Books | M. Suzanne Terry

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Rhythms

Posted in Books, Writing on June 30, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I finished Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit this weekend. I took seventeen pages of notes, mostly on ideas and scenes for my current and budding works in progress. It’s one of the best books on creativity I’ve read in a long time.

One of the many nuggets of advice that stick out to me was Tharp’s admonition to “protect your inexperience.” She encourages artists – whether they be dancers, musicians, actors, writers, etc. – to rotate the categories of their art. This protects them from stagnation by challenging them to learn something new or practice a slightly different skill set.

This makes a lot of sense. I am more productive when I switch gears on a regular basis. To that end, I have reviewed my writing journals, and I discovered that my most productive months were those in which my daily schedule or the season changed and I allowed my writing schedule to change with it. I want to become more intentional about doing so.

My writing tasks generally divide themselves into four main categories: transition, beauty, intensity, and rest.

Transition

My transitions months are January, May, and October. During January, after a long break from work and looking forward to a new semester, I am energized and hopeful about the upcoming year. During May, I spend the first half of the month finalizing grades and closing down residence halls and the second half of the month starting summer conferences or taking a break. During October, I participate in 31 Days to help myself transition to the discipline of writing every day that I will need to churn out 50,000 words on a new project in November.

Transition months involve a lot of analysis and organization. These months lend themselves best to planning and outlining. I also tend to churn out a lot of essays and dive into projects during these months.

Beauty

In February, June, and December, I am obsessed with beauty. February usually brings our first snow, which I love. June is the month where summer tries to woo me – tries to convince me that this year, things will be different and that we will get along. December is magic; it’s Advent and anticipation and tradition.

I tend to write more descriptively, and I tend to write more poetry during these months. It’s no accident that these months come right after my transitional project/planning months. Once the planning is done or the project underway, I start looking for beauty in the results.

Intensity

April, July, and November are intense. November is NaNoWriMo, the time every year when I try to churn out 50,000 words on a new project. April and July are also intense writing months when I write every day on one or several current projects.

I average about 3,000 words a day when I’m in intense mode. This rate is not sustainable for me all year, but for a few months out of it, that is most of what I do. I am the most scarce on social media during these months (unless I’m procrastinating, and then you get a lot of cat pictures and quizzes about what kind of tree I must be), and most of the blog posts you see during these months are ones I’ve written ahead of time and scheduled.

Rest

March, August, and September are creative rest. March is the middle of the spring semester when my students (and okay – also their professor) get the -itis – summer is in sight, and their attention span shows it. August and September are the beginning of the school year. I am not only starting a new semester with my classes, but I am also welcoming hundreds of new freshmen to UNT. These are the months when my work life doesn’t leave a lot of time for the work of writing.

Rest is not a shutdown – there is actually a lot going on when we rest. We are restoring and rejuvenating to recoup from the past and prepare for the future. I do a lot of what Twyla Tharp calls “scratching” during this time. I take notes on things that inspire me, I listen to more music, and I read more books on creating (writing, cookbooks, how-to in general). My Pinterest boards blow up during this time. I do these things at other times as well, of course, but they seem to be my focus during the months when I’m resting.

Recognizing rhythms is freeing. As much as I know in my head that the “write every day” advice doesn’t work for me, I still often feel anxious during months when I’m not working on an unfinished manuscript. Recognizing that I get more done when I write according to what works for me relieves a lot of that anxiety.

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What I’m Into – May 2015

Posted in Books, Fun, What I'm Into, Work on May 31, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Well, hello! I am coming to you halfway through my decadent two weeks off from work. I’m actually sitting in the office now, but I am not above crawling under the desk if I see someone peer in.

(Just kidding, Housing. I’ll go see what they want and direct them accordingly.)

Unpopular opinion of the month: I’m totally into this rain. Yes, it has mosquito-ed up the joint, and it has been dangerous in places. It was actually flooding so much that my mom called the Thursday before Mother’s Day and said, “Don’t come home this weekend. We’re flooded in.” I do hate when my plans are thwarted, but I love the rain. I’m going to be sad to see it go, for it will be replaced by a heat that rivals the pit of Hell.

May is always a weird month.

