Away Message
By Isabelle | August 17, 2008
Hello everyone and happy weekend.
I hope when you read this you find yourselves in great health and happy. I’m glad to announce the cover to my new contracted story is just about finished! *squee* That’s always good news. The edits however, are taking me a lifetime, mostly because of my inability to concentrate. Ginko anyone?
I’m letting you all know I’m headed out of town. Not sure if there’s going to be wi-fi available but *crosses fingers*. A girl can certainly dream. I plan to catch up on much needed sleep and work while away from the daily distractions of home.
I hope you all have a great week!
((HUGS))
Topics: vacationing in PA | 3 Comments »
Around the Blog-o-sphere
By Isabelle | August 14, 2008
I found this at Nephele Tempest’s LJ blog (awesome agent with The Knight Agency). I thought it was worth a nod for those interested. I read and wrote fanfiction for about 4 years so I’m curious to hear what you all think on the subject:
Over at
sartorias’s LJ, there is an intriguing discussion going on about the nature of fiction that is not fanfic in the more traditional sense but still responds to or engages with other work in some way. Sherwood points out that there used to be entire branches of literature that fell into this category, including early Arthuriana and stories set in Barsetshire. Today you only have to look at the huge number of vampire stories that are available.
If you want to look outside the story medium at a broader spectrum of writing, she notes that rap music is very much a community of work that responds to itself, and I’d like to throw in the plays of Shakespeare, which were very much based on earlier stories, legends, etc. And Shakespeare, of course, has spawned his own type of acceptable fanfic in our current culture, as has Jane Austen to an even greater degree.
As of right now the discussion just seems to be starting, but I suspect will continue to grow as more people add their ideas. What do you think? At what point does a piece of writing stop merely being inspired by other work around it and start to inch more toward an acceptable type of fanfic?
Topics: fanfiction | No Comments »
Final Touches
By Isabelle | August 12, 2008
I just sent out the cover form for my newly contracted story with Freya’s Bower. I have to say, I still think that getting cover art is one of the most thrilling processes of publishing, beside the actual release date and reviews. 
On the other hand I’ve been working (veeeeeerrrrrryyyyyy slowly) on the edits for it. I wish I could work faster but the old body makes it hard. Plus work, plus keeping house, plus trying to get ready for next week. I’m going with the hubby to Pennsylvania. It isn’t really a vacation, but I hope to be able to get work done (writing-wise) while he does work of his own. I’m so insanely behind. *tries not to panic*
All of my WIP projects are on hold. Mostly while I try to get my edits and house together. This past month has been a whirlwind.
I have been by all your blogs, btw. I’ve just been terrible at commenting. Forgive me? *bats eyes innocently*
Topics: writing/editing, writing woes | 1 Comment »
What Do You Get When…
By Isabelle | August 7, 2008
…you mix all the things I adore together?
Musicals, Neil Patrick Harris (who never ever fails to make me laugh), and unrequited love? You get Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog!!!
I know. I’m like the last person in the world to actually watch this, but OMG. First of all, the music is suprisingly fabulous! I shouldn’t be surprised, being created by Joss Whedon and all, but he just DOES continue to surprise me. The funniest thing to me is how much Nathan Fillion’s character reminds me of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. *snickers*
Anyone interested should check it out. They’re featuring it on hulu.com I promise you won’t be disappointed. 
Topics: tv watching | No Comments »
When It’s Over
By Isabelle | August 4, 2008
Authors are returning to real life after RWA. They’re all pumped with awards, workshop advice, meeting new authors, editors and agents, and wanting to get right to work! I’ve been on the other end of the spectrum. All week long my job was gearing up for Breaking Dawn. The closer it got the more we grew anxious. Would it really be as big a party as we suspected? Well, it was no Harry Potter… but I must say, it came a close second.
I started work at 8pm, confused to find the place rather empty.I helped set up the cafe and such. We had more baked goods than we had room for and we had the Frappuccino blenders ready. I went in costume because I’m a geek. I wore a bear mask and brown clothes, did up my eyes and wore my hair 80s curly. I tried to get my hands on a blank nametag so that I could write irritable grizzly on it, but eh, they only had Team Edward ones. *bah to that*
By ten the place looked more like a high school than a bookstore. Teeny boppers in every corner you could imagine. They had on homemade shirts, glitter, prom dresses, pale faces, hand crafted jeans, the works. Whatever you could imagine, they did, and quite creatively. They had an exciting buzz going through them which got us kind of pumped as well, despite the late hour.
All in all, the event went smoothly. We sold more Caramel Frappuccinos than I ever care to see again. Then again, we had a hot drink/cold drink (Jacob/Edward) competition going on, and I swear they rigged it so Edward would win. But I digress.
Once midnight struck, the place grew strangely quiet. I walked to the back only find kids sitting in the aisles, their books open. I got a strange sense of pride at that moment. To see so many kids reading is such a relief. Maybe there’s hope for the youth of America after all.
