This is a short post today, but I’ve got two bits of news. First, the Quill Awards air October 27 (Saturday) on NBC. I watched for the first time last year and really enjoyed it. 🙂 There’s more info here: http://www.wnbc.com/thequills/14078987/detail.html Anyone going to watch?

Second, thank you to those at NaNoWriMo for adding my name to your published NaNo authors list! (Yes, they mixed up the pub date, but I’ll contact them about that once I get my new book title.) That was so nice of them! Thanks, guys!

Okay, I’m in need of advice from conference savvy blog readers. 🙂 I’m looking into conferences for 2008 to promote myself and my book. I’m considering doing panels, booths, etc.

Now, here’s an initial list of conferences I’m thinking about attending.

Miami International Book Fair
Sarasota Reading Fest
SCBWI FL Orlando
IRC Atlanta
IRC Nashville
Decatur (GA) Book Fest
Voices in Children’s Lit

Has anyone been to any of these? Heard of them? Going to any in ’08? I’ve got sooo many conferences to choose from and I’m trying to pick the “right” ones. They don’t necessarily have to be in the South, but I’m trying to pick that location until I get a feel for how conferences are supposed to go. I’m a complete newbie, since I’ve never been to any. Yeah, very bad of me, I know. 🙂

If you’ve got suggestions, I’d love to hear them!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071020/ap_on_en_ot/books_harry_potter

Did you guys see this article? Wow, I never guessed! Apparently, there has been speculation for a long time, but I never read a word about it. How interesting!

In a few weeks, I’m going to start writing the second book in the HJ series. Now, when I wrote book one, I had no outline, no character sheets and no idea where the book was going. This time, I’ve got a detailed outline, character sheets, a semi-complete timeline and a definite decision as to how the book will end.

It’s definitely a different feeling to write a sequel. There’s no figuring out who my characters are or determining a location. Sure, I’ve got to find ways to put fresh spins on those things, but I also know my characters well and that will come in handy during the writing of this next book. It’s an odd feeling for a first time sequel writer to start a book already knowing my cast. Know what I mean?

What method do you use when you write? The outline method or go without anything method? Anyone written a sequel before?

This is sad! Norman Mailer is reportedly in the hospital and not doing well. Here’s the link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071017/en_afp/usliteraturemailer

This is very off topic, but I wanted to bring it up today. I watched a report on Inside Edition last night and it brought up the serious dangers of those exercise stability balls. You know, the big oversized rubber balls that you can do sit ups, push ups, ect on? Anyway, most balls are NOT puncture resistant and if they pop while you’re sitting on it, they blow up like a balloon. A man was using his ball while lifting weights and it popped. He broke both arms and may never fully recover. So, if you have one that isn’t puncture resistant and it’s made of thin rubber you may want to toss it. Companies now are making puncture resistant balls and if you poke it with a pencil, say, it will slowly leak air and not explode.

I have a non-puncture resistant ball that I’ve had for 5 years and I use it all of the time. I deflated it last night and tossed it. I never thought about it popping-and I should have since I have titanium rods in my spine.

Anyone else heard about this?

On of my supporting characters in my MG book is a baker. She wants to be the next Rachael Ray or Martha Stewart. Now, I’m no domestic goddess but in the spirit of embracing my character, I decided to make Halloween cookies. Not many, but a few. What do you think? If you look closely, you’ll see that the pumpkins’ eyes are either baby chicks (Easter sprinkles) or tiny bats. The thing I do best? Make colored frosting. That I can do. 🙂

To the NaNo people, the forums are finally fixed! Yay!

I was just visiting the NaNoWriMo forums and wow–they are so messed up! Posts are disappearing (well, you log in and you can’t see your own posts), signatures are gone and bugs abound. I love the forums and I hope that’s all fixed soon. It’s such a bummer not to be able to start interacting with everyone with the forums being on the fritz. They work for some, but not for all apparently. 😦

So, I went to the store with my mom this morning and I was in the Halloween aisle. One of those bowls for candy with the hand inside that screams and says something like “want some candy?” yelled at me when I walked by. I jumped a bit, but I was expecting it. If I’m caught off guard, I’ll scream like a, well, girl. Yeah, I’ve got pretty bad nerves, I guess. I left the Halloween aisle and headed around a corner when a woman came around the same corner Not expecting to see anyone, I jerked back like I’d seen a ghost and went “ahh!” What was that?! Some kind of delayed reaction from the candy bowl? She looked at me like what a freak and walked away. I blushed and slunk off. Now, I’m laughing about it. 🙂 And I’ll be staying home for the rest of the day….

The November 2007 issue of The Writer has an article by Darren Miller titled “10 moives every writer must see.”

What movies make the list? Adaptation, Capote and The Hours among several others. I loved this list because it’s not completely a list of the most award winning films, but a list of films for and about writers. Stranger Than Fiction makes the list and while that’s not an Oscar worthy movie, it was truly delightful! 🙂

What movies do you think are good for writers? I saw Miss Potter a few weeks ago and loved it. It’s not on the list, but it might have made a good honorable mention, perhaps.

Yesterday, I picked up this really cool-looking book, The Poison Apples. Why is it cool? Because the edges of the pages are red! I’ve never seen anything like that and the book looks so neat just based on that singular fact. Have you ever seen dyed pages?

What are some of your favorite book covers? What draws your eye to them? Does a good cover aid in choosing a book? I’d love your thoughts! 🙂