Otherwise known as: Where in the World is Joy Preble?
A multitude of thanks to the amazing YA book blog community for embracing me and Dreaming Anastasia so utterly and wholeheartedly. You are all rock stars!!
So to check out the reviews, interviews and ever so creative and amusing guest posts by yours truly (plus one - and I'm not saying which one - written by Anne and Ethan from Dreaming Anastasia, who were nice enough to help me out the other night), here's the scoop!
Saturday, August 29th
Through the Wardrobe
Class of 2k9
Monday, August 31st
Story Siren
Tuesday, September 1st
EVEREAD
The Book Resort
Wednesday, September 2nd
Marta’s Meanderings
Thursday, September 3rd
Babbling About Books
A Passion for Books
Friday, September 4th
Day by Day Writer
Saturday, September 5th
Neverending Shelf
Sunday, September 6th
YA Books Central
Monday, September 7th
Dolce Bellezza
Books & Literature for Teens
Tuesday, September 8th
Shelf Elf
The Shady Glade
Wednesday, September 9th
Debbie’s World of Books
Bookalicio.us
Thursday, September 10th
Ultimate Book Hound
Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf
Friday, September 11th
Sarah’s Random Musings
Saturday, September 12th
Cindy’s Love of Books
Presenting Lenore
Always Riddikulus
Sunday, September 13th
Jenn’s Bookshelf
Carol’s Corner
Monday, September 14th
A High & Hidden Place
Looking Glass Review
Karin’s Book Nook
Tuesday, September 15th
Shooting Stars Magazine
Library Lounge Lizard
Wednesday, September 16th
Book Journey
The Book Pixie
Thursday, September 17th
The Compulsive Reader
Bildungsroman
Friday, September 18th
Booking Mama
BriMeetsBooks.com
Saturday, September 19th
The Written World
Hope’s Bookshelf
Sunday, September 20th
Book Nut
Hope is the Word
Monday, September 21st
Zoe’s Book Reviews
Homespun Light
Teen Scene magazine
Tuesday, September 22nd
Galleysmith
Once Upon a Bookshelf
Wednesday, September 23rd
Café of Dreams
My Friend Amy (9pm EST author chat)
Thursday, September 24th
The Brain Lair
Ms. Bookish
Friday, September 25th
Lori Calabrese Writes
Mrs. Magoo Reads
Saturday, September 26th
Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm
Fantasy Book Critic
Sunday, September 27th
Into the Wardrobe In the Pages
Monday, September 28th
Beth Fish Reads
Reverie Book Reviews
BookLoons.com
Let the party begin!! And see you tomorrow for my launch day guest post!
Til next time...
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
2 More Day until Dreaming Anastasia and Thank Yous
Just some quick updates and thank yous this morning - particularly to the intrepid bloggers who have graciously chosen to host Dreaming Anastasia and me during September. As I keep saying - you guys totally rock!
Author, fellow Texan and pal Janet Fox (Faithful, Puffin, 2010) has posted her interview with me. Check it out here: http://kidswriterjfox.blogspot.com/2009/08/book-launch-dreaming-anastasia.html
Kate at the Never Ending Shelf has posted a humblingly delightful review and is hosting a contest until midnight 8/31 for a DA giveaway, so go soon! http://neverendingshelf.blogspot.com/2009/08/book-review-dreaming-anastasia-by-joy.html
Blogger @bookaliciouspam is currently hosting a contest to win both Dreaming Anastasia and my fellow Sourcebookie Kaleb Nation's Bran Hambric, which comes out on 9/9, one week after DA. You may already know Kaleb from his online tv show or as Twi-guy. Check it out here: http://bookalicio.us/2009/08/my-first-give-away-dreaming-anastasia-bran-hambric/
Taschima Cullen's MegaPalooza contest is still on to win Dreaming Anastasia and other great books and prizes. In fact that reminds me that I need to send her the book now that I have my author copies! Click here to enter: http://bloodybookaholic.blogspot.com/2009/08/mega-palooza-contest.html#comments Taschima has also had this amazing Dreaming Anastasia countdown clock on her site, for which she definitely deserves extra points of awesomeness!
If you're a bookseller and you're reading this, thanks to you, too! Some of you are getting behind DA and really talking it up to readers and I couldn't be more humbled! More awesome points!!
As I mentioned in my Friday post, my librarian at the school where I teach is a rock star! She has set up a huge bulletin board display for Dreaming Anastasia. She is also not only hosting receptions for me but she's also used money to purchase multiple copies to use as giveaways not only to students in our school but also to students in other schools around the district, espcially those at our alternative high school. She is proof of the generosity of the reading/book community. Because honestly, beyond all the wonderous celebration is a goal of getting books into the hands of people who want to read!
Other contests coming.
If you're in the Houston area, I'll be doing my launch signing on Saturday, 9/12, 2PM at The Woodlands Mall Barnes and Noble. And - shhhh.... don't tell anyone.... I'll be raffling off limited edition Dreaming Anastasia t-shirts during the signing! swagswagswagswagswag!!
