tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82656416389226410072024-03-12T18:34:16.987-07:00Making a Wish...Making it HappenNicole MaggiNicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-30885411523897765002015-01-12T15:25:00.003-08:002015-01-12T15:25:42.459-08:00Spotted in the Wild Contest!<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winter-falls-nicole-maggi/1111873094?ean=9781605426839" target="_blank">WINTER FALLS</a> has been out for a month (woohoo!) but I have yet to see it on a bookshelf!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfHwHMjD3eS6SU6ba_raAYPFoxIHs6PC_qTn_QutwhvGVyrzNcEspVxWf_loBc8f8wesuIlndnE_YZVGKSQUsS-W7-IogdD3kBhCIzVCtwZgRzPPatz52EudxCJCs0ILcFQvqwDpk6so5/s1600/Winter+Falls+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfHwHMjD3eS6SU6ba_raAYPFoxIHs6PC_qTn_QutwhvGVyrzNcEspVxWf_loBc8f8wesuIlndnE_YZVGKSQUsS-W7-IogdD3kBhCIzVCtwZgRzPPatz52EudxCJCs0ILcFQvqwDpk6so5/s1600/Winter+Falls+Cover.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a></div>
So, I'm having a Spotted in the Wild Contest, and you could win!<br />
The rules are simple:<br />
If you're in a bookstore - any bookstore, indie or otherwise - and you see WINTER FALLS on the shelf, take a picture of it.<br />
Post the picture on Twitter or Facebook and tag me (Twitter: @nicolemaggi and Nicole Maggi - my public author page - on Facebook).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47Qs0g_qq7cbu6BGm0SE4E4Qh7Ip_zxSVP8cfA4oT0ldYg2NzDhKim16m6e_W5EsxFJeIO9XSukWs4pev1d7OgcOoBneAWwLb_8a-iJdWPnpLQNIfgUXJ2XZLlF2tSXAhGspWVXLy_lP-/s1600/IMW+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47Qs0g_qq7cbu6BGm0SE4E4Qh7Ip_zxSVP8cfA4oT0ldYg2NzDhKim16m6e_W5EsxFJeIO9XSukWs4pev1d7OgcOoBneAWwLb_8a-iJdWPnpLQNIfgUXJ2XZLlF2tSXAhGspWVXLy_lP-/s1600/IMW+cover.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a>For each picture you post (at different bookstores) you'll be entered into a drawing.<br />
What's the prize? A signed ARC of the second book in the Twin Willows Trilogy, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-mouth-of-the-wolf-nicole-maggi/1120251307?ean=9781605426198" target="_blank">IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF</a> (release date June 9th)!<br />
Only in-store pictures are eligible. Bonus points if the book is facing in (with just the spine visible) and you do a little rearranging to face the whole front cover outward. ;-)<br />
The contest will run until the end of the month. So between now and January 31st, visit as many bookstores as you can and find WINTER FALLS!<br />
P.S. If the store doesn't have the book in, go ahead and request it! While that won't earn you a contest entry, it will earn you my undying gratitude.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WINTER FALLS Launch party</td></tr>
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Let the games begin! Let's go book hunting!Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-16111862757691975112014-10-06T10:12:00.000-07:002014-10-06T10:12:07.550-07:00Cover Reveal: THE FORGETTINGI am thrilled beyond belief to reveal the shiny brand new cover for THE FORGETTING! <br />
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<span id="freeText15679510636156655493"><b><i>Georgie's new heart saved her life...but now she's losing her mind.</i></b><br /><br /><i>Georgie
Kendrick wakes up after a heart transplant, but the organ beating in
her chest doesn't seem to be in tune with the rest of her body. Why does
she have a sudden urge for strawberries when she's been allergic for
years? Why can't she remember last Christmas?<br /><br />Driven to find her
donor, Georgie discovers her heart belonged to a girl her own age who
fell out of the foster care system and into a rough life on the streets.
Everyone thinks she committed suicide, but Georgie is compelled to find
the truth-before she loses herself completely.</i></span><br />
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<span id="freeText15679510636156655493">And now without further ado, THE COVER!!!!</span><br />
<span id="freeText15679510636156655493"><i> </i></span><br />
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THE FORGETTING will be released on February 3rd, 2015 from SourceBooks Fire. I'm so proud of this book and can't wait to share it with the world! And if you can't wait to have it in your hot little hands, you can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forgetting-Nicole-Maggi/dp/1492603562/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412604833&sr=1-3&keywords=nicole+maggi" target="_blank">pre-order it from Amazon now</a>! </div>
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To celebrate my beautiful new cover, I'm running a giveaway for one signed ARC of THE FORGETTING! Read it before anyone else does!</div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a8686ef41/" id="rc-a8686ef41" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script>
Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-56840996913970026522013-11-25T03:00:00.000-08:002013-11-25T03:00:13.406-08:00Blessings: Thursday, November 21st, 2013I live a charmed life.<br>
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Well, not really. I have my ups and downs like everybody else, and I've had to climb over many hurdles on my road to publication.<br>
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But right now, in this moment, I have everything I could possibly want, or need.<br>
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Right now, I'm sitting at my kitchen table while my daughter sings and dances in a circle, waving a blue crayon around. One of my cats is perched next to my computer and when I reach out to pat him, his soft fur warms my hand. My fridge is full with delicious food just waiting to be made into a meal. My husband will be home from work soon, and we'll snuggle on the couch and watch <i><b>Parks and Recreation.</b></i><br>
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I spent half of today with a dear friend who just had a baby, after struggling with infertility for the last few years. And tomorrow I'll go to yoga in the morning and then camp out at my favorite coffeeshop to write. This weekend I'll see another dear friend in a play at a theatre that she's worked for years to get cast at.<br>
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My life is full and rich with my family and their many blessings, with my friends who bring me so much joy, and my work to fulfill two multi-book contracts with two different publishers - a goal I've worked for for years.<br>
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I lost my mom when I was a young teenager, an event that reverberates in every aspect of my life. And while I miss my mom every day, I also feel very strongly that she is always looking out for me. I even think that she put those hurdles in my way, so that when I got over them I would know what accomplishment feels like. Suffering that huge of a loss at such a young age made me realize very early on how important it is to appreciate what I have. How important it is to stop and look around on an ordinary Thursday evening, see the blessings in every little moment, and say thank you.Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-43987458711362315632013-07-01T05:00:00.000-07:002013-07-01T05:00:05.988-07:00The Class of 2k14I'M BACK!!!!<br />
Yes, it's been almost a year since I've blogged. I'll catch ya'll up over the next couple of weeks. Today, I'm here to talk about the launch of the Class of 2k14!<br />
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<a href="http://classof2k14.com/" target="_blank">The Class of 2k14</a> is a group of diverse YA and MG authors who have banded together to support and promote each other's books over the next year and a half. I'm thrilled and honored to be part of this group. And today is the launch of our shiny, brand-new website. We're celebrating with a <a href="http://classof2k14.com/class-of-2k14-launch-day-giveaway" target="_blank">giveaway</a> - you could win a $100 gift certificate to the bookseller of your choice!<br />
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The Class of 2k groups were started in 2007 by <a href="http://gfishbone.com/" target="_blank">Greg Fishbone</a> as a way to connect authors with booksellers, librarians, teachers, and readers. All of the previous Classes have webpages that list their authors. <a href="http://classof2k13.com/" target="_blank">The Class of 2k13</a> is active right now and I encourage you to check out their website and attend any events in your area!<br />
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But first, check out the upcoming <a href="http://classof2k14.com/" target="_blank">Class of 2k14</a> and get to know us. Enter our giveaway and follow us throughout 2014 as our books debut. Follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/Class2k14" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://2k14class.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/34144.Class_of_2k14" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>. There will be lots more giveaways over the coming months so be sure to keep checking in!<br />
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Here's to <a href="http://classof2k14.com/" target="_blank">The Class of 2k14</a>! Long may we reign.Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-86041592876126296442012-07-16T15:45:00.000-07:002012-07-16T15:45:57.484-07:00Guilty PleasuresSo, today I made myself a playlist titled "Guilty Pleasures." It consists of songs (mostly from the '80's, the decade in which I spent most of teenage years) that unabashedly make me happy. But, they're also songs that I would probably get ridiculed to no degree for loving. Hence the playlist title.<br />
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Sample track:<br />
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Now, I can honestly say that I never had a poster of Rick Springfield on my wall, although I did have a "Dirty Dancing" poster of Patrick Swayze - on his knees, crawling towards the camera, wearing those black pants and that black tank top - hanging right over my bed. <i>YUM.</i><br />
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Back in the days before iTunes, I used to keep a blank tape (a cassette tape - remember those?) in my dual radio/cassette player so that if I heard a song that I loved come on, I could just hit RECORD and voila! Song recorded. Yes, that's how we made playlists in the 80's. This was one song that I remember chasing down for days until I finally caught it (so important to get the opening guitar line):<br />
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And of course the ultimate love letter of high-schoolers in the '80's was The Mix Tape. I got a particularly memorable one from an ex-boyfriend who wanted to get back together (we did, briefly). He'd written a paragraph for each song, explaining why he'd included it. For this one, he wrote that one night he called me on the phone...<i>but there was no answer</i>: <br />
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There are several more tracks on the playlist I made today, but these are the only ones I'll admit to including...and I can already hear the teasing coming my way!<br />
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So, I 'fessed up - your turn! Tell me your ultimate guilty pleasure song. Bonus points to anyone who names one that's on my list!<br />
Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-4951726307343535642012-07-11T11:49:00.001-07:002012-07-29T09:46:02.434-07:00What Price Are You Willing to Pay?Recently, a friend of mine on Facebook posted this blog <a href="http://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=43682" target="_blank">(The Sheila Variations: It's Got to Cost You Something)</a> and it really struck a chord in me.<br />
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At last year's SCBWI Conference, one of the speakers said the same thing. A reader needs to feel that the book they're reading cost the author something to write. Otherwise, why should they read it? If the author didn't care enough, why should the reader?<br />
