Friday Five: English Christmas

Steve and I just returned from a trip to England, where we enjoyed quite an array of Christmas delights (and thankfully avoided having the Apollo Theatre ceiling collapse on us--my thoughts are with the injured). I hope you'll indulge me as I share five of my favorite photos from the experience.


We spent the first three days in the Peak District, and one busy day we shared a turkey & cranberry pasty in the quiet yard of Bakewell Parish Church. Afterwards we peeked inside and were surprised to find a busy project underway that involved lining the walls with lighted Christmas trees. It was so beautiful, and this picture just doesn't do it justice.


As soon as we'd moved on to London, Steve made it a priority to visit Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland. His favorite part was eating. Mine was watching the ice skaters. (Though I rather liked my banana & Nutella crepe, too!)


Here's the view along Regent's street. It's hard to beat London for Christmas light displays!


A return to Royal Albert Hall was certainly in order. Judging by my big ol' goober grin, I guess we were pretty jazzed by the Christmas carols and excerpts from Handel's Messiah.


Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral was quite an interesting experience, but my favorite part was exploring all the cathedral's nooks and crannies afterwards.

Bonus shot: The moon at Chatsworth.

Next week -- tea at The Savoy and Narnia at Chatsworth!

[Cross-posted at Livejournal]

Friday Five

Even more random than usual . . .

1. Giveaway -- better late than never, but I'm finally announcing the winner of THE DARK BETWEEN blog tour contest. Congratulations to:

Heidi Davis -- a package of goodies will be coming your way very soon!

2. The Sound of Music -- I'm rather annoyed with myself for having missed NBC's live production last night. I've never seen the Broadway musical, and I've certainly never seen NBC do anything this risky or interesting. Seems like the reviews are mixed. What did you think? Did it put you in the Christmas spirit?

3. Speaking of Christmas -- my friend Shel has featured a stocking stuffer extravaganza on her blog all this week. Check it out! She has compiled roughly a bazillion ideas for filling your stockings.

4. SNOW!


It's not a blizzard, by any means, but it's enough to shut things down in these parts. The house is dark and quiet--even the cat is sleeping in--but I had to get out and have a tromp in the snow.

5. Death Comes to Pemberley -- here's the first trailer for the BBC adaptation:


I didn't really enjoy the book, but I'm certainly game for a TV adaptation. (Chatsworth! Anna Maxwell Martin! Cravats!) The tone seems terribly dark for Austen, but of course I'll watch whenever it makes its way across the pond. Will you?

Have a wonderful weekend!

[Cross-posted to Livejournal]

Friday Five

Oh, how I love autumn!

Haven't done the Friday Five in a while. Today I give you one alarming thing, and four lovely ones. (Actually many more than four lovely things!)

1. The Bechdel Test. Recently I was reading Michelle Cooper's blog (she's the author of the much beloved Montmaray Journals), and she mentioned this. You can read more about it here, but it boils down to the question of whether a novel, film, play, etc.: 1) has at least two women in it, 2) who talk to each other, 3) about something besides a man. As soon as I read that I thought HOLY MOLY, do my novels pass? And yes, they do, but I still appreciate the reminder.

Now, to the lovely things:

2. Author visits. I had a wonderful time talking to Choctaw High and Middle School students last week. They asked entertaining, thoughtful questions, and then they pretty much bought me out of books. (That never happens.) And this past Wednesday I met with a book group that has been meeting in Norman, OK, for several decades, and those ladies were so gracious, so fun to chat with, and at the end I was offered the most delicious petit four I've ever eaten. ALSO, during both visits I was told some hair raising stories of real life ghost encounters. Marvelous!

3. Middle Grade Books. Two in particular have warmed my heart lately, and they both were recommended by Caroline Starr Rose as part of The GreenBeanTeenQueen's So You Want to Read Middle Grade? series. With a Name Like Love, by fellow Elevensie Tess Hilmo, is an historical mystery featuring a traveling preacher's daughter who determines to clear the name of a woman who has falsely confessed to murder. Last night I finished Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff, about a girl who has been in foster homes her entire life. She finds a loving home with Josie, but she yearns for the former family she betrayed. Beautiful books!

4. Feel good movies. This is the time of year when I transition away from that craving for spooky Gothic horror. Instead I want predictable, gooey romance and friendship in a picturesque setting! I already mentioned on Facebook that I'm rather a junkie for Hallmark Christmas movies. I'll pass on the ones featuring Santa's wife/daughter/elf/whatever on the loose, but I love the simple and sweet romances like The Christmas Ornament (new this year) and Trading Christmas (2011). Last night I re-watched Enchanted April--I think it's been over a decade since I've seen it--and it was just as magical as always. (Though I wonder how those ladies can endure sleeping on craggy rocks!) Do you have any recommendations for me?

