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So yes, I am absolutely guilty of not updating as regularly as I have been, and I have no real excuse other than I’ve been traveling in Europe and haven’t come across any “fantasy-esque” or writing-related things to talk about. Still, it’s a good excuse! In the last couple days, I’ve been to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, and back. And in the middle of all that, I had the incredible good fortune to stand stage-side at a Damian Marley and Nas concert at the Couleur Cafe (an amazing urban world-music festival) in Brussels. Music does inspire me to write so maybe this little hiatus of mine will have some good results!

Check out a couple photos I took below.

Had a drink at one of the most legendary cafés in Zurich. Circa 1911, the Odeon has been patronized by such figures as Einstein, Lenin, Mata Hari, Mussolini, Puccini, and James Joyce, along with countless other famous artists, poets, musicians, and writers. A Bohemian landmark, the Café Odeon is located on the open Limmatquai plaza in Old Town, and is one of the most centrally-located spots in the city.

I’m hoping that a little bit of creative genius dusted off on me as I stepped through the doorway of this historic café.

Finally had a chance to read Uglies by Scott Westerfeld after my thirteen year old neighbor recommended it to me several months ago. It was a quick read, a few hours at the most. Overall I enjoyed it, especially the bits about the hoverboard since I am an avid surfer. That was definitely cool.

The story is based in a futuristic world where everyone becomes “pretty” when they turn sixteen. They undergo a type of surgical operation (like plastic surgery) and are made super-model beautiful. However, what they don’t know is that they are also changed in the way that they behave and think. They are changed outside and inside.

Tally Youngblood discovers this when she is forced by Special Circumstances (another kind of cruel pretty) to unearth a hidden band of rebels known as the Smokies who have run away and refused to turn pretty. Two of the leaders of the Smokies know a terrible secret – one that can unhinge everything that the pretty world is based on. The operation changes the way that you think and creates lesions on the brain like a cancer. So basically, being pretty is like being infected. It’s a very cool concept.

So cool story, and cool elements within the story like the hoverboards, bungee-jackets, and the Specials. Scott Westerfeld is also an awesome sci-fi writer so you know it’s going to be interesting and have a ton of excitement. That said, in Uglies, I did not really feel the main characters at all, and I was surprised that I didn’t connect with any of them – not Tally, not Peris, not David, not Shay. They felt very one-dimensional, like pawns in a play moving together just to set up the next sequence. They didn’t seem real to me and neither did their interaction with each other. Even the main protagonist felt wooden, and while the author does a brilliant job of moving through the story, I just didn’t get what drove her. She irritated me a lot too, and I wasn’t quite sure why. Her relationship with David was not at all believable – I didn’t not feel anything between them whatsoever. Nor did I feel that the jealousy between Tally and Shay, after David gives Tally his gloves, was real. It felt too staged, like, ok that was predictable. Best friend is jealous when BFF steals her crush….um, boring.

The final scene at the end was pretty cool – the daring escape and rescue but once again I felt a sense of confusion to learn that David’s father was dead. I think what bothered me the most was that I didn’t feel anything about his father being dead, and I really wanted to. Which goes back to what I said before about not caring about any of these characters. Which is a pity. Because the novel concept is so cool. Dammit.

Overall I would give Uglies 3 out of 5 stars. Great concept, solid writing and language, but bland characters with little heart. May be better suited to a younger audience, like 10+. I’m definitely intrigued enough to read Pretties, so check back for my review of that. Hoping for the best!

So I am flying to Switzerland and open up the Delta Sky magazine, and what do I see? You got it (or at least you should have from the title of this post). Yes, yet another article on the unstoppable James Patterson. I wrote a post about him a while back after I read MAX – A Maximum Ride Novel (his Young Adult bird-themed novel), and following the article in the NY Times Magazine.

James Patterson is the largest selling author in the world, having sold 170 million copies of 65 books. The article aptly said that the “record-breaking statistics have piled up faster than the dead bodies in his tautly written crime thrillers.” He has had 54 New York Times bestsellers, more than any other writer, and 37 of them were number 1 on the list. Sales of his books have reportedly generated over $500 million for his publisher, Little, Brown & Co.

What more can I say? The man is a machine. I suspect that part of his secret is that he treats writing like a business – from engineering the product (in some cases taking on co-authors for his projects) to marketing and selling it. The NY Times Magazine article estimates that James Patterson sells one out of every seventeen books sold in the United States. Now there’s a staggering number, 1 out of every 17!

Would that we were all so lucky (or savvy).

swiss cheese, swiss chocolates, swatches, swiss knives and of course Roger Federer…so if I slack off a couple days, be patient with me.

A European trip of any kind requires meticulous planning, not to mention complete pre-immersion in said trip. Luckily, I speak French so I won’t be completely lost in the land with four official languages (German, French, Italian, and Rumantsch). English is the unofficial fifth language.

Looking for some inspiration for a new story! Woo-hoo!!

Someone once told me if you want something, you have to go after it hard. You have to give it everything inside of you, otherwise, it’s not something you really want. Ok, I just made the last part up. But the first part’s true. The problem is that it’s no cake-walk.

