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Goodbye LiveJournal, Hello WordPress!
This will be my last post here at LiveJournal. I've transferred my blog to WordPress, and my web designer, Barrett Dowell, has given it a fresh new look. I invite you to stop in every Wednesday and Sunday to chat with me at my new blog site.
www.helenlandalf.com/blog/
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The in-between place
First pass pages for FLYAWAY are complete, and I'm waiting for notes from my agent on my new novel. So I'm in that weird place between projects where I'm hesitant to start anything new but want to feel that I'm moving forward anyway. Here are some of the things I do when I'm between one book and the next:
1. Make a promotion plan.
This is a great ( Read more... ) -
Romancing the Cover
I couldn't sleep last night. I woke up all bleary eyed and dreamy, and I can't concentrate on anything. No, there's not a new man in my life. I'm just in love with my cover.
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Waffling...and re-committment
I'll be honest with you: I've been waffling about whether to continue with this blog. As a friend of mine said (quoting a friend of his who said it to him), "every minute you spend blogging is a minute you could be writing fiction." Since I'm time-challenged anyway, I've been wondering whether adding another item to my to-do list is sheer madness ( Read more... ) -
Writer's retreat take 2
As you may know, I'm a big fan of writer's retreats. I crave the chance to get away from daily concerns and immerse myself in my writing. At least once a year, I do a solo retreat. But I also like to retreat with other writers.
Today, I did a retreat with members of my critique group. We had planned to go to La Conner, a lovely little town in the ( Read more... ) -
How much is enough?
I don't know if anyone's noticed, but I haven't blogged in a while. Why? Well, I was desperately trying to finish a draft of my work-in-progress so I could get it in to my agent. Time is of the essence in my life -- between teaching Pilates, teaching dance, being a stepmom, a wife, and a writer, there's just not a lot of it to spare. Over the past ( Read more... ) -
Book Feast!
Librarians and YA/MG literature enthusiasts, here is a chance to win copies of the latest debut novels for yourself or your libraries! The Book Feast, hosted by The Elevensies, will run an installment of this giveaway each season, so you can have the opportunity to win all of 2011's fabulous books by debut authors.
Fellow Elevensie Terry Lynn ( Read more... ) -
I've got title!
I've been waiting impatiently for my editor at Harcourt to give me the go-ahead to announce the official new title of the book formerly known as BROKEN WINGS. The time has come, and my new title is....
FLYAWAY
I like it. I like the way it reflects the bird-rescue subplot in my book and the way it evokes escape. I like that it's a little quirky and ( Read more... ) -
5 Techniques for "Unstoppable" Suspense
I missed the movie "Unstoppable," starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, when it first came out, so when it came to our local three-dollar-a-seat theater, I jumped at the chance to see it. And I'm really glad I did - not just because it was, in my opinion, a terrific film, but because it so beautifully reinforced everything I've ever read ( Read more... ) -
snow driving
I'm a wimp when it comes to driving in the snow. I grew up in San Diego and didn't see my first snowfall until I went to school at S.U.N.Y. Purchase at age twenty-one, so obviously I never learned to drive in it. Add to that the fact that snow driving in Seattle, with all its hills and undprepared roads and drivers, is a game of Russian roulette, ( Read more... )
