post-season depression

After a mad dash of watching I just finished the second season of Downton Abbey. And I must say. It was good. Very good indeed.

But I am now fending of a bit of sadness that I don't live there. And none of my dresses look quite as fabulous as Lady Mary's.

If you have not partaken of the goodness that is Downton Abbey, then do yourself a favor and watch the 1st season on Netflix and the 2nd season on PBS.com (it's only up for 5 more days or so, hurry!!).

Don't worry, I won't judge if you watch both seasons in 5 days. ;)

two things on a tuesday

1. My brother is very good at poetry. (Read, much better than I ever will be at it).

2. According to CollegeHumor, Twilight (and other Young Adult novels), will save America. It's not a bad plan if you ask me.

things that don't happen everyday

Whenever I get word-fatigued from the afternoon of writing I usually go for a jog through the park closest to our apartment. It is generally an uneventful venture (though the walk there is lined with feral cats and nauseatingly oil fried chicken joints). Today was different.

I was jogging along to some Last of the Mohicans music (which, I must say, helps me feel epic when really I'm not) when I saw a man huddled in the bushes. It took a second for my brain to register the fact that he was wearing camouflage fatigues. And another second for me to realize he was holding a gun.

At this point my brain was going, "WTF? oasldkfja;slkdjfa!" But the other joggers/dog-walkers of said park did not seem too phased by the sight. So I kept jogging.

Behind the first set of magnolia trees I sighted even more camouflaged men. Holding more guns. Some were huddled in groups. Others splayed out on the ground in what I imagine is standard military splaying, elbows in the dirt aiming rifles at nothing in particular. (I'm sure there's a more advanced word for these guns, but I am not really a gun person (unless they are rifles from WWII in which case I could probably fumble my way through a description due to some good friends who are happily obsessed with WWII rifles)).

This is odd. I thought to myself and kept on jogging. Soon enough I came across a sign that explained it all: "ROTC training: 4-6."

Even though I knew the guns were fake (well, suspected they were fake, or at least, unloaded), it still felt incredibly strange and wrong jogging past a cadet who had a rifle aimed at me. It's just a reminder to be so thankful that I live in a country where that doesn't happen.

what makes a good cover?

Happy Saturday! Apparently no one who reads this blog has any questions, so I've decided to write about a subject that's been on my mind lately. (Probably because yesterday was such a huge day for Fall 2012 cover reveals!)

Book covers.

I must confess, that one of the things I'm most impatient/anxious for in the whole process of getting published is the cover of my book. Now that might seem a small thing, but if you think about it, covers can make or break a consumer's decision to pick up a book and look through it's pages. I must confess I've spent many hours inside Barnes and Noble, standing in front of the Young Adult section and picking out covers that I truly fell in love with!

I'll share some with you now, and tell you why I fell in love with them.

The cover for Maggie Stiefvater's werewolf novel Shiver is one of my favorite covers of all time. I'm a huge fan of abstract/symbolic covers, and I feel like this one does a perfect job of conveying the novel's feeling. It's a story that takes place mostly in the woods at the beginning of winter, so the blue branches and leaves are really good at setting the stage for this. I also really love the drop of blood on the i. It's so ominous.

I must confess, I have not read Entwined, but this cover makes is really tempting! I love the foil leaves at the bottom that play into the title. The gown and the castle really lend to the fairy-tale feel that this book is going for.

Another cover I fell head over heels with was the layout for Lauren DeStefano's Wither. I think this is another ballgown cover that does a spectacular job with conveying the novel's emotion (decay and sickness). The bird in the cage also gives such a strong sense of the entrapment the novel's main character. What really sold this cover for me was the geometry of the foil--it's circles and squares that give the cover such a modern feel (which makes sense, because the story is set in the future).

This is another book I have not read, but my critique partner Kate brought it to my attention. Both the title and the layout are just gorgeous. The waves, the tiny symbols entrapped in them... Amazing.


The last two covers are recent reveals for books that won't hit the shelves for several more months. But for some reason their covers really grabbed me.

What really sold me with this cover was how well it plays with the title. The sense of this girl being fragmented and erased is so strong in the image and the words over it.

And this cover. THIS cover. *drools* Just. Just look at it. Obviously it's a story set in Russia (or a world very much like Russia). The colors and the typeset are just ominous and powerful.... So much comes across in such a simple layout (much like Shiver). I am definitely picking this one up as soon as it comes out!

So, in summation, what do I like when it comes to covers? What makes a good cover?

I love Shiver and Shadow and Bone's covers, but that doesn't mean I love every single cover that has graphics.

I love Entwined and Wither's covers, but that doesn't mean I love every single cover that features a ballgown.

I love covers that capture and translate the feeling of the novel under their flaps. Covers that intuitively tell me what I'll be reading before I even open to that first page. What about you? What are some of your favorite covers? I'd love to see!

stablizing

Well, it's Wednesday. This week has been a bit weird and wobbly so far (hospital visit (everything is fine), husband swallowed up by Las Vegas), but it seems to be stabilizing now.

I'm back to working on SouthernGothicNovel (which has been hibernating since September). It's always a little jolting, going back to a project you haven't touched in such a long time. I always have to spend a day or two just reading and re-immersing myself in the world and its characters. It's also a little strange, yet encouraging to see how much my writing has grown even in these short months.

I've also had to rely on the magical powers of MacFreedom to keep me away from Pinterest when I should be writing scenes. I have, however, started a board for SouthernGothicNovel, just as I have started one for Luminance Hour. To justify my aimless web browsing time when I DO earn it!

On a totally unrelated note, now that I'm stabilizing (you know, trying not to be a writer-workaholic) I'm likely to be posting here on the blog more! So I have a question:

What are your questions? What would you, dear readers, like to know about me/my writing life/Luminance Hour/anything else? I shall answer at my discretion (of course), but I would love to know what you guys want to know!

take a peek into emrys's world

Over on the Lucky 13s blog I did a post on the setting of Luminance Hour, which helps explain some of the world I created in this book. Here's a sneak peek picture (but if you want more you should go HERE and read all about it!).

Big Ben may or may not be featured in a crucial book scene!

bragging on the husband

For those of you who don't know, I happen to be married to quite a talented photographer (which comes in handy for self-indulgent photoshoots and travel documentation!). Last Friday he had the opportunity to display some of his work at an Art Night held by some really great friends. He actually ended up selling several pieces in order to raise money for a crazy, cool documentary he's filming next month. He's actually following several cyclists as they ride from L.A. to Charleston to raise money for reconciliation projects in Burundi (a country in central Africa which shared the same genocide as Rwanda did). You can keep track of the ride here if you want to!

I am so, SO proud of him for doing this, even though it means I'll be flying solo here for about a month!

Right now he doesn't have a website for his non-wedding/portrait stuff (ie. everything that's up on these walls). 

Oh, and also, I finished the chalkboard!!! (YAY!) Here's the finished product (with a bonus note from the husband):

The chalkboard paint gave me a bit of a rough time. It didn't go on very smoothly, but in the end I think it turned out well.

So that was my week off. Back to the wonderful world of writing next week! I have revisions for a *different* novel to work on. So it's back to the revision cave (although I think this one won't be as all encompassing/stressful). Weeh!