over.
Independent reading was a gift,
and I took advantage of it.
Every day.

In my room,
on the bed or floor,
on the couch,
in a tree,
back of the car,
in a tent,
on the school bus,
curled up on the window seat,
at the kitchen table.
Reading, always.

Books got me through.
They still do.
Which is why I’m so proud to be part of the group
From the Mixed-Up Files . . . of Middle-Grade Authors.
(Special thanks to Elissa Cruz for the idea and organization!)

Today is our launch and I hope you’ll go check out the new site.
You might win free books in our first giveaway,
but at the very least I hope you’ll relive your own middle-grade reading memories.
                                             

Taste: It’s All Subjective

/ Tracy Abell / 14 Comments

              

I just read two YA novels by two well-known authors.
(Note: these authors are not on LiveJournal).
I’ve read and enjoyed other novels by these authors.

But I did not like either of these books.
At all.

The first was filled with repetitious interior dialogue,
as the narrator told the reader about his thoughts/feelings four different ways.
The second was based on an unbelievable premise that required a light touch
but instead was handled with a sledge hammer.
My jaw dropped when I read the final page because I couldn’t believe an editor let it go.
Then again, the entire book was written that way.

But you know what?
I did a quick online search, and discovered that all sorts of people enjoyed those books.
Books are a matter of taste,
and I need to remember that as I work to get my stories published.

Thomas Jefferson advised "In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current." 

That’s probably good advice, Tom.
But while I won’t argue with people’s taste regarding these books,
I’m not jumping in to swim alongside popular opinion.

That’s a reader’s right.
A right shared by those editors reading my manuscripts.
                                

Ms. Brain, She Desperately Needs a Song

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

              

There are lots of contributing factors to my current State of Grumpy:

It’s incredibly windy right now
which means I can’t work in my garden
which means no exercise
since my hip is still messed up and I can’t do much of anything else
which also means I’m gaining weight.
And did I mention it’s Monday?
A really windy Monday?

But I also just realized I haven’t written much of anything in a week
as I’m still in CLOSE TO HOME limbo as I wait for readers’ responses.
I cannot work on BIRD BRAIN until I can give it my undivided attention
because I’ve started and stopped that project so many times I’m
afraid it’ll dwindle into nothing if I don’t give it the respect it’s due.

So there I was.
Crabby, crabby crabby.
Until I grabbed a book off my shelf, THE ELEVENTH DRAFT: Craft and the Writing Life from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop,
and opened it to Barry Hannah‘s piece, Mr. Brain, He Want a Song.
This is what I read:

". . . this is why I find working writers to be among the happiest folks in the world.  Among the unhappiest are those who are not working and have endless questions.  You do not want to get within a block of these people.  The Great Suck – big bottom lip, the sulk, the neurotic and despondent vortex.  But working writers are like unprosecuted felons."      

I’m off to my PT appointment but as soon as I’m home,
I’m going to write some flash fiction or a poem.
Something.
I cannot stand wallowing in The Great Suck.
However, I probably won’t go so far as to commit a felony
(unless you count writing really bad poetry as a crime).
             

Inspiration for today’s work

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

           

As I get ready to write today,
hoping to choose the perfect words for my final chapter,
I hold Jeannine’s work up as inspiration.

From BORROWED NAMES by Jeannine Atkins:

As if staying in one place
is the sole measure of goodness,
as if ponds are better than running rivers or rain.

Jeannine sets the bar pretty damned high, doesn’t she?
            

           

Thankful Thursday: The Feathered Edition

/ Tracy Abell / 16 Comments

            

"The great thing about being a beginner [birdwatcher] is that it doesn’t
take much to please you.  And if you have any sense, you will keep that."
                          —-Simon Barnes from HOW TO BE A BAD BIRDWATCHER


                                                                     © 2010 Tracy Abell

Okay, here’s what it says at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:
Compared with males, females have paler heads that contrast less with the gray back.

So would you say the American Robin in my photo is male?  Or female?
                 

Friday Five: The Ellen Hopkins Edition

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

             

Last night I got to hear Ellen Hopkins speak.
I haven’t read any of her books, mostly because I never felt in the right emotional space to do so.
CRANK is some heavy duty bleeeep, people.

