Many, many years ago when I started this blog, I used to regularly do a "Jessica Recommends" blog where I listed all my most recently read books that I've liked. Most of you will not remember this, due to the fact that pretty much no one read this blog before I ever had a book out! (Don't feel bad, reading random people's blogs is not that interesting.) But I feel that lately I have been lapse in recommending books, and so let me through a couple out there.
Jessica Recommends:
Out of the Wild, by Sarah Beth Durst (the sequel to Into the Wild, which I also cannot recommend enough)
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, by Peter Sis
Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner
Wizards at War, by Diane Duane
Suite Scarlett, by Maureen Johnson
And I'm currently reading The Black Tattoo, by Sam Enthoven, and really enjoying it.
Actually, I'd just like to take this opportunity to endorse anything by Maureen Johnson. Maybe I shouldn't since I've only read three of her books, but I'm guessing from those three that all her books are phenomenal. I have LOVED Devilish, Suite Scarlett, and 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and look forward to reading her three others, The Bermudez Triangle, The Keys to the Golden Firebird, and Girl at Sea.
And now for the World's Most Frequently Asked Question!
I bet you were thinking it was: What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything? But we all know the answer to that is 42. That was settled years ago. (Thanks, Douglas Adams!)
Judging from the emails I get daily, the World's Most Frequently Asked Question is:
Will you write another dragon book?
The answer is: Yes.
Also, the rough draft is done. Finished. You may email me your plot ideas all you like, but I'm afraid I do not need them. Also, you may speculate away, but I'm afraid I will not be giving out any spoilers. I will not tell you if there is a wedding, any dragon eggs hatching, or any major deaths.
Nope.
Nuthin'.
All right, now I feel bad.
Here's your hint:
Volcano.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Matt?! Who's Matt?!
This past week the hubby and I took a little vacation, our first in two years. Hooray! We went to Portland, Oregon, one of our favorite places. The divine food! The Saturday Market (now also running on Sundays)! Powells City of Books! It was lovely!
We: bought homemade soap and I got a Himalayan ring at the Saturday Market. Ate at Who-Song and Larry's, the best Mexican restaurant this side of the Rio Grande. Took a drive to Tillamook to watch our fave cheese being made. (I was banned from saying, "It's a cheese holiday, Gromit!" however.) Drove to Cannon Beach to run around on the sand and screech over the fact that it's ninety degrees everywhere else but the beach, where the ocean wind keeps it to a balmy fifty.
And spent a day at Powells.
Ah, Powells! So many books! So many, many books! I got to sign the copies of mine that they had in stock. I also startled one girl buying a copy of Dragon Slippers by offering to sign it for her. She looked like I was crazy, so I showed her my driver's license. Then I pretty much forced another girl to buy it, since she was giving me the eye and also had the same taste in books that I do. (Hooray for Patricia Wrede!) At her recommendation, I bought the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy. The clerk at Powells who was helping me with the signing of the stock said that they sell tons of my books, which made me smile for the rest of the day.
So then, home again, my husband was looking at the Powells website and the info that they have about my books. And he noticed the bio of me.
"Who's Matt?"
"What?"
"Who's Matt? It says you live with your husband, Matt. Is there something I should know about?"
Yes, much as I never reveal the name of our son, I'm also a bit standoffish about telling people my husband's name. He does have to go out every day in the real world and make money to pay our bills, you know. So my "official bio" just says I live with my husband and our young son.
And apparently someone, somewhere, has decided that my husband's name is Matt.
I'm still giggling.
I may have to start calling him that.
We: bought homemade soap and I got a Himalayan ring at the Saturday Market. Ate at Who-Song and Larry's, the best Mexican restaurant this side of the Rio Grande. Took a drive to Tillamook to watch our fave cheese being made. (I was banned from saying, "It's a cheese holiday, Gromit!" however.) Drove to Cannon Beach to run around on the sand and screech over the fact that it's ninety degrees everywhere else but the beach, where the ocean wind keeps it to a balmy fifty.
And spent a day at Powells.
Ah, Powells! So many books! So many, many books! I got to sign the copies of mine that they had in stock. I also startled one girl buying a copy of Dragon Slippers by offering to sign it for her. She looked like I was crazy, so I showed her my driver's license. Then I pretty much forced another girl to buy it, since she was giving me the eye and also had the same taste in books that I do. (Hooray for Patricia Wrede!) At her recommendation, I bought the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy. The clerk at Powells who was helping me with the signing of the stock said that they sell tons of my books, which made me smile for the rest of the day.
