Notes from a Maryland Mom

What I'm Writing:

OK, not so much writing, but revising, revising, revising...and now querying OUR FOUR MOTHERS, complete at 50,000 words!

And related to writing, I had an incredible time at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference in New York City in January. I hoarded the good meds, prepared to use two Imitrex shots a day, but miraculously had a relatively low-migraine weekend. The speakers were inspiring, my roommate and new friend Mary Losure a treasure, and the free time tromping around Manhattan in the frigid weather a lot of fun. Mary and I hit the New York Public Library and a, thanks to a Target promotion, a free (vs $20) visit to the Modern Museum of Art on Friday night. I also had a great time at the inimitable Books of Wonder, which is dedicated to children's books, with many, many signed copies on the shelves. (One of these days I'll visit BoW and sign MY books!)

What I'm Reading:

Ooh, lots to report here! I bought a signed copy of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games at Books of Wonder. Mary got hold of it before I did, and read the beginning in our hotel room Friday night. I read it after I got home, and immediately ordered the sequel, Catching Fire, and pre-ordered Mockinjay, due in August. All I can say is, "Whoa." Talk about your intense dystopic future! Katniss, the main character, is forced to take part in the annual "Hunger Games", in which two children from each of twelve districts remaining in the former US are forced to fight to the death in a man-made "wilderness" arena. Things get more complicated when she becomes attached to Peeta, the other contestant from her district, knowing that only one of them
can survive.

AND with Amy, my ten-year-old, at bedtime, Ellen Klages masterful The Green Glass Sea and its sequel White Sands, Red Menace. Dewey and Suze are the daughters of scientists building a "gadget" during WWII. The girls know it's some kind of weapon, which might be used to end the war. They don't know that their parents are working on the Manhattan Project, building the atomic bomb. These are GREAT books for girls and boys interested in science and math, or history. Amy was enthralled with the details of life in the 1940's. "No microwaves? No TV? How did they LIVE?"


AND, last but not least, I've just started the long-awaited companion volume to my all-time favorite grown-up books. Connie Willis' Blackout takes place in the same future world as To Say Nothing of the Dog and Doomsday Book. Mr. Dunworthy and Colin are back, as well as a new historian named Eileen who has traveled back to the 1940's to observe children evacuated from London. I'm not far enough in to know much, yet, but I'm planning on savoring every word!

What I'm Knitting:

I'm THIS CLOSE to being finished with the cube part of Doug's Fibonacci cube afghan (pictured at top.) I'm really happy with how it's coming out, and so is Doug! We've loved having him home on weekends, for over a month at Christmas, and for an extra week during the double blizzard of 2010. We've also enjoyed getting to know his roommate, Tommy.

Especially Carrie. :D



How I'm Feeling:

Yet again, Meh. I'm extremely thankful for the good weekend for SCBWI. Otherwise, status quo with migraines every day, lots of sleep, and a bad cold to top it off.

Notes from a Sci-Fi Mom

What I'm Writing:

I got about 40,000 words written on my sci-fi Young Adult novel Our Four Mothers during NaNoWriMo, which I considered a great success given the as-usual level of my #&*$ migraines! This month I've added more scenes, revised considerably, and am almost ready for querying.

Here's a brief excerpt from the potential query. (I can't post the whole thing; it gives too much of the plot away!)

The domed village of New Plymouth, on the planet Zuriel, was colonized by a group of futuristic Puritans in search of their own utopia. Seven generations later, sixteen-year-old CADY has never known life outside this patriarchal theonomy, in which women are honored while having no rights. That is until the day she saves one of the indentured servants outside the dome from a vicious animal -- breaking the sanctity of the community by letting the young man in.

As Cady's idyllic life begins to unravel...she must transform not only her vision of the world, but her image of herself and her worth as a woman.
The Handmaid's Tale moves into The Village, and takes off for another planet in OUR FOUR MOTHERS...

I've had invaluable input from my critique group and the ladies at True Womanhood in the New Millenium, some of whom have experienced life in heavily patriarchal families and churches.

What I'm Reading:

I'm late to the Jasper Fforde game, but I'm loving The Eyre Affair, his time travel/literary detective novel in an alternate reality 1985 Britain. The front cover bills it as a mix of Monty Python, Harry Potter, Stephen Hawking, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- but I believe they forgot the queen of time travel and literary allusion, Connie Willis!

