Holly Cupala's Tell Me A Secret...

...is incredible. I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning because I could not put it down! And now she's done with her second novel!!! DONE! Holly, what the...HOW do you do it?

I can't wait to read STREE CREED, or whatever it is the publishing house decides to name it. If the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, STREET CREED is bound to be a page-turner too.

Congratulations!

It has been a long hiatus...

Summer has come and gone, the kids have been in school for almost a month, now, and I am STILL trying to figure out my schedule. Piano, tennis, The Little Gym, Sunday school (Sunday and Wednesday afternoons!)...

But I made myself a promise and I intend to keep it, so I'm off to clean the kitchen, and then to reward myself with a few hours of uninterrupted writing. YAY!

12th Place!!!!

Do you see it?

Right there, bottom half, the list of semi-finalists. Number 12.

Yeah, that's me!!

A long while back (last year) I entered a writing contest online with the first five pages of a Fantasy YA novel I am working on right now. I have gone back and forth on the title.

They said it was going to take a long time to decide, so I forgot about it. The main prize was the chance to submit a full manuscript to Regina Brooks, agent, and a ten-week writing course. The top five got a 15-minute consultation and written commentary by all the contest judges (from all over, you'll read it in the link) and, as far as I was concerned, everyone else got some consolation prize or another.

Well, half a year later I got this book by Regina Brooks, with an autograph by the author that read: To Núria, Keep writing, the YA audience needs you!" and her signature. I thought that was really nice of her and thought, in passing, that it must have taken her a long time to sign all those books to all the contest participants.

Fast-forward another few months, to last week to be precise, when I decided to do what's called a "vanity Google search" and google my name to see what comes up. This is something that we are encouraged to do often, because when someone becomes interested in your work the first thing they do is Google your name. That is also why they encourage us to start blogs, etc. This way we have a bit more control on what kind of content shows up first.

Anyway, I Googled my name and the first link that showed up was the one about this contest. I was curious to see where my name would have showed up. Well, turns out I got the autographed book because I was ranked #12 (out of 1700!)
Needless to say I have printed this web page and have placed it already in my "Go Me!" folder :)

Inspiration

Where do you find inspiration? Where does it find you?

I admit it: I am incredibly lucky. I am the mother of two amazing little girls who delight, amuse, and exasperate me on a daily basis. Never a dull moment with these two.

Most of my little poems are inspired by them. It might be something they said, their favorite toys, or just the way in which their hair wildly tumbles and tangles down their backs as I brush it in the morning. That is how I came upon the metaphor for this poem:

‘Do

By Núria Coe

Wavy waterfalls come crashing

On a foamy, roaring bed,

Curly thunderclouds are looming

Over rainforests of red.

Raging tempests o’er the ocean

Threatening every boat at sea,

Ravaging the frizzy surface

In a wild, tumultuous spree.

Higher up, atop this frenzy

These crazed locks begin to slow,

As they’re held in place, quite neatly,

By a humble, tiny bow.

So? What inspires YOU? What tickles your funny/sad/thoughtful bone? Is it your personal experience? Those of others? Your surroundings?

Thanks for sharing.

About the SCBWI Conference in L.A.

I was very lucky to be able to attend the SCBWI Summer Conference in L.A. this past weekend.

At the end of the four-day weekend I felt elated and exhausted at the same time. There is something to be said for people who create content for children. We do not regard each other as competitors, but rather, as one big, happy family. Illustrators, writers, even agents and editors from the big publishing houses were all there, shaking hands, making new friends, learning from each other.

By far the highlights were:

a) Ashley Bryan leading us all in reciting the poem "Things" by Eloise Greenfield. I still find myself reciting it while doing the dishes. My kids thought it was hysterical. I will never recite a poem the way I have been ever again.

b) Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett talking about their new project "Spaceheadz" and their fresh, smart, way-out-there view of the new shape the publishing industry is taking and our place in it as content providers. Also, their awesome website: http://guysread.com/ aimed at getting BOYS immersed in the world of books.

c) Lin Oliver and Sean Mooser. No matter what they say, it's always funny and sweet. I feel fortunate to have met them. (Lin is coming to Seattle soon! YEAH!)

d) Everyone there: attendees, published authors, wide-eyed wannabes...what an amazing group of people ( there were 1139 of us, from all over the world!)

