http://sarahmillerbooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/hate-list-by-jennifer-brown.html

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

There's a sketchy line between the way things look and the way things are -- sketchy enough that it's not always easy to tell which side you're on. Hate List is real enough to make you sit up and wonder.

In middle school, I floated on the fringes of a crowd that would eventually become the loser-freaks. As time went by, their eyeliner, reading material, and boot soles all darkened. I stuck with them through V.C. Andrews and Depeche Mode, then drifted away when they began graduating to Anne Rice and Marlboros. If I hadn't bailed, would I have noticed if one of them blew a fuse and began crossing the line? Maybe. Like Valerie, could I have missed the the shift of their customary death-centered banter into something more ominous? Probably.

On the other hand, could I have found myself on the Hate List? Entirely possible. By high school I'd firmly entrenched myself in the Nobody in Particular clan, but I can remember laughing while some higher member of the food chain jacked up Jason Hills like it was some kind of indoor sport. Creepier yet, one girl I ate lunch with swore I'd tormented her little sister in elementary school, yet I don't have the slightest recollection. And when somebody finds their way to the edge, that's all it might take, really.

(Available in September)

 Last January, I asked who on my blogging list had a book being published in 2009, and these are the books that were listed between July and December.

Those of you who didn't know your official release dates way back in January, do you have them now?

Is there anyone else with a book coming this year? I like to celebrate with you all, so please don't be shy.


August

BOBBY VS. GIRLS (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee

APPLES FOR EVERYONE by Jill Esbaum

September

THE SMALL ADVENTURE OF POPEYE AND ELVIS by Barbara O'Connor

PUMPKINS - Seed, Sprout, Pie by Jill Esbaum

SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater

October

JUMPING OFF SWINGS by Jo Knowles

BALLAD by Maggie Stiefvater


2009, but no exact date yet

RYAN'S VICTORY by Judith Mammay

CHICKEN DANCE by Tammi Sauer

Stephanie Meyer Biography by Lisa Albert

STAR OF THE SHOW by Della Ross Ferreri

FOLLOW THAT FOOD CHAIN: A WHO-EATS-WHAT ADVENTURE (Set 2) by Rebecca Hogue Wojhan

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/ZiJh/~3/Fq_YBV_sAuc/ink-news-for-july.html

Click here: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Chicken-Dance/Tammi-Sauer/e/9781402753664/?itm=1

And see these words: Usually ships in 24 hours.

Okay.

Feeling a LITTLE freaked out. After all this time, people will soon be READING this book.

Holy chicken.

I'm catching up on pictures...here are a few glimpses of late spring and early summer...Stories from the Sewanee Young Writers to come soon too! We had a great cracking thunderstorm today.


BOB, THE STAG BEETLE FROM SEWANEE


NORAH NAMED HIM BOB...HE HAS GONE TO NASHVILLE TO VISIT THE COUSINS.


LUCY'S GRADUATION WITH BIG BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER


SUMMER ESTEP FROM BEAR BRANCH, KENTUCKY...ONE OF LUCY'S PICTURES


LAST FIELD TRIP OF THE YEAR...LONG BEACH AQUARIUM


A MORNING HIKE IN SEWANEE...


TREE SPRITES IN LOS ANGELES...


NORAH'S KITTY, "DAISY," WHO DID NOT MAKE THE TRIP TO SEWANEE...


NORAH, FLANNERY, AND LUCY...


HAPPY GRADUATES...LUCY AND ANDREW...

I made a teepee for my son (he's almost 2). It consists of 5 wooden dowels, a thick shoelace to tie them together, and an old skirt with a slit up the side draped over it. He loves it, but as you might expect, constantly bumping into the poles (and standing up in the teepee to play peekaboo) causes them to shift--the biggest problem is that the poles contract, making the teepee progressively taller and narrower, until it falls over. It's fairly easy to right the teepee, but I'd rather he be able to play in it for more than 5 minutes at a time!

