Pain and elation

I've been doing a book with someone old, wise, Zen, and supremely talented. It's not up to ME to blab things out about other people, so I must keep him anonymous; but I have to share this story.

The book we're working on is really complicated, and kind of driving everyone crazy, including us and (though they've been too polite to say so) I think probably all the people at the publishing house who are working on it, too. So the other day he and I were discussing the situation and he said,
"Every book I do brings me elation and pain."
Then he gave this little laugh he has and added,
"We're in the pain part now."

He went on to say that you can't have one without the other,and it's all part of the process of creating something new. If you try to make it easy, if you try to avoid the pain, you'll just keep doing the same old (safe) things -- and you won't grow as an artist. Or get to the elation, either.

Next time I'm tempted to take the easy way out on a book, I'm going to take a deep breath and remember that -- and also remember, it's only pain, one part of the path to elation.

On a less lofty note--last weekend we had what we all agreed was our prettiest table ever - and Grace's best butter cream icing ever, too:

Thank you Blue Rose Girls for a really happy birthday!

The Romance of Middle Age by Mary Meriam

I thought I’d check out Ted Kooser’s site American Life in Poetry this morning in search of a poem to post today at Blue Rose Girls. I didn’t have to spend much time looking for a poem. I loved the first poem I read--Mary Meriam’s The Romance of Middle Age, which is the site's “current column.”

In Kooser’s introduction to the poem, he writes:
Rhyming has a way of brightening a poem, and a depressing subject can become quite a bit lighter with well-chosen rhymes. Here’s a sonnet by Mary Meriam, who lives in Missouri. Are there readers among you who have felt like this?

The Romance of Middle Age
by Mary Meriam

Now that I’m fifty, let me take my showers
at night, no light, eyes closed. And let me swim
in cover-ups. My skin’s tattooed with hours
and days and decades, head to foot, and slim
is just a faded photograph. It’s strange
how people look away who once would look.
I didn’t know I’d undergo this change
and be the unseen cover of a book
whose plot, though swift, just keeps on getting thicker.

You can read the rest of the poem here.

***************

At Wild Rose Reader, I have an original list poem titled Things to Do If You Are a Castle.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Live. Love. Explore!

Glam on the Green - A Shiny New Online Golf Shop

No two ways about it, the era of unattractive golf clothing is officially over.

I'm not saying hideous golf fashion is extinct. Not at all... it's not even an endangered species... but nowadays there are definitely options. Myriad options... for golfers of all shapes and sizes. For young and old(er).

And shopping has never been so simple. More and more online golf shops are launching... they're equipped with distinctive collections and the latest e-commerce technology.

New to the scene is Glam on the Green, featuring a creatively curated collection of awesome apparel lines. Shoes by Sandbagger and Skorts by Loudmouth are among my favorites. They also carry great accessories, so you can add belts, bags and ball markers to your look.

I'll have an index of online golf stores on my new site which I'm getting ready to launch... and Glam on the Green will surly be one of them.

A Cute Little Smiley Face Golf Girl

I'm not generally a fan of smileys, but I've got to admit I find this one pretty cute.

rewards

I finished my rough draft of "Dumpling Days" late at night on Friday (really, Saturday morning) and I was euphoric. The first draft is always the hardest for me. The next step, revising, is comparably quite fun. Even though revision usually takes longer, it's that initial output that is torturous for me. I always hit a point where I yield to poor quality, over-sentimentality and any other writing sin you can think of just so I can "get the thing out!" (I depend on the revision process to get things in readable condition.)

So, finishing my rough draft (emphasis on "rough") was a big accomplishment for me. I was absolutely thrilled when I wrote "The End" and the first thing I did afterwards was to go online and buy some bedsheets.

But not just any bedsheets.

I bought these sheets that had surprised me in a catalog a couple days earlier. When I saw these sweet, cherry-patterned sheets on clearance I almost jumped (okay maybe I did jump, just a little hop).



Because in one of my old sketchbooks (I have a lot of them!), dated 1999:


was a ripped catalog page with almost the exact same sheets:


I had coveted cherry-patterned sheets over 10 years ago but was too poor purchase them. In 1999, with my extremely modest first book income (as well as part-time bookstore clerk wages) the luxury of matching sheets (no matter how pretty) was a frivolous expense. Rent and ramen noodles was all I could afford then, so the 2nd best thing was to clip the catalog pages and keep them as a little dream.

