by Joelle | Nov 11, 2008 | Daily Writings
Today is Remembrance Day in Canada (Veteran’s Day in the US) and down at the RCMP building, they held a ceremony to remember the men and women who served in Canada’s military. One of my great uncles went MIA, another died of complications to his wounds, my...
by Joelle | Nov 10, 2008 | Need to Read
I just read SUITE SCARLETT by Maureen Johnson. I wasn’t really sure what to expect because while I loved her book, THE BURMUDEZ TRIANGLE, I was kind of lukewarm about her others (although she’s got a zillion fans so it’s just my taste, I guess)....
by Joelle | Nov 8, 2008 | Daily Writings
I have taken procrastination to a new level. No, not with my writing…with my knitting. For the last few days I have been knitting swatches like a madwoman for a knitting workshop I took today. As my dear friend,Eileen Cook, so helpfully reminded me...
by Joelle | Nov 7, 2008 | Daily Writings
My friend Alix told me the other day that she was thinking of doing NaNoWriMo. In the end, she signed up for Seventy Days of Sweat instead. Same idea, more time. She’s never written and novel, but has the time, is a good writer, and had the inclination. I...
by Joelle | Nov 6, 2008 | Need to Read
I’ve had a few strikeouts in the reading department lately, so nothing much to write about. One was a NBA nominee that I got about 80 pages into, but still didn’t really care by then, so I let that one go back to the library. Another was a recommended...
by Joelle | Nov 5, 2008 | Daily Writings
I know I’ve been blogging a lot lately, and I don’t intend to keep up quite this pace, but this relates to writing and I wanted to share. My husband has been gently nudging me to leave the house more. It’s true, left to my own devices, I can go an...
by Joelle | Nov 4, 2008 | Daily Writings
I forgot to go to law school, so when I got my book contract today, I sure was glad to have the best agent in the world in my corner! Oh, I read every single word. Some of them twice. The parts I understood were cool. The rest I knew was okay because he’d...
by Joelle | Nov 4, 2008 | Daily Writings
It’s true. I’m all aflutter today. I can’t concentrate. I’m revising, or trying to, and at this stage in the draft, it usually takes me about 30-60 minutes to revise a chapter. I’m mostly cutting repetition, tightening, adding in a small...
by Joelle | Nov 4, 2008 | Uncategorized
As you know, I am an American who lives in Canada. My absentee ballot went off weeks ago and I don’t think they actually count them unless they need to, but I’m not sure about that. I love Canada, but I generally try very hard not to compare the two...
by Joelle | Nov 3, 2008 | Daily Writings
I’m very excited because I managed to actually take a week off from writing (my husband thinks I’m a workaholic, although he refers to it politely as my “work ethic”, but I just really love my job!). Now the week’s up and it’s time...
by Joelle | Nov 2, 2008 | Daily Writings
This is a blog about writing. It is not about politics and I don’t intend for it ever to become one. However,this is a blog about politics and this is a piece I wrote for it. If you’re interested, drop by. If not, that’s cool too.I hope you’re...
by Joelle | Oct 31, 2008 | Daily Writings
I don’t really know much about how the whole author photo works, but I’m assuming that someday my editor or someone at Putnam is going to ask me for one (or maybe even some to choose from). I’m very lucky in that I’m married to a professional...
by Joelle | Oct 30, 2008 | Daily Writings
My friend Janette Rallison discovered by accident that mentioning Orlando Bloom on her blog spiked the number of hits she got to all time highs. Now I would never mention Orlando Bloom just to raise my hits. I wouldn’t mention Orlando Bloom two or three times or...
by Joelle | Oct 29, 2008 | Need to Read
Wow. While I totally failed to predict the National Book Award finalists this year, I don’t have to worry because the judges were paying attention. This is a fantastic book. It’s interesting, beautifully written, intriguing, and so layered. It’s...
by Joelle | Oct 29, 2008 | Need to Read
Yes, it’s true, I dive into every new Susan Juby book knowing I’ll love it, but this can work against a reader too. I end up with high expectations for the writers you love! This book is so hilarious. I read it all in one day too, only taking a short break...
by Joelle | Oct 29, 2008 | Need to Read
I’ve been reading a lot. I’ll list any Advanced Reading Copies that I like and when they’re scheduled for release. When they come out, I’ll have a proper entry with more info. I’ll keep adding to this list too as I read. MODELS...
by Joelle | Oct 29, 2008 | Daily Writings
Last night, author (and YA NBA winner) Sherman Alexie was on the Colbert Report. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. I highly recommend you take a few minutes and watch it. He is in segment 3 if you don’t have time (or the inclination) to watch the...
by Joelle | Oct 28, 2008 | Daily Writings
I have made a few corrections to this post after vetting it by someone at Tourette Syndrome Foundation Canada. First off, I wasn’t supposed to use the logo (!), so I’ve changed it to a grumpy dog which is how I feel about this topic! Thank you to Kadija,...
by Joelle | Oct 24, 2008 | Daily Writings
The good news is I finished reading my WIP and it’s pretty strong. The bad news is I thought I was about 96% done and I’m actually only about 86% there. The good news is I know how to fix it. The bad news is my thoughts are pretty circular right now, which...
by Joelle | Oct 22, 2008 | Daily Writings
If you’ve always wondered how to promote your book when you land a TV interview, I suggest you jump on over toThe Daily Show and watch Segment 2 of the October 21st show. The whole show is pretty hilarious, but segment two is just a goldmine of info for...
by Joelle | Oct 21, 2008 | Daily Writings
The plaque says, “and they lived happily ever after” Whenever I finish up a novel, either a new one or a revision of one, I always seem to rush the ending. Then later, I have to go back and make it bigger, broader, fuller, and more satisfying. So today I...
by Joelle | Oct 19, 2008 | Daily Writings
If you skip down a post or two, you’ll see the bit in my “predictions” (or wishes) for the NBA finalists where I said that because I don’t have a book buying budget, I use the library and so I’m mostly reading 2007’s books instead...
by Joelle | Oct 17, 2008 | Daily Writings
So my friend, Alix at Marmite and Tea asked someone to send her a meme. I’ve always wanted to try my hand writing one, so I made one up just for her. She posted it yesterday. I thought it was such fun, that I’d just do it myself over here. Feel free to...
by Joelle | Oct 16, 2008 | Daily Writings
I was never very good at keeping a journal. I have a few from high school and when I went to Europe after college. They’re pretty lame accounts of boys I was in love with who didn’t love me (and even a few who did). Boring! I’ll certainly never turn...
by Joelle | Oct 14, 2008 | Daily Writings
Tomorrow they announce this year’s finalists for the National Book Award. I looked through all my book cards for the year to see if I’ve read any YA that I think might be a finalist (or should be in my opinion!) and discovered I haven’t read a lot of...
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