So, does anyone have any nifty solutions to my engineering problem? I was thinking of drilling holes in the tops of the dowels and in an embroidery hoop, and then screwing the hoop to the inside of the upper circle of dowels, but since the dowels are conical and the hoop cylindrical, this strikes me as very tricky (not to mention that the dowels are rather thin for this.)

http://sarahmillerbooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/state-of-tbr-pile.html

Good news: Major Mama Drama was recommended to K-5 students.



Bad news: Despite what the review says, Peter Pan/Wendy/Plays aren't even mentioned in the story. (Posted on a Denver Public Schools site.)

Their review:

"Katherine can’t believe how insistent her mother has become about her trying out for the part of Wendy in the school production of Peter Pan. Her mother keeps pulling out photos and old costumes from when she played the part of Wendy. She keeps talking about making it a family tradition. How is Katherine ever going to break it to her mother that she doesn’t want the part of Wendy?
Books in this series, Katherine the Almost Great, are full of family drama and fun. These books are for middle elementary age readers who are ready to step up from beginning reader books to easy chapters. Scattered pen and ink drawings add interest to the story but don’t overwhelm.

(It does sound cute but I digress...)

The blurb on my book:

Major Mama Drama: Katharine knows her mom’s super-duper secret and thinks it’s a super-duper dud! Mrs. Carmichael is the new cook at Liberty Corner School—Katharine’s school! When her mom blows her kisses, bans fries from the menu, and delivers sour milk to her classroom, Katharine’s stomach does a flip-flop belly drop. Can Katharine survive her major mama drama?

At least they correctly summarized (and recommended!) The Red, White, and Blue Crew.

...kids' favorite activity (and boy, did they make those chipmunks fat!)

...they both had fun with the camera( more under here )

...not pictured, but still a big part: huge downpour (with hail and almost flash-flood conditions on trip up); biking; great fireworks show over Grand Lake; migraine (eek); some traffic; and now home again (with kitty).

Hope your holiday weekend (or regular weekend) was great fun!

So today while goofing offon the internet I found this pattern... =D

I'm quite in love!!!
( Another color... )

Does anyone know of any companies, books, websites or ANYTHING that have patterns for cute little handmade looking stuffed animals? I'm hoping for more than just sewing two pieces of felt together, but something that has that really cute handsewn look. I'm talkin' button eyes, patches, visible stitches. I don't care what kind of animal! Stuff with this sort of vibe:




I found this on Etsy, but it was all I could find that really seemed to fit what I want.

bunny!

http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2009/07/four-techniques-to-get-at-emotional.html

I'm not sure if anyone has ever posted this since I've joined this community about two months ago but does anyone have a good buttercream recipe that is good for cake decorating? 

I just made a cake yesterday and the buttercream started melting while I was decorating it!!  I used a recipe from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.  I also used to make frosting from a Wilton's recipe but I don't like to put shortening or Crisco in my frosting. 

So if you have any good buttercream recipes (sans Crisco or shortening) or tips on keeping the frosting stiff (and not melting) that would be great!!  Thanks so much! 

Hello,

I'm starting my second year of University this September and am planning to enrol in the subject "Society, Culture and Politics in North America, from First Contact to the Present". Unfortunately, my knowledge on the evolution of American politics is sadly lacking, and my overall knowledge of North American history limited to GCSE level. 

I was just wondering if any of you had some essential recommendations for journal articles (I have access to Jstor) relating to American history and politics? I'm reading some old political science books but I want to be careful to focus in on the history and evolution of American politics in general.

Books are out of the question right now through a lack of funds and a lack of good libraries around here.

Many thanks

I have had these done for quite a while but just haven't had the time to post them. Found some really cool textured paper that I used behind the pieces that I love for taking photos on. It is a white patterned paper and it looks lovely behind jewelry (I think) with out overshadowing it. Below are some new pendants, each pendant is made out of paperclay and is hand painted and sealed by me.