The first part of the month is crazy – last two weeks of school, closing down the building, etc. Our hall won Hall of the Year. I’m so excited for them. They worked so hard; I’m glad it was recognized. I also won an award at the final staff meeting – Best Sarcasm. Heh. They know me well. We also decorated mason jars. Mine became a vase:

The last half of the month? Awesome and easy. We got everything filed away last week, trained for summer, and made the summer schedule. Then I got to hang out with some Story Sisters and drink wine with Michelle.

This week? Staycation. Happy. I have made four (four!) trips to the recycling bins. I feel very productive. Also, I have not gotten out of bed earlier than 9:00 any day this week.

I have read more than usual this month. My favorites were Wicked by Gregory Maguire (I know – it’s about time) and Citizen by Claudia Rankine (READ IT). Goodreads keeps reminding me that I’m 19 books behind schedule, but what Goodreads doesn’t know is that it’s summer now, and summer is my big reading season. Prepare to be amazed, Goodreads.

Well, I’m off for another week. I might peck out a post on my cell phone, but I make no promises.

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer. Come tell us what you’re into!

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What I’m Into – April 2015

Posted in Books, Feast, Fun, Invitation, TV, What I'm Into on April 30, 2015| 2 Comments »

Grieving injustice. Fighting the patriarchy. Talking to the kids about issues, ideas, and intersectionality.

You know – the usual.

Another April down. That’s a relief. I gave it the good college try with the April Love Instagram challenge, but I have missed the last week or so. I sure do have a lot of pictures of blankets on my Instagram. My MeMaw would be so proud.

Words

It was a slow reading month but a good writing month. I finished the books for two of my three book clubs – Nora Webster and Unbroken – and I read Tara Owens’s Embracing the Body and Lauren Winner’s Mudhouse Sabbath. I enjoyed them all, especially the latter two. I wrote almost 35,000 words on Feast, which was not as many as I wanted, but I’m satisfied and still on schedule to finish in May!

Part of the reason that I wrote more slowly than planned is that I am at the stage of writing where I usually start getting better ideas for titles, which is to say that I’m having a lot more fun with it. What started as simply “Feast” has finally taken on its personality. I am currently sitting at “From Fret to Feast: Entertaining for the Socially Awkward.”

I’ve hosted a couple of people for my Invitation to the Table series, and I would love to host more. Submissions are still open!

Wellness

This week has been consumed with Nepal and Baltimore. There is so much &%^#%@ in the world. I am grieved and angry and anxious and restless, and so is my body. I need to find a way to engage and listen and process and still be able to sleep and keep food down. Haven’t done that very well this month.

Watching

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Hilarious. And awful. But awesome. I’m not sure how I would feel about it if I had escaped from a cult myself. But I watched the whole season in one sitting.

I have also enjoyed the Felines of New York. As a fan of Humans of New York and cat pictures, I am surprised that I didn’t think of this first.

And last, but certainly not least, there’s this weird thing. I’m not saying that I would actually text a goat picture to someone. Nor am I suggesting that anyone else do such a ridiculous thing. But if I were to get a message with a goat picture and a caption that said something like “Have a goat day,” I would not be sad about it.

…

Please don’t text me goat pictures. It would be funny the first time (okay – the first ten times. I really do enjoy goats.). But I can see it going into overkill very quickly.

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer. Join us and tell us what you are into this month!

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More Than One Way

Posted in Books, Feminism, Food on April 3, 2015| 6 Comments »

There is more than one way to love a body.

“Love your body! Strip away the things that hide you! Be proud of how you look!” The woman behind the table on the campus lawn can’t hide her disappointment when I take her flier, thank her for what they’re doing, and then walk away, still fully covered from neck to foot. “Your body is beautiful – you don’t have to be ashamed,” she yells as I walk away.

That’s true. Thank you, random stranger, for the compliment (and the reminder).

But my skin is the color of almond milk, and it is sensitive to chemicals. So I can expose it to the sun during my twenty-minute trek across campus to prove to you that I love it. I would probably enjoy the feeling of the sun and the warm wind…for about ten minutes. Then I would burn. First my shoulders, then my arms, then my legs. I cover them because it’s hard to find a sunscreen that doesn’t break me out (at least one that doesn’t cost a kajillion dollars an ounce – that, I save for my face). I love my body, so I protect it.

Sometimes, body love looks like covering up.

