December 10, 2008

Random Notes and Ramblings

The Literacy Evangelist strikes again! Jen is collaborating with some awesome people to create the PBS Parents Children's Book Blog! Wow. PBS is getting a really great resource in Jen and all of our awesome kidlitosphere folks, including MotherReader and Susan from Wizards Wireless who is hoping someone can help name the blog. Head over if you have some ideas.

Nice people occasionally get super awesome book covers. (The reverse is also true, but then it has nothing to do with karma, and everything to do with the little black dots on the sun.) Check out Laurie Halse Anderson's cover for Wintergirls.

Are You There, God? It's Judy! Check out the classic cover for that book! I really like the reissue cover for Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Just the titles bring back memories. Good times!

"TRYING is such a huge step. You can't get anywhere until you try. Hearing the truth is FRIGHTENING. I once received very similar advice…basically: write was is true. Write what scares you. Find out WHO YOU ARE in your wip, and dig deep. At the gut level, there must be fear and love."


Kellye Carter Crocker is at the Tollbooth today, where they're talking about what keeps a writer in her chair. I've really enjoyed the Writing Secrets series lately -- some of the truths and secrets really resonate. And speaking of resonating, Liz in Ink is figuring out for me how the world works, and then encapsulating it in blog form. Thanks, Liz!


I first got a heads-up for this very cool necklace Etsy site from from Sara's Gifts For Readers and Writers, and now via Betsy's Etsy ravings, I'm back at the amazing Lioness' Den Etsy page. The necklace that reads, "Go, my book, and help destroy the world as it is," kind of gives me chills. The one that reads ANTAGONIST, though, that one I could see wearing that on days when people need to KNOW the mood I'm in! Everyone has been pairing books with other gifts -- for the older reader or writer, I could see giving these necklaces away with the books from which they quote. Or, find a book to give from Chicken Spaghetti's Best of 2008 book list.

I'm struggling to write today -- a guy named Paul is drilling a hole through the three foot thick sandstone wall outside the living room... it's a bit loud. And cold, since he's opened the window and outside it's 37°. However! Soon I will have hot running water, so all will be well!

5 comments:

Sara said...

I think the ANTAGONIST one is rather brilliant, but the one I bought was the "Why then, can one desire too much of a good thing?" (Do you remember when I blogged about doing that scene from As You Like It in HS?)

I plan to get into deep discussions of good things when I wear it. :)

Susan Kusel said...

Thanks for the shout-out and congratulations about the PBS blog!
-Susan

Jules at 7-Imp said...

I'm still all googly-eyed over what Jama posted about yesterday. I think Santa's going to bring it for me. SCORE.

http://jamarattigan.livejournal.com/208235.html

Jen Robinson said...

Thanks for the shout-out, Tanita. And I hope you have hot running water very soon.

Charlotte said...

Gosh, at first I thought the cover for Wintergirls was lovely, but the more I looked at it, the more bothered I was about the placement of the writing across the nose...

I love that "go, book..." quote!