Author, fellow Texan and pal Janet Fox (Faithful, Puffin, 2010) has posted her interview with me. Check it out here: http://kidswriterjfox.blogspot.com/2009/08/book-launch-dreaming-anastasia.html
Kate at the Never Ending Shelf has posted a humblingly delightful review and is hosting a contest until midnight 8/31 for a DA giveaway, so go soon! http://neverendingshelf.blogspot.com/2009/08/book-review-dreaming-anastasia-by-joy.html
Blogger @bookaliciouspam is currently hosting a contest to win both Dreaming Anastasia and my fellow Sourcebookie Kaleb Nation's Bran Hambric, which comes out on 9/9, one week after DA. You may already know Kaleb from his online tv show or as Twi-guy. Check it out here: http://bookalicio.us/2009/08/my-first-give-away-dreaming-anastasia-bran-hambric/
Taschima Cullen's MegaPalooza contest is still on to win Dreaming Anastasia and other great books and prizes. In fact that reminds me that I need to send her the book now that I have my author copies! Click here to enter: http://bloodybookaholic.blogspot.com/2009/08/mega-palooza-contest.html#comments Taschima has also had this amazing Dreaming Anastasia countdown clock on her site, for which she definitely deserves extra points of awesomeness!
If you're a bookseller and you're reading this, thanks to you, too! Some of you are getting behind DA and really talking it up to readers and I couldn't be more humbled! More awesome points!!
As I mentioned in my Friday post, my librarian at the school where I teach is a rock star! She has set up a huge bulletin board display for Dreaming Anastasia. She is also not only hosting receptions for me but she's also used money to purchase multiple copies to use as giveaways not only to students in our school but also to students in other schools around the district, espcially those at our alternative high school. She is proof of the generosity of the reading/book community. Because honestly, beyond all the wonderous celebration is a goal of getting books into the hands of people who want to read!
Other contests coming.
If you're in the Houston area, I'll be doing my launch signing on Saturday, 9/12, 2PM at The Woodlands Mall Barnes and Noble. And - shhhh.... don't tell anyone.... I'll be raffling off limited edition Dreaming Anastasia t-shirts during the signing! swagswagswagswagswag!!
And on Thursday, 9/3 at 8PM CST, I'll be doing an hour of live chat through our classof2k9 site. You can go right to the chat through the link that will be posted on our blog. http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k9
Til next time... Which will be launch day!!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Dreaming Anastasia in the wild!
Don't normally post on Friday night, but today was the very first day that I got to see Dreaming Anastasia on actual bookshelves in actual stores! Plus my librarian at the school where I teach has surprised me with an amazing display that I caught her putting together this afternoon! She's also hosting a reception for me and will be giving away copies of DA to many students at schools all over our district. She is awesome!
Dreaming Anastasia out early on the New Teen Release shelf at the Champions Forest B&N!B
Between Pratchett and L. Preble (no relation!) on shelf at my B&N!
My intrepid librarian, Twyla, setting up the Dreaming Anastasia display!Til next time...
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Keeping my head on straight
Luckily, school started Monday. Pre- Dreaming Anastasia release week is thus going rather quickly. It is hard to get too worked up about much of anything when you are beaten into submission by a forty-five minute after school inservice lecture on ADHD. Not that this is not important. Just that after teaching 3 90 -minute classes of 30 plus students each and supervising a prolonged homeroom during which one guy repeatedly observed that school sucked and that he was bored and could I do anything about this (um, no), it was hard to stay focused on anything other than Starbucksstarbucksstarbucks.... please God let me get my freakin'starbucks.
That, my dearies, is the glory of being a public servant. On the one hand I go home and get emails from Publicist Paul and Editor Dan about their unfailing high hopes and optimism and did you know how many books your local B&N just ordered because holy crap we're excited. And wonderful book bloggers all over the blogosphere and that Twitterverse that has embraced me like it thinks I know what I'm doing are reviewing and hosting and letting me write guest posts and generally treating me like a real author of a book they seem to want to read and asking me questions about genre-bending and Baba Yaga and just making me so happy I want to freakin' explode. (even though I still haven't found the Tweetdeck and it sometimes takes me far too long to tweet because I am -clearly - verbose and this whole 140 characters thing just pisses off my long-winded muse sometimes)
On the other hand, I think I missed bus duty today. And I got reprimanded for forgetting to alphabetize my clinic forms. My duty post for pep rallies is somewhere on the northeast staircase. And when I told some kid that I really didn't need to see his boxers, he informed me that they were red and green and I should just get a little pre-holiday spirit.
In short, it keeps me honest. Because seriously, how can you be anything but grounded about the whole "whoo hoo I'm a star" when you still know without a doubt that some child quite undaunted by your fame will still at some point during the year tell you to "f-- off"? High school teaching is life's great equalizer.
Til next time...
That, my dearies, is the glory of being a public servant. On the one hand I go home and get emails from Publicist Paul and Editor Dan about their unfailing high hopes and optimism and did you know how many books your local B&N just ordered because holy crap we're excited. And wonderful book bloggers all over the blogosphere and that Twitterverse that has embraced me like it thinks I know what I'm doing are reviewing and hosting and letting me write guest posts and generally treating me like a real author of a book they seem to want to read and asking me questions about genre-bending and Baba Yaga and just making me so happy I want to freakin' explode. (even though I still haven't found the Tweetdeck and it sometimes takes me far too long to tweet because I am -clearly - verbose and this whole 140 characters thing just pisses off my long-winded muse sometimes)
On the other hand, I think I missed bus duty today. And I got reprimanded for forgetting to alphabetize my clinic forms. My duty post for pep rallies is somewhere on the northeast staircase. And when I told some kid that I really didn't need to see his boxers, he informed me that they were red and green and I should just get a little pre-holiday spirit.
