Let’s see . . . As Courtney Milan pointed out, there are only so many days one can get by on < 5 hrs sleep and still have no problem with daytime perkiness. She is very wise. Perkiness is an issue for many of us.
Friday afternoon
The Berkley signing was quite fun. I sat next to Julie Kenner who is really nice, and across from Ann Aguirre and Jennifer Ashley so I got to wave at them. I had Indiscreet and Scandal to sign and the beautiful covers drew people in. My books were gone by 3:30 so I popped over to the RITA reception and just in time to get my lovely finalist certificates and meet many of the other finalists.
Then I went to the GCP dinner which was lovely indeed, but goodness, I was fading fast… But then I went with authors Vickie Dreilling, Roxanne St. Clair and Kristin Painter to a bar called the BlueZoo or maybe it was the ZooBlue, Something and more people showed up and we all had a great time sitting and talking and stuff. It was quite fun, Then my roomie and I hung out with Ann Aguirre for more good times and then we went to bed about 2:00 am.
Oh my goodness. The teenage years are one heck of a transformation. When my son was little, I necessarily did my writing in snatches or when he was asleep. Young kids need supervision to protect themselves and the household. And since he’s an only child, there haven’t been siblings for him to play with. Now he’s a teenager. The eye-rolling has commenced. His eyes are going to get stuck that way. I’m tempted to tell him that too, just because of the agony it would cause him to have his mother say something so lame.
Now, I think I could close my door and write all day and as long as I came out to feed him and go shopping for more food, he would be almost happy. He would prefer, I think, that I cook dinner and when everything is on the table, that would be my cue to disappear again, to reappear to clean up only after he has left the room. All communication should be by semaphore or maybe text, as long as I don’t text him something lame. Like “Where R U?”
The difficulty now is that I am not comfortable with his apparently preferred method of communication. I would like to know what is going on with him. So I emerge from the writing cave to destroy his peace of mind by staying in the room during dinner and asking him questions about things he might like to do … etc.
And yet, it’s wonderful to watch him becoming his own person. It is my job to tolerate his need for separation while making it clear he must accept some level of parental existence. It’s worth it because every now and then I see these flashes of a brilliant, handsome, thoughtful man, and I am really quite terribly proud of him. He reminds me of how intense emotions are at this age. It’s a good reminder for me and, even, for my writing.
Things are so crazy at work that my days are not so fun right now. Soon, hopefully, things will let up and I will have time to take a breath or two. Meanwhile, I continue writing The Next Paranormal which I THINK will actually get the title I came up with: My Dangerous Pleasure.
Which I kind of like.
This go around with the book I am being careful about doing frequent print outs to read through since I think that really helps me a lot. It’s easier for me to see where things are going wrong. It’s also easier to simply put the chapters in a new order, which is something I do a lot in the early days. This time around, I’m actually writing scenes that my gut says this will be so cool and then figuring out where it will go later. Usually I have a pretty good idea, but the read-through really helps me find the exact right spot at the time of the read-through. As things change, chapters are likely to move around again.
I’ve also removed my first character. Yay! I find that’s always a sign that things are gelling. Once I did that — folding in Extraneous Character Number 1 with the Real Antagonist– additional good ideas came out that have me very pleased. W00t!
Many writers have said they’re frightened by my process, which might well be described as The Slash and Re-Order Style of Writing and I would have to agree. It is frightening. But it works for me and that is what matters. This method, to the best of my knowledge, is not taught in any MFA program. And yet, going to grad school for writing was the best thing I ever did. It wasn’t an MFA so maybe that made the difference.
I am SOOOOOO close to being done with these gol-durned revisions. So, naturally, I am procrastinating.
At the homestead today, my 82 year old mother says to me:
Your father can’t find the sheep. Can you go down to the creek and look for them? He can’t go down there by himself.
Me: Sure.