I'm also reading Quiverfull: Inside

the Christian Patriarchy Movement, Kathryn Joyce's illuminating investigation of uber-conservative evangelicals who believe that a woman's place is in the home -- PERIOD. College is a no-go for daughters, who should remain at home under their father's authority and "protection" until they are passed directly to their husband's authority at marriage. (A husband, by the way, who was at least heavily vetted, if not chosen directly, by the father.) Patriarchy is alive and well in the American church.

What I'm Knitting:

Yes, I'm still working on Doug's Fibonacci cube afghan. He didn't get it in time for high school graduation or to move in to his college dorm, and he didn't get it for Christmas. Easter, maybe? A prize for finishing the first year of college? What can I say, it's BIG! And I've been busy writing, and migraining!

I did, however, take the time to knit him his very own Jayne hat, including a facsimile of the note Ma Cobb sent to her "little boy". Here's a clip of Jayne Cobb receiving his present in Firefly:

And of course a pic of my "little boy" wearing his.

And speaking of Doug, he was day-dreaming one day about a steampunk Christmas tree in his dorm room, so we gathered a group of willing friends and relations and made his dream come true! I ordered lots of clock and watch parts from e-bay, scoured craft stores for appropriate miscellany, and had ourselves a steampunk ornament party! He came away with some really shiny ornaments, as you can plainly see. :D

How I'm Feeling:

Still pretty much the same, unfortunately. I used my periodic "rainy day" dosepack of steroids at Thanksgiving, since that was when the majority of relatives were going to be visiting. I can usually get at least a few good days out of them. This meant I was on my own for Christmas, and ended up missing out on a lot of the festivities with the usual horrid migraines. My pain doc shot some steroids into my forehead on the 18th and told me I'd probably get a couple of weeks of relief out of them, but I got a grand total of a day and a half. I still sleep two or three days a week, have a pretty good day once or twice a week, and muddle through the rest of the time with usually at least a couple of productive hours a day for writing. I'm extremely thankful for my wonderful daughter Carrie, who has been doing most of the grocery shopping and cooking. I truly don't know what I'd do without her, or David who has pretty much taken over the laundry.

In Other News:

Doug and Carrie both made it through their first semesters of college, and now have the month of January to kick back and ... work. Doug is home for the month, and is hoping to do a lot of fill-in work lifeguarding at indoor pools. AFTER he finishes recovering from getting his wisdom teeth out today.

Carrie is astounding, as usual. She's had some significant health problems of her own the last few months, but still managed to pull a 3.5 as a 16yo college freshman. She's been working at TCBY, and is skilled at both swirling AND scooping frozen yoghurt.

Amy has been in planning mode the last few weeks. She has completely planned her wedding, down to drawings of the dress and the cake. She has designed her baby's nursery, making detailed lists of the exact products she's going to need and how much they'll cost. And she's determined her children's names, her future career (middle school counselor), and begun designing her house, including an apartment for David and me. Yes, she is totally ready for adulthood ... at ten.

Both girls sang in the Peabody Children's Chorus winter concert...Amy's first, and, sadly, Carrie's last.

October Musings

What I'm Writing:

Rescued in Time (middle grade time travel to 1902 Ocean City, Maryland)

I've drawn the line on research for Rescued in Time, and am deep in writing mode. I'm about halfway done with the text.

It's funny how books decide to turn in their own directions. I had expected this to be a fairly light-hearted time travel book (hey, 1902 was a pretty idyllic "Main Street USA" time in history!) but as I got deeper into the research I learned that Jim Crow laws were alive and, unfortunately, quite well on Maryland's Eastern Shore. In fact, African Americans weren't allowed on Ocean City's boardwalk or beach (except for a few days a year) until well into the 20th century. So I've ended up with some deeper themes in this book, and I'm walking the tightrope of being entertaining and educational without preaching or getting too heavy.

Our Four Mothers (YA sci-fi)

In the meantime, while doing the research for Rescued in Time I came up against the Female Suffragists, who were busily campaigning for the vote in 1902. This gave me an idea: why not write a sci-fi reimagining of the lives of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony? I haven't even started writing this one (tentatively titled Our Four Mothers) yet, but I've done a lot of research and already it's turning its own direction: away from biography and toward dystopia.