“Do you want a brownie? Come on – you know you do!” The resident waves his hand over the plate he’s holding, causing the amazing smell to waft in my direction. It’s the week before Christmas, and he has been practicing. He wiggles his eyebrows, clearly proud of his baking skills.

They smell delicious. I kinda do want a brownie.

But I remember that I am having dinner with a friend this evening, and that about an hour after I eat that brownie, I will feel sluggish and get a great big dose of the physical don’t-wannas. It only takes a few moments of reflection on how feeling that way will make me want to cancel my dinner plans and take a nap instead. So I say, “No, thank you. They smell fantastic, though. Good job!”

Sometimes, body love looks like saying no to things we want.

“Are you sure you want to wear that? It’s a little…sheer. Don’t you want to dress more modestly?” We are getting ready to go out, and it’s the first time she’s been to the club with me. She is nervous, but she doesn’t want to say so. It’s interesting how insecurities come out.

I know she’s anxious and that this comment isn’t really about me, so I swallow the lecture on how modesty is not a measure of how much skin I’m showing. I look in the mirror, and I like what I see. It’s the end of summer, and I can see the definition in my arms that inevitably happens after three months of lifting toddlers full-time. And this is the only shirt that is clean that shows off the tiny coffee cup that my friend drew on my shoulder earlier that day. And I look adorable. So I decide that context matters. Intention matters. I reply, “It’s fine for the club. But you don’t have to go sheer. You wear what makes you comfortable.”

Sometimes, body love looks like showing it off a little.

“Where do you want to go for our one-on-one?” It’s Friday, and it’s been a hard week. It’s balancing two jobs and having fever and the world is discriminatory and awful and oh, by the way – Jesus is dying today.

So I recognize that my mood is not about food. Not really.

But kinda.

The cereal I had for breakfast was filling, but the salad I picked at for lunch was lackluster and unsubstantial. Why did I even bring lunch to work with me, especially one that I knew would be so disappointing? I know my body and its needs, and I knew the sad salad would not satisfy any of them. I am as hangry as I was before I ate it. It doesn’t help that I have a great supper – a veggie frittata on a bed of baby spring greens – planned for tonight, the very thought of which is making me salivate as I type this.

So where do I want to go? Hypnotic. Comfort food, right next to Cultivar’s really good coffee.

Chicken biscuit, get in my belly.

Is this the healthiest choice I could possibly make? No. Will it feed my soul and brighten my day and help me avoid the inevitable food coma that the huge donut I really want to eat would cause? Yes. And fried chicken is good funeral food, so while it seems silly to type that, it seems an appropriate meal for Good Friday.

Sometimes, body love looks like the occasional indulgence.

I’m reading Embracing the Body by Tara M. Owens, and what has captured me so far are the stories of Jesus and the ways he used his body to comfort, heal, protect, and nourish. He used his body, and it didn’t mean the same things his culture thought it did. He touched people (and allowed them to touch him) in ways that were deemed inappropriate. He accepted kindness from and dined with people he wasn’t supposed to be seen with. He loved righteously and physically. He loved as God incarnate. He loved as God with us.

Sometimes, love looks different than we expect.

There is more than one way to love.

I am linking up at Tara’s blog with others talking about their embodied experiences during Holy Week. There’s some good stuff over there. Come and see.

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What I’m Into – March 2015

Posted in Books, Food, Fun, TV, What I'm Into on March 30, 2015| 9 Comments »

Well, it’s here. Spring. My nemesis. And I feel bad talking about how much I despise it, because:

1) People are so happy, and while none of them cared to spare my feelings when they were endlessly (soul-crushingly, tediously) whining about my beautiful winter, I just can’t bring myself to do the same (most of the time, that is, because clearly, I’m having no problem doing so right now).

2) I literally feel bad. Spring brings out all my allergies, so working up a nice rant uses too much energy – energy better spent trying to breathe and stop itching.

I have the good drugs, though, so at least there’s that.

And at least it’s not summer. Yet.

But rather than focus on what I’m not into, let’s talk about what I am into.

My favorite thing I did this month was turn 40.