And off I trot, only usually if the sheep are down at the creek, you can see at least one of them and there are no sheep visible. So instead of walking down to the creek, I walked the complete opposite direction to the neighbor’s field where for the last 30 years our sheep have also grazed. Sure enough, there they are. Happily eating spring grass. I go back to the house and give the good news to my mother who then says:
Can you go tell your father?
Me: Sure!
Off I go to find my father. Only he’s nowhere to be seen. So I go back to the house and say to my mother:
Where’s the last time you saw Dad?
My Mom: He’s probably down at the creek
Me: (to self) But you said he couldn’t make it down there!
My Mom: Can you go down there and find him? (By the way, it’s obvious my mother thinks my father has fallen in the creek or died of a rattlesnake bite, even though there are very very few rattlesnakes around here. It’s like the time years ago when she gave me a weird look when I got home but didn’t say anything at all. My cat comes out to say hello to me and she says, Oh! He’s alive! And I say, What? Why wouldn’t he be? And she says, I saw a hawk flying off with a large animal and I thought it had your cat. So, it’s obvious that to my mom, my father has been carried off by a metaphorical hawk.)
Me: Sure.
And off I go. Only not all the way because I quickly realized how silly that would be. I went around to the front of the house and there’s my dad, walking up the driveway with the mail. (It’s a looooong driveway with trees and a 90 deg turn. The bottom part of the driveway parallels the neighbor’s field where our not lost sheep were grazing. So dad had found the sheep on his way to get the mail.
The blog has moved to WordPress and will continue, I am sure, to be as spiffy and informative as ever. I have several things backing up in the Need to Post category, so there will be much to see here. I have a few tweaks to make yet, but here’s a link to the new: Feed
Today, author Wendy Tokunaga is visiting my blog and talking about her new book, Love in Translation. Woot!
About Wendy
Wendy Nelson Tokunaga is the author of the novels, MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT (St. Martin’s, Available Now) and the forthcoming LOVE IN TRANSLATION (St. Martin’s, November 2009). Her novel, NO KIDDING, won the Literary/Mainstream Fiction category in Writer’s Digest’s Best Self-Published Book Awards in 2002. She is also the author of two children’s non-fiction books, and has had short stories published in various literary journals. Wendy signed her two-book deal with St. Martin’s just as she was beginning the MFA in Writing program at the University of San Francisco in 2006. Along with her MFA, she also holds a BA in Psychology from San Francisco State University. In her spare time Wendy sings bossa nova, cool pop, jazz standards and Japanese songs accompanied by her surfer dude husband Manabu on electronic keyboards. They live with their cat Meow in the San Francisco Bay Area, a short walk from the Pacific Ocean.
The San Francisco Chronicle called Wendy Nelson Tokunaga’s debut novel, Midori by Moonlight, a “terrific first novel.” Now she’s back with her second book, Love in Translation, which again explores the themes of Japan and Japanese culture and being a stranger in a strange land, which have played a major role in her life and writing.
Love in Translation by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga Trade Paperback $13.99 ($17.99 Canada) 978-0-312-37266-8 240 pages St. Martin’s Griffin Available: Now (Published November 24, 2009) Web Site: www.WendyNelsonTokunaga.com
For anyone who’s ever dreamt of finding love and family in an unexpected place…
After receiving a puzzling phone call and a box full of mysterious family heirlooms, 33-year-old fledgling singer Celeste Duncan is off to Japan to search for a long, lost relative who could hold the key to the identity of the father she never knew. Once there she stumbles head first into a weird, wonderful world where nothing is quite as it seems—a land with an inexplicable fascination with foreigners, karaoke boxes, and unbearably perky TV stars.
With little knowledge of Japanese, Celeste finds a friend in her English-speaking homestay brother, Takuya, and comes to depend on him for all variety of translation, travel and investigatory needs. As they cross the country following a trail after Celeste’s relatives, she discovers she’s developing “more-than-sisterly” feelings for him, although his mother seems to have other plans for her son. But it is when Celeste learns a Japanese song called “The Wishing Star” that things begin to change for her in ways she never expected, leading her to ask, what is the true meaning of family? And what does it mean to discover your own voice?