Well, after listening to the smart and funny Ellen in person,
I decided if she’s brave enough to write them, I can summon the courage to read them.

1)  Ellen started writing CRANK in prose but got 50 pages in and realized it wasn’t working.  After
hearing Sonya Sones speak, Ellen decided to try writing it in verse.

2)  She put huge amounts of thought into the format and where each word ended up on the page
because she was (is) especially mindful of the YA reader’s needs.

3)  In answer to a question, Ellen said that yes, it feels as if her brain is half story and half format.

4)  When she writes, each page has to be right before she moves on which means that when she reaches
the end, it’s done.

5)  She cautioned us to always be honest in our writing and so if writing a romance, to show the flaws.
Don’t set up readers for a lifetime of looking for a kind of perfect love that doesn’t exist.  Her example
was that she’s been married 25 years and considers her husband Mr. Mostly Right (because there are
those days…)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, EVERYONE!
                        

Friday Five: The Color Edition

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

     

I’m currently reading R.A. Nelson’s DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS, and came across this line:
The next morning the sun comes up like three-day old orange juice. 

And I thought, wow.

Later, I was hooping while listening to Regina Spektor, and heard this:
Blue lips, blue veins
Blue, the color of our planet
From far, far away

So then I started thinking about colors
and how they can create such powerful imagery.

I grabbed a book off my nightstand, Laraine Herring’s WRITING BEGINS WITH THE BREATH,
and found this:
The yellow, diamond-shaped sign with the words "SNOW ZONE" on it was covered with snow,
revealing only "S  W   NE" to drivers.

From my bookshelf I opened T.C. Boyle’s THE TORTILLA CURTAIN to this:
His hair was red, for one thing — not the pale wispy carrot-top  Delaney had inherited from his Scots-Irish mother, but the deep shifting auburn you saw on the flanks of horses in an uncertain light.

And Carson McCullers’s THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER:
Besides his workbench and chair there was a heavy safe in the corner, a lavatory with a greenish mirror, and shelves full of boxes and worn-out clocks.

Can’t you just picture all that?
Wishing each of you a glorious weekend filled with COLOR and life!
                      

That’s what she said

/ Tracy Abell / 39 Comments

said, "Carol Lynch Williams has created some kind of miracle in the THE CHOSEN ONE" and she was right. I finished reading it yesterday and could not stop thinking about it. High stakes and lovely writing.

said, "A beginning is filled with so much hope." Jeannine was referring to the blank page at the beginning of a project and I realized that that hope is what keeps me in the writing game. Each time I start a new book, I know the sky’s the limit on what I can accomplish.

Zippy’s mother once said "We’re talking about rulers and we end up talking about blue-green algae. Isn’t that strange?" I dug that 12/23/91 gem out of my old quote book because this past week I spent the day with my in-laws and was reminded how odd yet fun it is being a part of that family. (Although sometimes the odd outweighs the fun).

Anne Lamott said, "Hey, who fucking cares?" when she was in the bathtub, feeling down on herself as she stared at her post-pregnancy thighs. I think Anne’s wisdom applies to an awful lot of stuff in my 47-year-old life. Feel free to remind me of this sentiment when I fall into a shame spiral.

The miracle that was Larry Brown

/ Tracy Abell / 11 Comments

         
      
Today I finished reading Larry Brown’s last book, A Miracle of Catfish.
Larry Brown was an excruciatingly good writer
who created characters you wouldn’t typically find in children’s literature.

They’re often selfish
ignorant
alcoholic
murdering and pathetic.
But also kind-hearted and funny.

Larry Brown wrote for adults but whenever I read his work, 
I have this burning desire to be a better writer for children.
More like him.
Minus the occasional slaughter of various animals
and gruesome factory mishaps.

Larry Brown wasn’t afraid to shine a light into humanity’s dark spaces.
And he was one helluva storyteller.

Thank you again, Doug, for making the introduction.
                 