That I made come true 10 years later! A nice little personal reward, don't you think?

Only Two Things: A "Men Only" Grill - OK or No Way?

This is a touchy one. The Men's Grill, that bastion that exists at many clubs... it's often a bar/casual dining establishment... it may involve cigars and/or cards and/or a big screen TV or two.

The common denominator however is that women are not permitted inside. Sometimes they're given their own "room" sometimes not, either way though the "Men Only" room is off limits to the "fairer sex"... which many women find decidedly UNfair. Some men don't like it either but at the same time there are quite a few men... and women... who are fine with it. So what do you think?

That's what we'll be talking about tonight on "Only Two Things". We'll be broadcasting from 9:30 - 10:30PM ET. And you can weigh in, on-air by using call-in number 917-889-9592. Or join the conversation in the chat room or on Twitter... or just listen at BlogTalkRadio. Talk to you tonight.

All things blue rose

This weekend some of us Blue Rose Girls got together to do some celebrating. There was a lot to celebrate... birthdays for Libby and Alvina, Grace finishing the first draft of her new novel, and my little BRG baby on the way.

There were of course blue rose cupcakes created by Grace:



And blue flowers on the table:



Baby on the way was given the most adorable little blue rose outfit, complete with headband (!):





Then we went out to do some shopping. I've been wanting to make a mobile to go over the baby's crib, something like this (pic via Greyhood):



When we were out and about Libby, Grace and I spotted these lovely Vietnamese "prosperity hens":





Aren't they sweet? We all got some to hang around the house. I am working on how to convert mine into a mobile...

My Search for an Awesome Sunday Golf Bag

So that's what I'm looking for.

They used to call them "Sunday bags", but now I hear people referring to them as "range bags".

I want something like the one in the illustration at left. These over-the-shoulder appear to have been popular at the Home of Golf in bygone years, as illustrated in the charming vintage poster at left.

I'm looking for something light... something that accommodates several clubs while remaining compact and easy to carry. A stand would be nice, but not necessary. Oh... and I want it to be at least somewhat cute. As in, not too utilitarian.

So let me know if you see anything along those lines or if you have a bag to recommend.

Growns up and growns up!

As reported by Publisher's Weekly two weeks ago, we've had two promotions at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (LBYR) recently. Connie Hsu and Kate Sullivan were both promoted to Associate Editor. Hurray!!! Extremely well deserved. Kate is the editor of the Morris Award and Lambda Literary Award finalist Ash by Malinda Lo, as well as the upcoming The Duff by Kody Keplinger. She had been assisting the Poppy imprint for over four years, and will now move over to LBYR to develop a fiction list, focusing on YA novels.

And as faithful readers of this blog probably know, Connie has been my assistant (first as Editorial Assistant, then as Assistant Editor) for over four years (read her Beyond the Book post about her first acquisition, Happyface, here), and she is absolutely fabulous. She has been invaluable in her editorial contribution to virtually all of my titles, especially Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Curious Garden, Wabi Sabi, and Shark vs. Train. Aside from Happyface, which, incidentally, has three starred reviews and is on its third printing, her second acquisition The Adventures of Nanny Piggins by Rachel Spratt is a hilarious, delightfully wicked Middle Grade adventure pubbing next week, and it also just received a starred review! So, you see, it's confirmed. Connie is a star. Connie will be focusing on picture books and novelty books in her new role, as well as selected Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction. She especially loves illustrated novels.

I don't mean this to be patronizing at all, but I couldn't help but think of that scene from the movie Swingers, "My little baby's alls growns up." Connie herself has been joking that she's a "grown up" now. I remember feeling the same way when I became Associate Editor.

For those of you not in publishing, just know that the promotion from Editorial Assistant to Assistant Editor is huge, because you go from "Assistant" as the noun to "Editor" as the noun. But the promotion from Assistant Editor to Associate Editor is really the most important jump, because the word "assistant" is completely gone now. You are no longer anyone's assistant. You are now an editor.

