Saturday, June 03, 2017

post BEA crash landing

I didn't fall out of my chair at the bar this year, and the wait staff didn't hustle us out the door as they have in years past, and best of all it wasn't raining when we all need to flag cabs to get home, so all in all, the post BEA drinks date with La Slitherina, Death Kitten and The Wombat was quite the revel.

Which is why there is no blog post today.

I'm busy locating my senses. I may have left them with my shoes.  I'm calling in the experts for help.


30 comments:

Sam Hawke said...

If they find them, do they bring them back? Or just stand next to them like drug detector dogs until you sidle up and confiscate the senses? ;)

Lisa Bodenheim said...

haha! You may have left your senses with your shoes? luv it.

And I knew of La Slitherina but I've not heard of Death Kitten and The Wombat. Now I'm curious.

E.M. Goldsmith said...

Yes, please tell us more of Death Kitten and The Wombat. Are they as fine of creatures as sharks and snakes?

Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Kneale said...

And are they currently open to queries, like La Slitherina?

Craig F said...

**"Give me a minute to catch my breath, George."

"Did you find them?"

"Why do you think I ran. There is something evil with those shoes."

"Evil?"

"You don't want to know, those shark slippers, they have company that is scary. Sharks and Death Kittens and Wombats, oh my."



**Impromptu cation contest

Jennifer R. Donohue said...

Oh bloodhounds! The puppies are adorable masses of wrinkles and ears, but overall it's a too-drooly breed for me to live with.

Elka is pretty bad/lazy with her nose. Like, once she was standing on a piece of pepperoni and couldn't find it. But "where are my shoes?" Is a mostly successful cue I can give her, and "now where the other one?" after the first is brought typically yields a correct pair. She finds socks too, and a number of named toys.

Rachel and Mark said...

“I think I'll just go down and have some pudding and wait for it all to turn up - it always does in the end.” ~ Luna Lovegood

Pudding fixes everything.

Colin Smith said...

A blog article to tell us there's no blog article. Hmmm. I'm going to have to think about this one. Meanwhile, I hope next week's bloggy offerings will include a recap of BEA. Did you pick up some prizes for future contests? And I join the chorus of those asking, "who are Wombat and Death Kitten?"

Joseph S. said...

Since today is as close as we’ll come to an open forum, I want to point you to a website that has proved helpful to me in developing a character’s character. It’s not a writing site but one I must have found looking for ways to improve my teaching.

The website is https://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/index.php

or Learning Styles

Why it’s useful for writers: Under each learning style, it briefly explains how the person with a certain learning style views the world, and, just as important to me, how they speak. For example I used “The physical learning style “ for one of my major minor characters. He uses phrases like
That feels right to me” or “Stay in touch.” A logical learner might say “That’s logical” or “There’s no pattern to this” or “we can work it out.”

Once you get the “feel” of the character it’s easy to maintain that feel.

BJ Muntain said...

Nicknames like that make me want to be a part of that group. :) You all sound like people who'd be fun to be around.

I'm going to make a couple of guesses. Although I know who La Sliterina is, newer blog members might not.

La Slitherina is, of course, Ms. Barbara Poelle.

My guesses for the others:

Wombat = Ms. Joanna Volpe

Death Kitten = Ms. Suzie Townsend

I don't know why. Just seems to fit.

As to doggy sniffers: I had Koko (shih tzu) in a 'nose' class once. He was elderly and was going blind and deaf, but I wanted him to have some fun, anyway, and he still had his nose. Basically, the dogs were taught how to find things by their smell. I guess nowadays, they actually have fun competitions that non-professional sniffers can participate in. At first, treats were hidden, and they found them. Then it was a favourite toy. Near the beginning, though, the owner would hide, and call the dog, and the dog would - hopefully - sniff the owner out. Koko, being mostly deaf, couldn't hear me calling him, but he could still hear me when I clapped, so I clapped. But he kept getting distracted by other smells and things, and only wound up getting to me by pure chance as he wandered. I saw him and touched him and offered him a treat. He was so surprised, he jumped. Because why would he actually look for me when there was more interesting things to check out? Then he went on exploring.

BJ Muntain said...

Joseph: Great site! Thanks!

Cecilia Ortiz Luna said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cecilia Ortiz Luna said...

Death Kittens will be the name of my WIP's all-female neighborhood vigilantes:)

John Davis Frain said...

Love your impromptu cation contest, Craig. I'll play ...


"I sense nothing here, Carl, what about you?"

"What about right in front of you? Those shoes seem to be --"

"I SENSE NOTHING HERE, Carl. What about you?"

