Go check it out here! :)
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Middle Grade May
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Book Announcement!
So the following little announcement appeared in Publishers' Marketplace late on Tuesday:
(Hmm...I can't figure out how to make it any bigger...)
If you can't read it, here's the text:
Gail Nall and Jennifer Malone's PLEASE RSVP, in which four tween friends start a party planning business and discover good friends are truly worth celebrating, to Amy Cloud at Aladdin, in a two-book deal, by Julia Alexandra Weber at J.A. Weber Literary Agency (on behalf of Nall) and Holly Root at Waxman Leavell Literary Agency (on behalf of Malone) (World).
Jen and I are so excited for these books! We're having a blast writing together, and we can't wait to share the adventures of the PLEASE RSVP girls with everyone.
If you're not familiar with Jen, go check her out here. Her debut, AT YOUR SERVICE, will be out this August from Aladdin, and trust me, it's a fun read!
(Hmm...I can't figure out how to make it any bigger...)
If you can't read it, here's the text:
Gail Nall and Jennifer Malone's PLEASE RSVP, in which four tween friends start a party planning business and discover good friends are truly worth celebrating, to Amy Cloud at Aladdin, in a two-book deal, by Julia Alexandra Weber at J.A. Weber Literary Agency (on behalf of Nall) and Holly Root at Waxman Leavell Literary Agency (on behalf of Malone) (World).
Jen and I are so excited for these books! We're having a blast writing together, and we can't wait to share the adventures of the PLEASE RSVP girls with everyone.
If you're not familiar with Jen, go check her out here. Her debut, AT YOUR SERVICE, will be out this August from Aladdin, and trust me, it's a fun read!
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
My Writing Process Blog Tour
Hi everyone! Today I'm participating in the My Writing Process Blog Tour. My friend, co-writer, crit partner, and publishing sister (whew, enough titles, huh?) Jen Malone tagged me. So here goes...how I write:
1) What am I working on?
Three books. Four, if you count edits on DON'T FALL DOWN. Am I crazy? Possibly. All three are middle grade contemporary. One is the book I'm co-writing with Jen, one is in the revising/rewriting stage, and the third is a brand-new shiny!
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Middle grade contemporary is a HUGE genre. My work definitely falls into the fun and light end of the spectrum. If you were looking a table of food, my books would be the chocolate chip cookies. I find humor in everyday life, and I try to inject some of that into my writing.
3) Why do I write what I do?
It's what came out when I started writing! Seriously, I sat down at my computer one day in the law school library, and instead of working on an outline for Business Law or Constitutional Law class, I started typing a story. I had no idea then that I was writing middle grade. I didn't even know what middle grade was. There was a story in my head, and I had to get it out. Since then, I've figured out why I write MG -- it falls into that age group when I fell in love with reading. From ages 8 to 12, I was always reading. I read anything and everything -- contemporary, historical, fantasy, mysteries, choose-your-own-adventure, classics, adventure, series. Pretty much anything I could get my hands on at the library. So writing for this age group as an adult brings back those memories of escaping into a story. Basically, it makes me feel happy. :)
4) How does my writing process work?
I'm an early-morning writer. From 5 a.m. (or sometimes 5:09 or 5:18, depending on how many times I hit the snooze button) until 6:30ish, I write. If I'm on a deadline or on a roll, I'll write in the evenings or during kidlet naptime on the weekends. Also, I write first drafts Nanowrimo-style. I throw it all out there as fast as I can. I don't reread until I hit the end of the first draft. Even if I change a plot halfway through the book, I keep writing until I'm finished. This works for me, even though it means I usually have to do some massive revisions afterward. Because once I have a first draft, I have a complete book, which is something to work with. Even if working with it means deleting entire sections of the book and rewriting... *sigh*
And that's it! Have a great April Fool's Day!
1) What am I working on?
Three books. Four, if you count edits on DON'T FALL DOWN. Am I crazy? Possibly. All three are middle grade contemporary. One is the book I'm co-writing with Jen, one is in the revising/rewriting stage, and the third is a brand-new shiny!
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Middle grade contemporary is a HUGE genre. My work definitely falls into the fun and light end of the spectrum. If you were looking a table of food, my books would be the chocolate chip cookies. I find humor in everyday life, and I try to inject some of that into my writing.
3) Why do I write what I do?