In short, it keeps me honest. Because seriously, how can you be anything but grounded about the whole "whoo hoo I'm a star" when you still know without a doubt that some child quite undaunted by your fame will still at some point during the year tell you to "f-- off"? High school teaching is life's great equalizer.
Til next time...
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Dreaming Anastasia Thank Yous and Updates and Some Links!
Well, we're in the final countdown now until September 1st when Dreaming Anastasia releases. Amazon has started shipping people's copies. I've heard that my local Barnes and Noble has leaked it onto the shelves early although I haven't seen that with my own eyes, so I'm going to try to get over there today and check that little rumor out! People have begun reading. And telling me about it. (in positive ways that are making me happy, which is a good sign since it has belatedly occurred to me that bringing a book into the world is a lot like childbirth. Only it takes longer. And people tell the truth about how they feel; they don't just look into the crib and mumble something about how all babies look like Winston Churchill) And appearing wherever I am with books in hand for me to sign. And calling me all emotional because they've been my friend lo these many years of this journey and beyond and they've read it and seemingly loved it and are so happy for me that I am seriously overwhelmed.
In short - crazy/wonderful times right now.
Some upcoming stuff, some links, and some other thank yous.
In short - crazy/wonderful times right now.
Some upcoming stuff, some links, and some other thank yous.
- Blog tour is heating up. I will let you know who's hosting me on any particular day by linking everything here, but I will do it every few days or so. That particularly has me humbled right now! It seems that Dreaming Anastasia and I will be storming the blogosphere for the next month and if you are reading this and you have asked to host with a review or interview or guest post, here's some profound gratitude to you and I am very much looking forward!
- Have heard about a couple more Waiting on Wednesday shout outs that I'm thrilled to thank! Thanks for dreaming the Dreaming Anastasia dream with me to http://seaofpages.blogspot.com/ and http://missdanaidae.blogspot.com/ - who, btw, really got into the whole Baba Yaga element of the novel which is sooooo exciting for me!
- Thank you! to hardworking Jennifer Wardrip and the whole TeensReadToo family who posted this nice review http://www.teensreadtoo.com/DreamingAnastasia.html and also this interview with me on their related Authors Unleashed blog. http://authorsunleashed.blogspot.com/2009/08/interview-with-joy-preble.html (I do have to say that when my editor read it and learned my love for all things Monty Python, we passed a few minutes of an otherwise ordinary Friday afternoon emailing favorite quotes back and forth to one another.)
- Thank you again to everyone who participated in my first Dreaming Anastasia giveaway! I loved talking strong woman characters with you! Cari_tx - Your book is on its way!
- If you missed out on that contest, Taschima Cullen is still hosting her Mega Palooza at http://bloodybookaholic.blogspot.com/ where you can enter and win an autographed DA and many other fabulous books and prizes!
- And mostly this morning a hearty thank you to the entire team and family at Sourcebooks who are working behind the scenes on my behalf, including but not limited to Mr. Tiger Beat Dan Ehrenhaft and the intrepid Publicist Paul, who keep me laughing and only occasionally nag me about stuff. (okay, Paul nags more. But that is his job)
And if you're reading this, here's my request this week! If you're in a bookstore and see Dreaming Anastasia out - early - on a shelf, let me know! Take a picture, even, if the mood strikes you. And above all - to repeat the theme of this post - THANK YOU! -from me and from Anne, Ethan, and Anastasia (and minor character Tess who seems to be worming her way stealthily into readers' hearts which is sooo awesome to me because I do have to admit she was a lot of fun to write!).
Til next time...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
And the Winner is....
Well, the truth is, I wanted everyone to win because collectively speaking, your answers were all so great. (okay, some of you are better explainers than others, but everyone really rallied behind their choice!) Ultimately, I culled out anyone who couldn't pick only one, although I do have to say that those of you with more than one were truly torn and you made some great points about why you couldn't choose. And I was fascinated by the characters - everyone should read back through the comments (some are on http://joypreble.livejournal.com which is where I cross post)! More than one of you chose some of my favorites - Veronica Mars, Buffy, Temperance Brennan, Rose from Vampire Academy. Scarlett O'Hara, Hermione, Sookie Stackhouse, and Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables were other picks that came up more than once. Captain Kathryn Janeway, Fiona from Burn Notice lots of sci-fi and fantasy characters... even an excellent shout out for Elizabeth from the picture book Paperbag Princess, and one for Lizzie Hexam from Dickens' Our Mutual Friend. And I was thrilled that more than one guy entered and some great things to say. (Read David N. Chang's comment about Buffy!)
