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prized

2nd Pass Pages for Keep of Ages

This weekend, I finished going over the 2nd Pass Pages of The Keep of Ages and sent them back to my editor. I thought I’d just be reading through the novel in its final perfect form, but I still found things that needed changing, and not just switching “west” to “south” and such. I few lines of dialogue needed finessing, and a distant relative in Calgary who remained as a mention from an earlier draft needed cutting. I don’t know if anyone else would ever notice such tiny things, but… Continue reading

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

Hometown Girl at the Red Balloon

Attentive listeners at the Red Balloon, Friday, November 18, 2011

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

Birthmarked Bannie en France and Prized in the U.K. and Australia

Je suis très contente que le deuxième roman de la série Birthmarked soit édité aujourd’hui en France.  Merci beaucoup à Juliette Saumaude, qui a fait la traduction, et à mon editeur brillant, Sarah Millet à Fleurus Edition.  J’espère que les lecteurs francais s’amuseront bien avec la suite de l’histoire de Gaia.

I’m delighted that Prized is out in the U.K. and Australia today from Simon & Schuster Children’s.  Many thanks to my editor Jane Griffiths for her careful work with the project.  I hope… Continue reading

A Happy Launch for Prized

Suzy Staubach and the kind team at the UConn Co-op put on a fun launch for Prized last night, and I was touched that so many of my friends came, including one from college I haven’t seen in years.  She and her daughter came all the way from Rhode Island to surprise me.  Madness!

The local high school had their concert rescheduled to last night due to the power outages last week, which accounted for a shortage of singers in the audience.  Nevertheless, it was a special… Continue reading

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