And with that comes some separation anxiety, admittedly. Especially on my part. But I'm very lucky to have a wonderful new Editorial Assistant, Bethany Strout, who comes to us from Writers House. I'm excited to have her on my team. We just discovered that Bethany coincidentally grew up in the town next to New Hartford, NY where Grace grew up, and where I lived for three years. She used to go to the same mall, even. Hurray for Sangertown Square! What a small world.

Here's to exciting new beginnings and chapters! I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of lists Connie and Kate both develop. And perhaps in a few years we'll be reading a guest "Beyond the Book" post from Bethany talking about her first acquisition!

Congratulations all!

Au Revoir Evian, a l'Année Prochaine.... Bisous!

I'm always sad to see the Evian Masters end.

Falling as it does in late July, I tend associate the end of the tournament with the beginning of the end of summer. I know we still have a month or more left but the days are already getting shorter and subliminally I've already renounced some of the more ambitious summer adventures I fantasized about in late Spring. The garden party I talked about having... and the weekend rafting trip I thought about taking, probably won't happen. It's been too busy around here to plan such things... as I knew it would be... but I look forward to the possibilities each year, and write them off as I see the lady golfers leaving the French Alps.

Beyond that though, I just really like the vibe of the Evian Masters. It may seem superficial but I love the event's bright pink color palette that looks so dynamic against the the clear blue sky. And the fact that the field is so international and the setting so magical make it special... even when one's experiencing it from afar.

And that brings me the creativity and dedication of the Evian Masters digital media and communications teams. They did an awesome job and provided tons of engaging, up-to-the-minute content... much of it interactive... over a variety of platforms: several times a day one could find regular updates, new photos, current video and live streaming. This year there was also an iPhone app - which allowed me to keep up which what was happening on the shores of Lac Leman from the shores of coastal Connecticut where I was sailing on Saturday.

But that was then. This is now, and now the destination is Royal Birkdale Golf Club and the Ricoh Women's British Open and though the atmosphere is quite different, it's the season's final major and with all that's going on it promises to be an ultra-compelling tournament.

In preparation I recommend reading the astutely updated "2010 predictions" post of The Constructivistwriting atMostly Harmless. ~ No one I've read knows women's professional golf... on a global scale... they way he does, and he as a great way of breaking it down into bite sized pieces. In another recent post he crunched some enlightening Number-One-Player stats. Both are below:

Mostly Harmless: The Best on the LPGA: 7-Up, July 2010 Revised Edition
Mostly Harmless: The Race for #1 in the World of Women's Golf

Triumph, Tragedy, and the Tour - Episode 111 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:


This week's episode has been sponsored by:

Abstract Fiber is counting down to our new website. We’re expecting to be live at the beginning of August. A bright, new look, a new logo, a newsletter, and monthly specials. These specials will be very limited, so keep an eye out at the beginning of each month for knotty skeins, limited production fibers and yarns, and whatever other goodies we can find. We’ll have some new products too. Stay tuned to AbstractFiber.com


Amy Singer of Knitty.com is coming to Purlescence the first week of November! Join our mailing list to get details on her visit, her Easy Non-Wool Socks class, and new products including a new release of our in-house hand-painted sock yarn: Purl Up & Dye.



Knitter’s Magazine brings you the very best in the Knitting Universe. Each issue offers something for every knitter—easy step-by-step instructions, how-to techniques, informative articles, and the best designs from the most talented designers. We’re Knitter’s, it shows. You can find us on the web at http://KnittingUniverse.com/Knitters/ or call 800-232-5648

On the needles (00:38):

Gigi is still working on her Tiger Striped socks. Jasmin and Gigi disagree about pooling, striping, and general tigery-ness. Gigi talks about afterthought heels versus pre-planned heels. Jasmin mentions Andrew noticing the "When Knitting Attacks" music on an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 2, "Bad Eggs").

Jasmin works on her Apricot Socks while attending Love's Labor's Lost at Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Jasmin is still working on her Cabled Raglan Tunic. After recording episode 111, Jasmin plans to cast on her Garter Yoke cardigan.


Contest: (9:12)

The Head to Toe design contest has been launched. Details can be found in the contest thread. The contest ends 8/31/2010. Prizes include:

• 1 Year Subscription to Knitter’s Magazine
• Think Outside the Sox
• A skein of Knitmore Sock yarn
• Little Box of Socks, with signed bookplate from Charlene Schurch.
• Toe Up! by Chrissy Gardener, with signed bookplate.