By the way, next time your DJ asks you to punch the sky with him to the tune of Black-eyed Peas' "Tonight" just make sure there's nobody standing behind you. Especially if they happen to be the famous YA author M.T. Anderson and happen to tower a whole head above you. Their nose might get in the way of your fist. Just sayin'.

Manel

My uncle gave me a CD for Christmas. I finally decided to open it an listen to it in the car. It is now the middle of May.

It took me this long because I knew the pangs of homesickness would be hard to hide from the kids. And, sure enough, as the tunes emanated from the car and flooded my brain with memories, tears flooded my eyes. My kids were with me, and the oldest asked me why I was crying. My answer was the exact same one my mom had told me, three decades ago, in Mexico, when I was the one worried to see tears in my mother's eyes.

The CD in this case is the latest release by a folk Catalan group called Manel. Their songs are contemporary poetry that speaks to a generation (mine) that has been around for a while and yet is still trying to make sense of our lives and ourselves.

Below is a song interpreted in a lullaby-like manner, with undertones of sweet flutes and guitar strings.

Great truths are most often better assimilated when they come to us in the insinuations of metaphors as we are lulled into a complacent state by the cadence and rhythm of verse. Here it is, first in Català, then roughly translated into English.

Un Avís per Navegants

Has vist que bé que he parlat?

Quin discurs tan ben travat,

Quins principis, clars i ferms,

Dignes d'un home de seny?

Però un avís per a navegants:

Fes-me cas els dies senars,

I els parells fes com qui sent

Que a la platja hi xiula el vent.

Sembles franca quan em dius

Atractiu entre atractius

I que estimes en el fons

Les meves imperfeccions.

Però jo que vinc de grumet

Els dies parells et crec,

Que els senars, sota dels pins,

Tan sols cantes rodolins.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Warning For Sailors

Did you hear how well I spoke?

What a tight speech I delivered,

With clear and firm principles,

Worthy of a man of wisdom?

But here's a warning for sailors:

Believe me only on odd days,

And on even ones, pretend you're only hearing

the wind whistling on the beach.

You sound sincere when you call me

Attractive among the attractive,

And that deep inside you love

My imperfections.

But since I come as a sailor

I will believe you on even days,

For on odd ones, under the pine trees,

All you do is sing fairytales.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Must. Edit. 15,000 words. Now.

Call the papers!

I am sooo excited!

I am in the middle of writing this YA Fantasy novel and I am as stuck and as lost as I can be.

So what's so exciting about that?

Nothing. What's exciting is that THE Anne Mini has agreed to edit my fist 15,000 words! :)

Who is Anne, you ask? Only the most thorough and most knowledgeable super-blogger of all things publishing on the planet, that's who!

If you are a writer and you haven't been reading her blog, you are missing out!

As she would put it: "Run, don't walk, to http://www.annemini.com"

So? What are you waiting for? Go!

Feliç Sant Jordi!

April 23rd is Sant Jordi, or Saint George's Day. It is the equivalent of Valentine's Day in Catalunya, my homeland.

It is also "el dia del llibre", the "day of the book". Some say that Shakespeare and Cervantes had April 23rd as their birthday. Or was it the day they died? Either way, I do not really care what the excuse is, this is one really groovy day.

Why? well picture this: the streets of Barcelona are covered in book stands, rose stands, Catalan flags everywhere, and very happy people. That's all everyone cares about on that one day: books and roses. Think about it.

Actually, do me a favor and google these three words together: sant jordi barcelona

Go ahead, do it, and look at all the images that come up: books and books for miles on end. Roses, more books, smiling people in the streets, readers of all ages perusing the stands, lovers exchanging roses and books. This is the reason the smell of roses and brand-new books seem to invoke each other in my mind. It's my happy place.

So, if you ever decide to go visit Barcelona, my advice is that you try your best to be there on April 23rd so you can be a part of it all. Maybe you'll find a book that will change your life. Maybe you'll find the courage to give a rose to that very special someone. It is bound to be a day you will never forget.

And now, April 23rd is officially the day I posted my first entry in this blog.

Let's see how long this lasts :) Wish me luck!