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I can tell you that all my favorite books are books that feel like they cost the author something very dear to write. <i>Before I Fall</i>, by Lauren Oliver. My God, that book came out of someplace deep and personal within her. <i>I Capture The Castle</i>, by Dodie Smith. Her heart is sprawled out all over the pages of that book. And two of my very favorite books, <i>Gone With The Wind</i> and <i>To Kill A Mockingbird</i>, cost the authors so much to write that they never wrote another book again.<br />
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On the other hand, <i>The DaVinci Code</i> reads like Dan Brown wrote it with one hand tied behind his back while smoking a cigarette and reading The Times of London. (Of course, he's laughing all the way to the bank, so that says more about what it cost US to read it than what it cost HIM to write it.)<br />
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Sure, we could become authors who blithely write dozens of books a year, churning them out without ever really falling in love with the characters or worrying about their destinies. And maybe we'd make enough money doing this that we wouldn't care about caring. I don't know about you, but I couldn't live with myself if I did this.<br />
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The thing that I love most about writing IS the caring. The obsessing over my characters' fates. The feeling of complete exhaustion and exhilaration I get after I've written an emotional scene. I want to leave my blood and guts all over the page. I want to put my heart out there and have every single one of my characters wear it on their sleeves. Yes, it's scary; terrifying, actually. But it's the <i>good</i> kind of scary. It's the emotionally-satisfying kind of scary that comes from creating true, meaningful art.<br />
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And that is not to say that prolific writers can't also be the kind of writers who put their blood, sweat and tears into every book they write. I've never read any of Stephen King's novels - I can't read horror; it scares the absolute bejesus out of me - but I have read <i>On Writing</i>, and I've flipped through enough of his books to know that his heart is pulsating out of every page. I've read (and met) Anne Perry, the prolific mystery writer, and I know that she spills herself into every character. <br />
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As Sheila O'Malley says in her brilliant blog post, <i>it's got to cost you something</i>. That is the deal you make when you become an artist. The best art doesn't look pretty. (In fact, sometimes it looks horrifyingly ugly, like Munch's The Scream). It looks like it was dragged out of the artist's soul and splattered onto the canvas or page or stage or film or CD, almost against their will. That an imprint of themselves is left there, forever. Forget alchemy; that is how we truly achieve immortality.<br />
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But the amazing and wonderful thing about being an artist is that for each piece of yourself you leave behind in your art, you gain back by continuing to create more art. Give, and you shall receive.<br />
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Watch the footage of Elvis in the blog post above. You can literally SEE the price he is paying with each note that he sings.<br />
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So the next time you sit down to write, take a deep breath, and pay up. <br />
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<br />Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-28044830782251626252012-06-11T11:42:00.001-07:002012-06-11T11:42:34.261-07:00Sound The Trumpets!When I was a little girl, I used to pick dandelions, make a wish, and blow, watching all the seeds scatter onto the wind. I truly believed that the wish I'd made would come true. And some of them did, and some of them didn't. But all the ones that did had something in common: I made them come true.<br />
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Now as an adult, I still believe in wishes and dreams. But I also know that in order for my wishes and dreams to come true, I have to make them happen. It's not enough to wish for publication; I have to write the book. It's not enough to dream about hitting the bestseller list; I have continually work on my craft in order to write a book worthy of the list. It's our actions that make our dreams and wishes come true.<br />
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That's why I've redesigned and renamed my blog <i><b>Making A Wish & Making It Happen</b></i>. To inspire other artists to close their eyes and make a wish, dream a dream...and then go out and take action and make it happen.<br />
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And with the big redesign comes big news. I made a wish, and I (along with some help from my family, my friends, and my awesome agent) made it happen. <b>I am thrilled to announce that my novel, WINTER FALLS, will be published by <a href="http://www.medallionmediagroup.com/" target="_blank">Medallion Press</a> in 2014.</b><br />
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As the followers of this blog know, it has been a long, hard road to this moment. I made the wish a long time ago, and through a lot of hard work, sweat, blood and lots of tears, I made it happen.<br />
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And I fervently believe that any writer out there can do the same.<br />
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So that's why this blog is here. Tell me your wishes and dreams, and I'll tell you mine. And together, we'll make them happen.Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-51328894266936779252012-05-14T13:31:00.000-07:002012-07-29T09:21:43.517-07:00A Night To Remember<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been obsessed with the Titanic since I was a little girl. Long before the Titanic was TITANIC: THE MOVIE!, long before there was Jack and Rose and Celine Dion, before there five hundred specials like TITANIC: THE FINAL MYSTERY SOLVED!, on the History or Discovery or Learning Channels.</div>
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I've been obsessed with the Titanic before they even found the wreckage of the ship.</div>
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For anyone who doesn't know, that was in 1985. I've been obsessed with it since about 1983. That's when the brilliant-but-cancelled, short-lived, one-season television show starring now-sadly-deceased 80's heartthrob Jon-Erik Hexum, VOYAGERS, did an episode set on the Titanic. In that episode, the time-traveling Hexum, along with his kid sidekick, had to set history right by getting the Mona Lisa off the doomed ship. Kid Sidekick tries to save the ship, but Older And Wiser Hexum tells him that he can't change history. Sometimes tragedies happen.</div>
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I'm not sure exactly what it is about the Titanic that has fascinated for nearly thirty years. I suppose it's a combination of things: that it was the largest moving object in the world, that it was supposed to be "unsinkable," that it was the most luxurious ocean liner ever built, that it was a floating example of a terrible class system, that it was one of the last bastions of chivalry (I doubt it was women & children first on the Costa Concordia), that the band played on as the ship went down. Because I'm so far removed from that era, it's easy to see the romance of it (as the box office numbers can attest to). And at the time when I first learned about the Titanic, they hadn't found the wreckage yet. People had <i>died </i>trying to find it. It was <i>largest</i> moving object in the world and <i>no one could find it.</i></div>
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Also, in the early years of my obsession, I checked a book out my school library about ghosts and curses, and in it there was a story about how there was a cursed Egyptian mummy being transported from The London Museum to New York on the ship. An Egyptian curse?! It really doesn't get any cooler than that.</div>
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So, yeah. I've been obsessed for a long time.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The backyard is transformed</td></tr>
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A few years, it occurred to me that the 100th Anniversary of the sinking was coming up, and that there was no way in hell that I was going to let that date pass without doing something. Something big. Something like...I don't know...inviting a bunch of my friends over, making them dress up in costume, turning my backyard into a wonderland of candlelight and recreating the final dinner served in the first-class dining saloon. You know, something simple. Ha!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Host & Hostess</td></tr>
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So on April 14th, 2012, my most wonderful and intrepid friends indulged this crazy whim of mine and were treated to the most elaborate dinner that will probably ever be served in my house.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course Five: Beef, Lamb, Duck</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Guests arrived at eight, and entered the Grand Saloon, aka the backyard, which had been set up with an elegant table and soft lighting. Period-appropriate music filled the air (via an iPod; sadly, the budget did not allow for the live string quartet I originally wanted). Champagne flowed all night. Six courses were served. Oysters, cream of barley soup, poached salmon, duck, filet mignon, lamb, eclairs, peaches in chartreuse jelly and French ice cream. A different wine for each course. And champagne. Did I mention the champagne?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merriment</td></tr>
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It was one of those nights were time stops and nothing matters but good friends and good food, the stars above and the laughter around the table. At 11:40 pm, the exact time the Titanic hit the iceberg, we played "Nearer My God to Thee" (the hymn the band supposedly played while the ship was sinking) and had a moment of silence. I'll be honest, though, we were all extremely, uh, merry by that time and the moment of silence was rather giggly.</div>
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I've never lost sight of the fact that over 1500 people lost their lives that terrible night 100 years ago. Part of my fascination with the ship comes from the incredulous question <i>How could they let this happen?</i> How could they put lifeboats for only half the people on board? How could the Californian, less than ten miles away, ignore the distress calls? How could they lower lifeboats, built to carry eighty people, with only twelve people aboard?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wreckage</td></tr>
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But oh, it's hard to think about that when you're sucking a delicious oyster out of its shell.</div>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-49847700774407456682012-05-08T10:01:00.000-07:002012-05-08T10:01:39.162-07:00Happy Book Birthdays!<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<b>April showers bring May flowers, and with the flowers come books! I want to highlight three book birthdays today from three wonderful debut writers:</b></div>
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<u><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Struck-Jennifer-Bosworth/dp/0374372837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336494605&sr=8-1">STRUCK</a> by Jennifer Bosworth</b></u></div>
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Mia
Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her
craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the
lives of those around her.<br />
Los Angeles, where lightning rarely
strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction.