This one is called desert sunset and is one of my favorites. I was wearing the first one I did like it out one day and lost it somewhere and I was so mad. Had to come home an make a few more similar ones to the first one. I also did three others loosely based on earth, air, and water that I have to wire wrap soon.

( Read more... )

I am teaching at the Sewanee Young Writers Conference at the University of the South atop Monteagle Mountain in Sewanee, Tennessee, which is about forty miles or so from Chattanooga. http://www.sewanee.edu/ywc/

Norah was with me for a week at sports camp but has gone down the mountain to Nashville to join her cousins who are gathering for their grandmother's (Mama Frances) 80th birthday celebration for the next ten days or so. All 13 of Mama Frances' children will be coming from all over - Germany, Turkey, Montreal, New York, Texas, Seattle, Los Angeles - to help her celebrate.

I'll be up here teaching for another week before joining the family in Nashville. I've had an amazing workshop with a group of incredibly talented and supportive group of young teen writers. I'll be posting their stories here this week as they send them to me, (and so long as the wireless on the mountain don't quit me.) They have written a range of story sparks from "bossy, instructive stories" in the style of Jamaica Kincaid's GIRL to first jobs to Natalie Goldberg's "I remember" to want-ad stories to 4th of July character monologues from people watching to lots more...We're reading Brenda Ueland, Amy Bloom, Stewart O'Nan, Arlene Hutton, Anne Lamott, Pamela Painter & Anne Bernays, Ron Carlson, Amy Hempel, Flannery O'Connor, John Steinbeck, Kevin Wilson, ZZ Packer, Octavia Butler, and tons more...

Our first young writer is Vivian Beltran from Louisiana who has written a David Bowie poem.

Dear Mr. Bowie

Dear Mr. Bowie, I’m afraid to confess
That, very much to my own distress,
I only first knew you as the Goblin King
And only then did I hear you sing
Your voice a blessing to my ears
So much so that I forgot my fears
Of the glitter ‘round your eyes so bright
Of those periwinkle pants so tight
And thus I discovered your many songs
Of space astronauts and society’s wrongs
From Major Tom to a girl named Blue Jean
And all the young Americans in between
I am captivated by men on stars
Convinced that there is Life on Mars
From your jumpsuit’s left leg often left bare
To your stylish swagger and piercing stare
From Heroes, Ziggy, and your China Girl too
Dear Mr. Bowie, I love you

~ Vivian Beltran

I posted a while back of a giant black bow i made...
( I've made some more, and they are even better )

The quote in today's icon is, as many of you will recognize, from Hamlet, Act I, sc. 3, when Polonius gives Laertes a laundry list of platitudes.

Brush Up Your Shakespeare Month ended earlier this week, so I thought I'd create a post out of some of my favorite Shakespeare quotes from the plays covered in the second half of the month that are sometimes useful in everyday conversation. The plays covered include Macbeth through A Midsummer Night's Dream, or so my handy dandy directory informs me.

Macbeth

"Fair is foul and foul is fair." The Witches, Act I, sc. 1.

"Screw your courage to the sticking place" Lady Macbeth, Act I, sc. 7.

"What's done is done." Lady Macbeth, Act III, sc. 2.

"Blood will have blood." Macbeth, Act III, sc. 4.

" . . . at one fell swoop?" Macduff, Act IV, sc. 3.

"Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him." Lady Macduff, Act V, sc. 1.

"What's done cannot be undone." Id.

"Throw physic to the dogs. I'll none of it." Macbeth, Act V, sc. 3.

"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day" Macbeth, Act V, sc. 5.

"Out, out, brief candle!" Id.

"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing." Id.

"Lay on, Macduff" Macbeth, Act V, sc. 8.

( Twelfth Night )

( Richard III )

( As You Like It )

( Othello )

( King Lear )

( A Midsummer Night's Dream )

We do little girl parties at our art center, this is my menu design for the 'princess of Everything-School's out Party'

http://editorialanonymous.blogspot.com/2009/07/back-to-front.html