The weather was nice (and by “nice,” I do mean rainy, overcast, and mid-50s), so that was my birthday present from Jesus. We tried out a new breakfast place – Crickles and Co. – and it was amazing. Everyone basically purred through the whole meal (the biscuits – omg, get the biscuits!). After a very leisurely breakfast, a few of us went to Barnes and Noble and browsed for a while. Then I went home and spent the afternoon my favorite way – reading and napping. I woke up refreshed and ready for my birthday dinner at Greenhouse. Then we went to my sister and brother-in-law’s house for cake and coffee. The cake was coconut and pineapple, and the coffee was strong. And Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer came on the music mix right as we were about to cut the cake, so they sang the chorus instead of the traditional happy birthday song. Tammy’s explanation: “It fits. You’re halfway there. Halfway to death,” which was hilarious and pretty much my favorite thing anyone said all day. We then watched The Whole Nine Yards while everyone recovered from/embraced their food coma.

It was a great day.

What made it even more enjoyable is that I didn’t worry about the planning. Rather than try to make it this huge event, I picked a couple of places I wanted to go and limited the guest list to people who had asked what I was doing for my birthday or who regularly include me on invitations to theirs (and I kept adding people all week, because I am old and forgetful – an excuse I plan on using a lot from now on). So the group stayed small enough that I didn’t have to make special arrangements or reservations. It was relaxing in both planning and execution.

And then, of course, I have enjoyed spending time on other days with people who couldn’t make it. I have had outings and been treated to so many dinners. I love March.

Another fun thing I did this month is the Wicked Wine Run. Or rather, the Wicked Wine 1K mosey, in my case. It took place at the Lost Oak Winery in Burleson, and we had a lot of fun. Two of us dressed up like Pikachu and a unicorn. I wore a headband and funky socks (not pictured).

That’s my way to race – with four wine-tasting stops. Actually, the energy of the race atmosphere makes me want to train for an upcoming 5K, so starting on April 26, I begin my training, and I am actually excited about it. We’ll see how that goes.

In entertainment/arts news:

I’ve been binge-watching The Mindy Project. So many people have recommended it, and I finally heeded their recommendations. It did not disappoint. I love this show.
The Angry Women Blog. This blog understands me. I will be submitting posts to it within the next few months.
I tried watching Entourage. Meh. I am four episodes in, and I can’t decide if I’m actually bored with it or if, after hearing the HBO sound, I’m just disappointed that The Newsroom doesn’t start. But after four episodes, I still can’t think of a single moment that got any sort of enjoyment reaction from me. So I might have to throw in the towel on this one.
This has been a good reading month. My top three recommendations are The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway, and the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy (I’m about to start #3) by Laini Taylor. So good.

My favorite thing I made to eat was lasagna with spinach and goat cheese (instead of ricotta. DO IT.). It looked like a bad accident:

…but it tasted so good.

And my favorite non-coffee thing to drink was this tea:

It might actually replace Earl Grey as my favorite. It’s that good.

So that was my March. How was yours? I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer – you should join us!

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What I’m Into – January 2015

Posted in Books, Food, What I'm Into on January 30, 2015| 7 Comments »

January felt productive. Maybe it’s because it’s the start of the new semester, so it’s productive by design. Maybe it’s because it’s a new year, so I have a new zest for getting things done. Whatever it is, I’m happy about it.

1. I am in love with the Duolingo app. Every day, I learn new language skills. I started with just brushing up on my Spanish. Then I added Italian. Then I added French. Then I added German. So I have daily practice with each language right on my phone. Spanish and German are the easiest so far, since I have a little background in them. Italian is easier than expected. Of the romance languages I’ve studied, it seems the closest to Latin (I knew those four semesters of Latin would not be in vain!). French is kicking my butt. That’s okay. I enjoy a challenge. I know how to order coffee and affirm my singleness by declaring “I have four cats,” so the basics are covered.

2. I am almost done with my taxes. I am going to have them sent by the end of next week. This is curious new territory for me. This will be the earliest I have ever filed.

3. Speaking of curious new territory, I have displayed some mad budgeting skills this month. January is usually a pretty sparse month, because I don’t get my first teaching paycheck until February. Yet here it is, the end of January, and I still have a nice little cushion in the bank. I am so proud of me I don’t even know what to do with myself.

Last month may have been the month for food scavenging, but food prep has made a roaring comeback in the new year.