But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed
into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent
cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party
moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to
the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to
power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday
prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical
storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that
is yet to come.<br />
Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring
Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he
claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them
together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia
must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people
she loves, or lose everything.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcAss8mFaeB-uPNEQAbpYuUmju4c4ri5gt9ZyYvbZO8tT1-3RNuGKfdpyPqCAS2o4V_4i4VtaI3UryHiv54u3DSa0LUPFLgLXiM-UpmuL1QE5jHWaHzNoZLrjXMOtWZwiTxRWVQ1baT-m/s1600/HemlockCover2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcAss8mFaeB-uPNEQAbpYuUmju4c4ri5gt9ZyYvbZO8tT1-3RNuGKfdpyPqCAS2o4V_4i4VtaI3UryHiv54u3DSa0LUPFLgLXiM-UpmuL1QE5jHWaHzNoZLrjXMOtWZwiTxRWVQ1baT-m/s200/HemlockCover2.jpg" width="124" /></a></div>
<u><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hemlock-Trilogy-Kathleen-Peacock/dp/0062048651/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336495618&sr=1-1">HEMLOCK</a> by Kathleen Peacock</b></u><br />
<br />
Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.<br /><br />
Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. She is being
haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the
Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's
killer: <br /><br /> A white werewolf. <br /><br /> Lupine syndrome--also
known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of
the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to
control. <br /><br /> Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares,
Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets
lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy's boy-friend,
Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is
thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at
risk.</div>
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<u><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chained-Lynne-Kelly/dp/0374312370/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336495816&sr=1-1">CHAINED</a> by Lynne Kelly</b></u></div>
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After
ten-year-old Hastin’s family borrows money to pay for his sister’s
hospital bill, he leaves his village in northern India to take a job as
an elephant keeper and work off the debt. He thinks it will be an
adventure, but he isn’t prepared for the cruel circus owner. The crowds
that come to the circus see a lively animal who plays soccer and
balances on milk bottles, but Hastin sees Nandita, a sweet elephant and
his best friend, who is chained when she’s not performing and hurt with
a hook until she learns tricks perfectly. Hastin protects Nandita as
best as he can, knowing that the only way they will both survive is if
he can find a way for them to escape. <br />
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<b>Congratulations to these three authors on their debuts! All three books are in stores TODAY! </b></div>
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</div>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-39065562159823564702012-05-02T12:18:00.000-07:002012-07-29T09:24:18.859-07:00The Two Wolves<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
There is an old Cherokee tale. A father tucks his son into bed, and the son asks for a story. The father tells him, "Inside everyone there are two wolves. One is ugly and bitter, full of anger, jealousy, spite, and hate. The other is beautiful and good, full of humanity, equanimity, loving, generosity, and contentedness."</div>
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The son asks, "Which wolf wins?"</div>
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The father answers, "The one you feed."</div>
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Our world feeds the ugly wolf. TV and magazines tell us we should be younger, thinner, prettier, richer. We should drive this kind of car, eat that kind of food, use this kind of shampoo so that our hair can be shinier. All of it sending the message that we're less than we are.</div>
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So it becomes doubly important to feed the beautiful wolf. Feed it nourishing food and give it plenty of exercise. Take it for long walks on the beach and read your favorite books to it. Give it your favorite coffee from your favorite coffeeshop, and do one lovely thing for it every day.</div>
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I'm reminded of these two wolves every day when I leave yoga class (which, incidentally, is where I first heard the story of the two wolves). My yoga studio is next to a Popeye's Louisiana Chicken. I have never, ever eaten at a Popeye's, but when I leave class, I'm usually starving, and that Popeye's smells so freaking good and all I want to do is order a bucket of Cajun fried shrimp.</div>
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But I've just spent an hour and a half on my mat, feeding the good the wolf, and fried shrimp is exactly what the bad wolf wants. Just like it wants to sit on the couch and watch television all day instead of writing. Just like it wants to let my inner critic have free rein, instead of silencing it with all the sweet words the good wolf has.</div>
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Being on submission for the past few months, feeding the good wolf has been a struggle. And I can't say there haven't been days when the bad wolf has taken over my house, sitting in the middle of my living room floor and feasting on all the negativity I've fed it.</div>
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But with constant vigilance, the good wolf has come roaring back, nudging the ugly wolf into a corner, and feeding on a steady diet of good thoughts and positive attitude. It takes work, though. It takes effort. The world around us - full of inauthentic people, flashing negative messages, and criticism about our choices from every direction - wants to feed the bad wolf. So it is up to us, ourselves alone, to keep the good wolf fat and healthy.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Inside you there are two wolves. Which wolf will you feed today?</span>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-72476272501561087062012-04-18T18:49:00.001-07:002012-04-18T20:59:07.900-07:00I'm Still Here<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Has it really been over 2 months since I last posted on this blog? YIKES! Never fear. This blog has not been far from my thoughts. I am in the process of redesigning the blog to better reflect where I am in this crazy journey of being an artist.</div>
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In the meantime, let me direct you to these other fabulous blogs:</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_918817952"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://downtownya.blogspot.com/">DOWNTOWN YA</a></div>
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I've just joined this blog; my first post will be April 26th. Catch up on past posts and check back on the 26th for my first one!</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_918817955"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://thelucky13s.blogspot.com/">THE LUCKY 13s</a></div>
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I co-founded this blog and though I haven't been a regular poster since last fall, I'm still a member. They've had some really wonderful posts over there lately - check them out!</div>
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<a href="http://gingercalem.wordpress.com/">WRITERSBUTT</a></div>
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If you're dying to get your butt into shape, this is the blog for you. Ginger Calem is a dear friend and crit partner of mine, not to mention a CrossFit trainer and all-around fabulous writer/blogger/goddess. Check out her regular Wednesday WritersButt posts!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And check back here to see my shiny new blog coming soon!</span>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-24306304257512032432012-02-01T12:06:00.000-08:002012-05-29T21:14:07.572-07:00Keep Your Muse Happy<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last summer at the </span><a href="http://www.scbwi.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">SCBWI Conference</span></a><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> in Los Angeles, </span><a href="http://madwomanintheforest.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Laurie Halse Anderson</span></a><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> gave a fantastic keynote speech in which she said we should treat our Muse like a small child. "You wouldn't beat up a small child for not writing a thousand words a day, would you?" she asked. "So why are you doing that to your Muse?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've been thinking a lot about this comparison since I started doing </span><a href="http://artistswayatwork.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Artist's Way</span></a><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> two weeks ago. For the last couple of years, no one could say that I wasn't a diligent writer. I wrote or revised nearly every day. I met my writing goals. I made every single one of my deadlines, whether internal or external.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But what I've realized that although I was writing - although I was doing what I <i>love</i> - I completely neglected my Muse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I never let the poor girl have any fun. I chained her to a desk in a windowless room and fed her only bread and water (and maybe gruel if she wrote a thousand words every day for a week). I ordered her to "BE PRODUCTIVE!" and then I slammed the door shut and left her in the dark.