Prized Black Rice Soup
Readers tell me that Birthmarked makes them hungry. They read about dark, crusty bread right out of the oven and their tastebuds swoon. Unlike Harris’s Chocolat, that richly seductive book that makes me crave sweetness, (not to mention the even more troublesome movie version with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche, (whose name, once you’ve become dessert-minded, invokes “ganache”)), my books tend towards the hardy and wholesome food groups: breads, soups, blueberries, and an orange. An exception is the mycoprotein, provided as sustenance to people living outside… Continue reading
On Writing “Tortured”
My short story “Tortured” (Birthmarked 1.5) came about as a dark experiment, the sort that goes wrong and stays with you.
At first, I was faced with a unique writing challenge. The tie-in story was intended originally for readers who already knew Birthmarked (Book 1) but who had not yet read Prized (Book 2). It was a precarious window. I pondered: how could a story add something to both books and yet stand alone enough to work as a short story? When would it take… Continue reading
Window Gazing, NYC
She isn’t a mermaid, but she’s surrounded by enormous, silent fish made of blue and green glass, and her space behind the window could as easily be filled with ocean as with air. I like how the window displays of Bergdorf Goodman are simply not possible. How can a zebra be constructed of paper, or a polar bear consist of silk fringes? How can a powerful, confident girl fly in the sea?
I love that otherworldly views are given to us unexpectedly, without explanation. They do… Continue reading
Radio Girlfriends
While I was in St. Paul this weekend, my friend Cathie Hartnett interviewed me by phone for her MyTalk radio show on 107.1 and we talked about the Birthmarked Trilogy. Cathie’s a blast. We grew up on the same block, five houses apart, and she was a cool, older, corrupting influence on me when I desperately needed one. I love whenever I have a chance to reconnect with her.
The first half hour of the show… Continue reading
Hometown Girl at the Red Balloon
Visiting my hometown always gives me a kaleidoscopic feeling as new experiences are superimposed over old ones, and last Friday night I added another by returning to the Red Balloon Bookshop, in St. Paul, MN, a favorite spot place I’ve stopped into regularly since it opened in 1984. New co-owner Holly Weinkauf welcomed me with charismatic warmth and we were joined by my extended family, friends from my old neighborhood, girlhood buddies from the Visitation and SPA/SS, college friends,… Continue reading
Book Fair Notes
A parade of families streamed into the 20th CT Children’s Book Fair this weekend to visit with authors and illustrators and slap high fours with The Cat in the Hat. Tomie dePaola, Mo Willems, and Jane Yolen all signed during the day Sunday when as many as 700 people per hour entered the Rome Ballroom on the UConn campus. It was packed, and interesting, and silly, too. Special thanks to Suzy Staubach and Terri Goldich for a smashing event.
I had… Continue reading