Robin Bridges's Blog, page 5
September 30, 2010
What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Book
I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
-Sylvia Plath
With both of my kids, I read the pregnancy manifesto What to Expect When You’re Expecting religiously. Like every day. It didn’t matter that I’d already read the book from cover to cover. I still had to re-read the part about what happens at 16 weeks when I was 16 weeks along. I still had to re-read about labor a dozen and a half times before I’d even hit my third trimester. You would have thought I was preparing for a final exam the way I memorized that book.
Having a book published is a lot like having a baby. Especially the waiting part. And the delivery of something-precious-that-you’ve-created part. Not to mention the I-get-to-have-a-party-and-eat-cake part. I’ve been scouring the web to find hints about the publication process, and I’ve found some great articles to study obsessively. Stacia Kane even calls her series “How babies are made”. :)
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Denise Little, a new agent with the Ethan Ellenberg Agency, has a few articles on her blog about the process too:
http://deniselittle.wordpress.com/from-idea-to-keeper-how-a-book-becomes-a-book/ten-to-eighteen-months-before-publication-the-editor-at-work/
http://deniselittle.wordpress.com/from-idea-to-keeper-how-a-book-becomes-a-book/six-to-nine-months-before-publication/
http://deniselittle.wordpress.com/from-idea-to-keeper-how-a-book-becomes-a-book/six-months-out-until-pub-date-everybody-gets-to-play/
http://deniselittle.wordpress.com/from-idea-to-keeper-how-a-book-becomes-a-book/the-final-push/
I’ve read and re-read and re-read these articles so many times, I’m beginning to crave butter cream frosting.
What to Expect When You're Expecting a Book
I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
-Sylvia Plath
With both of my kids, I read the pregnancy manifesto What to Expect When You’re Expecting religiously. Like every day. It didn’t matter that I’d already read the book from cover to cover. I still had to re-read the part about what happens at 16 weeks when I was 16 weeks along. I still had to re-read about labor a dozen and a half times before I’d even hit my third trimester. You would have thought I was preparing for a final exam the way I memorized that book.
Having a book published is a lot like having a baby. Especially the waiting part. And the delivery of something-precious-that-you’ve-created part. Not to mention the I-get-to-have-a-party-and-eat-cake part. I’ve been scouring the web to find hints about the publication process, and I’ve found some great articles to study obsessively. Stacia Kane even calls her series “How babies are made”. :)
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Denise Little, a new agent with the Ethan Ellenberg Agency, has a few articles on her blog about the process too:
http://deniselittle.wordpress.com/from-idea-to-keeper-how-a-book-becomes-a-book/ten-to-eighteen-months-before-publication-the-editor-at-work/
http://deniselittle.wordpress.com/from-idea-to-keeper-how-a-book-becomes-a-book/six-to-nine-months-before-publication/
http://deniselittle.wordpress.com/from-idea-to-keeper-how-a-book-becomes-a-book/six-months-out-until-pub-date-everybody-gets-to-play/
http://deniselittle.wordpress.com/from-idea-to-keeper-how-a-book-becomes-a-book/the-final-push/
I’ve read and re-read and re-read these articles so many times, I’m beginning to crave butter cream frosting.
September 18, 2010
Stuff for Saturday
1. I got a peek at my cover!!!! And it is beautiful. :)
2. I have three shiny new titles for the Katerina trilogy! The first one will now be called TEMPEST.
3. Smart Chicks! Thursday was exhausting but so much fun! The authors at the Jackson signing were friendly and funny and totally wonderful! And the people from Lemuria really did a great job.
The line-up of suspects (from left to right):
Jessica Verday, Alyson Noel, Kelly Armstrong, Melissa Marr, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, and Sara Reese Brennan
This one is blurry, but I decided to share it anyway: Melissa Marr giving away a very rare and precious ARC of DARKEST MERCIES!
Alyson Noel and Jessica Verday:
4. Write On Con! If you haven't checked out the awesome giveaways on the Write On Con blog, there's still time to enter!
5. A Day in the Writing Life: Thursday was my turn to post about a day in my writing life on The Elevensies' blog. Be jealous of my pink pajama pants.