Events: (10:59)
- 9/6: Monterey Wool Auction (Here's the link to the Director's Cut episode about selecting fleeces.)
- 9/24-26: Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival

Ask an Intern: (11:51)

This week, Katrina spun, blocked, and knit. She spun some merino/silk from Abstract fiber (color "Poppies"). She is still enjoying spinning the Shetland batts from Sporfarm. She mentions the Brandywine shawl, the Citron Shawl, and the Elliina shawl. She has some finished wristers! She is also knitting the Lacy Beanie hat (from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders) with her Tour de Fleece yarn.

Mother Knows Best: (23:07)

This week, we talk about plying the odds and ends.

When Knitting Attacks: (28:30)

Gigi trips over unsightly nupps in her Aeolian shawl.

Tour de Fleece wrap up: (32:41)

Jasmin triumphs, Gigi doesn't place, but perseveres.

Review: (41:00)

This week we review the Sock Knitting Kit from Krafti-Kit. Overall impressions: good value, good yarn, good pattern- but the production quality of the pattern should have been better.

Jiyai Shin - The Final Round Queen Wins Evian Masters

Just a few weeks after an emergency appendectomy, Jiyai Shin is once again living up to her nickname.

She grabbed her seventh LPGA victory at the Evian Masters today with a nine-foot putt on the last hole, finishing one shot ahead of Morgan Pressel, Choi Na Yeon and Alexis Thompson.



The win will likely place the the spirited South Korean back on top again in the rapidly changing Rolex Rankings.

Oh... and as if being a golf champion wasn't enough, Jiyai Shin also happens to be a gospel singer and released her first CD earlier this year. The video above is a fan tribute set to one of her songs. I don't understand Korean but it sounds pretty awesome to me.

Growing Golf: Of Shorter Layouts & Obvious Solutions

It seems like a classic no-brainer.

The fact is, recreational golf is struggling. A spate of recent reports lament course closings, fewer rounds being played and Golf businesses battling with the bottom line and a shrinking customer base.

There are numerous reasons given for the decline, but most will agree that at least one of three major factors: cost, time and difficulty can be found somewhere in each and every story of golf's current woes.

That said, a clear path to increasing participation would logically be to create and promote a golf "option" that is less expensive, less time-consuming and less difficult. Ironically the basis for that option already exists: par three, nine hole and executive courses... shorter layouts.

These types of courses actually can offer a more accessible golf "option", but they have to be made available, which would mean retrofitting longer courses into shorter courses and... equally important... promotion of such courses and the kind of golf they lend themselves to. Because as equipment technology has allowed for more and more distance... and golf carts have became ubiquitous... the recreational game has been taken over by a certain breed of neanderthal golfer who values distance over strategy. As a result shorter courses have fallen out of style and are, ironically, often the first to close in any given town. It seems today's golfers, no matter how pathetic their games may be, dismiss these courses as "too easy".

A piece by Jeff Neuman in today's Wall Street Journal addresses this topic and points to the promising development of a 12 hole par-three course on the ocean at the Bandon Dunes complex in Oregon. The course is being designed Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw with strategy, creativity and ...shockingly, fun... in mind. It seems many of the area's golfers are delighted with the idea. ~ I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in hoping this might be a trend.

Photo: Vail's Grove Golf Course is a friendly 9-hole track in Brewster, NY, where I played last week. It was fun and challenging round that took less than two hours.

It's Wedding Pictures Friday at Blue Rose Girls

This will be an Un-Poetry Friday at Blue Rose Girls this week.

I decided to post more of the pictures that I took

during our fabulous "wedding weekend."

Everyone LOVED the wedding cake (pictured above)--

especially Grace and Squatchie!

One of Sara's bridesmaids took this picture of me dancing!

She also took this picture of me and Sara at the hotel

before we headed off to the church.

I never knew a mother-of-the-bride could have SO much fun

at her daughter's wedding!

Sara and Jerry will return from their two-week honeymoon

in Ireland on Sunday.

I can't wait to see them again!

********************

At Wild Rose Reader, I have an original list poem titled Things to Do If You Are a Mountain.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Language, Literacy, Love.