5. Short story anthologies. Last week was the official cover reveal for GRIM, a collection of dark fairy tale retellings edited by the wonderful Christine Johnson. I am absolutely delighted to have a story in this anthology! By the way, I also received two GRIM ARCs in the mail -- hooray! I will be plotting their fate in the next few weeks, so stay tuned . . .

The cover, front and back:



My story, "Untethered," is a modern interpretation of a little known and very tiny Brothers Grimm story entitled The Shroud. If you read it, you'll probably understand why I picked it. :)

Look for the hardcover release of GRIM in March 2014!

[Cross-posted to Livejournal]

Friday Five -- bringing back the happy

It's been a rough week, so I'm dedicating this Friday Five to happy things.

1. In case you didn't see me raving on FB and Twitter -- Tangled is a must see! The trailers just didn't do it justice, in my opinion. It's beautiful, funny, romantic, and features the most delicious secret tower I've ever seen. I want one of my own! Full-sized, please. This is cute, but I'm afraid I just couldn't squeeze the old carcass into it. :)

Also, this is an embarrassing admission, but when I saw the credits . . . I didn't know who Zachary Levi was. It's Chuck, of course! So you Chuck fans need to go see right away. Mandy Moore is quite good, too.

2. Downton Abbey is finally coming to PBS. I hardly know a thing about this show, except that a) it's an ITV costume drama, and b) people are raving about it. Weee!

3. I am loving Wolf Hall. I avoided this book for a long time -- wasn't sure I wanted to read more about that clever lunatic Henry VIII ruining so many lives with his whims and lusts. And for some reason I thought Thomas More was supposed to the main character. ("But he BURNED people," I thought.) Duh, the novel is actually about Thomas Cromwell. I'm only 200 pages in, but already I'm quite in love with him.

4. Looky, looky what I've got:


Julia Karr's XVI! The first of many gorgeous Elevensie books that I'm going to DEVOUR this year.

5. And finally, I must share this review of THE REVENANT by Kate Messner. I admire Kate ever so much -- she's amazingly accomplished and talented. I LOVED The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z and can't wait to get my hands on Sugar and Ice. She teaches full-time, writes like mad, sells books right and left, presents at conferences, etc., and yet she always takes the time to write very detailed, thoughtful reviews of the books she's read. Even if all my industry reviews are terrible, I'll always be able to go back to this one and say "Kate liked it, and she's COOL." Thanks, Kate!

Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy your weekend!

[Cross-posted from Livejournal]

Friday Five of fall color

Our fall color is just about at its peak right now, and though central Oklahoma isn't exactly known for autumnal beauty, I still found a few nice shots to share with you.


The young maple in front of our house. I deliberately shot into the sun because I liked the way the light peeks through the leaves.


Pumpkins on our front patio. This is the first year my crepe myrtles have had such fine color -- perhaps because someone finally told me I was overwatering them? Notice the neighbor's yellow tree across the street.

Now for a change of pace . . . some photos I took last weekend on the OU campus.


A tree across the street from the law school. Steve sees this one from his office window and takes cheer!


These trees haven't really turned, but it's always nice when the fall mums are planted on campus!


Two (or three?) ash trees mingle their leaves.

Happy weekend to all!

[Cross-posted from Livejournal]

Friday Five -- TV detective shows I wish you would watch with me!

1. Law & Order UK -- Okay, I'm mostly watching this for Jamie Bamber and Harriet Walter. Still, it's a good way to get my British police procedural fix.

2. Luther -- Idris Elba was fantastic as a highly entrepreneurial (& extremely sexy) drug dealer in The Wire, and I've always wanted to hear him use his native accent. The fact that he's starring as a police detective makes it all the more enticing. (And he'll be working with Jane Eyre! Heh.) However, I hope the show doesn't go over-the-top with the DARKNESS and TORMENT. (I get too much of that with Wallander.)

3. Sherlock -- Saw this in England during the summer. It's brilliant. Watch it.

4. Fringe -- (Does this count as a detective show? I think so.) Great start to the third season, though my heart broke a little last night. I KNOW many of you are watching this, and I want to discuss it with each and every one of you!

5. Castle -- Just when my husband decided to give up on this one, it seemed to get better. Hmmm . . . Despite the fact that we never see Castle's old/new girlfriend and now have a new PlotDeviceBoyfriend! for Beckett, this season has been consistently clever and entertaining.