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">When I did The Artist's Way the first time around five years ago, one of the things I really reveled in was being given permission to play. Sure, writing a thousand words a day is a wonderful way to serve our artist. But so is taking an afternoon off from writing to paint. Or writing one hour less a day to take a long walk. Or spending a Saturday cutting up magazines and creating a collage. All of these things are just as productive as writing because they are filling the Well. One of the things I've forgotten in the last couple of years is that writing is not the only way to fill the Well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now that I'm immersing myself in The Artist's Way, I'm realizing how depleted my Well is. That thing is dried up, my friends. And my poor little Muse is leaning over the edge of it, peering inside, trying to find a drop to quench her immeasurable thirst. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So I'm giving myself permission to play again. And I challenge all of you out there to do the same. Even if you're on a deadline. Take an hour to paint, draw, collage. Take a half-hour and go for a walk. Take fifteen minutes and sit outside and watch the clouds. Take five minutes and listen to your favorite song. Keep your Well filled. And let your Muse dance in the sunshine.</span>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-81590152808635531972012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:002012-01-18T08:00:09.276-08:00STOP CENSORSHIP!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh60R5bHo8txwZj9FxkLKTHfzq2nZ2KIl7OI8edSA7fF7UzesyFBWLpNywptbb5zibFPf9F-MwB027ngdV3fsjXVBJ61HjRpN54eYrGrT5Aw4NlrwsnvADZ9SpRBMloMh1OhMhnD8LPp19/s1600/strike-paper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh60R5bHo8txwZj9FxkLKTHfzq2nZ2KIl7OI8edSA7fF7UzesyFBWLpNywptbb5zibFPf9F-MwB027ngdV3fsjXVBJ61HjRpN54eYrGrT5Aw4NlrwsnvADZ9SpRBMloMh1OhMhnD8LPp19/s320/strike-paper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.sopastrike.com/">www.sopastrike.com</a>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-58251968134877231562012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:002012-01-11T08:00:13.203-08:00What's Brewing<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's Wednesday, which means it's time to check in and see what's brewing this week!</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ginger Calem, my critique-partner-in-crime, has another <a href="http://gingercalem.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: red;">WritersButt</span> </a>blog up today! For those of you who tuned in last week, hope you had fun peeing and squatting. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, that probably sounds really wrong.... </div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Another week, another bunch of Apocalypsie debuts! This week we're welcoming:</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUlHr6BL9Xrj_JlDnqN1Mt5czXI1-PPjU24JRiRl9cRtf-8pqvf-W6eUXEiZvtl6epQ-NEl-LtMdjEYe2u4CxFe2uNtR09xgiFNVy12huWMbMoKMQHHX_9UkGDjrSRwS3Jv-hYrTiIg7j/s1600/ditched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUlHr6BL9Xrj_JlDnqN1Mt5czXI1-PPjU24JRiRl9cRtf-8pqvf-W6eUXEiZvtl6epQ-NEl-LtMdjEYe2u4CxFe2uNtR09xgiFNVy12huWMbMoKMQHHX_9UkGDjrSRwS3Jv-hYrTiIg7j/s200/ditched.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.robinmellom.com/blog/" style="color: red;">DITCHED by Robin Mellom</a> </div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red;"> </span><span style="color: red;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzGMsVHxTaVjrgpmRg8kPfPYCO-9tL3TqapC1ijtcnBzpZs5KNI4RG5yIJNaVrvKugIT7BzoNhSunsGr3b1dSJooVMxwXwDmL1CH5ymI-BeWK5zkacj8yq27OWCU2B51i1EDDjVpMttR0/s1600/gathering%252Bstorm%252Bhi-res%252Bcover%252Bcopy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzGMsVHxTaVjrgpmRg8kPfPYCO-9tL3TqapC1ijtcnBzpZs5KNI4RG5yIJNaVrvKugIT7BzoNhSunsGr3b1dSJooVMxwXwDmL1CH5ymI-BeWK5zkacj8yq27OWCU2B51i1EDDjVpMttR0/s200/gathering%252Bstorm%252Bhi-res%252Bcover%252Bcopy2.jpg" width="125" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://www.robinbridges.com/" style="color: red;">THE GATHERING STORM by Robin Bridges</a> </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Congrats to these amazing debut authors, and check out their books today!</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And now I leave you with a little gift...a beautiful reminder that although Nooks and Kindles and iPads are wonderful things, there's nothing quite like a real, flesh-and-blood-and-paper book.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Happy Reading!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </div><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-32880313837662452892012-01-09T14:53:00.000-08:002012-01-09T14:53:36.737-08:00What Defines Us<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."</i> - Henry David Thoreau</b></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Years ago, when I was an acting major in college, I studied with a Belgian movement teacher. As part of our final, we had to do several minutes of purely improvised movement. In her review of my work, my teacher told me (imagine this with a Belgian accent), "There was a moment, when you were in the corner of the room, that you just became huge. And that's the way you must live, you know - huge."</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Every once in a while I remind myself of her words. Am I living huge?</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Throughout our lives, we make mistakes. We have failures. We suffer loss and disappointments. And over time, we allow those mistakes and failures and disappointments to start to define us. We give more weight to the downs of our lives than the ups.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So instead of living huge, we make ourselves smaller than we really are. </div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What if, rather than being defined by our mistakes and failures, we choose to define ourselves by our successes? We would start to spill over the boundaries of ourselves, instead of being so contained.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><i>"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?"</i> - Marianne Williamson</b></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I love this quote. Who am I not to be all that I can be? Who am I not to be brilliant and amazing? Why am I making myself small? Is it to make someone else feel better about themselves? Is it because someone, long ago, told me that I wasn't worth all the space I deserve? Whatever the reason, it doesn't serve me anymore.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So here's my challenge to you: Live huge. Fill up your space and spill over the edges. Sing your song out loud and let the world hear it. </div>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-40497807076269050832012-01-06T13:38:00.000-08:002012-07-29T09:28:43.510-07:00It's A Practice, Not A Perfect<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
So in yoga class this morning...</div>
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...and yes, I'm about to quote my yoga teacher again.</div>
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Seriously, the woman is a genius. There's always at least one quotable nugget of wisdom she gives us in each class. Today she said, "Yoga is a practice unlike any other. There is no end result."</div>
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That really stuck with me. (Obviously, because I'm blogging about it!) And I thought, "I can apply that to writing."</div>
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Remember my resolution for 2012? Fall back in love with writing. And I think one of the keys to that is to be less fixated on the end result (publication) and focus back on the practice of writing. It's the process where I find the joy. It's the process that I fell in love with to begin with, way back in third grade when I wrote my first story. (It was about a unicorn. Yep.)</div>
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I think it's really easy to lose focus on the practice of writing when we're busy chasing a book contract. We become convinced that it's only through publication that we'll be happy. But if we don't love the process, the end result won't bring us happiness. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Everett Harper</td></tr>
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In yoga, there is no end result. There's only what you feel in the pose at any given moment. There is no perfect. You may be able to hold a headstand for an hour one day, but the next day you'll fall out after a minute. The practice of yoga is always changing and evolving. No pose is ever perfect. That's because we are never perfect.</div>
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It was only after I was able to give up the idea of being perfect in yoga that my practice truly deepened.</div>
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And it was only after I realized that my life would never be perfect, that I would never be "finished," that my life really got good.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm still hoping and dreaming and wishing for a book contract. But I'm giving up the idea that it will bring me the joy I seek. So I'm going to look for that joy in the daily practice of slipping into my character's lives and getting lost in the fantastic maze of a good story.</span>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-38671800903930475422012-01-05T18:49:00.000-08:002012-01-05T19:00:40.200-08:00What's Brewing<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">2012 is only five days old but it's there's already awesomeness brewing. Here's what I'm excited about this week:</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My book, now retitled <a href="http://www.nicolemaggi.com/cont.html" style="color: magenta;">WINTER FALLS</a>, is back out on submission! And that's the last I'm going to say about it until I can announce that it's been resold. I'm a pretty superstitious person so I'll be keeping mum as it makes the rounds. But if you have any positive vibes to spare, send them my way! Thanks!</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My good friend and long-time critique partner Ginger Calem has launched an awesome program called <a href="http://gingercalem.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/writersbutt/" style="color: magenta;">WritersButt</a>. Not only is Ginger a fabulous writer, she's also a Crossfit trainer and one of the biggest bundles of energy I know. WritersButt is designed to not only whip our butts into shape, but also get our minds healthy and active so our creative juices can flow. Follow <a href="http://gingercalem.