A delightful novel about love, identity, and what it means to be adrift in a strange land. This story of a search has an Alice in Wonderland vibe; when Celeste climbs down the rabbit hole, one can’t help but follow along. –Michelle Richmond, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Fog
An amusing story of one woman’s quest for her father and the improbable path of love. –Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters
Tokunaga… describe[s] Japanese culture in absorbing detail. –Publishers Weekly
Witty, lighthearted and charming story of finding love in an unexpected place. –Fresh Fiction
A delightful plot with wonderful characterizations. –Affair de Coeur Magazine
Four stars! –RT Book Reviews Magazine
Love in Translation Video Book Trailer
Video created and produced by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga Music written and performed by Manabu Tokunaga
Love in Translation Theme Song
The fictional song becomes a reality! Listen to the Love in Translation original theme song, “The Wishing Star (Nozomi no Hoshi)” Music by Manabu Tokunaga, Lyrics by Hiro Akashi and Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, Vocal by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga. Download at Wendy’s website Download on iTunes Love in Translation Audio Drama Podcast Hear the dramatic excerpt
Interview
Q: What inspired Love in Translation?
Many things. LOVE IN TRANSLATION is my cockeyed valentine to Japan, which is a place I’ve both loved and loathed, a place that has fueled both fascination and frustration. And it is also a place that has had a huge impact on my life and writing. I also wanted to explore what it means to be a gaijin (foreigner) in Japan and the benefits and downsides of that status and what happens when a gaijin sings in Japanese. I also am fascinated by the concept of the homestay, (something I never experienced), and how that would impact someone as an adult who grew up in foster homes and who never experienced a real family.
Q: If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing instead?
I’d be singing. Before I started writing fiction I wrote songs, sang lead and played bass guitar in my own bands. Later on I got into singing Japanese karaoke. And further down the road I took voice lessons from a great Japanese jazz singer. I learned so much from her and was able to take my singing to a whole new level. I began to sing jazz standards with my husband accompanying me on keyboards. We play low-key venues once in a while but usually we just practice for fun at home.
Q: What were some of your favorite books as a kid?
I loved Edward Eager’s “magic” books: “Half Magic,” “Magic by the Lake,” “Seven Day Magic,” “The Well Wishers,” etc. I also was a voracious reader of all of A.A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” books. And another of my favorites was “The Summer Birds” by Penelope Farmer, about a group of children who teach themselves how to fly. A few years ago I went on a hunt on the Internet for some of these books since I didn’t have my own copies any longer and now have added them to the bookcase in our family room.
Q: Which craft books have inspired or helped you throughout your writing career?
There are many and some are not technically “craft” books such as “The Resilient Writer: Tales of Rejection and Triumph from 23 Top Authors” by Catherine Wald. Others include “bird by bird” by Anne Lamott, “The First Five Pages” by Noah Lukeman and “The Art & Craft of Novel Writing” by Oakley Hall.
Q: What do you consider the heart of your story?
My stories seem to have several “hearts,” or at least I see them that way. In LOVE IN TRANSLATION it’s how Celeste Duncan, a woman without a family, finds one in a foreign culture. It’s also about the power of music on the soul and heart and the meaning of finding your own voice, both in the singing sense and the identity sense.
Q: What comes most naturally for you to write, dialogue? plot? character? What’s the hardest?
Easiest for me is plot and that’s what I try to spend time sorting that out on the first draft. I also like to “talk out” my plot to friends and keep refining it that way. The most difficult is slowing down and spending time on description. I don’t care for long passages of description, but you must have some. So I try and strike a happy medium, but it isn’t easy for me.
Q: What has brought the greatest joy since you were published? The greatest angst?
I’d say the greatest joy is having readers who appreciate your writing. And the greatest angst is in working hard to keep those readers and gain more.
Q: What do you love about being an author?