In other news, my poem is featured today at Maurissa Guibord's Haunted House Tour. I'm not a poet, but this little piece demanded to be written nonetheless. By commenting, you could win a copy of Neil Gaiman's Newbery-winning The Graveyard Book! (One of my favorites!)

Happy weekend, everyone!

[Cross-posted from Livejournal]

Friday Five -- it's FINALLY October

Back to the usual randomness . . .

1. Maurissa Guibord's Haunted House Tour 2010 begins today! Creepy tales and prizes will be featured throughout the month of October. Do check it out -- if you dare!

2. Don't forget to nominate your favorite Children's and YA books for the 2010 Cybils. (I must add this to my 'to-do' list immediately.)

3. I recently re-read I Capture the Castle and couldn't resist reviewing it for Book End Babes. Oh, how I love this novel! Have you re-read anything wonderful lately?

4. I've finished a draft of my manuscript. (!!!) It's rather ugly in places (I mean, REALLY patchy and frequently ridiculous), but I still count it a decent start at 76k words. Since I tend to underwrite first drafts, I fear the final product will be the longest thing I've ever written.

5. After I get back from my workout (bleh) I'm going to celebrate and unwind by watching last night's Fringe and Vampire Diaries, perhaps also indulging in an instant viewing of I Capture the Castle on Netflix. Tomorrow it's back to the salt mines as I return to the beginning of the ms and start revising. (I really want to get this to my crit partners by the middle of the month.)

What are your plans for the weekend?

[Cross-posted from Livejournal]

Friday Five

1. WriteOnCon. This amazing online writing conference needs your help! Browse the various offerings and comment on those you'd like to win. Comment here to win a critique from me and an ARC of The Revenant when it becomes available. Multiply your entries by making a small donation.You have until Sunday, September 26, at noon (EST) to comment/donate! (Remember, you don't HAVE to donate, but doing so will increase your chances of winning AND will help a great online resource continue its fabulous work! Oh, and don't worry -- they are suggesting small donations.)

2. My home office. We've been working on this room for four years, adding a few pieces here and there when we could scrounge up the money. Our final two pieces -- a 5th bookcase (!!!) and a hutch -- arrived Wednesday. After lots of heavy lifting, sorting, and cleaning, here's the result:

 



I am so happy with how it all turned out. But a word of warning -- black bookcases collect dust like crazy. Yeah, you probably already knew that. Well, imagine what it's like when you add a white cat into the mix! My Swiffer duster just can't keep up.

3. A relic of my past. Look what I found when cleaning out the office closet: an old-timey photo of me in my late-teens with Steve (who looks 12). My hair is just sad, but at least I had a tan back then!

4. Book squee. As soon as I finish The Children's Book (which is good, but so LONG), I will dive into Y.S. Ling's The Body at the Tower. (Victorian girl spies RULE!) And after that, I simply must get my hands on Lucy Christopher's Stolen, which apparently is beyond spectacular.

5. TV squee. Six days until the Fringe Season 3 premiere!

[Cross-posted from Livejournal]

Friday Five of Fun and Magic

1. In case you didn't see me EXCLAIMING ABOUT IT all over the place yesterday (like a crazy fool), I finally got permission to share my cover for THE REVENANT. Here it is. Thanks for celebrating with me!

2. Tomorrow I will be sharing tips on getting an agent at the Oklahoma SCBWI Fall conference. If you're reading this and you attended my "Schmooze" talk on the same topic a few months ago, I will have new material. Oh, and big thanks go out to the Elevensies who donated their queries for my presentation. *smooch*

3. I needed a little extra magic for my presentation, so yesterday I went on the hunt for a new pair of shoes to jazz up my look. So many ladies have been working the red shoes lately that I had to get my own pair. Here they are. And here's an an action shot, so to speak. They're slightly old-ladyish, but also foxy. Silver-foxy?

4. Speaking of magic, I am listening to Sara Bareilles' new CD Kaleidoscope Heart. She is my #1 girl-crush! Would love to see her in concert again, but I'm afraid Steve would stow away on her tour bus and I'd never see him again.

5. Even more magic: I love this interview of L.K. Madigan by Jaclyn Dolamore. Lots of Mermaid-y goodness AND a giveaway. Please do go check it out -- you might win something fabulous. And don't forget that L.K.'s The Mermaid's Mirror will be released on October 4th!

Happy weekend, everyone!

[Cross-posted from Livejournal]