But eventually, a winner had to be chosen. So into the Phoenix Suns cap went your slips of paper. Husband was pulled away from watching poker on the Travel Channel. (this was no great sacrifice. He sometimes watches these tournaments twice. I keep marveling at his ability to do this)
*Drumrolllllllllll please..........*
The winner of the autographed copy of Dreaming Anastasia is....... Cari_tx, who wrote:
"I would say Clary Fray from Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. She's a teen who gets thrown into a crazy situation in a matter of weeks. Her mom gets taken away, her whole sense of being is shifted and instead of crying about it she fights to get it back. She learns the truth about who she is and she saves her mom, friends, love, and the world. She isn't a typical teen or a girly girl. She is awesome!"
Cari_tx - please email me at joy at joypreble dot com and give me your address so I can send you your book!
Thanks so much everyone for participating. This is seriously such an interesting discussion. As I guess you know, I like my women characters strong. All your characters faced adversity but didn't let it get them down -whether said adversity was battles, discrimination, love, family issues, or some combination thereof. And I loved your love for your choices. That's what good storytelling is all about - writing/creating characters so real that their struggles become our struggles, that we can't stop thinking about them, that we root for them and love them.
If even one person comes to love Anne or Tess or Anastasia or even Baba Yaga in Dreaming Anastasia in this way, how awesome would that be?!
Til next time...
But eventually, a winner had to be chosen. So into the Phoenix Suns cap went your slips of paper. Husband was pulled away from watching poker on the Travel Channel. (this was no great sacrifice. He sometimes watches these tournaments twice. I keep marveling at his ability to do this)
*Drumrolllllllllll please..........*
The winner of the autographed copy of Dreaming Anastasia is....... Cari_tx, who wrote:
"I would say Clary Fray from Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare. She's a teen who gets thrown into a crazy situation in a matter of weeks. Her mom gets taken away, her whole sense of being is shifted and instead of crying about it she fights to get it back. She learns the truth about who she is and she saves her mom, friends, love, and the world. She isn't a typical teen or a girly girl. She is awesome!"
Cari_tx - please email me at joy at joypreble dot com and give me your address so I can send you your book!
Thanks so much everyone for participating. This is seriously such an interesting discussion. As I guess you know, I like my women characters strong. All your characters faced adversity but didn't let it get them down -whether said adversity was battles, discrimination, love, family issues, or some combination thereof. And I loved your love for your choices. That's what good storytelling is all about - writing/creating characters so real that their struggles become our struggles, that we can't stop thinking about them, that we root for them and love them.
If even one person comes to love Anne or Tess or Anastasia or even Baba Yaga in Dreaming Anastasia in this way, how awesome would that be?!
Til next time...
While you're waiting, check this out!
Okay, so I haven't chosen a winner yet, although soon! But here's what you can do in the meantime. Check out blog follower TaschimaCullen's Mega Palooza contest over at Bloody Bookaholic! She is giving away a shockingly large number of prizes, including another autographed copy of Dreaming Anastasia! (I told you there would be other contests! You just didn't realize they would occur so soon!) Lots of ARC's of other books you absolutely need to dig into! Some cool swag. Check it out now!! http://bloodybookaholic.blogspot.com/2009/08/mega-palooza-contest.html
Til next time...
Til next time...
Contest Closed!
Dreaming Anastasia contest #1 is officially closed! Check out the comments on the previous blog post. Such amazing answers and such great conversation about what makes a kick ass female character! You guys totally rocked this one! I will get back with the winner soon, so stay tuned.
Til next time...
Til next time...
Friday, August 14, 2009
Dreaming Anastasia Contest!
It's time for my very first Dreaming Anastasia giveaway contest! Seems only fitting since yesterday the folks at Amazon emailed me that my pre-ordered copy (yes, I ordered my own book. Why? Because I could) might be at my doorstep even before September 1st (that made my heart skip a couple of beats!)
Okay, so *drumroll please* here's how it works:
When I read or when I watch movies and television, I am a huge fan of strong women characters. I'm an even stronger fan of strong women heroes. Anne, in Dreaming Anastasia, is one feisty little female. So is Anastasia. And the witch Baba Yaga. And Anne's bff Tess. (who btw is one of my favorite minor characters because she just gets to say all the things she's thinking) And to some extent this was conscious because I like women characters who can kick some butt.
So how do you win your very own autographed copy of Dreaming Anastasia? Comment back to me here and let me know who your favorite FICTIONAL strong woman character/hero is and WHY. It can be from books, tv, movies. But to be put in the pool from which I'll pick the winners, you have to say both who and explain- briefly - why. Got it?
I'll keep the contest open until Monday night.
So let's get started! Tell me your favorite strong female character/hero (and remember it has to be FICTIONAL) and why and maybe you will win!
Start submitting!
Til next time...
Okay, so *drumroll please* here's how it works:
When I read or when I watch movies and television, I am a huge fan of strong women characters. I'm an even stronger fan of strong women heroes. Anne, in Dreaming Anastasia, is one feisty little female. So is Anastasia. And the witch Baba Yaga. And Anne's bff Tess. (who btw is one of my favorite minor characters because she just gets to say all the things she's thinking) And to some extent this was conscious because I like women characters who can kick some butt.