There’s so much that I enjoy. First, it’s great to be paid for something you love to do. But I also find it inspiring to help other writers. I enjoy telling my story of woe on my road to publication and let others know that they don’t need any special connections to the publishing world in order to get published. I like to promote the message that you should never give up. And if you work hard, keep at it and be flexible, your publishing dream may come true. I also like helping other writers make their work the best it can be.
Q: What’s one piece of writing advice you’ve found valuable on your journey to publication?
That often you won’t discover the real story you’re trying to tell until the revision process.
Q: What is your favorite food or cuisine?
I guess it won’t surprise anyone that I love Japanese food. And, while I do like sushi, I particularly enjoy ramen (the Japanese take on Chinese noodle soup), niku jaga (beef and potato stew), Japanese-style pasta, and yaki ika (fried squid), among many other dishes.
Q: How do you promote your books? Are you going on tour for this book? Any upcoming signings?
I do a lot of my own promotion for my books, much of it online. I’m on MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, have blogs, a website, etc., etc. It’s fun, but it can be overwhelming sometimes. I actually was dreaming in Tweets the other night and I often spend way too much time thinking about what my Facebook status should be. I generally do readings and signings in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have events coming up for promotion of LOVE IN TRANSLATION in early December in San Francisco, Half Moon Bay and Corte Madera, which are all listed on my website. And I may be doing some more in January. At some of the events I’ll be performing “The Wishing Star (Nozomi no Hoshi)” the “theme song” from LOVE IN TRANSLATION, which is the fictional song portrayed in the book brought to real life. I also really like appearing at writers conferences and I’ll be at the San Francisco Writers Conference in mid-February. I’ll also be teaching a class called Your Novel: The Road to Publication at Books Inc. Opera Plaza in San Francisco in January.
Q: What’s next for you?
I’m working on a novel that is a different departure for me: it has very little to do with Japan!
Friday. I like Fridays quite a lot, especially when it gets to be 4:00 pm and I’m home.
All-in-all a good day. Should be working on my synopsis for The Next Historical proposal, but I’m tired and since I have to get up early tomorrow, I think I’m going to go to bed very soon. Some good things possibly on the horizon, which is all I can say for the moment. Guess I’m a tease. Sorry. (not really).
Tomorrow is my local RWA chapter meeting. I’m very much looking forward to it. Should be fun. They have doughnuts so I think it will be good times no matter what. My favorites are plain cake (a strange but true fact about me) but they hardly ever have those. My 2nd fav are the old fashioned. I plan to eat a doughnut. Possibly two. Three if there’s plain cake. From time-to-time I make doughnuts. It’s not hard at all. The only trick is getting the oil to the right temperature. Once I made beignets and ooh, yummy!
I have bought my plane ticket for RWA. The fare was dirt cheap. Wow. If you’re going to be there, I’ll be signing at the Literacy Signing and at the Berkley and Grand Central author signings.
I’ve mailed off all the birthday bash prizes, so winners, be on the lookout!
I’m mulling over ideas for a contest for the official release of My Forbidden Desire. Hmmm. Must decide something soon.
Yesterday I read Living Dead in Dallas the 2nd Sookie Stackhouse book. I also have the most recent one but have realized I want to read them in order so now I must look to getting all the ones in between — because from the back blurb of the latest, she has a boyfriend named Quinn which means something happens with Bill — do NOT spoil it for me!!! and I’m assuming (praying?) something will happen with Eric because I’m a slut that way.
Now I’m reading Something Something Something by Someone or other and I’m too lazy to go find the exact title. Something about race car drivers. It’s cute but has a completely ridiculous plot hook. I’d be enjoying it more otherwise.
Speed Brick is on a diet (me, too) and is not happy about the reduced rations. (Me neither, brother, me neither.) He is currently making his displeasure known to me. I’m trying the tough love.
So, what’s your favorite kind of doughnut? Am I alone in my love of plain cake?
Today, the awesome Kelly Parra submits to an interview from yours truly. Grace under pressure, folks. Kelly writes one of my all time fav genres, YA. Here we go!
