Drinking green tea and eating a left over gluten free corn muffin, in case you were wondering. The corn muffins are a store brand (HEB, here in Texas). They are not bad, but it seems that in taking out the wheat flour that is shockingly the main ingredient in most other corn muffin mixes, they have added more sugar. Which seems more evident when it's cold than it did when they were warm. Anyone have thoughts about the whole gluten free movement/products?
To the five!
1. Almost done with act 1 of THE SWEET DEAD LIFE 2 (title to come soon). Which makes me even more EXCITED about THE SWEET DEAD LIFE 1, coming on May 14, 2013 from Soho Press! You guys are going to love Jenna and Casey! And I promise a Texas twist on the angel genre. Editor Dan and I love the world of TSDL -- it's funny and bittersweet and all about family and love -- plus a mystery to solve and the least likely suspect ever to become a guardian angel. Plus breakfast tacos and kolaches. And cowgirl boots.
2. Pondering the New Adult genre talk. Been reading some, too -- Just for Now by Abbi Glines and a sample of Easy by Tammara Webber, two titles that have gotten a lot of chatter on the old interwebs these days. So how much sexy time is too much sexy time in YA? This is the thought that keeps swirling my brain. Is there a point where - guilty pleasure or not -- we drift into soft porn, even if there's a story line underneath? How detailed and specific should sex scenes be and still be categorized as YA? Does the novel then become first about the sexy times and second about the plot? And mind you, I love bad boy taming stories as much if not more than the next girl. Would love to hear your thoughts. (Wow -- you get to comment on both gluten free products AND graphic sex scenes in YA this morning. Crazy times!)
3. Just finished Season 1 of Homeland. Oh how I love that show! Carrie and Brody and Sol and enough twists and turns to keep me glued. Some of the best writing on television. LOVE. Waiting for Season 2 to be available. So what else should I watch next? (ooh! sexy times, gluten AND TV questions!)
4. It snowed in Dallas on Christmas day while we were visiting prodigal son and prodigal son's wife. About 4 hours of sleet turned snow that stuck flurries. If you live in a place where it snows (like I used to when I grew up in Chicago), you are laughing at my tiny snowflake thrill. But we were dancing outside like maniacs. I put on my hat! And my Uggs! I pretended that this would turn into actual WINTER. And then I drove home to Houston where in any given week we rollercoaster from 35 - 80 over and over. Editor Dan in NYC says this is proof of global warming. I tell him we are a red state and are required not to believe in such things. In any case, it snowed. I was there.
5. Have not yet seen Le Miserables but hope to rectify that this weekend. Have seen: Guilt Trip, Silver Linings Play Book and Anna Karenina. In that order: Funny but not great; excellent performances that are better than the movie as a whole; too weird for words and author/photographer/all around cool girl Kristin Rae and I were fixated on the 70's porn star mustache of the actor playing Vronsky. It was icky. We got the giggles -- and this is probably not the effect the filmmaker wanted in a story that was going to end with Kiera Knightley biting it under the wheels of a locomotive. Your thoughts? (Yup - comment on gluten, sexy times, Homeland, snow, AND Anna Karenina!)
Till next week and my New Year's Eve post!
You need to watch Girls. Lena Dunham is a genius. You will love it.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping for snow in Houston but all we got was rain. I Still need to see Le Mis
ReplyDeleteLes misersbles isn't even out yet in the uk :( but it looks really good! Please refrain from too many spoilers!!! :)
ReplyDeleteOn the gluten free question,my favorite brand of gf cormbread is the Bob's Red Mill variety (HEB carries it too). Yummy - now I wish I had cornbread and chili on this cold morning!!
ReplyDeleteAnd while I'm thinking about food, if you haven't been to Calvert for Zamykal kolaches, you are missing out - really the best gourmet kolaches I've ever had!!
Sexy stuff in YA - I am of two minds here. My first reaction is 'ok, fine!" As a kid (showing my age here) there was no YA genre, so I graduated from The Borrowers right to everything else. However, my secondary response is rooted solidly in my years of managing a bookstore, trying to help parents find books both challenging enough for their young advanced reader and 'content appropriate' for the kid's age. It's tough, and so many YA already leapfrog back and forth between. Many series are especially guilty - how do you explain to a kid that although the first books were fine, the later books contain more adult content than young, bright kid needs (according to the parents - remember, I read everything, from 7 and up). A new adult genre (with the graphic-ish sexy stuff) would make that so much easier for parents.
I agree on Girls too - if you haven't seen it, there is so much you will love. Lena Dunn is a shining star, and the character Shoshonna -well, you have met her before, I'm sure!!
That's enough commentary from me! Glad your writing continues to happen, and have a wonderful, productive, super fun 2013! I'll see you around!
Good responses all and thanks cwexy for chiming in about New Adult/sex in YA. I do think that if you do a series and your characters age then content often does get more intense -- I'm experiencing this right now writing TSDL 2 -- Jenna has aged up from 14 to 15 and has a boyfriend now (or at least almost). It's not a huge change, but she will think about love/romance and experience more than she has before. Also - I've now watched 3 eps of GIRLS and I am in love with it! Can't wait til I have time to watch the rest!
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