1. I am obsessed with a certain espresso-infused balsamic vinegar. My friends Beth and Kim are in the process of starting an oil and vinegar shop in town (Denton Olive and Co. – click and like!), and I might have to have them order it for me by the case. I put it on sausage and roast. I pour it on goat cheese and eat it with crackers. I may or may not have poured some in a shot class and sipped it like a fine brandy. It’s so delicious.

2. I made a lot of shortbread this month. It’s an easy thing to throw together and take to a party, and if I make two batches on the Friday night of a busy weekend, that covers every party that weekend, as I am not interested in any party where shortbread is unwelcome. It all started with this Earl Grey shortbread. From there, I discovered that you can pretty much substitute anything (lemon zest, cocoa powder, chocolate shavings, espresso powder, etc.) for the tea, and it will be delicious.

3. My supper club helped with the first round of testing for Feast. It was a glorious success. Steak, potatoes, chipotle mayo, and peppermint cocktails. Happy.

I enjoyed a lot of outings with people.

1. My new hall director, Jessa, and I had our first one-on-one. We had lunch at Seven Mile Cafe, and I splurged on an almond milk latte. Sooo good.

2. We threw a tea party at the Aubrey Area Library, and it was a lot of fun. We had scones, cookies, tea, costumes, and trivia. I felt fancy. Check out this spread:

3. Story Feast was also this month. We gathered at Adela’s house and had so much food and got to hear about what everyone is working on.

I have done quite a bit of reading this month, and it’s all been good. I can’t choose a favorite, but I especially loved Eleanor and Park (Rowell), Nocturnes (Ishiguro), Tables in the Wilderness (Yancey), and Still (Winner).

If I lived in Austin, I would be into having food delivered – quite possibly on a weekly basis, because every menu has looked amazing – from The Lavendar Goat. If you are in Austin, you should order every week and then tell me all about it. If you are not in Austin (like me), you can also get help with meal planning and follow him on Facebook or sign up for his email newsletter. We learned basic knife care this week. Do it!

I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer. Come join us! What were you into this month?

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Eleanor and Park

Posted in Books on January 30, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I rarely feel compelled to write a review of a book unless the author specifically requested it, I signed up to help promote it, or I received it for free in exchange for a review. I don’t really put a lot of stock in reviews until after I’ve already read or bought a book, so I forget that other people might.

But I can’t hold back with Eleanor and Park.

This book has been recommended to me a lot, so I recommended it for book club this month. I’m so happy I did.

I love it.

I felt 16 the whole time I was reading it. I relived the angst and the constant inner monologue of what-everyone-must-be-thinking and all the feels. It is the best description of a teenage crush/love story that I have ever read. Eleanor and Park are sweet and weird and cute and awkward, and I love them.

There are some great lines here. I usually jot lines down, but I couldn’t stand to put the book down long enough. So I took snapshots of them.

[PSA – what follows is vaguely spoilery, so if you’re a purist and haven’t read it yet…well, stop reading and go get it so we can be fans together!]

It started with a teacher describing Eleanor’s speaking voice:

“That’s a voice that arrives on a chariot drawn by dragons.”

Eleanor describing Park:

“Like the person in a Greek myth who makes one of the gods stop caring about being a god.”

Park describing Eleanor (forgive the bad quality – it’s highly possible I was in mid-squee while taking the photo):

“She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.”

Park second-guessing his present for Eleanor:

“Jewelry was so public…and personal, which was why he’d bought it. He couldn’t buy Eleanor a pen. Or a bookmark. He didn’t have bookmarklike feelings for her.”

This line. Oh, Park. Sweet thinker:

“If she weren’t made of so many other miracles.”

Seriously. *heart cleft in twain*

I have more pictures, but you get the point.

Read this book. It won’t take long. I read it in one sitting (and you’ll want to, so put aside a few hours for it).

It’s been a long time since I read something this impossibly sweet.

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Resolved, 2015 Edition

Posted in Beauty, Books, Fun, Renaissance, Resolutions, Writing on January 2, 2015| 2 Comments »

This year is going to be a great year, if for no other reason than I’m turning 40, and I plan to be obnoxious about it – even more obnoxious than I usually am. I already celebrate for a whole week. This year, I’m celebrating the whole year. I almost made “forty” my OneWord365. The only thing that stopped me is that there aren’t many songs that fit that theme, and I’m going to need a playlist.