The premise will be something along the lines of, "What if a group of patriarchal theonomists creates a separatist colony on another planet, and cuts off all 'evil influence' from earth?" Women will be honored and generally well treated, but will have no voting rights and will be expected to be submissive in everything. Old Testament law will rule, and executions for offenses such as homosexuality, while rare, will occasionally happen. It will be sort of a futuristic Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony, but without the influence of other groups of immigrants. (And no, it’s not The Handmaid’s Tale Redux.)

My main character, Cady, will be a teenage girl living many generations after the colony's creation. Her parents will have arranged her betrothal to Riley, a close friend from childhood. She'll become aware that he's gay. She'll also become aware somehow (perhaps through diaries she's found from a first-generation woman) that women on earth have more freedom and options than she's ever thought possible. Now she and Riley must decide: hide what they believe/feel and continue living the way they've always known; begin an underground rebellion/suffragist movement (risking severe consequences); or run.

I'm thinking of putting Rescued in Time on hold for the month of November so that I can take advantage of the energy and resources of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) to get a good start on Our Four Mothers.

Mirror of Souls (YA time travel to alternate-reality 1526 France)

Mirror of Souls is on the back burner until I find out the fate of Spinning Coins (time travel to alternate-reality 1526 Denmark).

What I'm Reading:

The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2 is Jane Poynter's fascinating account of the creation of the hermetically sealed 3-acre "greenhouse" in Arizona, and her two years locked inside with seven other Biospherians. I'm reading this as research for Our Four Mothers, which will take place on a planet not previously habitable by humans. Next on the reading list: Beekeeping for Dummies (because they'll have to pollinate their plants somehow!) Previously on the reading list: The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood's horrifying vision of a theocratic patriarchal society in America's near future. I've also been doing a lot of research about Christian Reconstructionism and Federal Vision theology, as I envision the society in Our Four Mothers to be based on a combination of the ideals of those two movements.

What I'm knitting


I'm still working on Doug's Fibonacci Cube college afghan, slowly but surely. He didn't get it in time to move in to the dorms (not that he needed a wool afghan in an un-airconditioned dorm room in August!), but I'm hoping to get it done in time for Christmas.

In addition to the "cube," which I work on at home, I've finished knitting squares of the individual letters that make up the word "MARYLAND," which will be part of the border.


How I'm feeling

The Hopkins cardiologist I spoke to about PFO (small hole in the heart) closure wasn't impressed by previous studies that had been done about the relationship between PFOs and migraines, and didn't recommend it in my case although he said he would do it if I insisted.

So I applied for the PREMIUM PFO trial, in which I would have had a 50/50 chance of having my PFO closed. I had hoped to be included not only for the chance at closure but also so that I could contribute to the scientific knowledge about the relation between PFOs and migraines. Unfortunately, I was rejected from the study because I have -- get this -- too many migraines.

I've decided to go ahead and pursue the closure at Hopkins, and am currently waiting for a phone call from them about what will happen next. (ETA: He still says no, and my neurologist now agrees with him.)

In the meantime, Meh. Nothing's changed. I still have a migraine most days, although I do have a few "low migraine days" here and there. David has seriously stepped up to the plate, and is doing far more than his share around the house. And Carrie has her driver's license now, just in time for Doug to leave her his car. (He doesn't need it on campus.) She can drive herself to her community college classes, she drives Amy to her activities, and she does most of the grocery shopping. Amy is very independent, and gets herself up and ready in the mornings. (I do get up to spend a little time with her in the morning and make sure she gets on the bus, but usually end up back in bed for a while after that.)

I've been following David Buchholz' migraine diet, and have seen some results, especially from eliminating aspartame. I've also stopped taking pain meds (Imitrex and Excedrin Migraine) except when I need to do something outside the house and I'm feeling especially bad. We've had some nice (medicated!) days this fall, apple picking and hiking, and Amy has asked a few friends to go hiking with us for her 10th birthday party this weekend. Doug has been home most weekends. I'm so glad he chose to go to an in-state school!

(Produced at http://wordle.net)

A Writer's Day in Ocean City, Maryland

So far all of my research for Mirror of Souls, which takes place in 1526 France, has been done through reading. But once I have a real contract for a book (any book!) with real money, I desperately want to go to France for some serious on-site research.