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/writersbutt/" style="color: magenta;">her blog</a> every Wednesday for the weekly activity, and join the conversation on Twitter under the hashtag #writersbutt.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wbeWMelA5X8/TwZVoNUWF6I/AAAAAAAAALs/EWoK7CMOkCQ/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wbeWMelA5X8/TwZVoNUWF6I/AAAAAAAAALs/EWoK7CMOkCQ/s200/images.jpg" width="131" /></a> </div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The good folks at Penguin obviously love me because they decided to release <a href="http://www.sarawilsonetienne.com/" style="color: magenta;">Sara Wilson Etienne's debut novel HARBINGER</a> on my birthday, February 2nd, 2012. And Sara's giving me an early birthday present by releasing the HARBINGER book trailer today! Check it out:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/EPLHl1Urjnk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Seriously, could a book trailer be more awesome than that? I'm actually reading HARBINGER right now because I was lucky enough to get an ARC. (I don't review books on my blog but I'll just say this: you'll want to put this at the top of your TBR pile.) I'll be interviewing Sara on the Lucky 13s blog on or around her release date so stay tuned for that!</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IB4EQ3cwINQ/TwZV7w-USmI/AAAAAAAAAL4/gAMwze2ZwU0/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IB4EQ3cwINQ/TwZV7w-USmI/AAAAAAAAAL4/gAMwze2ZwU0/s200/images-1.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Five days later, <a href="http://www.jessicaspotswood.com/" style="color: magenta;">Jessica Spotswood's debut BORN WICKED</a> will be released, on February 7th. I'll also be interviewing her for the Lucky 13s blog. There are so many wonderful books coming out to sink our teeth into this year!</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zvQeBr-brgo/TwZWVxxyuiI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/A5spG3W5A_s/s1600/images-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zvQeBr-brgo/TwZWVxxyuiI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/A5spG3W5A_s/s200/images-3.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-78gu6SkTrJ8/TwZWKigtHUI/AAAAAAAAAME/e9TuLyLa1AA/s1600/images-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-78gu6SkTrJ8/TwZWKigtHUI/AAAAAAAAAME/e9TuLyLa1AA/s200/images-2.jpg" width="133" /></a>With the start of 2012 came a handful of Apocalypsie debuts. <a href="http://www.kmwalton.com/" style="color: magenta;">CRACKED by K.M. Walton</a><span style="color: magenta;">, </span><a href="http://annenesbet.com/" style="color: magenta;">THE CABINET OF EARTHS by Anne Nesbet</a>, CINDER by Marissa Meyer (<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/01/entertainment/la-ca-marissa-meyer-20120101" style="color: magenta;">check out the LA Times review here</a>), <a href="http://kamikinard.com/home.html" style="color: magenta;">THE BOY PROJECT by Kami Kinard</a>, and <a href="http://www.veronicarossi.com/NeverSky/AUTHOR_OF_UNDER_THE_NEVER_SKY.html" style="color: magenta;">UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi </a>were all released this week. Seriously, I don't know where I'm going to find the time to read all these amazing books!</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PO_RC7sdVPs/TwZXQwkVxCI/AAAAAAAAAM0/CfGaayEEmT4/s1600/images-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PO_RC7sdVPs/TwZXQwkVxCI/AAAAAAAAAM0/CfGaayEEmT4/s200/images-6.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And that's what's brewing this week. Now go out and read!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uRA7jEga9HE/TwZWmTvFjfI/AAAAAAAAAMc/7SxAIeJz8Hw/s1600/images-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uRA7jEga9HE/TwZWmTvFjfI/AAAAAAAAAMc/7SxAIeJz8Hw/s200/images-4.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aj_cINq2gQ8/TwZWw9mbbvI/AAAAAAAAAMo/cGhcPf4RIdc/s1600/images-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aj_cINq2gQ8/TwZWw9mbbvI/AAAAAAAAAMo/cGhcPf4RIdc/s200/images-5.jpg" width="136" /></a>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-87417149899508125472012-01-02T14:29:00.000-08:002012-07-29T09:31:59.718-07:00The Year of Transformation<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
2012 feels ripe with possibility.</div>
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More than any recent New Year, I feel like 2012 is a clean slate, a true starting over. I have no idea what this year will bring, and that's exciting.</div>
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I'll be honest: the last several weeks of 2011 were some of the worst of my life. </div>
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So when December 31st rolled around, I was more than ready to put 2011 to bed.</div>
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And that's what I did. I put the year to bed. I tucked 2011 gently under the covers, thanked it for all the lessons I learned from it, turned off the light, and quietly shut the door.</div>
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And now I'm standing in the full daylight of 2012, ready to take it on. I know a lot of people think this is the year the world will end, but I've never believed that. Rather, I've always believed that 2012 will be the year of transformation. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnPb5Zd2YJJnK7c6FkY2qH7IMD_25rpGZvvxETUNa-y4nSxVX4yV433Y_Xl6ZRPBK_QXuLvAwWsQmQqv4Ym4AtrwS_ycVtcb_yLE6ToMOPhtkrngzDVSU9TcV9mv7Qz26ung1YvCu6Na4/s1600/800px-Butterfly-Newly_emerged.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnPb5Zd2YJJnK7c6FkY2qH7IMD_25rpGZvvxETUNa-y4nSxVX4yV433Y_Xl6ZRPBK_QXuLvAwWsQmQqv4Ym4AtrwS_ycVtcb_yLE6ToMOPhtkrngzDVSU9TcV9mv7Qz26ung1YvCu6Na4/s200/800px-Butterfly-Newly_emerged.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a class="extiw" href="http://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Aruna" title="ml:User:Aruna">Aruna</a> at <a class="external text" href="http://ml.wikipedia.org/">ml.wikipedia</a></td></tr>
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My transformation starts with falling back in love with writing. I need to return to why I started writing in the first place. It wasn't to get published (although that is my goal). It was because I had stories inside me that I had to tell. My job is to put those stories on paper. Let my agent worry about selling THE TWIN WILLOWS TRILOGY. That's her job. Mine is only to write.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In the coming weeks, I'll be keeping you updated on how Project Fall In Love With Writing goes. And I'll also be completely redesigning this blog. Stay tuned. 2012 has just begun.</span>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-81672346128940799602012-01-02T13:46:00.000-08:002012-01-02T13:46:13.011-08:00Giveaway Winner!<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Congratulations to Terri Dion, who won my Season of Reading book giveaway! Terri will receive beautiful hardcover copies of WINGS by Aprilynne Pike, THE SUMMONING by Kelley Armstrong, and WONDROUS STRANGE by Lesley Livingston. Happy reading, Terri!</span>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-84551969417226947012011-12-05T12:35:00.000-08:002012-07-29T09:33:19.339-07:00Your Inner Critic is a Drunk<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
My yoga teacher is kind of a genius.</div>
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This morning in class, as we were moving into Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose), she said to us, "Treat your Inner Critic like a drunk friend at a party. Let them babble whatever nonsense they're going to babble, but put them in the backseat and tell them firmly that you're the one driving the car."</div>
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See what I mean about genius?</div>
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What I love about this way of approaching our Inner Critic is that it acknowledges the Inner Critic's existence without giving over our power. I think it is really hard to completely silence your Inner Critic. In fact, I think it is nearly impossible. But if we can look at them like the drunk friend we've all helped get home from a party, we can see how powerless they are. </div>
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So today as I sit down to write, I'm going to hand my Inner Critic a bag so he doesn't make a mess of my car, and let him spew nonsense while I work.</div>
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What are some of the ways you deal with your Inner Critic? I'd love to hear about them!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Don't forget to scroll and comment on my previous post </span><a href="http://nicolemaggi.blogspot.com/2011/12/season-of-reading.html" style="color: red; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">The Season of Reading</a><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> to be entered in a book giveaway!</span>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-18951797878801628832011-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:002011-12-04T06:00:05.946-08:00Season of Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNb2j0025OMUaT1tahTPjaKfVbWuz4l3n-vmPH_utFHXuPAJd3isny-5JetnZPMxibZw1Opc5sq0_3NimMu-VBd-8-RI1hcbHHlLKhvZTCbaRbUQoo5h21cREcqXhnvQ5gG3O1KCnn9ZWK/s200/51NskhxHOkL._SS400_.jpg" width="200" /></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Once upon a time, I was a poor college student. I didn't have a lot of money to spend on luxuries. And any book besides a textbook was a luxury for me.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So I used to go to a bookstore, pull a book off the shelf, find a quiet, private corner, and read. One day I was in Barnes & Noble, running my fingers along the spines of the books, when my hand stopped at a beautiful red-and-gold hardcover. I pulled it off the shelf. It was <i>Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence</i>, by Nick Bantock.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For those of you unfamiliar with this book, let me describe it. <i>Griffin & Sabine</i> is no ordinary book. It is a collection of letters between two people who live in different worlds. The pages are printed with handwritten postcards, and there are actual envelopes affixed to some of the pages, with a letter inside that you draw out to read. It is a masterpiece of art and literature, lushly romantic. I fell in love with this book the moment I opened it.