But it’s totally in the back of my mind. It’s going to be a focus, even if it’s not the main focus. I can just tell.

As with every year, I have writing goals, reading goals, and one word that will be my theme of the year.

Writing:

1. Write an average of 5,000 words toward a work in progress per week. That’s 5-10 hours a week. That’s 260,000 words. That’s finishing Feast and Fishbowl and getting a good chunk of another project, whatever it will be, off to a good start.

2. On the blog, I’d like to continue some series, start some new ones, and get some more guest posts. I would like to consistently post three times a week, even in weeks when I’m feeling quiet, which means writing posts ahead of time and getting them scheduled. I just want to be more organized and intentional about it.

Reading – three sets of 40:

1. 40 books by people of color. In examining the diversity of my influences (friends, music, things I read, etc.), I do okay in most areas. My blog reader is especially diverse; only about 20% of the bloggers I read are white/straight/middle-class/etc. You know – me-ish. There is room for improvement across the board, though, and nowhere is this more obvious than in my book list from 2014, which is remarkably whitewashed. This year, I am going to be more intentional about diversifying my reading list, and I’m going to start with race as the diversifying factor.

2. 40 classics. Every time I see lists of 100 pieces of classic literature that pop up (you know the ones – the braggy ones that show up on your well-read friends’ Facebook pages that encourage you to compare your reading list to theirs), I can’t even say that I’ve read a majority of them. And I know that comparison is the thief of joy, but I also suspect that when I watch The Newsroom, I would probably enjoy it more (assuming that’s even possible) if I had a better grasp of Don Quixote. I also know that reading works that stand the test of time will assist in teaching me to write works that stand the test of time, and I am very much interested in that.

3. 40 miscellaneous books – just for fun. I am including a third category to pay homage to all those books I read as part of book clubs and lazy days off and other such times. I also think that fun is an important element of reading, particularly this year, because fun is my word of 2015.

Theme – fun:

My first thought when choosing my one word for this year was “responsible.” After all, I just spent a year chasing beauty. Gorgeous, lovely, magical beauty. So my reaction to that was that I should follow it up with something more serious. Something to bring me back down to earth. Not that I ever left, really. It turns out, down on earth, it’s actually quite beautiful.

But I have goals for the year. Practical goals. Goals that require focus. Goals that require structure. Goals that embrace the quotidian (which is a word I also love, but for very different reasons).

The problem I kept running into when thinking about any of these words as my theme for the year is that I associate them with boredom. I think of them as dull. Lifeless. Scarce. What I hear is “Reign it in,” as if I haven’t done enough of that in my life already.

Enough.

Also, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it, but I’m turning 40 this year. I am happy to be turning 40, because I have earned every year. I’m going to herald in this milestone. There might actually be trumpets involved.

There will probably come a year when I want to reclaim sensible words and focus on them, because they’re not bad words. There’s nothing inherently scarce about them. I just don’t think this is that year.

I considered making “Renaissance” my word. It encompasses both practicality and beauty, knowledge and art, form and function. But while I can definitely see all sorts of things being incorporated into my year (because learning is delightful), I can’t see it providing the sort of focus I’m going for.

This is a year for celebration. For a bit of decadence. For carousing and merriment and revelry. For indulgence. For liberality.

For fun.

Fun is so simple that I have the urge to pick another word for it. Merriment is a good word. Hullaballoo. Hoopla.

I don’t want to hide behind the word itself, though. As fun as “fun” sounds, it’s not actually easy for me to do. It is much more like me (especially in the last ten years or so) to slip into that person who plans a great theme party and throws so much energy into planning and execution that I’m exhausted by the time the day of the party arrives. As you might imagine, parties aren’t so fun for me when I’m tired of them before they ever begin (reason #1 that I probably will hire a wedding planner if I ever get married, but that’s another blog post altogether).

So I’m keeping the plan – and the word – simple. Fun.

Are you setting New Year’s Resolutions? If so, what are they?

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Portals of Water and Wine by R. L. Haas

Posted in Books on December 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

In the wee hours of this morning, I finished Portals of Water and Wine, the first in what promises to be a terrific trilogy by R. L. Haas.