It's what came out when I started writing! Seriously, I sat down at my computer one day in the law school library, and instead of working on an outline for Business Law or Constitutional Law class, I started typing a story. I had no idea then that I was writing middle grade. I didn't even know what middle grade was. There was a story in my head, and I had to get it out. Since then, I've figured out why I write MG -- it falls into that age group when I fell in love with reading. From ages 8 to 12, I was always reading. I read anything and everything -- contemporary, historical, fantasy, mysteries, choose-your-own-adventure, classics, adventure, series. Pretty much anything I could get my hands on at the library. So writing for this age group as an adult brings back those memories of escaping into a story. Basically, it makes me feel happy. :)
4) How does my writing process work?
I'm an early-morning writer. From 5 a.m. (or sometimes 5:09 or 5:18, depending on how many times I hit the snooze button) until 6:30ish, I write. If I'm on a deadline or on a roll, I'll write in the evenings or during kidlet naptime on the weekends. Also, I write first drafts Nanowrimo-style. I throw it all out there as fast as I can. I don't reread until I hit the end of the first draft. Even if I change a plot halfway through the book, I keep writing until I'm finished. This works for me, even though it means I usually have to do some massive revisions afterward. Because once I have a first draft, I have a complete book, which is something to work with. Even if working with it means deleting entire sections of the book and rewriting... *sigh*
And that's it! Have a great April Fool's Day!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Me, elsewhere
Yesterday, my publishing sister and awesome critique partner, Jen Malone, interviewed our editor at Aladdin, Amy Cloud. It's a fun interview, and Amy gave a shout-out to yours truly at the end. :) Read the interview here.
Today, I got to introduce myself on the Fearless Fifteeners blog! Read that post here.
And now back to edits for me. Edits and Olympic skating!
Today, I got to introduce myself on the Fearless Fifteeners blog! Read that post here.
And now back to edits for me. Edits and Olympic skating!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Pairs vs. Ice Dancing
During the Olympics this past weekend, I saw a commercial that referred to "pairs ice dancing."
No. This is not a thing.
You see, there is pairs. Then there is ice dance. They are not the same. In fact, the only thing they have in common is they require a man and a woman to skate together.
I sputtered at the TV for a moment, and then decided to write a blog post about the differences between pairs and ice dance. It occurred to me that not everyone is all up in the skating like I am, and this might be helpful to normal people who have lives and stuff. ;)
So...here are the differences:
PAIRS: Inspired by singles skating.
ICE DANCE: Inspired by ballroom dance.
PAIRS: Has side-by-side jumps, throw jumps, pairs spins, side-by-side spins, death spirals, and throw twists. It operates on the WOW factor.
ICE DANCE: Has dance steps, dance spins, and focuses on rhythm, closeness between the skaters, expression, edge quality and one-footed skating, posture and toe point. It operates on the DRAMA or ROMANCE factor.
PAIRS: The lifts are often (but not always) done overhead, as if the woman is flying.
ICE DANCE: Overhead lifts are not allowed. As a result, the lifts are often innovative and insanely difficult-looking.
PAIRS: The partners do many elements separately, but in unison.
ICE DANCE: The partners rarely separate from dance hold.
PAIRS: The ladies wear traditional skating dresses.
ICE DANCE: The ladies often wear slightly longer dresses.
PAIRS: The skaters usually have prior (and sometimes concurrent) singles skating careers, and start pairs later. (Note: This may be more common in the US than in other countries.)
ICE DANCE: The partners often start training dance together from a young age.
PAIRS: Program music must be instrumental, like in singles.
ICE DANCE: Program music may have vocals, if the skaters choose.
This is a very basic overview, and I'm sure I haven't nailed all of the differences. But now if you see a couple skating, you should be able to determine whether they're doing dance or pairs.
No. This is not a thing.
You see, there is pairs. Then there is ice dance. They are not the same. In fact, the only thing they have in common is they require a man and a woman to skate together.
I sputtered at the TV for a moment, and then decided to write a blog post about the differences between pairs and ice dance. It occurred to me that not everyone is all up in the skating like I am, and this might be helpful to normal people who have lives and stuff. ;)
So...here are the differences:
 |
| Pairs lift. Used under a Creative Commons license; attributed to David W. Carmichael |
ICE DANCE: Inspired by ballroom dance.