My New Motto

/ Tracy Abell / 25 Comments

    

I’m reading this:

If you’re not familiar with this book, I highly recommend it.
Ralph Keyes picks you up off the floor, dusts you off, and sends you back to work.

As I read a bit last night before falling asleep,
I came across the word "prevail."
I felt a ping in my head.
The guy who narrates my morning yoga routine
also says "prevail."
And I love it when he does
because it makes me feel strong and powerful.

So after much thought,
I’ve decided to officially adopt it as my own official word:

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PREVAIL

To be or become effective; win out.
To succeed.
To triumph.

I’m thinking about tattooing it on my forehead.

Okay, not really.
But I am wondering if anyone else out there
has a motivating word or phrase.
If so, how do you display/utilize it in your own life?

                          

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Voice Rules!

/ Tracy Abell / 15 Comments

       

I just finished a contemporary YA that I really enjoyed.
The writing wasn’t great; there were too many summaries of the main character’s problems.
A kind of "I’m facing X, Y, Z now, and how will I continue?" sort of thing.
Over and over.
And the plot felt a bit contrived.

Yet I found myself eager to continue reading.
And I’ve decided it was due to the main character’s voice.
She’s funny and loyal, and has a genuineness about her.

I realize this isn’t any news flash since editors and agents
are always talking about the importance of voice.
We all know Voice is vital to a story.
But it was interesting to realize how much I’ll overlook if I’m engaged by the narrative.

What’s the must-have element for you to keep reading a less-than-perfect book?

             

The Pitfalls of Randomness

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

       

When Zebu and I go to the library
he pulls books off the shelves.
At random.

He doesn’t really look at what he’s grabbed.
And he stops grabbing once he has a stack.

He recently read a book about a chess tournament
which he said was really boring.
Hard to believe, I know.

Last night he finished a book about a spelling bee.
He said it was totally stupid.
Again, what a shock.

I asked why he didn’t just check out a novel about knitting while he was at it.

Rather than throw a pillow at me
he said my idea would only work if it was a story about competitive knitting.
Involving a race to knit a pair of mittens, hat, and scarf.

So if any of my writer friends want to run with that plot idea, feel free.
Zebu would probably read it.

                

Sandburg – Dylan Intersection

/ Tracy Abell

You might be happy to know I finally finished Carl Sandburg’s PRAIRIE-TOWN BOY.
So why am I still writing about Mr. Sandburg?

Because this morning I was reading the Rolling Stone interview with Bob Dylan.
Dylan recounts how in February 1964 he spontaneously drove with friends from New York
to Hendersonville, North Carolina, where he knocked on the door of his hero, Carl Sandburg.

From the interview (conducted by Douglas Brinkley):
Mrs. Sandburg greeted the stoned-out New Yorkers with Appalachian warmth.  "I am a poet," is how
Dylan introduced himself to her.  "My name is Robert Dylan, and I would like to see Mr. Sandburg."
The 86-year-old Sandburg had collected more than 280 ballads in The American Songbag, and Dylan
wanted to discuss them.  "I had three records out at the time," Dylan says, laughing at his youthful temerity.
"The Times They Are a-Changin’ record was the one I gave him a copy of.  Of course he had never heard of me."
After just 20 minutes, Sandburg excused himself.

I’m betting Sandburg went into the next room and tried to wrap his head around what had just happened.
                      

           

Whence Your Motivation?

/ Tracy Abell / 26 Comments

What do you think about this?

From THE WRITER’S BOOK OF HOPE: ENCOURAGEMENT AND ADVICE FROM A VETERAN by Ralph Keyes:
Over the course of her distinguished career, Margaret Atwood made a hobby of collecting reasons for writing that authors mention in their autobiographies, press interviews, on talk shows and during "conversations in the backs of bookstores before the dreaded group signing …"  From the long list Atwood recorded in NEGOTIATING WITH THE DEAD, a few of my favorites include:

  • To make money so I could sneer at those who formerly sneered at me.
  • To show the bastards.
  • To justify my failures in school.
  • To act out antisocial behavior for which I would have been punished in real life.
  • To make myself appear more interesting than I actually was.
  • Because I was possessed.