In the meantime, I'm also working on a middle-grade (ages 9-12) time travel novel, tentatively titled Rescued in Time, which takes place in 1902 Ocean City, Maryland. The main characters are 12-year-old cousins Peter and Caroline. Peter is technology-dependent, and isn't enjoying his beach vacation. Athlete Caroline lives in Ocean City, and has romanticized its past. They're both in for an abrupt reality check when they land (literally) in 1902.

I can drive to Ocean City in about 3 hours, and there are plenty of resources available about its early years. So earlier this week we took a day trip "downy ocean, Hon," and had an awesome time researching and playing!

First stop was a "Flashback" photo studio, where Amy graciously posed for a picture in an old-timey bathing suit. This was not her idea of a good time, but she did it for my sake. :) I'm sure the suit isn't vintage 1902, but the picture will be great inspiration for me as I write anyway.

Next, (purely in the name of research!) we did a taste-testing of the three major brands of Ocean City salt water taffy. The verdict? Fischer's tastes the best, Dolle's was a close runner up, and Candy Kitchen, which tastes like wax, was way, way, last. Fischer's was softer and stickier than Dolle's, which held up better in the heat. Dolle's won the contest in the long run, with extra points for labeling their flavors. No wondering whether the yellow was lemon or banana (yecch!)

The kids were ready for the beach, so David and I walked down to get a few pics before we headed off to the Museum. Awesome big brother Doug said he was dedicating his day to making sure Amy had fun! And Carrie and her best friend Em had a blast, too.

The Ocean City Life Saving Museum is a treasure. We met the assistant curator, appropriately named Sandy, who said she'd be happy to answer my questions via e-mail. I'll be sending her lots! I bought the book City on the Sand by Mary Corddry, which Sandy often uses as a resource.

I was most impressed by the exhibit of early life-saving equipment, such as the Lyle gun. If a ship was wrecked off the coast, the life saving service guys would literally shoot a rope out to it. Attached to the end of the rope was a board with instruction to the crew, in English and French, about how to secure it to the mast. Then the guys on shore would ferry the sailors back using a Breeches Buoy (think zip line!). More museum pics!

The exhibit on the early years of the boardwalk was also fascinating. I learned, for instance, that while the new carousel was being installed at Trimper's Amusements in 1902, the installer was called back to the factory on an emergency...so the 12-year-old son of Mr. Trimper finished putting it together!

Oh, yes, there was lots of grist for the imagination mill in that museum!

Of course, we had to check out the carousel, which is still in operation after 107 years. I tried to get pictures of most of the animals...which went far beyond the typical horses to a dragon, several fanciful pigs, a frog, a tiger, a bunch of cats and dogs, an emu, a crane, a camel... and my personal favorite, the reindeer! Amy and I took a ride later, again, purely in the name of research. More carousel pics!


Games, rides, and the obligatory late lunch/early dinner at Dough Roller finished out the day. Doug and Em braved the sling shot. When I called Em's mom, Marti, to tell her that her daughter was flying into the air, Marti told me to tell Em that if she lived she was going to kill her! :) The girls traded their game tickets in for prizes, turning themselves into "The Three Princesses of the Boardwalk." (Wondering about the oddly normal color of Carrie's hair? I was stunned when she actually dyed it BROWN! Turns out she had been told to dye it before her Peabody Children's Chorus trip to London earlier this month. Apparently teal hair isn't part of the Peabody image!) Lots more OC pics!

It started raining just as we were leaving, and stormed so heavily on the way home that David wasn't sure we'd crossed the Bay Bridge until we were already over it!

Mirror of MY Soul

What I'm writing: I'm continuing research for the sequel to Spinning Coins, Mirror of Souls. Spinning Coins took place in an imaginary village in 1526 Denmark, so I was able to create the location, buildings, geography etc. to fit the needs of my story. Mirror of Souls, however, takes place in France, in real places that still exist today. I've spent far too much time on the internet trying to find out if the Cathédrale St-Jean in Lyon, France still has a side chapel with statues of sleeping soldiers. And better yet, if there are any cathedrals with sleeping soldiers closer to the main action of my book (between Paris and Orléans). I went to a very educational break-out session at the regional SCBWI (Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) conference in Westminster, MD this weekend where author/illustrator Lita Judge suggested contacting local archivists to ask questions. Oddly, this never occurred to me. I'll try contacting the cathedral directly. What I'd really love to do is go to France myself, but with two kids in college that's not happening -- at least until I sell the first book. :)