So how do you win your very own autographed copy of Dreaming Anastasia? Comment back to me here and let me know who your favorite FICTIONAL strong woman character/hero is and WHY. It can be from books, tv, movies. But to be put in the pool from which I'll pick the winners, you have to say both who and explain- briefly - why. Got it?
I'll keep the contest open until Monday night.
So let's get started! Tell me your favorite strong female character/hero (and remember it has to be FICTIONAL) and why and maybe you will win!
Start submitting!
Til next time...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Contest Coming! Blog Tour beginning!
Check back Friday for my very first Dreaming Anastasia contest! Ooooh... prizes!!
Things are getting crazy around here. Was at my Barnes and Noble yesterday, dropping off my foam board poster that the dear folks at Sourcebooks made up for me to use at the launch party on 9/12. And then I got an email from Amazon that my copy of Dreaming Anastasia that I'd pre-ordered (yes, I ordered my own book. Why? Because I could) was going to be at my doorstep early. Maybe even next week. This has made me a little crazier.
Working on a variety of guest posts and interview questions for the Dreaming Anastasia blog tour that's shaping up, aided by the very capable hands of Publicist Paul. I'll let you know where I'll be, virtually speaking.
But back to the first sentence - contest anyone? Who's excited along with me?
Til next time...
Things are getting crazy around here. Was at my Barnes and Noble yesterday, dropping off my foam board poster that the dear folks at Sourcebooks made up for me to use at the launch party on 9/12. And then I got an email from Amazon that my copy of Dreaming Anastasia that I'd pre-ordered (yes, I ordered my own book. Why? Because I could) was going to be at my doorstep early. Maybe even next week. This has made me a little crazier.
Working on a variety of guest posts and interview questions for the Dreaming Anastasia blog tour that's shaping up, aided by the very capable hands of Publicist Paul. I'll let you know where I'll be, virtually speaking.
But back to the first sentence - contest anyone? Who's excited along with me?
Til next time...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Wowed by Waiting on Wednesday- Thank You's!
Still need to post about SCBWI LA. Working up another Dreaming Anastasia teaser post or two. Have a contest or two up my sleeve. So many exciting things to post about during the next few weeks until September 1st, release day. But it's time for some thank you's to those of you - some of whom follow this blog - who have been kind enough and excited enough to make Dreaming Anastasia your Waiting on Wednesday pick. (I'm starting to see these type of picks for other days of the week too, btw!) Oh. My. Gosh!! You all make me sooooo happy. And thrilled. And ridiculously gushy with the thank yous.
So*drum roll sounds loudly in the background. Parade marches sharply. Horns toot. Debut author falls prostrate on ground with gratitude* - a Keep up the Dream thank you to:
http://BeanBagbooks.blogspot.com
http://ShadyGlade.blogspot.com
http://Reverie.blogspot.com
and all of your followers who commented as well.
*cups hands around mouth and shouts* THANKS! GRACIAS! DANKE! And of course from Anastasia herself, SPASIBA!
til next time...
So*drum roll sounds loudly in the background. Parade marches sharply. Horns toot. Debut author falls prostrate on ground with gratitude* - a Keep up the Dream thank you to:
http://BeanBagbooks.blogspot.com
http://ShadyGlade.blogspot.com
http://Reverie.blogspot.com
and all of your followers who commented as well.
*cups hands around mouth and shouts* THANKS! GRACIAS! DANKE! And of course from Anastasia herself, SPASIBA!
til next time...
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
I Tweet Therefore I Am
Well actually, I'm not so sure about that. Truth is, the Twitterverse and I are still warming up to each other. Or rather, I'm still warming up to it. It doesn't seem to care one way or another. Or maybe it does. I'd like to hope that while I'm sleeping, hordes of tweeters are bemoaning my absence. Hash marking my name. RT ing their endless tweets of angst that I am not responding. Saying, in 140 characters or less that yes they know I don't have a shtick yet. I missed out on the *hello Twitter. taps on glass* that Maureen Johnson uses. That they have caught on and realize that I am alternately whiny and bitter and petulant when I realize that not only has half the world already read some tweet worthy publishing news tidbit and tweeted about it before I did, but 10,000 other people have retweeted it and I am now left with a lame "me too" which is noteworthy only in that it assures that I won't overtweet my character limit. That I am not an NYC hipster living in a loft but a middle of the road Texan English teacher who is at the moment wearing khaki capri pants from Anne Taylor Loft outlet and a t shirt that says ORHS Greenout which the environmental club at the school at which I teach made up as a fundraiser for their recycling efforts without even one whit of irony that they were hurting the freakin' environment more by making the tshirts. But I digress.
We argue about this, publicist Paul and I. (The tweeting, that is. Not the digressing) Or rather, he nags. I listen. He says encouraging things such as that my follower list is growing. (I hear him sighing underneath this. I know he thinks I am being purposely stubborn. Sometimes he digresses, too, and tells me how his parents are going on an Alaskan cruise and secretly I wonder if this is code for possibly you are too old to get it, Joy. In moments like this, when there is that ominous dead silence on the phone, I interject a question or two about his new puppy. I, after all, live in Texas. We may have given you George Bush, but we know how to be polite.)