This shocks me.
I admit that "showing the bastards" is part of my motivation for wanting to get published.
But actually, that’s not even true.
It’s more that I want to get published so my kids can see how working hard and not giving up can pay off.
Plus, I don’t want them thinking I’m delusional. 
Whatever the reasons are these days, I certainly did not begin writing as a strategy for getting back at people in my past.
I mean, come on.
There’s got to be a less painful method for getting revenge.
          
So, confession time.
Anyone here start writing so they could stick it to their high school English teacher?
              

Hipster, Revisited

/ Tracy Abell

Still reading Carl Sandburg’s Prairie-Town Boy.
And again, he used that phrase I find so funny coming from him:

" . . . tried to get my head around the English Magna Carta."
                   

Carl Sandburg – Hipster?

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

I’m reading Carl Sandburg’s childhood memoirs, Prairie-Town Boy.
Sandburg was born to poor Swedish immigrant parents in 1878.
The book was written in 1952.

Last night I was reading the chapter on the books he loved reading as a child.
The History of Napoleon Bonaparte and
Young Folks’ Cylopaedia of Persons and Places.
A series of history books by Charles Coffin.

Young Carl Sandburg loved many of the Coffin books,
especially one on the Revolutionary War.
But when he tried reading those written about the Civil War, 
he found them dry.

Sandburg wrote:
". . . maybe it [Civil War] was so big he [Coffin] couldn’t get his head around it."

Wow.

I’m here to say it took me a while to wrap my head around
Carl Sandburg wrapping his head around
Charles Coffin and the Civil War he apparently couldn’t wrap his head around.
                              

A RECIPE 4 ROBBERY

/ Tracy Abell

MaryBeth Kelsey has a new book coming out April 28:


 
She’s celebrating by offering free copies of the book.
If you’d like to win a free copy, head over there right now to enter.

Her first book, TRACKING DADDY DOWN, was great fun and I’m expecting more of the same.
Especially since this one involves an excitable French chef!

Congratulations to MaryBeth on the impending launch of A RECIPE 4 ROBBERY!!!
                     
           

Stuart Smalley and Me

/ Tracy Abell / 25 Comments

Of his own initiative, Wildebeest spent part of his spring break with my mother in Florida.
They both had a great time.
When she called yesterday to say he was on the plane, she brought tears to my eyes
with all the wonderful things she had to say about him.

I was so proud of him.

Thirty minutes after getting home, Wildebeest got angry about something
and proceeded to lash out at his favorite target: me.
Without directly addressing my writing, he said just enough to get me doubting myself.

I started thinking I was delusional about having an actual writing career in which money is
part of the equation.
All those good feelings about Wildebeest disappeared.
All my confidence in myself was gone.

So who did I turn to?
This guy.
Stuart Smalley.

If you’re not familiar with this book, I can’t recommend it enough. 
This is my dog-eared copy of Stuart’s (aka Al Franken) daily affirmations.

Stuart is a member of various twelve-step programs (OA, DA, Al-Anon, etc) but
despite his best efforts sometimes goes into Shame Spirals. 
Stuart’s shame spirals usually result in him taking to bed with a case of Hydrox or
several boxes of Animal Crackers (the OA component at work.)

Stuart makes me laugh (every single time I read his affirmations), but he also
hits on some truths.
Last night this one resonated with me:

December 12
TODAY I AM A TOTALLY COMPETENT PERSON!
I feel strangely confident.  Or strangely competent.  Or just strange!  Anyway, I’m taping today, and I feel good about it.  But not cocky or grandiose.  Steve calls it "delusions of adequacy."  That’s a joke.  It’s just that it feels like everything that’s ever happened to me has brought me to this moment.  And I guess that’s something to remember.  Which is that we can actually learn and benefit from all this bizarre stuff that happens to us.  I am who I am, I don’t want to trade places with anybody, and my experience has made me stronger.  I am in recovery, hear me roar!

Do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book.

              

Research or Time Suck?

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

I’m reading this right now
to help me figure out character motivation
and resolve a plot issue.

It turns out catchers are an interesting breed
and I’m enjoying the book
which makes me wonder
if I’ve moved beyond Research
into Procrastination.