I ask myself, why isn’t it happening like those stories you read about? Instant success! 7-figure advance! 3-book deal! Well, after a lot of research and internal soul-searching, I have come up with a few answers, some lame and some that actually make sense. The most logical (and written-about) one is that the publishing industry is still recovering from the economic fallout and publishers just aren’t signing like they used to. They just can’t afford to take the risk so they go with tried and true, and books/authors that will sell. And well, 7-figure advances only come if you’re famous. Um…skydiving off the Empire State Building anyone? That would be 5 minutes of fame that may get me in the door. Kidding (but not really)! Another answer is that everyone and their mother (and father’s sister’s uncle’s cousin) is writing about the genre I am in – urban fantasy/paranormal. Including traditionally adult authors who want to cash in on the hot YA industry – the only area still growing like wildfire, which makes it incredibly competitive. The other (lame) answer is that maybe my books just aren’t good enough – but of course, that’s crap. If you ever get to read my books, you’ll know they are the farthest thing from crap. *dusts shoulder off*

It’s funny because I actually had one editor come back to me and use specific language that I have used in this blog to review one of the books she published. Sadly, it was not a great review, and yes, I paid the price when I saw her lovely rejection letter. I really didn’t like that book though, and still stand by what I wrote. There’s going to be a publisher out there who loves what I have done as much as I do.

So what’s the point of this blog post, you ask? I guess maybe it’s a bit of a self-pep talk, a pull-yourself-together talk. Despite all of the adversity, I have to pull some gumption from somewhere, and keep persevering. Most writers know that Stephen King was supposedly rejected tons of times before he sold his first novel. But did you know Gone With The Wind was rejected by 38 publishers before it was printed? Or Dune by Frank Herbert was rejected by 23 publishers? John Grisham was rejected by 16 publishers for A Time To Kill. There’s a great blog post from blogger Rachel Zurakowski from Books & Such, Why Are Great Projects Rejected? Interesting read.

Check out this great link for some more inspiration, 50 Iconic Writers Who Were Repeatedly Rejected.

You are not alone, and it will happen for you. All you need is one person to believe in you, as much as you do. So go after it hard. You can falter, that’s human…but as the singer Aaliyah said, dust yourself off and try again. Don’t give up. And remember, you can’t wait for opportunity to come to you, you have to chase it, put your back into it. Make it a life goal, and make the changes necessary to commit to your dream. It’s your dream.

It’s my dream.

“None who enter will leave unchanged.”

Written for middle-graders, aged 9-12, Fablehaven was pretty interesting.  This novel was a fun, great adventure about fairies, imps, witches, and all manner of fabled creatures.

Thirteen year old Kendra and her eleven year old brother Seth are forced to spend some time with their eccentric grandfather when their parents go on an unexpected cruise. They are warned not to stray too far from their house and forbidden to go into the woods beyond the beautiful and vibrant house gardens. Seth, of course, dare-devil and adventurer, disobeys only to face a scary encounter with a wicked witch. Meanwhile, Kendra tries to solve a puzzle involving three mini-keys that her grandfather has given to her, which eventually leads her to a journal inscribed with three words – drink the milk. When she and Seth comply with the instructions, what follows is a complete mystical unveiling of all things fantastic – their grandfather has a huge secret. The butterflies in the garden are all fairies, and he is the caretaker of a preserve for magical creatures called Fablehaven.

When their grandfather is kidnapped (again after an act of disobedience), Kendra and Seth unwillingly free the witch to lift a curse from their grandmother – the only one who can now save Fablehaven and find their grandfather. It is a race against time to save their grandfather, Fablehaven, and the world from a powerful but evil demon that the witch intends to liberate. In the end, Kendra manages to win the aid of the Fairy Queen and her fairies, and with their help, Fablehaven is saved.

Fablehaven is a decent, engaging, and fun read. It is a well-written novel, and is completely appropriate for the age group for which it was written. While I prefer older YA books, I did enjoy reading this one. On the flip side of that, I was irritated by some of Seth’s idiotic antics, as well as Kendra’s incessant whining. Seth behaved more like a five year old than an eleven year old, and never seemed to learn from any of his mistakes. Kendra just seemed to be a dull figure destined to wring her hands and say, “grandfather said not to, Seth.” She’s completely useless except for her role at the end. In a way there didn’t seem to be enough character depth because I didn’t really like either of the two main characters. I liked the grandparents far more, and even the vengeful fairies. But again, maybe I don’t have the correct expectation of behavior/character at this age.

The giant cow was also just weird (not to mention the unexpected and gross milking by sliding down the udders of said giant cow), and then Kendra’s stabbing of the udder to get blood for the fairy offering was pretty nasty. A simple finger prick would have sufficed (and would involved much less animal cruelty). Not to mention the massage thing with the troll. That was weird. Way weird. It made me feel a tad uncomfortable.

All of the not-so-good stuff is somewhat redeemed by the ending which is cool and exciting and magical. Overall I’d give Fablehaven 3 stars. I did go out and buy the next two in the series, so maybe I should add another half-a-star. Stay tuned for my review of those.