Review of ETERNAL

ETERNAL is a YA vampire love story by Cynthia Leitich Smith. I was familiar with her Leitich Smith because her blog "Cynsations" (cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com) she has the best agent/editor interviews, and writing links, but I had never read any of her stuff. I have only one question for myself:

Why did I wait so long? ETERNAL was so good. I read it in 3 sittings over 2 days. I didn't want to put it down becasue I was so worried about Miranda and Zachary, the main characters. Interestingly, the story is told from both of their view points, alternating chapters. The last time I saw this attempted, it crashed and burned. In ETERNAL, it totally works.

In my opinion, it's appropriate from 12 years old on up. Even Moms will like it. Especially moms who like TWILIGHT....you know who you are. I'm planning on loaning it to my nieces and purchasing TANTALIZE asap.

Review of The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney

As you know Aladdin Mix (the children’s imprint of Simon and Schuster) is publishing Kelly Quinn’s Secret Cooking Club. I thought I would check out some Mix books for myself. I started with The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by, Lauren Barnholdt.
This story is an insider’s look at how the little white lies tweens (and adults, I’m sure) tell can come back to haunt. I felt so badly for Devon when her “summer friend” shows up at her school looking for the popular, boy-magnet Devi, which the real Devon is not. What can Devon do? Lie some more to cover up lies already told. It’s a disaster.
This book was very cute. I’ll share it with my daughter (11) and I recommend it to her friends.

Thank You Mrs. Kelly and 3B

I had the great opportunity to meet with class 3B today. I told the kids about Kelly Quinn’s Secret Cooking Club and read the first chapter. They were good listeners and enthusiastic questioners…some of them were tough.
I explained blogging and gave them this address. I hope they’ll visit me.

To all you 3Bers,
Thanks for having me in your class today. Like we talked about, you can leave me a comment by clicking on the link below. If you want to leave your name, only give your first name (you know, internet security and all…). If you want to write a review of one of your Summer Reading List books, and email it to me, maybe I'll post it here. You can send me an email at the address above: CallaghanCindy@gmail.com. Check with your parents first, of course.

Visit again, Ellie and Evan might try their hand at some summer blogging.

From, Mrs. Callaghan
PS - Only 14 days of school left, Bulldogs!

My agent rocks!

The link to Sarah's blog is below, but I wanted to include a snippet. She's so great.

".....Yes, here I am back in England again – formerly my first home, but now my second. And it’s lovely to be here, especially with all my close family and friends around me. Here, every hour, every day is different – not a vacation but a temporary change of lifestyle and pace. Is it adventurous? Is it a little crazy? I’ll let you make up your own mind as I take you through the highlights of my past couple of weeks . . .
1. One week before I leave for England: Do a deal! Yippee! Sell debut author Cindy Callaghan’s middle-grade novel, KELLY QUINN’S SECRET COOKING CLUB, to Aladdin (Simon & Schuster). This story always makes me feel hungry. It’s fun, it’s pacy, but it also features amazing ice-cream confections called ‘Super Swirleys’. Oh, and there are recipes too!
2. One day before I leave for England: Do ANOTHER deal! Hurrah! Did I mention that doing deals is one of my favourite activities in the world? I sell Sarah Aronson’s BEYOND LUCKY to Dial (Penguin Putnam). This story is sort of about soccer, but it’s also about friendship, self-discovery, forgiving – and it has a really strong voice. Sarah’s first novel, HEAD CASE, was published by Roaring Brook, so very pleased she decided to join Greenhouse– one of our first already-published authors.

http://www.greenhouseliterary.com/index.php/site/sarahs_blog

Original Land of the Lost

This was inspired by my cousin, Traci. I thought folks might need refreshing. I did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0MRU1f2SJ0

Swedish Chef Making Donuts

My husband and I were trying to remember exactly what the Swedish Chef sounded like. In case you were wondering, here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT_n__vsguk

First: official school reading, and call with my editor

Today I had two amazing firsts:
1) I read the first few pages of KELLY QUINN'S SECRET COOKING CLUB to Kindergarten-C. They listened well (even though it's a middle-grade story) and seemed very interested. I'm going to hit the third grade next week. The teachers have been equally interested.