Now that it’s died down, I managed to sit and read my own copy (we all know I pre-ordered it). As with most of Ms. Meyer’s books, I found the opening a little slow, but by the middle, I was a complete goner. Unfortunately, I was a little spoiled, (I then proceeded to boycott LiveJournal for a week), but even as I read, a lot of the events were pretty predictable. The thing that made it all worth my while, book 2. For those of you who read it, you know exactly what I mean. How refreshing. Even if I didn’t all together like the outcome, I would have bought the book just for that.
So that’s where I’m at now. Trying to settle back into ‘real’ retail world. Sales are getting back to normal after a ‘Christmas-like’ weekend. Next up, Brisingr. Anyone big fans of Paolini?
Topics: author promotion | 2 Comments »
Comic-Con
By Isabelle | July 27, 2008
The be all and end all of super heroes, action movies, buzzworthy projects, and celebrities. And man, I wish I was there. Another reason I HAVE to get myself out to California at some point or another.
Twilight (the movie) seems to have been a huge hit. Their panel pulled in a large audience and the actors were well received by the public. Unfortunately, I’m not too certain why the press seems to hate them so much. Many of the blog articles I read about the event seemed to think them (the actors) full of themselves and awkward, and felt the buzz is overrated.
I don’t know. I happened to have seen a few videos and think they did what they were supposed to: catered to the crowd, amused them, and answered a few questions for a few rabid fangirls. *shrugs* Ha ha.
It’s still fascinating to see how this is growing. It started as the little movie that could and is now one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Not to mention with Breaking Dawn coming out in just 5 days! (squee!!!!!!!!)
Amazing. Can you authors out there imagine what this kind of fame must be like? Mind blowing, really.
Topics: author promotion | 2 Comments »
Yucky
By Isabelle | July 24, 2008
I have brought everyone down on this blog long enough. I beg your pardon my faithful bloggers. That was never my intention. Life tends to completely overwhelm me at times. I had a pretty icky day, except for the random almost building of a cardboard fort at work. It lasted all of ten minutes, but strangely enough it made me so happy! Ha ha. I totally see why kids get so excited about them.
I spent the evening watching one of my fave shows: So You Think You Can Dance. One of last night’s performances reminded me of why I absolutely want to be a dancer so badly. Maybe in my next life?
The part I love best? When she’s slamming her body against the door! I don’t know why, but I absolutely see myself doing that. Plus the song is catchy as all get out. Sooo good. Thankfully, they both were safe tonight.
Topics: tv watching | 1 Comment »
Two Can Keep a Secret…
By Isabelle | July 22, 2008
…if one of them is dead.
The thing about secrets is they divide people. They cause riffs, misunderstandings, people jumping to conclusions because they don’t have all the facts. Which is one reason why I hate them. But at the same time, secrets serve as a protection, whether it be for yourself or pertaining to someone you love.
So why is it so hard to keep a secret? Sometimes for good reasons. Because they’re exciting, because they’re nerve wrecking, because you want to shout it from the rooftops.
Other times, the reasons aren’t quite as good. Because you’re afraid, because you’re not sure it’s the right time, because there are other people affected by your secret.
So what do you do when you have to keep one? Especially when you know that just telling it would explain so much to so many people who are completely misunderstanding you?
Topics: life sucks | 3 Comments »
Back
By Isabelle | July 21, 2008
Playing domestic diva. Cleaning, unpacking, and sleeping off a long weekend. Mondays seem endless sometimes, don’t they?
Topics: random thoughts | 3 Comments »
All Packed And Ready To Go
By Isabelle | July 17, 2008
The hubby and I are headed to upstate NY. While there, we’re going to make a beeline to see my grandmother on Sunday. I spent all of yesterday cleaning and packing so I didn’t have a million things to do when I got back. I hate that.
Now that I’ve got the paperwork in the mail, I can let you all know that *squee* I just sent out a contract for a novella! It’s a contemporary sci-fi/paranormal titled Surfacing.
I’m very very proud of this story. It has undergone some major rewrites from the original version I wrote years ago, and I think it stands strong now.
I’ll give you more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, interested in a blurb?
Paige Jacobs lives the perfect life. She has a brand new car, a chic condo near L.A, her dream job, and a charming fiancé. But the memory- or fantasy- of a gorgeous boy with silver eyes consumes her. Her sister Aimee, the only one who knows the dangerous secrets of her past, refuses to talk about them. In an effort to waste time doing something other than obsessing over haunting memories, Paige starts to write a book. Only the hero is too much like the silver-eyed boy she’d loved so much in her youth and she can’t stop herself from getting caught up in it all. Then one morning, on a coffee run, she runs smack dab into the one person she never thought she’d see again.
Ohhh… ahhhh… Make you want to read more? Ha ha.
Anyway, I hope you all have an incredible weekend! I’ll see you when I get back!
Topics: novella, writing front | 3 Comments »