You may have noticed that I haven’t been quite as obsessive about blogging as usual. Though it kills me to do it at 997 Facebook Likes (because I really would like to get a nice, even, lovely 1,000) I’ve gone deep into Fairyworld.
Most of you know that I’m writing a Middle Grade fantasy book. I’ve been working on this story for about two years and I’m about 2/3 done with the draft. Though I write everyday, when I blog, its hard for my mental energy not get stuck in the news. I don’t know if you’ve found this is true, but since becoming a mom, I need to be choose carefully where I focus my brain cells. Never have I been more aware that the space in my head is so limited. Between work and drama, schedules and crises, I have no extra bandwith (is there a better tech term? That one kept coming up when my blog was crashing and crashing, which is how I feel.)
In a way, it’s nice to be aware of limits, like the good feeling you get when you clean out the garage. I have no space for junk. Frankly, I don’t even have a garage, just tiny, flat closets in this rickety 1911 Victorian.
I don’t think blogging is junk by the way. I think it’s changing the world. I honestly don’t even know how I personally managed to sane before blogging (not to mention using the internet to connect with people who understood what I was saying and didn’t argue with me before I could complete a sentence.) It’s just I have to finish this book. For the summer, every hour is scheduled, all brain cells are committed, and this damn thing is going to get done.
I will be blogging now and then, and I do have scheduled in MG reading time, so I hope to get reviews to you. I’ll also be seeing movies with my kids that I’ll blog about. Please use this blog, Reel Girl’s FB page and Twitter feed to connect, post, and speak about issues.
Have a great summer!
Margot
I just had a book proposal rejected partly on the grounds that by the time it was published blogging is going to be over. Fools.
Hi Orlando,
Are you kidding me?? Does that mean writers are going to get paid again? : )
Margot
Hi Margot,
If you’re looking for MG books, I have a great recommendation: Emily the Strange by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner.
Emily, the titular female protagonist, is a 13-year-old solitary goth, who much prefers the company of her four black cats rather than other humans. She is nocturnal, a mechanical genius (creating ingenious gadgets and inventions), and frequently goes on adventures in fictional towns in America, accompanied by her cats, and her mighty golem Raven (whom she created). She slingshots, skateboards, plays punk rock music on her guitar, and runs dubious scientific experiments in her room. She seems to be a scientific prodigy, even being able to whip up vaccines and calculate terminal velocity easily. She’s rather mischievous and constantly gets into trouble, getting expelled from school so much that she decides to homeschool herself. She constantly outsmarts her ancestral enemy, Attikol, and her cousin Jakey (a psychic) as her loyal friend.
There are much great female characters in the books, such as her Dark Aunts, who all have a remarkable talent associated with a magical black liquid. The gender ratio is pretty even, not factoring in the henchmen of Attikol. The female characters are all capable in some way despite having vices which irk Emily (e.g. Dottie’s greed for money while being a crafty “thought puller”, Molly’s hyperactivity while being an all-rounder who wins trophies in whatever she does).
The plots are very engrossing and are often hilarious. However, there are hints of violence and death, such as when Umlaut (Attikol’s assistant and cousin) gets wounded in a fight killing one of Attikol’s henchmen. It is also full of mild dark themes, but nothing remotely satanic/demonic at all. There were even mentions of feminism and black slavery, such as when Emily criticized Attikol for hiring an all-men team of engineers to build from her stolen contraption blueprints. One con is that Attikol is (very slightly) lecherous, in that he once tells Raven to wear a revealing outfit for their date (which she is uninterested in).
Such books for tweens are rare, so maybe you should try them out.
I think I just became your 1000th like on FB.
Hi Ross,
You totally rock! When I went to link this post to FB, I had 1000 likes! I am taking it as a sign FULL SPEED AHEAD.
Thank you!!!
Margot
You’re welcome. 🙂