Want to disappear...

into the world of YA for a while? Quite a while?

Check out YA Mansion, which has all sorts of great reviews and interviews as well as links to your favourite YA authors' sites. I clicked on Bennett Madison's blog and wasn't seen for days.

The YA Mansion Manifesto is a must-read for anyone who loves YA.

xox

Susan

As books age...

they tend to fade from sight. At least mine do. Apparently the man who wrote the Mortimer series said the "shelf life of the modern hardback book was somewhere between milk and yogurt." (Although according to a yogurt that I found camped out at base camp at the back of our fridge as though it was getting ready to make an attempt on Everest as soon as it had acclimatized, that could be up to two years. Ahem.)

That is why it makes me so happy to read a review of my geriatric-at-nine-months-old book in the Delta Leader! And such a nice one, too.

Advance copies of Getting the Girl are beginning to trickle out and I believe my publisher is plotting all kinds of ways you can get an early look. Will keep you posted.

Also, my facebook status updates have been solely concerned with Law & Order cast members for over a week now. My plan is to cover every detective, lawyer and psychiatrist who has ever had a starring role on the show. It could take years! I bet my status updates will get blocked by everyone on my friends list before I'm even an eighth of the way through. Still, it's good to have goals, even if they make no sense and are really only entertaining for you.

Found the following

link about YA and YA authors writing "A" books on Lauren Mechling's excellent blog (you should add it to your favourites because it's always entertaining and unexpected.)

Now I must go and drink Pepto Bismol. Several quarts of it. And possibly have a quiet word with Waylon.



Steve Earl as Waylon from The Wire: My YA Sponsor

R.I.P.

Utah Phillips, musical revolutionary and the person who made me want to hop on a freight train to see the world.

The unilinguist

I snuck Tango into a local park for a ride this morning. It was a lovely morning. The lakes and ponds glittered in the early light and the abundant greenery smelled of earth and perfume. Glorious!

The park was originally donated for the use of equestrians and dog walkers, but recently (or maybe not so recently) the sentiment among some park users (presumably new people who have moved into the suburbs rapidly colonizing the area) has turned against horses and riders. There's a sign mounted at the entrance to the park that shows a horse with a slash through it. Which is just rude. But anyway, those of us who like to ride in the park persist.

On several occasions, walkers have given me disapproving glances or informed me that horses are not allowed in the park. I thank them for their concern and silently encourage Tango to step on their feet. Yes. That's how immature I am. Tango is more mature, however, and keeps his feet to himself.

Today, we passed an elderly gent who greeted us with a loud "Bonjour!"

To which I replied, in my best seventh grade french accent, "Bonjour!"

Then the man said something else. In French. For those of you who believe that Canada's two official languages policy means that everyone can speak French, I'm sorry to disappoint you. It seems the further north you travel, the less likely that is to be true.

Whatever he said included the words "cheval" and "park". He didn't smile as he said it, just continued to stump grumpily along.

And because I didn't pay attention in French class, all I could think to say was "oui!" Only several moments later did it occur to me that he was probably giving me hell for being in the park. Or, less likely, he was telling me how Tango was the most attractive horse in the park.

As I tried to play back his words I veered between taking offence (and coming up with comebacks, but only in English, because I don't have the vocab to do it in French) and being grateful for his kind words. I guess this is why one should pay attention in language class. So you can get admonished in more than one language or enjoy a compliment, as needed.

Sigh.

In other Tango news, Lisa drew this great picture of him. Lisa runs a horse rescue operation in Appalachia. Sadly, as this article in the New York Times points out, horse rescue operations are badly needed everywhere. Thanks for the wonderful drawing, Lisa! And thanks also for the great work you do.

Nothing...

I am deep into two projects, as I've mentioned before. And the deeper I go, the less I seem to have to blog about. It is as though all my thoughts and insights and observations (warped and ill-informed as they often are) get eaten alive by whatever I'm writing. Which leaves me a tremendously unstimulating conversationalist/blogger/companion. Sorry to all who have to hang out with me. At this stage of the game I could do a Lars and the Real Girl and send out a blow up doll in my place... ah, never mind. That's a very bad idea and would lead to all sorts of revolting jokes and complications. Forget I suggested it. Although, I have to admit that if Ryan Gosling was involved... again. Never mind.

Luckily, I'm still producing plenty of advice on Ask a Juby. I believe there is now an email address on the site where you can contact me to ask me questions (just don't expect to like the answers!) and, when the time is right, win a free advance copy of Getting the Girl, which will be out this September.

I'll be back as soon as I have something to say.

Love,

Susan

Spotted

I took an early flight this morning and the thing that kept me entertained was a small group of fellow travelers. Two moms and their daughters who were probably nine or ten. All four were dressed in Lululemon from headband to cropped yoga pants. (Perhaps they were headed off for a mother/daughter yoga retreat?) Anyway, as they went through security, the girls unloaded a vast collection of gels and liquids from their bags. There are hotels without as many gels and liquids as those girls were packing. Between them they probably had a hundred and twenty prohibited items. Their mothers remained cheery, so did the security people, even when it started to look like a good bet that the girls might be carrying camping fuels and perhaps some cute Lululemon handguns in their pieces of carry-on luggage.

Suddenly, Lululemon, which might fit well and be of good quality, but nevertheless gives me a queasy feeling, is cute again.

Oh yeah, and my luggage was overweight because of excess sausages. But that's another story.

This week on Ask a Juby...

Thieving siblings.

So far, based on the feedback the column has received, it seems that pants and slutty friends are less pressing issues than shyness. Who knew? Personally, I think once you understand pants, you're close to having the entire game of life figured out.