Evian Masters 2010 - Maria Verchenova's Flirty Skirts

Flirty is actually an understatement.

Bright yellow and ultra ruffly, the multi-tiered mini that Maria wore at the Evian Masters yesterday went beyond flirty. It's certainly the most... feminine... golf skirt I've ever seen. It brings a fun, festive look to the course... and I totally Love it.

The designer of this flirty skirt is well known in golf circles, but not so much in the fashion design world. Yet. It's Maria herself. The frilly garment... and a matching one in pink that she wore at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open... is part of the Russian golfer's new clothing line.

I'll have more on Maria... and her fashion line... later. Oh and before you ask... black bike shorts.

Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images - Europe

class notes

I've been entrenched in the writing of my new novel ("Dumpling Days") and while it's always roller coaster, every time the ride feels different. What's interesting this time is when I mention the age range (7-11) I am writing to non-book people, I get a distinct feeling of disappointment in my ambitions. As if by now I should have graduated to writing real books, older books or at least cooler or hipper books that could rival "Twilight."

I always smile politely, as I do understand their idea of success. And who knows, maybe someday I will. But I have a feeling, in terms of writing, that the young middle grade novel will be the book I will never graduate from.

Part of my "lecture" for the Pine Manor class I taught about writing the Middle Grade Novel:

Why write middle-grade novels, especially young middle grade? One can say you have more restrictions in terms of subject matter, audience and even respect than other genres. But I think it is one of the most important forms,if not the most important form, of children's literature. These are the books that change a child that can read books to a child that LOVES to read books. What they call a "reader," a true life-long book lover. The picturebook is rarely read independently and the YA reader has already decided whether he or she likes books. The middle-grade novel is the one that can create a transformation.

Only Two Things: Are Americans Puritanical?

The best women golfers in the world are in Europe right now. They're in Evian-Les-Bains, a magically beautiful place between the shores of Lake Geneva and the towering peaks of the French Alps, getting ready for this week's the Evian Masters.

We'll be talking about this popular tournament in the the first part of our show tonight... as well the recent Open Championship and the upcoming Ricoh Women's British Open. And because it's being talked about so much lately, we'll also touch upon the increasingly global nature of professional golf.

Which leads us to the second part of our show and our topic: Are Americans Puritanical? And consequently, is "the-rest-of-the-world" much more open-minded and enlightened than we yanks are? That's what I'll be asking on the show tonight, inspired by the current international golf events and and by an experience I had over this past weekend.

We were in New York City for a dinner party on Saturday, at the new home of my college roommate, who originally comes from Denmark. She's lived in the US since she met her American husband here over a decade ago, and they recently bought an awesome UWS duplex. This was a housewarming of sorts.

Both Britta and David have international jobs; she works fora UN Agency and he's with an international bank. As a result their guests were from all over the globe. In fact, of the 16 of us, only four... including myself and our host... were US natives. The other two Americans were guys... one married to a Colombian and the other to a Russian... while my husband Nick, as you may already know, is French. There was also a British couple and a Swiss couple... and rounding out the multifarious mix, a Jordanian with his Finnish fiancee and an Italian whose date was from Singapore.

Everyone's English was quite fluent... made more so by the copious cocktails and excellent wine... and there was a lot of light-hearted banter about the cultural nuances expats encounter when living in the US. After dinner as we sipped coffee and Courvoisier, David... who tends to get very obnoxious verbose when he's blitzed had a couple of drinks... declared, "Americans are puritanical idiots whose judgmental attitudes lead them to pornography obsessions and psychiatrist's couches". Or something to that effect. Anyway, as you can imagine, his sloshy statement led to a very lively discussion... and made me think this would be a great topic for "Only Two Things". So that's what I'll be asking tonight. Are Americans in fact "puritanical" as a society and does this lead to hypocrisy and closed-mindedness? Did it perhaps, exacerbate the the consequences of the Tiger Woods scandal?

That's what we'll be talking about tonight on "Only Two Things". We'll be broadcasting from 9:30 - 10:30PM ET. And you can weigh in, on-air by using call-in number 917-889-9592. Or join the conversation in the chat room or on Twitter... or just listen at BlogTalkRadio. Talk to you tonight.