My first reaction to finishing was to implore Rachel to “Write, Faster.” Because I’m gonna need the next one as soon as possible.

There are many reasons why I think you should buy, read, and fall in love with this book, but I’ll stick to my top three.

3. The Twists

Without giving away any of the plot, suffice it to say that when one is writing a story where ____ happens or someone does ____, it is tempting to get to resolution as soon as possible. We like good things to happen to good people and bad things to happen to bad people, and we want it to be straightforward and easy. But that’s not real, and that’s not good storytelling.

That’s not a problem in this book.

There are twists and turns, and they happen as jarringly in this story as they do in life. I kept glancing down at the percentage bar on the bottom of my Kindle. 85%. 90%. 95%. I kept thinking, “Whew. That’s it. The book’s almost finished. It’s done. We can all relax.” Nope. The twists kept coming just as strongly at the end as they did in the beginning. The end is an excellent setup for the next installment.

2. The Imagery

This beautiful fantasy world that Rachel has created is so easy to picture. Her descriptions are gorgeous. I was right there with the main character, going breathless at the sights before us.

Better yet, she somehow avoided what many authors seem to think is a necessary dullness in describing the characters’ appearances like they’re walking down a runway, so everyone has to stop what they’re doing and watch politely before the story can go on. She describes them by weaving the descriptions into the story in a way that it not only gave us a description of what they looked like but of who they are and, in some cases, even helped move the plot along.

Which leads me to my number one reason…

1. The Characters

Getting to know the characters in this book – and growing to love them – was a gradual process. That is exactly as it should be. Too often, first chapters read like the characters’ social media profiles, telling us what the author wants us to think of them. As a reader, though, I don’t want to be told by a third party what to think or how to relate to a character. I want to observe the character and draw my own conclusions.

Rachel trusts her characters to reveal themselves. And they do. And I love them.

This will mean very little to anyone who doesn’t know me from fandom days or who has never been an active part of a fandom themselves, but I have to say it – these characters are so alive that I want to write fanfiction about them.

For a point of reference, when I say that, it puts them up there with such iconic characters as Superman and Lex Luthor. Pippin and Merry. I’ve only read the first of this trilogy, and I already have an OTP (and no – I’m not going to tell you who it is…it’s too soon…maybe after the second book…maybe).

Buy this book. Buy the paperback. Buy the ebook. But buy it.

And Rachel – thank you. And write faster!

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Real Talk Tuesday – God in the Everyday

Posted in Books, Real Talk Tuesday on November 18, 2014| 4 Comments »

The quiet season has begun.

November and December are busy months in the everyday, but they are quieter months as far as blogging goes. During the last two months of the year (particularly November), it’s normal for me to average a post or two a week. Part of this phenomenon is taking a break after the madness that is 31 Days. Part of this phenomenon is due simply to my writing being directed elsewhere.

Mostly, though, I’m just more reflective during these days. While reflection tends to make me more melancholy, it also makes me more…me. When the weather starts (finally and hallelujah) getting cooler, my soul cools down its surface angst and mindless busyness as well. I am more content to get slow. I am more content to savor small things.

I am more content – happy, even – to focus on simple things and to focus on one thing at a time. Other times of the year, my mind would be focused on what is coming up at work or my to-do list. Those things are there, but they stay at work and on the list until it is their turn. That leaves focus for important things, like inviting the spider family who keeps trying to come in from the cold to hang out in the tree outside instead.

[Seriously, spiders. Just feel free to make that whole tree your home. You don’t want to come in my house anyway. It smells like tea tree oil and lemon (and, coming soon, cinnamon and peppermint). You would hate that, spiders.]

I am more content to go to bed early – and to get up early – to read.

A good predictor of my mental state is whether or not I am reading or writing. If I’m not reading or writing (or, God help us all, if I’m doing neither), I am not myself. All the ordinary, wonderful things become just more annoying things on my list to get through and check off. I forget this so easily. I am relieved to be in a season of remembering and watching again.

I am re-reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s An Altar in the World.* I am reading it a chapter a night and making room for it to sink in. It’s no coincidence that I’m taking more walks, drinking more tea, and seeing the daily activities that I often view as chores as spiritual disciplines.

I’m linking up with Marvia’s Real Talk Tuesday. Join us?

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