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I wanted to own this book so badly. But it was expensive. More than that, it was part of a trilogy, and the boxed set of all three books was in the range of $50. That was a fortune to me at the time. So instead of buying, I returned again and again to the bookstore, pulled the books off the shelf, and read them over and over.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Later that year, I met a boy. He was sweet and funny and interesting. After a few dates, I deemed him worthy enough to share <i>Griffin & Sabine</i> with. So I took him to the bookstore and introduced him. I watched his face as he read the book for the first time. "This is amazing," he told me after he'd turned the last page.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Worthy, indeed.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">He was a poor college student like me. But when my birthday rolled around a couple of months later, he handed me a heavy package. I knew what it was before I ripped the paper off.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was the complete boxed set of the trilogy.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">That boxed set sits on the bookshelf that I have reserved for Very Special Books (<i>Harry Potter</i>, <i>Lord of the Rings</i>, and <i>The Song of the Lioness</i> series by Tamora Pierce). And the boy?</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I married him.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQBW08llhe5swT2dMrfZUKJatJTfNO_F01zKLVjZBMzgq_e7uh687iYZ0b_2d70Ug_dPhFMh9bxczLrFFANPpPHXEIaEHka1mJ7kmfcghbehqYFIU26KfEKVfBQAEVcXaK1JINngUVXkU/s1600/the-summoning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQBW08llhe5swT2dMrfZUKJatJTfNO_F01zKLVjZBMzgq_e7uh687iYZ0b_2d70Ug_dPhFMh9bxczLrFFANPpPHXEIaEHka1mJ7kmfcghbehqYFIU26KfEKVfBQAEVcXaK1JINngUVXkU/s200/the-summoning.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK4-_Y2TdhhZEg9jQy807axwk68O1BKvc3k_DYJhptK7wPRVp9vo8Hl2M7bAWQnpztRqmwKcTJl7q1eYDToaLp5TDULPGrf0z2beMVfktm7xPvMd-OEAzXS1iiAk3PCZYyGx0xNIuY815/s1600/51nDO7PStTL._SL500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK4-_Y2TdhhZEg9jQy807axwk68O1BKvc3k_DYJhptK7wPRVp9vo8Hl2M7bAWQnpztRqmwKcTJl7q1eYDToaLp5TDULPGrf0z2beMVfktm7xPvMd-OEAzXS1iiAk3PCZYyGx0xNIuY815/s200/51nDO7PStTL._SL500_.jpg" width="133" /></a><b><i>What is the best book you've ever received as a gift? Or given? Comment below, and you'll be entered in a contest to win a trio of hardcover paranormal YA novels: </i><i>The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong, </i><i>Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston, and </i><i>Wings by Aprilynne Pike. </i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi8DhyphenhyphenFCKwgRoZHPH_u9iDqcrdpHAlyletw5kysxjkUNX89Y7E2B2luGhzX0dCFLf5AJnqcxwuAAa4saZdlm2oRVHOKP3ImK521S6_FR4q7ZPdQd_bZZIs4mLrzGEw4Bdo9W_GB2rRHdW/s1600/wings_cover_US.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi8DhyphenhyphenFCKwgRoZHPH_u9iDqcrdpHAlyletw5kysxjkUNX89Y7E2B2luGhzX0dCFLf5AJnqcxwuAAa4saZdlm2oRVHOKP3ImK521S6_FR4q7ZPdQd_bZZIs4mLrzGEw4Bdo9W_GB2rRHdW/s200/wings_cover_US.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><br />
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<b><i>Follow this blog, and you'll be entered twice. Retweet or Share on Facebook and you'll earn another entry. Follow me on Twitter, and you'll get one more!</i></b></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_551809207">*****</a><br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_551809207"> </a><br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_551809207"><i>Today's blog is part of Jo Ramsey's Seasons of Reading Blog Hop. Follow the link to hop to all the other participating blogs and to win more books! And visit Jo's blog on December 9th, when I'll be the featured author!</i></a></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_551809207" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQcBHnLo7vmgtX4AxoyDmwr7CLY_qy-zdpS_rK89nrhIitl4E9AP_QwtpMqyaQPdjVnEx7XOsqrla980GoNpkb6l1xMngOHUtl9qljfFgoEEKm_WH1afudJNtzbxu2hlbNNaan9zntX5m/s200/Blog+Hop+image.jpg" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.joramsey.com/?page_id=1051,">http://www.joramsey.com/?page_id=1051,</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Holidays!</span></b></div>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-33189137084162149092011-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:002011-11-21T06:00:08.656-08:00Jo Ramsey: Guest Author<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlkaX4GLtShiKFHddLS41lZ9Tto0etxRFIF3Hw44T1HAwRvgtPjCy7XFydxVht8HCAAVe62tEe21uLfDqQsTMFtOraJ26x4OQDW53YM5AfuxtYlnOsF0rPaHnF22ifOAaaEH3ehM0dC9j/s1600/Author+Pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlkaX4GLtShiKFHddLS41lZ9Tto0etxRFIF3Hw44T1HAwRvgtPjCy7XFydxVht8HCAAVe62tEe21uLfDqQsTMFtOraJ26x4OQDW53YM5AfuxtYlnOsF0rPaHnF22ifOAaaEH3ehM0dC9j/s200/Author+Pic.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jo Ramsey, Fabulous Author</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>I'm thrilled to welcome Jo Ramsey to the blog today! Jo is a multi-published author whose latest release is the FIFTH book in her Reality Shift series, <i>From the Ashes</i>. Welcome, Jo!</b></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b><i><b><br />
</b></i></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>From the Ashes is the fifth book in your series. How do you keep everything fresh so many books into a series? And how do you keep all the mythology and plot threads straight?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SCakP8CySOe75UuNV-KVBmmEDSl_GvNAK7rwSvfSeJiZNMFng2dqNwCh0G-AYkYyvk5uYx0tE6McIPvBylNNEIjileBCUL63fTeD0DjPVRrd1m85X7dr66jelcm3HPK7Y9OxDiBlnUQb/s1600/FromtheAshes_200+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-SCakP8CySOe75UuNV-KVBmmEDSl_GvNAK7rwSvfSeJiZNMFng2dqNwCh0G-AYkYyvk5uYx0tE6McIPvBylNNEIjileBCUL63fTeD0DjPVRrd1m85X7dr66jelcm3HPK7Y9OxDiBlnUQb/s200/FromtheAshes_200+%25282%2529.jpg" width="133" /></a><i><b> </b></i><br />
Keeping it fresh is the characters' job. LOL. Seriously, I'm very much a "pantster" when it comes to writing, which means that while I do some brainstorming before I write, I mostly just sit down and start writing and see where the story goes. Sometimes it really does feel like the characters are taking over and telling me what to write, and I think that helps keep the stories fresh because sometimes I don't know what's going to happen until I write it. However, with Reality Shift and my other series The Dark Lines, I wrote out a series arc so that I would know what the ultimate outcome would be, and I made sure that there would be new occurrences and plot twists throughout the series. <br />
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As for keeping it straight, I have a binder that a friend of mine once nicknamed "The Protocol." It contains all the notes, brainstorms, and research for Reality Shift and The Dark Lines (there's a bit of crossover between the two series, so it was easier to keep everything in one binder). If I forget something, it's fairly easy to look up. Though I do sometimes forget to write things in there; when my publisher sent me the cover art for <i>From the Ashes</i>, I realized that not only had I once again forgotten which of Shanna's arms was broken in book 4, but I'd also forgotten when she gets the cast off...I've made sure that information is in the binder now!</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>What are your major influences?</b></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
For writing, I would say my biggest influence was Susan Cooper's series The Dark Is Rising, which was the series that made me aware I wanted to write fantasy for young adults. (I was 10 at the time...) For plot ideas and that kind of thing, I was influenced by a friend of mine, the one who nicknamed my binder. Some of the things that Jonah does in the Reality Shift series, my friend did, and he was the real-life inspiration for Jonah's character. Things that have happened to me in my life also heavily influence my stories.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Tell us about your journey. How did you become a writer, and what inspired you to write YA specifically?</b></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
I've always been a writer. When I was 2 or 3, I started making up stories and telling them to my parents or my stuffed animals, whichever would listen. When I was 5 and finally learned how to write, I started writing my stories down. The first story I ever wrote was about a girl named Maria who went to live with her uncle. I wrote countless stories from age five to my mid-twenties, when marriage and children forced my writing to the back seat for a little while, then I got back into it in my mid-thirties. <br />
As I mentioned above, Susan Cooper's books were a major influence on my decision to write YA. Mainly, though, I started writing YA when I was a teenager myself, and I kind of never moved past that point. It's fun to pretend to be a teenager and give my characters better outcomes than some of the ones I experienced.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>What made you decide to go the e-publishing route? What advantages do you see in e-publishing over traditional publishing?</b></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
I'm not exclusively e-published. My YA publishers, Jupiter Gardens Press and Featherweight Press, do e-books and print; the e-books are usually released slightly before the print books, but both are available. I chose to go with small presses for a few reasons; with Reality Shift it was because Jupiter Gardens' mission and the sorts of books they had published previously seemed to be a good fit for the topics in my series. I don't know that there are any advantages to e-publishing over print publishing; different types of books reach different readers. Though most of the teens I've spoken to actually prefer print books, so I'm glad that my publishers offer my books in both versions.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><br />