But I hang in there. That is another thing about me. I am nothing but dogged in my determination. I am after all, the woman who beat every odd out there and whose book is being published in less than a month. (Dreaming Anastasia. At stores. Near you. Soon. It rocks. I tweet about that regularly but obviously at times that only I am reading. Okay, me and my 52 followers. I had more but I had to block a few because they kept tweeting about how they wanted me to click on their adult pictures. I declined. Btw, if you block someone on Twitter, you do get asked by the Twitter folk if you really mean to do this or if what you really think after your initial blocking impulse is 'nah, we're cool' which I think is rather enjoyable.)
That I guess is what the Twitterverse does not yet know about me. That in my little world here in suburbia, I am already a rock star. I am the one in line at Central Market with corn tortillas and milk and baby arugula and that new Snapple green ice tea I like so much in her cart who is nonetheless going to storm the world on 9/1. I am funny and wry and sarcastic and goofy and I've got an endless taste for kitsch and irony. If I can have both at once, I'm the happiest. (like when I imagine that those little wristbands some people like to wear really stand for What Would Joy Do? the answer to which is bitch and moan and eventually get to work) My agent says she loves me because I make her laugh. I say tell that to a certain nagging someone who thinks I should just get with the program. And then she tells me that an attitude like that won't get me that new couch I've been eyeing at Pottery Barn.
Twitterverse! Are you listening? As I just tweeted a few seconds ago, if I tweet my barbaric yawp into the Twitterverse and no one answers, have I still tweeted? We will see my little Tweets. We will see.
Til next time...
We argue about this, publicist Paul and I. (The tweeting, that is. Not the digressing) Or rather, he nags. I listen. He says encouraging things such as that my follower list is growing. (I hear him sighing underneath this. I know he thinks I am being purposely stubborn. Sometimes he digresses, too, and tells me how his parents are going on an Alaskan cruise and secretly I wonder if this is code for possibly you are too old to get it, Joy. In moments like this, when there is that ominous dead silence on the phone, I interject a question or two about his new puppy. I, after all, live in Texas. We may have given you George Bush, but we know how to be polite.)
But I hang in there. That is another thing about me. I am nothing but dogged in my determination. I am after all, the woman who beat every odd out there and whose book is being published in less than a month. (Dreaming Anastasia. At stores. Near you. Soon. It rocks. I tweet about that regularly but obviously at times that only I am reading. Okay, me and my 52 followers. I had more but I had to block a few because they kept tweeting about how they wanted me to click on their adult pictures. I declined. Btw, if you block someone on Twitter, you do get asked by the Twitter folk if you really mean to do this or if what you really think after your initial blocking impulse is 'nah, we're cool' which I think is rather enjoyable.)
That I guess is what the Twitterverse does not yet know about me. That in my little world here in suburbia, I am already a rock star. I am the one in line at Central Market with corn tortillas and milk and baby arugula and that new Snapple green ice tea I like so much in her cart who is nonetheless going to storm the world on 9/1. I am funny and wry and sarcastic and goofy and I've got an endless taste for kitsch and irony. If I can have both at once, I'm the happiest. (like when I imagine that those little wristbands some people like to wear really stand for What Would Joy Do? the answer to which is bitch and moan and eventually get to work) My agent says she loves me because I make her laugh. I say tell that to a certain nagging someone who thinks I should just get with the program. And then she tells me that an attitude like that won't get me that new couch I've been eyeing at Pottery Barn.
Twitterverse! Are you listening? As I just tweeted a few seconds ago, if I tweet my barbaric yawp into the Twitterverse and no one answers, have I still tweeted? We will see my little Tweets. We will see.
Til next time...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
So this BabaYaga chick...
I'm not the first writer to use Baba Yaga. *cough: Neil Gaiman. Orson Scott Card. Whoever wrote the Buffy novelization with Baba Yaga in it: cough* (and just a digression this morning, but has anyone seen the Buffy staked Edward t shirts? Because - heh!)
In any case, hopefully I haven't mangled Baba Yaga's legend sufficiently that I'll be the last. Because I've come to really love the old gal. Particularly because in Russian folklore she has this mysterious duality. Like all strong women - crone or working mom with a crick in her neck - she's complex. You can't be certain if she's going to choose to use her powers for good or for evil and you can't even figure it out based on the behavior of the person going up against her. There are some great articles on this, actually, like this one at http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/rrBabaYaga.html and its other parts that you can link to once you've read it. Really thought provoking stuff and if you're the type who likes to go behind the curtain, it's a little snippet of the many sources I researched while writing Dreaming Anastasia.
But before I let Anastasia herself tell you a little - um - first hand knowledge about old Baba Yaga, let me add my other favorite observations about the crazy broad. Her presence always acts as an instrument of change. You can't ever fully conquer her. In the folktales, she usually has boundaries she can't cross, although personally I felt the need to fudge with that a little. And just cause you're nice to her or do her bidding, doesn't mean she won't choose to eat you for supper. In short - she's my kind of girl!