"Nope, nothing. Nothing at all. I'm looking the other way."

Beth Carpenter said...

Maybe senses are like sheep. "Leave them alone and they'll come home, wagging their tails behind them."

Side topic. Someone here once said:
When anyone takes time out of their lives to weed your garden, a humble thank you is always in order. If they mistake a daffodil for a dandelion and yank, plant another bulb and appreciate that the dirt under their nails is yours.

I love this, and would like to post it on Facebook, but I want to give proper credit. Does anyone remember who said it, or when?

Barbara Etlin said...

Thanks for the site, Joseph!

BJ Muntain, loved the story about Koko!

Craig F said...

My apologies to Mrs. Poelle but La Slitherina didn't fit the meter.

Lennon Faris said...

Beth - I believe that was 2Ns! I loved it as well.

I also love those dogs. Makes me want to scrunch those jowls and kiss their muzzles, slobber and all.

roadkills-r-us said...

As Colin sneakily noted, technically this is a blog post. You must really be reeling to have missed that.

May we please have a post on nicknames and how we (or they in the case of your BEA post-flight sensory-deprivation crew) got them (for those who do)?

Sorry if "reeling" is an insensitive word for a shark.

Finally, where is that spiderweb? (Sadly, the "spiderweb meme generators" just stick text over something rather than producing Charlotte-style work. They are worthless.)

CynthiaMc said...

The day the bloodhound showed up in our carport was the day Mom and Dad decided to let me have a dog (not that one).

Today was my first day back at work after a delightful but too short vacation. I attended my high school reunion (first one ever) and my brother-in-law's brother-in-law's 100th birthday. I spent 16 hours driving in the space of one long weekend. Realized somewhere along the line I've turned into a city girl. Driving the DARK Alabama country roads scared me a bit. Never used to. It probably didn't help that I was listening to NOS4ATU by Joe Hill.

Carolynnwith2Ns said...

Yes Beth, it was me who came up with the saying you want to share.
Have at it my friend and share. And please...make me famous. I am honored.

Melanie Sue Bowles said...

Joseph Thanks for the link. Interesting read.

Beth Yes, to what Lennon said: That terrific quote was from 2Ns.

Cecilia...A big YES! To naming your band of vigilantes: Death Kittens!

And losing your senses along with your shoes while hanging with your besties who have the coolest nicknames on the planet at a book event in NYC? YOWZA! Sign me up...

I spent the day in a scorching hot parking lot doing a fund raiser for the sanctuary. Mama wasn't glowing (as proper southern women are accused of doing, rather than sweating). Trust me, Mama was sweating. And now it's time for a yummy dark beer.

Anonymous said...

Death Kitten and The Wombat. Sounds like a musical group. Or a crime-fighting duo. Either way, do they take requests?

April Mack said...

I really love this blog! Janet gives such great advice and is so good at hugging the line between comforting us and making fun of our writerly woes (in a nice way), along with being educational.

But she doesn't represent a category I particularly read or write. Do you commenters have any other blog suggestions for literary agents you follow? I want to read more in addition to Janet's blog, but I'm having trouble finding good ones that update regularly.

Bonus if they represent YA or fantasy, both of which I write. But not required if their blog is interesting/helpful. :)

Thanks!

BJ Muntain said...

April: Kristin Nelson does rep some SF/Fantasy, and her Pub Rants blog is pretty good.

Don't be afraid to query Janet, anyway. She's open to queries in other genres, and she always says to 'query widely'. The worst that will happen is she'll tell you she doesn't rep it - and she'll always thank you for it. Because she's awesome that way. (Note that she does rep a couple SF authors, though she rarely takes that genre on.)

E.M. Goldsmith said...

Prayers for London, my favorite city on earth. When will this stop? So depressed right now.

Beth Carpenter said...

Thanks for the help. And thank you, Carolynn, for permission to quote you.

Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Kneale said...

Second Kristin Nelson's Pub Rants, though it doesn't get updated as often as it once did. She puts out a newsletter that had more stuff than what makes it to the blog.

BJ Muntain said...

HG Heidi: Right. I subscribe to the newsletter and rarely look at the blog, but it was the first blog that came to mind in answer to April's question.

April: I do recommend subscribing to Kristin Nelson's newsletter for interesting info about the publishing industry and about querying.

For more general information - by authors, not agents - I recommend The Kill Zone. The authors discuss publishing trends, as well as various other aspects of writing.

April Mack said...

Thanks! I appreciate your suggestions.