So then, home again, my husband was looking at the Powells website and the info that they have about my books. And he noticed the bio of me.
"Who's Matt?"
"What?"
"Who's Matt? It says you live with your husband, Matt. Is there something I should know about?"
Yes, much as I never reveal the name of our son, I'm also a bit standoffish about telling people my husband's name. He does have to go out every day in the real world and make money to pay our bills, you know. So my "official bio" just says I live with my husband and our young son.
And apparently someone, somewhere, has decided that my husband's name is Matt.
I'm still giggling.
I may have to start calling him that.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Beautiful, Downtown Idaho
It's Fourth of July weekend, which for my family means lots of making of food and lots of running around. There's the annual parade-watching and bbq with my cousins, dinner (more bbq, and baby I loves me some potato chips) with my in-laws followed by fireworks, and then a family reunion the next day. Yep, busy times, but fun. Boy is asleep on the couch now, all tuckered out from running amok with a squirt gun for six hours.
But before all these fun things I was in Twin Falls with my mom and dad, hanging out and, yes, talking about books. I did a signing at the Twin Falls Barnes & Noble, which was very fun. I stayed for hours longer than normal, because every time I thought, "Okay, it's slowing down, it's time to go," someone cool would come in to talk to me. YAY! And then I did writing workshop with some homeschoolers. I have to say: homeschoolers=well behaved! My goodness! They wrote down everything I said, they never had to be shushed, it was . . . kinda weird, honestly. :) They were a good group, though, and I fully expect some great books out of these kids in the future.
But.
Pippin.
Yes, THE Pippin. Star of Dragon Slippers.
For those of you who don't know, Pippin is really my dog or, to be more exact, my oldest child. She's freakishly intelligent and exhibits alarmingly human personality traits.
And, while I was in Twin Falls, she walked out the front door of my parents' house and got lost. Her collar tag only had her name and our phone number, sans area code, so there was no way for someone to contact us if they found her. We searched for her until one o'clock in the morning, then finally went to bed. No one slept: a five pound dog lost in a strange town?! Where was she? At seven am I got up and started calling the sheriff again, while my mom put up posters in an ever-widening circle around her neighborhood.
And then, at eight thirty, someone called to say that the night before they had caught my little darling right as she was about to dart across a busy street five blocks from my parents' house! They'd tried the number on her collar, and when it didn't work they turned her over to the humane society! I think this man thought I was crazy: I was crying and screaming with excitement into the phone. When the shelter opened at ten we were right there, scooped her up, paid her bail, and took her straight to PetSmart to buy dog shampoo and a collar tag that has our phone number (with area code) AND complete address on it!
I just hope I never lose a child, because losing the dog was the worst thing I've ever been through!
But before all these fun things I was in Twin Falls with my mom and dad, hanging out and, yes, talking about books. I did a signing at the Twin Falls Barnes & Noble, which was very fun. I stayed for hours longer than normal, because every time I thought, "Okay, it's slowing down, it's time to go," someone cool would come in to talk to me. YAY! And then I did writing workshop with some homeschoolers. I have to say: homeschoolers=well behaved! My goodness! They wrote down everything I said, they never had to be shushed, it was . . . kinda weird, honestly. :) They were a good group, though, and I fully expect some great books out of these kids in the future.
But.
Pippin.
Yes, THE Pippin. Star of Dragon Slippers.
For those of you who don't know, Pippin is really my dog or, to be more exact, my oldest child. She's freakishly intelligent and exhibits alarmingly human personality traits.
And, while I was in Twin Falls, she walked out the front door of my parents' house and got lost. Her collar tag only had her name and our phone number, sans area code, so there was no way for someone to contact us if they found her. We searched for her until one o'clock in the morning, then finally went to bed. No one slept: a five pound dog lost in a strange town?! Where was she? At seven am I got up and started calling the sheriff again, while my mom put up posters in an ever-widening circle around her neighborhood.
And then, at eight thirty, someone called to say that the night before they had caught my little darling right as she was about to dart across a busy street five blocks from my parents' house! They'd tried the number on her collar, and when it didn't work they turned her over to the humane society! I think this man thought I was crazy: I was crying and screaming with excitement into the phone. When the shelter opened at ten we were right there, scooped her up, paid her bail, and took her straight to PetSmart to buy dog shampoo and a collar tag that has our phone number (with area code) AND complete address on it!
I just hope I never lose a child, because losing the dog was the worst thing I've ever been through!
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