As for Anastasia, well, when writing, I imagined that she learned about Baba Yaga first as most children might learn about a fairy tale witch - in a story read to her by her mother. And so this excerpt from chapter one of Dreaming Anastasia by yours truly:
"In the story, there was a girl. Her name was Vasilisa, and she was very beautiful. Her parents loved her. Her life was good. But things changed. Her mother died. Her father remarried. And the new wife - well, she wasn't so fond of Vasilisa. So she sent her to the hut of the fearsome witch Baba Yaga to fetch some light for their cabin. And that was supposed to be that. For no one returned from Baba Yaga's. But Vasilisa had the doll her dying mother gave her. And the doll- because this was a fairy tale and so dolls could talk - told her what to do. Helped her get that light she came for and escape. And when Vasilisa returned home, that same light burned so brightly that it killed the wicked stepmother who sent Vasilisa to that horrible place. Vasilisa remained unharmed. She married a handsome prince. And lived happily ever after.
When I listened to my mother tell the story, I would pretend I was Vasilisa the Brave. In my imagination, I heeded the advice of the doll. I outwitted the evil Baba Yaga, the fearsome witch who kept her enemies' heads on pikes outside her hut. Who rode the skies in her mortar and howled to the heavens and skitterd about on bony legs. Who ate up lost little girls with her iron teeth.
But the story was not as I imagined...."
Ooooh the teaser goodness this morning!!
Til next time...
In any case, hopefully I haven't mangled Baba Yaga's legend sufficiently that I'll be the last. Because I've come to really love the old gal. Particularly because in Russian folklore she has this mysterious duality. Like all strong women - crone or working mom with a crick in her neck - she's complex. You can't be certain if she's going to choose to use her powers for good or for evil and you can't even figure it out based on the behavior of the person going up against her. There are some great articles on this, actually, like this one at http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/rrBabaYaga.html and its other parts that you can link to once you've read it. Really thought provoking stuff and if you're the type who likes to go behind the curtain, it's a little snippet of the many sources I researched while writing Dreaming Anastasia.
But before I let Anastasia herself tell you a little - um - first hand knowledge about old Baba Yaga, let me add my other favorite observations about the crazy broad. Her presence always acts as an instrument of change. You can't ever fully conquer her. In the folktales, she usually has boundaries she can't cross, although personally I felt the need to fudge with that a little. And just cause you're nice to her or do her bidding, doesn't mean she won't choose to eat you for supper. In short - she's my kind of girl!
As for Anastasia, well, when writing, I imagined that she learned about Baba Yaga first as most children might learn about a fairy tale witch - in a story read to her by her mother. And so this excerpt from chapter one of Dreaming Anastasia by yours truly:
"In the story, there was a girl. Her name was Vasilisa, and she was very beautiful. Her parents loved her. Her life was good. But things changed. Her mother died. Her father remarried. And the new wife - well, she wasn't so fond of Vasilisa. So she sent her to the hut of the fearsome witch Baba Yaga to fetch some light for their cabin. And that was supposed to be that. For no one returned from Baba Yaga's. But Vasilisa had the doll her dying mother gave her. And the doll- because this was a fairy tale and so dolls could talk - told her what to do. Helped her get that light she came for and escape. And when Vasilisa returned home, that same light burned so brightly that it killed the wicked stepmother who sent Vasilisa to that horrible place. Vasilisa remained unharmed. She married a handsome prince. And lived happily ever after.
When I listened to my mother tell the story, I would pretend I was Vasilisa the Brave. In my imagination, I heeded the advice of the doll. I outwitted the evil Baba Yaga, the fearsome witch who kept her enemies' heads on pikes outside her hut. Who rode the skies in her mortar and howled to the heavens and skitterd about on bony legs. Who ate up lost little girls with her iron teeth.
But the story was not as I imagined...."
Ooooh the teaser goodness this morning!!
Til next time...
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The Countdown Begins! - and another teaser!
It is now officially one month until Dreaming Anastasia release day! Yup - 9/1/09 is now one month away. This journey of many months is winnowed down to one. uno. ::feels heart rate increase to a more rapid pitter patter in chest::
To celebrate, I'll be doing more teaser posts each week, starting with one tomorrow about Baba Yaga, who happens to be the wonderful Russian folklore witch who plays a large role in DA. I may be throwing a contest or two. There is a growing number of wonderful bloggers out there who will be hosting interviews and contests of their own. (And if you would like to be one of them, please let me know here or at joy@joypreble.com because the excitement and support I've been getting from YOU gentle readers has made me giddy and at sentimental moments like today, even tearful with appreciation. Maybe I can even send a bookmark or two your way. The Sourcebooks folks are excellent at the making of the bookmarks)
(Or as the voice in my head tells me about every hour, I hope you are not f-ing disappointed! Because that would certainly not be my intention. And seriously - Ethan is hot. Dreamy, even. Okay, sometimes he's a little clueless. But that is part of his hottie charm.)
But first, this: (warning: sentimental slop a'coming. I am quickly becoming a slighty crazy pile of emotional goo, possibly because last night husband and I went on an actual date, wherein we saw 500 Days of Summer (2 thumbs up) and ate a vat of popcorn and shared a Diet Coke)
If you have a dream, keep dreaming it. You are never too young or too old to achieve your dreams.
