Book Review: The Guinea Pig Diaries

Book Review: The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment
By: A.J. Jacobs

What if you took a father of three who edits Esquire magazine and had him run experiments on his everyday life? Well, you might find him acting on behalf of his female nanny and turning down men on online dating sites, or listening to an East Indian man reading a bedtime story to his son over speaker phone. Or how about putting his wife in charge of his every action for a month, or maybe striving to follow all 110 of George Washington’s Rules of Civility? Or scary thought–being radically honest (that’s a great way to build relationships with the in-laws). Maybe you’ll even find him posing in the nude for a magazine shoot or dressing in a tux to go to the Oscars as a famous actor (which he is not).

The lovely thing about Jacobs’ books is that you learn while you are entertained. For example, I learned a lot about George Washington and outsourcing. All while laughing my butt off at his shenanigans. With several short essays discussing his antics and the results of such behaviours, it is a book that would make a good gift for pretty much anyone on your Christmas list.

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Book Review: 5 Cities That Ruled the World

Book Review: 5 Cities That Ruled the World: How Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London and New York Shaped Global History
By Douglas Wilson

Well, sadly, I have to admit that this book was not for me. I suppose I was expecting more of a social history or a socio-geographical history that linked the past great cities to today. And yes, there was some of that, but the book was heavy on the religious history which is not currently an area of interest for me.  If you are into ancient history and religious history, then you will find this to be a great, fascinating book.

Wilson covers Jerusalem (talk about a long history of fighting there–wow), Athens (city of ancient philosophers), Rome (amazing how much of current law originated there), London (literature), and New York (commerce). Personally, I found the history of London and New York to be the most interesting. Did you know London has burned at least 20 times in its history? Yikes. (Better buy fire insurance if you live there.) And New York is also a intriguing city that, indeed, seems to be currently the world’s center. I enjoyed Wilson’s perspectives and insights on New York. Although the city is relatively young (but older than I realized), it has become a center for the world. He also discusses how and why it became a target, and more.

In every nonfiction book there is usually a statement that makes me pause and look at things a little differently. In this book it was: “England’s greatest achievement–in terms of long-range impact–was the creation of the American colonies and the subsequent creation of the United States by losing those colonies.” Hmmm. What would today look like if England hadn’t lost the American colonies? Would it be the same anyway? Or would it be different? And if so, how? Maybe Montreal or Toronto would be the New York.

Is Your Protagonist on the Last Page?

Last night at book club, a member said, “I always read the first chapter, then the last page.” We all gasped, of course, and leaned a little further away from her. She explained, “I want to make sure the protagonist is still around at the end of the story. I’ve been burned a few times. I don’t have the time to invest in a book where the protagonist isn’t still around in the end.”

It makes sense, actually. One of the biggest complaints about Michael Ondaatje’s Divisadero in my other book club was the fact that we were introduced to a group of characters and their conflicts early on in the story and then ‘blam,’ we’re off on other adventures and some of those conflicts were left unresolved. Those characters were not on the last page, so to speak.

So the question is, what do you think? Do you have your protagonist on the last page? If not, what are your reasons?

In case you are curious, my protagonist is always on the last page of all my stories. Right there, tied up with a nice little bow and her happy Disney-ending rainbow. (Only, not quite that cheesy, as I don’t want to make my readers barf all over the book.)

All the more reason not to make your reader barf.

Five Minutes With Aspiring Author TK Richardson

TK Richardson is an aspiring author of young adult fantasy. Her favourite author is Leo Tolstoy as she says, “his writing and imagery take my breath away.” TK is currently seeking agent representation for her story Return to the Heart. She has always leaned towards the more literary, and more serious, thought-provoking stories. As a child her favourite story was Corrie ten Boom’s story about the Nazi occupation in Holland, In My Father’s House. If you read Richardson’s work, you will note how such writers may have affected her writing. You can learn more about TK on her website and blog as well as read some of her work.

A big welcome to TK Richardson. Thank you for joining me today.

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Jean: Tell us a bit about your latest project.

TK: My current completed project is RETURN THE HEART, a YA novel complete at 95,000 words. The pitch:

Seventeen-year-old Lilly is determined to keep her gift of reading the heart a secret, but when that secret is exposed and sold on the black market Lilly discovers her gift is more than just the target of criminal obsession– it’s the fulfillment of an old, Russian prophecy.

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Jean: What prompted you to start writing YA (young adult fiction)?

TK: I started writing a couple of years ago for my daughters. They had just finished a book they loved and I thought I could write one for them. When they read the finished product they were hooked. I have been writing novels ever since.

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Jean: What do you feel is your biggest writing strength?

TK: My biggest writing strength could be knowing what young adults want to read and trying, to the best of my ability, to write what interests them.

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Jean: How many novels/stories do you typically write in a year?

TK: A little over two novels per year, and that includes first draft to polished finish.

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Jean: Publishers depend upon authors doing some of their own publicity or generating word of mouth. What sort of ideas do you have to create a following or create a book buzz when you get published?

TK: My audience is YA, so I intend to use the social networking sites they use. I have already created a book trailer, a web site, and have plans for other promotional avenues. Those are top secret, though. You’ll have to sign me to know the details.

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Jean: Since you are seeking an agent, what is one thing you would like an agent to know about you that might not come out in a query letter?

TK: Well, I am pretty easy to work with and easy going. I am detail oriented and have a strong drive.

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Jean: Do you believe in the Perfect Agent?

TK: No, because there are no perfect people. Things happen, and people make mistakes. To expect anyone to be perfect is unrealistic. I believe there are many agents that would be a good business partner with me, and I look forward to that.

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Jean: Working with an agent/publisher is important –how well could you take editorial direction?