PAIRS: Has side-by-side jumps, throw jumps, pairs spins, side-by-side spins, death spirals, and throw twists. It operates on the WOW factor.
ICE DANCE: Has dance steps, dance spins, and focuses on rhythm, closeness between the skaters, expression, edge quality and one-footed skating, posture and toe point. It operates on the DRAMA or ROMANCE factor.
PAIRS: The lifts are often (but not always) done overhead, as if the woman is flying.
ICE DANCE: Overhead lifts are not allowed. As a result, the lifts are often innovative and insanely difficult-looking.
 |
| Dance lift. Used under a Creative Commons license; attributed to David W. Carmichael. |
PAIRS: The partners do many elements separately, but in unison.
ICE DANCE: The partners rarely separate from dance hold.
PAIRS: The ladies wear traditional skating dresses.
ICE DANCE: The ladies often wear slightly longer dresses.
PAIRS: The skaters usually have prior (and sometimes concurrent) singles skating careers, and start pairs later. (Note: This may be more common in the US than in other countries.)
ICE DANCE: The partners often start training dance together from a young age.
PAIRS: Program music must be instrumental, like in singles.
ICE DANCE: Program music may have vocals, if the skaters choose.
This is a very basic overview, and I'm sure I haven't nailed all of the differences. But now if you see a couple skating, you should be able to determine whether they're doing dance or pairs.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Olympic Countdown: 1 day!
So, this is the last installment of Gail's completely biased and non-expert opinions on the US figure skating team. Today's topic: ice dance!
Ice Dance...
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| Meryl Davis and Charlie White Used under a Creative Commons license; attributed to Ludwig Welnicki |
In somewhat unrelated but sweet news, Charlie White has been dating former Olympian ice dancer Tanith Belbin since 2010...awwww! More awwww to watch for: adorable clips of Davis and White skating together as little kids. Awww.... Also, Charlie has really great hair, don't you think?
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| Madison Chock & Evan Bates Used under a Creative Commons license; attributed to Luu |
Madison Chock and Evan Bates won silver at Nationals and a spot on the Olympic team. These two have skated together since 2011. That's not very long, but they both had some success with previous partners. (Bates skated with Emily Samuelson at the 2010 Olympics.) And if anyone ever says that ice dancing isn't tough, you can tell them that Bates once ended up with a completely lacerated Achilles tendon after a lift went wrong. Ouch! Chock and Bates placed third at both of their Grand Prix competition assignments this past fall, and are definitely a team to watch.
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| Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani Used under a Creative Commons license; attributed to David W. Carmichael |
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani are siblings who captured bronze at Nationals and are now headed to the Olympics. They train with Davis and White, and Virtue and Moir, in Michigan. They've been skating on the senior level since 2010, and have gathered quite a bit of international experience. This past fall, they won bronze at both of their Grand Prix competitions. These two are great skaters and a lot of fun to watch.
Did you miss some of my Olympic Countdown? Here are my opinions on the US ladies' team, the men's team, and the pairs' team.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Olympic Countdown: 3 days
Welcome to the third installment of Gail's completely biased and non-expert opinions on the US Olympic figure skating team! On Friday, I discussed the men's team, and last Wednesday, I pontificated on the ladies' team. Today, it's all about pairs!
Pairs...
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| Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir Used under a Creative Commons license; att'd to Jamie Hull |
Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir won the gold at Nationals. These two have been skating together since 2006, which in US pairs, is a long time. They'd been just outside the Nationals podium bubble for a couple of years, but finally broke through and won their first National title in 2013. Castelli and Shnapir do an insanely difficult throw quad salchow. They're one of the few pairs in the world to attempt one, and when she lands it, it's something quite amazing to see. Here's a short video of a successful one at Nationals practice:
Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay claimed second place and Nationals and were named to the Olympic team. These two have only been skating together since 2011, but even last year they were good enough to land third at Nationals. They train in Florida, which seems to be the new hotbed of pairs skating (both of the 2010 pairs teams trained in Florida, and Amanda Evora, who was a 2010 Olympian, is now one of Zhang and Bartholomay's coaches). Zhang and Bartholomay skate a gorgeous free program to music from Les Misérables. They are so new to the international skating scene that again, I can't find a creative commons photo to use here, so here's a link to a video of their free program:
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