I had this one. To be a real live published author. (Okay, I actually already have some small stuff out there for which I've even been paid - in American dollars even -but not a book. A real book!) Some days I have had doubts. This is normal, I know. On my best days, I have thought, okay, patience. Keep working. It will happen. On my worst days, I have thought, crap! This is never going to happen. I am no longer the child prodigy I used to be. (Okay, I was never a prodigy. Even if I did write that Thanksgiving play back in the second grade) I should have begun composing sonnets in the womb or something. I've been a slacker. I should have done this at nineteen instead of futzing around with spectacularly bad choices involving tequila and rebound boyfriends. But I didn't. And maybe my work is better for it. Maybe it isn't. And yes, okay, you will hopefully in another book I hope to some day be able to tell you about see the benefit of me having spent fallow, wasted years doing things like riding on the football player mom's float at Homecoming. In Texas. Wearing a tiara. And a red boa. And the overriding feeling that while tossing candy to strangers is fun, I really need to get back to writing that damn novel.
Only now I did. And it's a grand little thing, filled with adventure and romance and magic and a crazy witch and a girl who thought her life was ordinary until one day she discovers that she's not quite so ordinary at all, and another girl who's a princess and who had everything - until she didn't and until she made some choices that have taken her somewhere frightening and awful, and a guy who has thought he was doing the right thing, but discovers that maybe he wasn't and who falls for a certain girl along the way. It is a story of choices and blood and love and passion and crushes, and the scary things we sometimes have to do to try to make things right. It is the story of hidden things that eventually come to the surface.
And so today, although I initially didn't plan a spoiler/teaser, I'll leave you with one anyway because I'm so full of possibility and crazy expectation, just like Anne is in this scene. A tiny tidbit of what happens when Anne realizes that someone (Ethan it turns out) is watching her at the ballet:
"But the thing is, he's still watching me. Okay make that openly staring. And even from here, I can see that his eyes are this fierce, startling blue.
I stare back. He's not flirting. But he's not dropping his gaze, either. And for a second, it feels a little more dangerous than flirting. More like crazy reckless."
Til next time...
To celebrate, I'll be doing more teaser posts each week, starting with one tomorrow about Baba Yaga, who happens to be the wonderful Russian folklore witch who plays a large role in DA. I may be throwing a contest or two. There is a growing number of wonderful bloggers out there who will be hosting interviews and contests of their own. (And if you would like to be one of them, please let me know here or at joy@joypreble.com because the excitement and support I've been getting from YOU gentle readers has made me giddy and at sentimental moments like today, even tearful with appreciation. Maybe I can even send a bookmark or two your way. The Sourcebooks folks are excellent at the making of the bookmarks)
(Or as the voice in my head tells me about every hour, I hope you are not f-ing disappointed! Because that would certainly not be my intention. And seriously - Ethan is hot. Dreamy, even. Okay, sometimes he's a little clueless. But that is part of his hottie charm.)
But first, this: (warning: sentimental slop a'coming. I am quickly becoming a slighty crazy pile of emotional goo, possibly because last night husband and I went on an actual date, wherein we saw 500 Days of Summer (2 thumbs up) and ate a vat of popcorn and shared a Diet Coke)
If you have a dream, keep dreaming it. You are never too young or too old to achieve your dreams.
I had this one. To be a real live published author. (Okay, I actually already have some small stuff out there for which I've even been paid - in American dollars even -but not a book. A real book!) Some days I have had doubts. This is normal, I know. On my best days, I have thought, okay, patience. Keep working. It will happen. On my worst days, I have thought, crap! This is never going to happen. I am no longer the child prodigy I used to be. (Okay, I was never a prodigy. Even if I did write that Thanksgiving play back in the second grade) I should have begun composing sonnets in the womb or something. I've been a slacker. I should have done this at nineteen instead of futzing around with spectacularly bad choices involving tequila and rebound boyfriends. But I didn't. And maybe my work is better for it. Maybe it isn't. And yes, okay, you will hopefully in another book I hope to some day be able to tell you about see the benefit of me having spent fallow, wasted years doing things like riding on the football player mom's float at Homecoming. In Texas. Wearing a tiara. And a red boa. And the overriding feeling that while tossing candy to strangers is fun, I really need to get back to writing that damn novel.
Only now I did. And it's a grand little thing, filled with adventure and romance and magic and a crazy witch and a girl who thought her life was ordinary until one day she discovers that she's not quite so ordinary at all, and another girl who's a princess and who had everything - until she didn't and until she made some choices that have taken her somewhere frightening and awful, and a guy who has thought he was doing the right thing, but discovers that maybe he wasn't and who falls for a certain girl along the way. It is a story of choices and blood and love and passion and crushes, and the scary things we sometimes have to do to try to make things right. It is the story of hidden things that eventually come to the surface.
And so today, although I initially didn't plan a spoiler/teaser, I'll leave you with one anyway because I'm so full of possibility and crazy expectation, just like Anne is in this scene. A tiny tidbit of what happens when Anne realizes that someone (Ethan it turns out) is watching her at the ballet:
"But the thing is, he's still watching me. Okay make that openly staring. And even from here, I can see that his eyes are this fierce, startling blue.
I stare back. He's not flirting. But he's not dropping his gaze, either. And for a second, it feels a little more dangerous than flirting. More like crazy reckless."
Til next time...
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