2) I also had the first working call with my awesome editor, Alyson Heller, from Aladdin Mix (Simon and Schuster's children imprint). She was wonderfully patient with me. Things are moving along toward publication in fall 2010. It sounds like a long time, but it's quite standard. Imagine how long it sounds if you're a kid: you're finishing third grade, and when the KQSCC comes out, you'll be finished with fourth grade and be starting fifth grade. Those eighteen months are a lifetime.

Anyway, after the phone call with Alyson today, I have a better idea of what types of edits are needed, and how long I have to do them. I also got the skinny on copy editing, cover art, Galleys, and Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs). I'll surely write about each stage of the process, so stay tuned...

My Jinx

After blogging about the Magic in My House, my washing machine went on the fritz. It's been TWO weeks with no washer (thank goodness Mom lives close). Between my husband and I we had to wait for the Maytag repair man THREE times and spent $344.00 only to learn it couldn't be fixed.
But wait there's more. After doing a **happy dance** on Facebook because the new washing machine is being delivered today...those jinxers got me again. How? With an 8:00 am phone call that "it didn't make it on the truck", and "it can get here on Tuesday." That means someone has to stay home from work (again) between 7 and noon, or noon and 4.
That, my friends, is a first class jinx.

Man in Pizza Costume

Have you seen the latest advancement in billboards? They are people in costumes at the side of the road waving you in. The advertising strategy is to get your attention so that you'll patronize your business. It makes sense. But while these costumers are getting the attention of potential customers, they're also very distracting for drivers. I came dangerously close to running over a pizza-man tonight. I wonder if these businesses have considered the liability. Have the costume people considered the dangers?

Lady mowing the lawn

Here I am, driving down the street in my luxury sport wagon (No, it's NOT a minivan!). I'm listening to U2, or a book on CD.
I see a woman outside mowing her lawn.
"Hey lady, YOU'RE RUINING IT FOR THE REST OF US!!!"
If my husband sees you, he'll want me mowing faster than you can say "Spa Pedicure."
And then what? Plumbing? Large appliance maintenance?
Lady, PLEASE have the boy down the street come over and mow...Maybe the Zack Efron (in 17 Again, not HSM) - type.

Thank you, Mrs. Robinson

In 17 AGAIN Zack Efron isn't signing or dancing through a summer job, although he does do an impressive cheerleading jig.

For some reason, he's often half-clothed. Some might find distasteful, but "Holy six-pack, Batman!"

I have a new appreciation for Mrs. Robinson.

Magic in My House

Do you believe in Magic?

If not, you should live in my house.

We have a magic paper on our refridgerator: If you write something you need from the store on this paper, soon it will magically appear in the house. All you have to do is write on the magic paper and POOF!

But wait, there's more. We also have a magic basket. It's plastic, waist high, white and has a flip-top lid. If you put your dirty clothes in the basket, without even uttering a magical incantation, those same dirty clothes will soon (sometimes even the very same day) appear in your drawers - washed, dried, and folded.

Every home should have a magic basket, but....(there is always a "but" with something this wonderful) the dirty clothes have to get inside the basket. The basket will NOT grow arms to pick dirty clothes off the floor. This is a shame, really, because there are many clothes that do not make it into the basket, even those garments dirty enough to crawl across the floor.

So we are left with a troubling question: With a magic basket like this, why, oh why, oh way, do people STILL leave dirty clothes on the floor?

And to that question, I have no answer.

You've gotta start somewhere

So, getting started was harder than I’d thought. I figured I’d start at the beginning. But the beginning of what?
Here it goes: ACT I, Scene 1
(Callaghan sits in the elbow of the microfiber sectional with her favorite pad and extra soft mechanical pencil.)
One day I woke up in suburbia with a husband, three children, three cats, a lazy dog, a job, a car (cooler than a minivan), a writing hobby, and a coffee addiction. Thankfully, U2, jeans, and fountain Diet Coke (DC) remain in style. Sadly, The X-Files, toe socks and roller skating are passé, not that I care very much about being “in.”
So, here I was thirty-something deciding to take my writing hobby seriously by writing a novel. I worked on several serious projects for several years.
>>>FAST FORWARD TO TODAY
I’m still thirty-something, and thanks to the handiwork of a crackerjack literary agent, Sarah Davies from the Greenhouse Literary Agency, Aladdin Books (Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing) is publishing my ‘tween book KELLY QUINN’S SECRET COOKING CLUB. And it’s this wonderful news that has brought me to the long pondered According to Moi.