The Looking Glass Wars

I'm only a hundred pages into this book, but I love it passionately. It's amazing and inventive, and wonderfully written. Just the way he's played with the characters of Alice in Wonderland, the way he's turned and twisted the Lewis Carroll story to make it strange and different and purely his own is awe-inspiring. Three cheers for Frank Beddor, and everyone go out and get this book! I'm also excited by the comic book, Hatter M, that goes along with the book, and I think I'm going to have to have it, too.

IT'S HERE!!!!

It's here! Not just on my mantel, but available at fine purveyors of books everywhere! Yes, at long last, DRAGON SLIPPERS, the first of many fine books by yours truly has been launched on the world! On Friday, I got an email from Dennis, an old buddy from Borders of Princeton, who said that he had bought a copy that very day! Hooray for Dennis! On Saturday, Mikey stopped by the Barnes n Noble at Jordan's Landing, and took pictures with his camera phone for me. Of MY BOOK. In a bookstore. Amazing. My parents have bought several copies (my dad can't pass a bookstore without going in and buying it). My mom and I went on a bookstore crawl through Twin Falls and Boise, to see if they had it, and everyone did. So amazing, I am unable to comprehend it. Amazing. Everyone go buy it. (PS- First official booksigning: May 12 at the King's English in Salt Lake City.)

Everyone's doing it. . . .

Writing a book, I mean! Or they should be. It's funny: I get so many people who say, Oh, I'd love to write a book. Sometimes I have ideas. . . . And then they trail away, as if to say that this is such a far-off dream that they dare not even try it. To this I say: "Pshaw!" (I was going to say something else, but in the event that there are tender youths reading this blog, I shall refrain.) Take five minutes. Take that idea you had and write it down. Do it however you like: in a notebook, a diary, on the computer. Just write it down. Walk away. The next day, open up that diary or notebook or computer file, and look at what you've written- don't be shy! Add to it. Change something. Write down a first line, a last line, a smidgeon of outline. Every day, or every day that you can manage it, open up that book/diary/file, and give it just five minutes of your time. Maybe fifteen, if you're lucky. One day you will have that book written. Then get back to me, and we'll talk about editing and publication. That's another story, and not one to scare away the newbies with. But try it. If you have an idea, WRITE IT DOWN! Your ideas are just as good as anyone else's. Probably better than most peoples. (If you're reading my blog that means you have good taste and are well-read, so that's two things in your favor right there!) But I see no reason why everyone, everywhere, can't have a book of their own. Trust me, just holding a big stack of paper filled with your words in manuscript form is a rush. Seeing it bound into a book . . . ooh, baby!

The Trophy on my Mantel

There's something exciting and wonderful sitting on my mantel today. It's been there since Wednesday, but I'm just now able to talk about it without becoming all verklempt. It's (drumroll please) a shiny crisp copy of "Dragon Slippers" by up and coming author Jessica Day George. Yes, that's right! It's my book, in all its hardcovered, slip-jacketed glory. Hot off the presses and gorgeous to behold. Is there anything better in the world?

More hope for debut authors. . . .

I was recently talking about first time authors on this site, how my book club and others have been reading a lot of debut novels with a lot of problems. Then we all sit back and go, well, it was their FIRST book, as if that gives it an excuse to have glaring plot holes and other large flaws. Then I read Naomi Novik's sublime Temeraire series, her first three books, and pointed out that they are all flawless. And this week I read another debut novel, and again was wowed by the clever story and great writing. And I'm pleased to say that the other of this book is a fellow Utah writer. The author: Jeff Carney. The book: The Adventures of Michael MacInnes. Two thumbs way up! ps-Cannot locate copy of Locus magazine, have had to order from publisher. Argh.

Princess Pippin's Pinwheel

So, I'm a knitter. Those of you who don't yet know this, may be shocked, or pleased, or not at all surprised. I also have a very small dog. You can see a picture of her on the www.dragonslippers.net site, under "Feniul's Dogs". My Pippin is indeed the model for the evil princess' lapdog. Pippin likes to sleep in cave-type of places, like under the bed or the couch or the desk. In years past she would sleep on an old bag of my husband's under the bed, but she has recently abandoned that and slunk deeper beyond the dust ruffle where my son cannot reach her. She dislikes having her sleep interrupted by a two year old, you see. In her sense of righteous indignation, she has abandoned the bag, and now lies on the (probably dusty) carpet. So I am endeavoring to make her a little bed, knitted and felted, based on designs invented for cats. Yep, my dog is small enough that cat beds are suitably sized for her. Also, she is catlike in her dainty independence, which makes this very fitting. Equally fitting? Parts of the bed will be knitted out of Patons' "Pooch" yarn, which looks like poodle fur. She is not a poodle, but she regularly terrorizes my mother-in-laws poodles, so I like to think this is what her trophy would look like if Pippin were a big game hunter. Now, the point of the blog is this: my third book will have knitting patterns of my own design incorporated into it, and I'm toying with the idea of posting some others here on the site, like the doggie bed, also a scarf I invented for my husband which he has never worn. Any interest? Anyone? Anyone care to know that I'm using this pointless blog to cover an anxiety attack I'm having since I just discovered that Carolyn Cushman reviewed Dragon Slippers for this month's Locus?