I've also been musing about a middle-grade time travel series to take place in Ocean City, Maryland in 1902, when the hotel owners got together to create the first boardwalk, which they would roll up at night or high tide and store on their porches.
The boardwalk was destroyed by a hurricane in 1903. The advantage of a story taking place in Ocean City is that I can drive there in less than four hours, and they even have a historical museum right on the boardwalk. And by having it take place in the near past I should be able to find photographs, newspaper articles, etc. to do more direct research. Amy is excited about this one, because the main character would be about eleven and she can give me input and ideas.

What I'm reading: The SCBWI conference had a book table filled with volumes by the conference speakers. On Saturday I picked up Siobhan Vivian's Same Difference, read the jacket flap, and recognized my daughter Carrie in her main character Emily. I immediately bought it, got it autographed for Carrie by Siobhan, and took it home. When I left for the conference Sunday morning, Carrie was already well in to the book. She loved it. I read it last night, staying up until 3AM to finish it. Wow! Siobhan has her teen voice spot on. In fact one dialogue passage between Emily and her mom could have been overheard in my house.

What I'm knitting: I'm taking a short break from Doug's afghan to knit a garter stitch elephant for Amy. She found the perfect yarn to match her new pre-teen-green room color at Large Marge's Yarn Shop, and picked out a pattern on Ravelry. In the meantime, Carrie has started another hat, and Amy is inspired to pick up knitting again herself. Time for a review lesson for my 9-year-old.

How I'm feeling: The migraine diet is still going well. I was actually migraine-free on Saturday for the first day of the conference, and thanks to an Imitrex shot made it through Sunday too. I slept most of the day Monday, but I'm up and around today with a manageable migraine and no meds.

Mirror of Souls

Spinning Coins 2 now has a working title...Introducing, Mirror of Souls! The title comes from the Marguerite de Navarre poem 'Le Miroir de L'âme Pécheresse', 'The Mirror (or Glass) of the Sinful Soul'. Marguerite wrote this poem after the death of her infant son in 1530. It was later translated into English by Elizabeth I, then age 11, as a gift for her step-mother Katherine Parr (KP). Katherine was the last wife of Henry VIII. Coincidentally, at one point Marguerite herself was in consideration for marriage to Henry VIII, but outright refused!

I have the setting for the sequel: 1526-1527 France, in the months after the end of Spinning Coins .

I have some plot points, including elements from Molière's play, ' The School for Wives ', and Marguerite de Navarre's The Heptameron . I'm working on knitting these into a cohesive outline and a story that will resonate with 21st century young adult readers.

I have the cast.

My time traveling teens:

• Polly is desperately searching for something (or someone!) she's lost
• Will is brimming with ideas and plans
• Joy is still reeling, not sure where and when she belongs, but trying to cope in her own way

Characters from 'The School for Wives':

• Arnolphe, who thinks he's creating the perfect woman
• Agnes (ah-NYESS), an innocent experiencing her first love
• Horace, the man who adores her

Real-life historical figures (The first three were all students at the University of Paris in late 1526. I have no idea if they ever met, but I'm looking forward to writing about an imaginary encounter!)

• Jean Cauvin, aka John Calvin, 17 years old and studying law, but later to be a major leader of the Protestant Reformation and poster-boy for the doctrine of predestination
• Francis Xavier, a 2o-year-old philosophy student, but destined to become a missionary to Japan, one of the founders of the Jesuits, and a Catholic Saint.
• François Rabelais, a 30-something medical student , a humanist (perhaps Christian, perhaps atheist, depending on who you believe), and writer of satire and bawdy songs. ( Calvin wrote in 1533 that Rabelais' book, Pantagruel, was "obscene."
• And Marguerite de Navarre, sister of King François of France, early feminist, theologian and writer. In late 1526/early 1527 she was newly-betrothed to King Henri of Navarre (a small country near the border of Spain, now part of France). She traveled from Paris south to visit Henri's sister in her convent. In Mirror of Souls, Polly and her companions will travel with Marguerite.

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