TK: I welcome it wholeheartedly! I am not so in love with my own words that I can’t see room for improvement– there’s always room to grow.

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Jean: What are you reading right now?

TK: Right now I’m reading history books and doing research for another project. I try not to read in my genre while I’m writing, so I don’t pick up another writers’ voice, etc.

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Jean: If we had more than five minutes, what would you like to add? Maybe share your rockstar writer superpower?

TK: I write stories that I believe young adults would love to read.

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Thank you TK. Best of luck in finding your agent. Check out TK’s Website and Blog.

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When Characters Do Bad Things

I was peacefully writing away yesterday afternoon.

La, la, la.

That was me. I began a new chapter with a new character. He carefully slipped out of the house in the morning, being extra careful not to wake his wife who didn’t need to get up for a few more hours. Off he went to work, the ever-so safety conscious employee. All day he works alongside his longtime buddy. Then he shocks me. As he is driving away from the plant, he drives downtown and meets his buddy’s wife for a long-standing affair! They even have a hotel room booked for every Wednesday from 3:30 to 5:30. I was shocked. So shocked I almost stopped writing. Seriously. My fingers paused. My brain leapt scrambled against the brick wall it had been flung against and my jaw dropped.

I stuttered. I blinked. I couldn’t believe it. Sure, in the past my characters have done some pretty zany stuff. But they have never, NEVER done anything that I would disapprove of. And this guy did. I created a cheater and I didn’t know. I’m really quite choked at him. Why would he do this? He’s a good guy with good relationships. Or, at least, so I thought.

I had to stop writing. I left him at the hotel room door. It was hard writing about this as it came so out of left field. The character will stay. The affair will stay. And I will get over it.

What surprised me the most was maybe not his affair, but how shocked I was. I started jumping on what was flowing from my fingers onto the screen. I was getting in the way when I was in the groove and the right, honest words were hitting the page.

I honour the groove, and yet, my brain was stuttering at my fingers, so I had to quit. I was afraid I was going to spoil it. That I was going to get in the way of the story.

Has that ever happened to you? Have your characters shocked you so thoroughly you had to put down the story and compose yourself?

Plants Eating the Water in my Career Corner

Uh, oh. Have I ever been bad. No wonder I don’t have an agent. I have rocks in my career corner. And plants. Lots of plants. This is not good. Not good at all.

In case you fear that I have fallen off my rocker, I have been checking out a book on feng shui. As it turns out, my career corner happens to be located in my kitchen. (North) And a career area, if I have it right, is a water area in one’s life. Rocks and plants eat water. That’s where the ‘uh, oh’ comes in. After reading that I sprang up and put my rock collection which was on the northern most windowsill in a bowl and shoved it in my I-haven’t-read-that-far-in-the-book corner. Next up, plants. Problem is, I like having plants in the kitchen. I like the green, leafy, chi-making plants on top of my cupboards. I have removed two plants, but haven’t quite figured out a loophole to keep the other four.

My husband, who heard me muttering about chi, career corners and water eating rocks, warned me, “Be careful! Last time you messed with feng shui we ended up in this house. Are you ready for a major change in your life?”

While my memory is fuzzy, I’m pretty sure I pumped a fist in the air and bellowed, “Yes! I want an agent!”

I headed out of the kitchen with my water eating rocks. The phone rang.

“See, that’s my agent right now,” I replied.

It wasn’t. Maybe I do have to remove those plants. Or at least finish reading the chapter on career corners.

This is Canada?

You may ask,  “Jean, what did you do today?”

Well, other than going out for a fantastic breakfast (second one of the morning and the better of the two), I watered my shrubs, etc.

“What?” you may ask. “I thought you lived in Canada. Shouldn’t you be up to your eyebrows in snow by now?”

Technically, yes. Or at least up to my ankles. However, it is so dry at the moment, I decided I’d better go out and water things so they won’t die.

While on my watering mission, I discovered two very interesting things. Things I don’t normally see in my garden in November. And thus, I share the photographic evidence of my discoveries.

Oh, look! A volunteer Johnny Jump-up. How cute.

Oh, crap. Those are my tulips!

Rescue mission time…

Awww… tulips for me? How sweet.

Core Writing: NaNoWriMo and Me

Okay, so I’m not going to make it. I’m not going to cross the 50,000 word mark in my new story before NaNoWriMo ends at midnight on the 30th of November.

I knew it would take me longer than a month to write the first draft of this story before I started NaNoWriMo. (I started anyway because all my friends are doing it and it’s a lot of fun.) Now that I’m more than half way through my NaNo days, I’m quite certain I won’t cross 50K in the next week and a half.  I’ve just crossed the 10, 000 word mark. Seeing as this is a story where writing more than 2,000 words a day leaves my brain feeling a bit like a wad of cotton balls, I can’t see the pace speeding up. So, I won’t be done by November 30th. I won’t get a ‘winner’ badge this year. But I’ll have a new story. One I’ve procrastinated on for a long time because the ‘whole’ story hasn’t landed in my head like most do. It’s a one step forward at a time, punctuated by pauses, kind of story.

Will I finish the story? Yes, of course. I figure that by December 30th I should have the first draft down. While in the past I may have been tempted to push and rush and force this story to progress faster, I know that won’t work for this story.

This project is bringing out a different writer in me. My characters do not have names. It kind of works, too. While I wrote the first few plot points, I couldn’t figure out why I seemed to have so much of the storyline down, but still be so close to the beginning in terms of word count. Was I writing a short story by accident? Then last night I realized I am writing the core of the story. The muse has been feeding me the story’s core. Once that is down, I’ll have to go back and flesh out the story’s bystanders. Add more details. It’s interesting. Never before have I written a story this way. I sure hope my muse is still looking over my shoulder when it comes to fleshing out the core.