6. Breaking Waves anthology: Tiffany Trent and Phyllis Irene Radford have edited an anthology of short stories to benefit the Gulf Coast Oil Fund. The anthology includes stories by Ursula le Guin, David Levine, Laura Anne Gilman, Vonda N. McIntyre, and many, many others.
July 10, 2010
My Amazon order can travel through time?
July 9, 2010
07:54:00 PM
Gulfport MS US
Delay in delivery due to external factors
July 9, 2010
05:08:00 AM
Gulfport MS US
Arrival Scan
July 9, 2010
04:22:00 AM
Gulfport MS US
Out for delivery
July 9, 2010
04:22:00 AM
Gulfport MS US
Arrival Scan
July 8, 2010
07:52:00 PM
Jackson MS US
Departure Scan
July 8, 2010
06:17:00 PM
Jackson MS US
Arrival Scan
July 8, 2010
07:51:00 AM
Memphis TN US
Departure Scan
July 8, 2010
06:13:00 AM
Memphis TN US
Arrival Scan
July 8, 2010
02:34:00 AM
Nashville TN US
Departure Scan
July 8, 2010
12:58:00 AM
Nashville TN US
Arrival Scan
July 7, 2010
10:06:00 PM
Lexington KY US
Departure Scan
October 16, 2009
06:47:00 PM
Baltimore MD US
Returning to seller
October 16, 2009
01:27:00 PM
Baltimore MD US
Delivery attempted. Signature is required to complete delivery. Please see carrier notice for next delivery attempt or contact the carrier
October 15, 2009
04:45:00 PM
Baltimore MD US
Delivery attempted. Signature is required to complete delivery. Please see carrier notice for next delivery attempt or contact the carrier
October 14, 2009
01:53:00 PM
Baltimore MD US
Delivery attempted. Signature is required to complete delivery. Please see carrier notice for next delivery attempt or contact the carrier
July 7, 2010
07:03:00 PM
Lexington KY US
Shipment received by carrier
July 7, 2010
05:33:32 PM
US
Shipment has left seller facility and is in transit
June 19, 2010
June 3, 2010
Alien! He’s going to suck my brain!
I found this guy eating the wisteria- very creepy when he stares at me with those big, orange eyes.
June 1, 2010
Irony
Just finished cleaning off my desk and bookshelves and found this:
May 29, 2010
Fun with math
1 million phones = 1 megaphone
2000 mockingbirds = two kilomockingbirds
10 cards = 1 decacards
1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche
453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake
1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin
10 rations = 1 decoration
100 rations = 1 C-ration
10 millipedes = 1 centipede
3 1/3 tridents = 1 decadent
2 monograms = 1 diagram
8 nickels = 2 paradigms
2 wharves = 1 paradox
(stolen from Tropical Weather Underground)
May 26, 2010
Cupcakeathon!
Because I'll use any excuse to eat cupcakes. And this is truly a noble cause.
It's Book Release Day for Lisa Mantchev's second book in her Theatre Illuminata series: Perchance to Dream! We're helping her celebrate with all things fairy-ish and cupcake-ish.
Grabbed the book!
Then on to Frosting to load up on cupcake goodness! It's hard to tell here, but these are 8 inch X-treme cupcakes!
We picked Strawberry Not-So-Shortcake, Boston Cream Pie, Key Lime Pie, Chocolate-Covered Strawberry, Prozac, and Wedding Cake. Only, the cupcake lady lied to me and said the Wedding Cake was topped with buttercream frosting.
It was whipped frosting instead. :(
The fairies are not amused.
May 15, 2010
Do the Write Thing for Nashville
Ten days of auction awesomeness is drawing to an end! Victoria Schwab, Amanda Morgan, and Myra McEntire are ROCK STARS!!! These three Nashville ladies at DTWTFN have worked relentlessly over the past two weeks to raise money for flood relief with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. I’m in awe of how much you ladies have accomplished in such a short time!
My auction is one of the ones up for today:
a 25 page YA or MG critique,
a jumbo Nashville mug,
organic granola munchies from zenmama granola,
and a basket of brand-spanking-new YA releases: 
White Cat (Curse Workers, Book 1) by Holly Black,
Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready,
Mistwood by Leah Cypess, and
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.
Exciting, yes? Go bid here!