</b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenEjSCrOzitjCU9T-m5lS14mOD8FNOYJWXfhYu_cYFOMFJDxFV_B3_NcYfHBfm_4swtJICNR82yI84L7tCHUTvhCf0KS5LnjM8spavFpOTcC2MlP5-ndmciW4vdI30eZJTwQLQ-AwY9r6/s1600/JR_Cluing_In_200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenEjSCrOzitjCU9T-m5lS14mOD8FNOYJWXfhYu_cYFOMFJDxFV_B3_NcYfHBfm_4swtJICNR82yI84L7tCHUTvhCf0KS5LnjM8spavFpOTcC2MlP5-ndmciW4vdI30eZJTwQLQ-AwY9r6/s200/JR_Cluing_In_200.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>What's coming up next for you?</b></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
In addition to <i>From the Ashes</i>, which released in e-formats <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1321568538_5">on November 17</span> (print coming shortly), my YA contemporary novel <i>Cluing In</i> released <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1321568538_6">on November 9</span> from Featherweight Press. <i>Cluing In</i> is about a boy whose ex-girlfriend commits suicide after some major events in her life; the boy blames himself because she tried to get his help and he kept pushing her away. <br />
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Currently under contract, I have book 3 in my series The Dark Lines; <i>Jet Black </i> will be out mid-January 2012. Reality Shift book 6, <i>Strong Spirit</i>, will be out in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1321568538_7">April 2012</span>. Both of those are from Jupiter Gardens. Also, as a special Christmas gift to my Reality Shift fans, a Reality Shift short story, "The Harvest Dance," about Shanna's <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1321568538_8">first school</span> dance/first real date with her boyfriend, will be released as a free read from Jupiter Gardens in December. I also have another YA contemporary novel, <i>Dolphins in the Mud</i>, under contract with Featherweight Press; that will be out tentatively in spring 2012. And finally, also from Featherweight, <i>Fresh Meat</i>, the first book in my new urban fantasy series Growing Up Shifter, will be released in mid to late 2012. <br />
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I'm currently working on an as-yet-untitled novel starring V.J. Josephson, the uncle of Jamey Mandel from Cluing In. (He's Jamey's uncle, but is actually two weeks younger than Jamey...) To keep up to date on my contracted stuff and my works in progress, readers can visit my website at <a href="http://www.joramsey.com/" style="color: magenta;">www.joramsey.com</a>. There's a sign-up on the homepage of the site for my newsletter, which will come out once a month and will include contests, free reads/excerpts, and other fun things. I don't ever share email addresses, so if people sign up, their info will be kept confidential.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>And most importantly, how can we get our greedy little hands on From the Ashes?</b></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<a href="http://jupitergardens.com/Reality-Shift-Book-5-From-The-Ashes-by-Jo-Ramsey-Print.html"><i style="color: magenta;">From the Ashes</i></a> is available in e-format, followed soon by print, from Jupiter Gardens Press. It will also be available on<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1460111694"> </a><a href="http://amazon.com/" style="color: magenta;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1321568538_10">Amazon.com</span></a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1460111697" style="color: magenta;">Barnes and </a><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/" style="color: magenta;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1321568538_11">Noble.com</span></a>, and other third party retailers; my website will have up-to-date buy links as soon as they're available.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Wow! I am truly in awe of Jo's proliferate-ness. I can barely keep one book straight! As a fellow pantster, I'm impressed.</b></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><br />
</b></div><div><b style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Remember to visit my blog and Jo's on December 4th for the Season of Reading Blog Hop! Thanks for stopping by, Jo!</b></div>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-56410693369243254972011-10-21T12:00:00.000-07:002011-10-21T18:33:20.059-07:00You Say Tomayto, I Say Tomahto; You Say Shine, I Say Chime<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On Monday morning, October 10th, Lauren Myracle was a National Book Award finalist. By Monday afternoon, she wasn't.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's what went down, in case you haven't kept on top on this debacle. Apparently all the nomination business was done over the phone, and someone misheard <i>Shine</i> (by Ms. Myracle) instead of <i>Chime</i> (by Franny Billingsley). After the finalists were announced, the National Book Foundation mea culpa'd their mistake but said that they would allow both authors as finalists. Then a few hours later they changed their story and asked Ms. Myracle to withdraw her name as a finalist. She very graciously did so. She also asked that the NBF consider donating to The Matthew Shephard Foundation, given that her book is about the aftermath of a gay hate crime in a small Southern town. The NBF donated $5,000 (good on them).</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm not here to rant about how screwed-up this situation is; <a href="http://libba-bray.livejournal.com/62266.html" style="color: magenta;">Libba Bray</a> did that really well on her blog (LOVE HER)! I'm here to say: Lauren, I feel your pain.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Years ago, when I was in college and still dancing semi-seriously, the artistic director of a ballet company that I took class with called me. He told me he wanted me to be in their annual production of <i>The Nutcracker</i>, and proceeded to list all the roles he wanted me to dance. I was over the moon. I had just been through a bad break-up and needed something like this to focus on.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A few days later, I showed up to take class. The artistic director pulled me aside. "Sorry," he said, "I got you mixed up with another Nicole." I stammered, "So, you don't want me to be in <i>The Nutcracker?</i>" "No," he said disdainfully, and left me standing there, my heart in my shoes. </div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It was awful. It was humiliating. I needed something good in my life and for three days I was so excited, only to have it ripped away from me in one, horrible moment. Oh, and did I mention that my ex-boyfriend was screwing one of the ballerinas in the company?</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So when I heard about the NBA screw-up, it took me right back to that crushing moment. But at least mine was in private. Lauren Myracle's moment was as public as it gets. And yet, she has handled it with gracefulness that any ballerina would envy. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-myracle/lauren-myracle-national-book-awards_b_1019972.html" style="color: magenta;">She's written a fabulous article for The Huffington Post that tells her very personal side of the story.</a><span style="color: magenta;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">One of the things she writes in the article is this: <i>What I've realized:</i><i> it's just one more reminder not to be so invested in validation from external sources.</i></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">So freaking true. I didn't even want to be a ballet dancer; I was an acting major in college. I didn't need to be in some stupid production of <i>The Nutcracker </i>to validate me as an artist. Just like Lauren Myracle doesn't<i> </i>some award to tell her what a great writer she is.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And the positive outcome here? I now have two books on my nightstand that I probably wouldn't have read if this whole debacle hadn't happened. I'm going to read both and privately decide which one I'd give the award too. Although I can already tell you the answer is both. Because, let's face it, </span><i style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">any</i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> author who finishes a book and then travels the long hard road to publication deserves an award<i>.</i></span><i><br />
</i>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-79225175438571682532011-10-17T09:00:00.000-07:002011-10-17T11:28:53.991-07:00Parental Fear<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">On Saturday my husband and I took our thirteen-month-old daughter, Emilia, Halloween shopping. We wound up buying a Hog's Head sign for our front door. Hog's Head, for those not in the know, is the shady pub frequented by unsavory characters in Hogsmeade, the village in the shadow of Hogwarts.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">We hung it on the door. It looks <i>awesome</i>. We brought Emilia outside to show her. She took one look at the dark, curly-tusked boar's head and started crying.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And I started to fear...<i>what if she doesn't like Harry Potter?</i></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I mean, seriously! The day I start reading <i>Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone</i> with her is going to be a monumental day in my house. I've been looking forward to it since the little screen read <i>Pregnant!</i> on the pregnancy test. What if we get halfway through the book and she says to me, "I'm bored?" </div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What if we go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios and she doesn't want to leave covered head to toe in Hogwarts paraphernalia?</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">What if she doesn't want to dress up as Hermione for three Halloweens in a row? Or hang a Gryffindor banner on her wall?</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In other words, what if she's different than me?</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">My husband and I have a joke. He says, "She can be anything she wants when she grows up, except an actor." I say, "She can be anything she wants when she grows up, except a Republican." He talks about getting her into horror movies and zombie books, while I dream about bringing her to Sephora and getting makeovers.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In other words, we want her to be both a tomboy and a girly-girl. We want her to be an artist and a scientist. We want her to cure cancer, win a Pulitzer and be President. We want her to love all the same things we do, and wish for all the same things that we wish for her.