About Kelly Parra
Kelly Parra is the author of Graffiti Girl, a double RITA nominee and a Latinidad Top Pick, and the contemporary paranormal, Invisible Touch. When not pulling her hair while writing her current novel, she likes to play with her abundance of websites and feed a serious television addiction. For excerpts visit, www.kellyparra.com or follow the Secret Fates blog at secretfates.blogspot.com.
The Interview
1. Tell me a little bit about the book.
K: Hi Carolyn, thank you for having me on your blog! Here is the cover copy for Invisible Touch:
Kara Martinez has been trying to be "normal" ever since the accident that took her father’s life when she was eleven years old. She’s buried the caliente side of her Mexican heritage with her father and tried to be the girl her rigid mother wants her to be–compliant and dressed in pink, and certainly not acting out like her older brother Jason. Not even Danielle, her best friend at Valdez High, has seen the real Kara; only those who read her anonymous blog know the deepest secrets of the sign seer.
Because Kara has a gift–one that often feels like a curse. She sees signs, visions that are clues to a person’s fate, if she can put together the pieces of the puzzle in time. So far, she’s been able to solve the clues and avert disaster for those she’s been warned about–until she sees the flash of a gun on a fellow classmate, and the stakes are raised higher than ever before. Kara does her best to follow the signs, but it’s her heart that wanders into new territory when she falls for a mysterious guy from the wrong side of town, taking her closer to answers she may not be able to handle. Will her forbidden romance help her solve the deadly puzzle before it’s too late…or lead her even further into danger?
2. If your protagonist were to wake up one day with a super power, what would that super power be? Alternatively (or both!) if your protagonist were to wake up one day with an intense craving for something, what would the craving be?
K: I guess you could say, seeing signs of the future is a super power! LOL. My character’s intense craving in Invisible Touch is flavored coffee so I believe that’s what she’d wake up wanting.
K: The villain in Invisible Touch is a mystery, so I can’t tell you who it might be, but I’ll compare the person to Darth Vader because the villain likes to take control.
4. What do you consider the heart of your story? That is, what is the issue or emotion that propels things forward? Spill your guts on this one.
K: Kara lost her father tragically in an accident she was involved in and also received the gift of signs in order to save others from unfortunate fates. I think she tries to save others because she couldn’t save her father. As the mystery unfolds, Kara is trying keep her family together and deal with her grief. It’s an emotional journey for her and her family.
5. If you were in charge of casting the movie adaptation of your book, who gets the call?
K: Most of my favorite actors are too old for my characters but here’s the make-believe scenario: Kara would be possibly be Vanessa Hudgens. Anthony would be a younger Milo Ventimiglia.
Carolyn: Wowza! I’m now a Milo fan!
6. Is there a scene you cut from the book that you kind of wish you could put back in?
K: I had another best friend in the first draft of the book, and she was going to be a red herring. You wouldn’t know who was leaving Kara secrets, but it became a little confusing so I pulled her. But I think I might have been able to make it work eventually.
7. Do you have a sample chapter posted?
K: There is a sample excerpt on my website here: http://www.kellyparra.com/invisible.php
8. Tell us why your editor is the best editor ever in the universe.
K: My editor is super cool because she knows just how to pump up my stories without trying to change my voice.
Thanks for having me on your blog, Carolyn!
And thank you, Kelly.
P.S. As of this posting, 5 Amazon reviews, all 5-stars. I’m guessing this book rocks! No guessing involved, check the out trailer and the review blurbs below.
"A magical blending of mystery, romance, and deep and dangerous secrets. Kelly Parra’s Invisible Touch is an action-packed coming-of-age novel, sure to keep readers turning pages and begging for a sequel." –Laurie Faria Stolarz, Bestselling author of Blue is for Nightmares and Deadly Little Secret
"Readers are going to delight in this fast-paced, gripping story, and be kept spellbound until its surprising finish." –Tina Ferraro, author of How To Hook A Hottie
"The Gold Award of Excellence! An amazing, touching novel that deals with big issues in an original context." –TeensReadToo
"Five out of five gold pens for Invisible Touch." –The Salinas Californian