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm a little ashamed that I want her to like the same things I did when I was a girl - like ballet and horses, reading and <i>The Last Unicorn</i>. I've always had a loathing for mothers who impress their own agenda onto their children; having spent so much time in the theatre, I've seen what stage (s)mothering can do, and it ain't pretty. But when I find myself having a little fantasy about her being accepted into The School of American Ballet, I think, am I really any better?</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Is this a deep-seated fear that all parents have? What if we expose our children to all the things we love, only to discover it's not what brings them joy? What if we instill in them the values and ideals that we cherish, only to see them choose a different path? I'll never forget the 1996 Presidential election, when I went to the polling place with my dad. It was the second election I'd voted in, but the previous one I had done by absentee ballot. So I'd never actually used a voting machine. It was a small town, and we knew everyone working the polls, so they allowed my dad to come into the booth with me to show me how to do it. For every single ballot, I flicked the Democratic ticket. I put my hand on the lever. My father, a lifelong Republican, looked at me and said, "Are you sure you want to do that?" I met his eye, said "Yes," in a definitive voice, and pulled the lever down.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've always been proud of that moment, for claiming my own voice and standing up for what I believe in. But now I see it from my dad's point of view. What must it have been like, to see his daughter vote for the <i>complete opposite</i> of everything he believed in?</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And the thing is, I <i>want</i> to raise a strong, independent woman, who knows her truth and speaks up for it. Even if that truth is different from my own. And really, in the end, as long as she's happy, of course I'll be happy. Even if she chooses to go see <i>Scream 10</i> with Daddy instead of shopping at Anthropologie with Mommy. Even if she doesn't weep at the end of <i>Gone With the Wind</i>, or paint a mural of a horse on her wall (as I did when I was twelve). I mean, if she does become a Republican, am I really going to love her any less? Of course not. Because she'll be her own person, and I think that's the best possible thing she could be.</div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But if she doesn't like </span><i style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Harry Potter</i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">, she </span><i style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">will</i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> be disowned.</span>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8265641638922641007.post-55136981248633115262011-10-06T12:23:00.000-07:002012-07-29T09:36:35.775-07:00We Interrupt This Program<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
I love autumn. I love the chill in the morning air, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, the changing leaves (which I miss ever since I moved to Southern California), and wearing my Uggs instead of my flip-flops.</div>
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The other thing I love about the fall is all the new television shows that fill up my DVR.</div>
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I will unabashedly admit I love television. Probably a little too much. It borders on addiction. But at least my addiction is scripted shows, and not reality television (which is scripted anyway). Soapbox Moment: reality television is non-union. It takes jobs away from union writers (and you're fooling yourself if you think reality television doesn't employ writers). So if you're reading this, and you're a writer, please consider boycotting reality television in support of your fellow writers. End of Soapbox Moment.</div>
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This year there has been a crop of exciting new shows, and I've watched a good handful of them. So here, in no particular order, in my completely unqualified and purely unprofessional opinion, are my thoughts.</div>
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<i><b>New Shows </b></i></div>
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<b>PAN AM</b></div>
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A lot of critics are calling this network television's sad attempt to cash in on the <i>Mad Men</i> craze. Let me say that I think <i>Mad Men</i> is highly overrated. I've found the last couple of seasons really uneven. But the one thing about <i>Mad Men</i> that is always consistent is the high production value. Unfortunately, that's not the case with <i>Pan Am</i>. Bad green screen, cheap-looking costumes, and one boring main setting = not as pretty to look at as <i>Mad Men</i>. Add to that the pedestrian writing and wooden acting, and you've got one big disappointment. NBC has already cancelled their <i>Mad Men</i> ripoff <i>The Playboy Club</i>, and while I think <i>Pan Am</i> may last a little longer, I don't think it's destined for a long life span. </div>
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<b>RINGER</b></div>
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I've never been shy about my adoration for <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer </i>so I was excited for the return of Sarah Michelle Gellar to television. That's why I'm giving this show a longer grace period than I normally do. Sometimes it takes a show a little while to hit its stride, and I'm hoping this is the case here. But with such a high concept - woman on the run from a dangerous crime boss masquerades as her high society twin sister - this show should have hit the ground running, and it didn't. </div>
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<b>THE SECRET CIRCLE</b></div>
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I watched the pilot episode, and haven't watched it since. The acting was so one-note I was actually laughing. But I'm thinking I should give this show another shot, if only because it's paranormal YA. That's my genre, on the page and on the screen.</div>
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<b>UP ALL NIGHT</b></div>
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Great cast, snappy writing, hilarious situations...and it's about a couple adjusting to being new parents. As the mother of a 13-month-old, I can completely relate to this show. I don't quite love it as much as I love <i>Modern Family</i> (which is the best comedy on television, hands-down), but last night I was laughing my ass off when Christina Applegate and Will Arnett packed up the car and almost drove off without the baby. Yeah. I can relate. </div>
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<b>HOMELAND</b></div>
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Cable television can always go farther than network, and that's to the advantage of a show like this. This is a tense show with a slightly unlikeable heroine (Claire Danes) and a hero who is quite possibly a terrorist (Damian Lewis). But the writing is taut and the storyline is unbelievably compelling: a presumed-dead Marine is found alive after eight years in captivity with Al-Qaeda. Everyone welcomes him home as a hero (including his wife, who has been secretly sleeping with his close friend)...except one CIA agent who suspects he's been turned. I'm only one episode in, but so far it's living up to the hype. It's on Showtime, so you may have to wait for DVD to check this one out. </div>
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<b>REVENGE</b></div>
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Okay. Let's be honest. This show isn't about great writing or Emmy-worthy acting. This show is pure guilty pleasure, and that's why I'm addicted. This high-concept show succeeded where <i>Ringer</i> didn't; it hit the ground running and sucked us in right away. It gave us enough answers in the first episode to get us hooked, but left enough questions open to keep us watching. My biggest issue with this show is that I'm not sure how long they can keep up this storyline. But for now, it's like chocolate, and I can't get enough.</div>
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One new show that I'm dying to watch is <i>Once Upon A Time</i>. It doesn't debut until October 23rd, so I'm waiting with baited breath. I love the cast (I'm a big Ginnifer Goodwin fan) and it's from the writers of <i>Lost</i>. Need I say more?</div>
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<i><b>Old Shows</b></i></div>
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<b>THE OFFICE</b><br />
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I miss Steve Carell. I think the show has lost its voice without him, and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be watching.</div>
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<b>DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES</b><br />
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Yes, I still watch it. Yes, it's old and tired, like the over-the-hill hooker on the bad corner of Hollywood Boulevard. But, this is the last season. I figure I may as well stick it out until the end. And honestly, it still entertains me. Particularly Eva Longoria, who I think is one of the most underrated comediennes on television. She's the funniest one of the bunch, and the writers know it. They are constantly gifting her with priceless zingers that she delivers with dead-on deliciousness. When the writers and the actors come together like that, it's magic.</div>
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<b>FRINGE</b></div>
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J.J. Abrams. John Noble. Compelling weekly episodes under an amazing over-arching storyline. The coolest show on television. Why aren't you watching?</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">And that's my take on some of the television shows that I'm watching this season. So set your DVR, grab some popcorn, settle in, and get addicted.</span>Nicole Maggihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14885620211624187980noreply@blogger.com4