All posts by Pintip

But It’s Pretty, Right?

mermaids, Pintip

pintipYesterday morning, I was annoyed. The snow had started too late for school to be delayed. When I opened my car doors, flurries of snow rushed inside, only to melt on the floor mats. My neighborhood roads were a mess, and I slipped and slid out of my driveway. There was so much traffic on 495, it took me THREE times as long to drive my kiddo to school. So, even though we left early, we arrived late. (Although: not really. We got to school after the bell, but *everybody* was late, so no tardy slips were given). Needless to say, I was not happy with the white flakes fluttering from the sky.

But then, I passed another mom dropping her student off. She smiled at me and said, “But it’s pretty, right?” These four little words made all the difference in the world.

Let’s unpack this sentence a little bit. She didn’t say, “It’s pretty!” with so much Pollyanna cheer someone (not me, but you know . . . someone) might be tempted to punch her in the face. “But” at the beginning of the sentence acknowledges all the annoyances of the morning. “Right?” at the end involves me in this observation, inviting me to affirm or disagree. When backed into this corner, I was forced to agree. It was pretty. A blanket of pristine snow, unsullied by dirt and footprints. A continuous sprinkle of flakes, transporting us to the winter wonderland of a snow globe.

It was pretty, and as soon as I appreciated this, my annoyance disappeared.

Amazing, isn’t it? I was so impressed with this change in my mood, I’ve decided to apply this little trick to my future frustrations.

My manuscript making me want to bang my head against the wall? I’ll think, “But you love writing, right?”

My children fighting for the umpteenth time about something ridiculously insignificant? I’ll tell myself, “But they’re cute, right?”

Traffic on 495 backing up at completely random times of the day? Well. If you come up with a sufficient come-back, be sure to let me know!

What about you? When was the last time you were annoyed, and what did you do to combat the frustration? Please share!

All-Time Favorite Heroes/Heroines

Agents and Editors, mermaids,

Valentines-day-valentines-day-22236757-2560-1600-300x187Happy Valentine’s Day from the Waterworld Mermaids!!!

We love Valentine’s Day so much that we are celebrating all week long. Today we ask some of our favorite industry professionals the question: Who is your all-time favorite hero/heroine?

Yesterday, the mermaids discussed why we write romance. Our celebration will wrap on Thursday with a gift card giveaway. Leave a comment below to be entered in the giveaway. You can also earn extra chances by leaving comments on yesterday’s and tomorrow’s posts!

Enjoy!

Who is your all-time favorite hero/heroine?

Beth Miller, agent, Writers House:

My favorite hero (focusing on books) is Daemon Sadi from Anne Bishop’s gorgeous dark fantasy Black Jewels series.

In a world in which Jewels are a reservoir for power, and the darker the jewel means the stronger the power, Daemon Sadi is a Black-Jeweled Warlord Prince, the strongest man in the Realms—and yet, he is a pleasure slave, bound to serve at the whim of an evil corrupt Priestess who holds the life of the person he loves most in her hands to keep him under her thumb. A prophecy is made, that She is coming, the Dreams Made Flesh, the Queen all who are good have longed for, and Daemon knows he is meant to be her lover. So he waits—for centuries—serving evil, selfish women; tortured at their whims, barely suppressing the violence that lives within him. The only thing keeping him going is the knowledge that She is coming. But when he finally meets her, she is a child, and so he must continue to wait for her to grow up, in the meantime befriending this fragile, powerful child that is the hope of his race. Daemon endures unspeakable horrors for his Queen, horrors that could mean the permanent loss of his sanity, his family, his friends, and her, the woman he loves above all else.

I don’t want to be too specific, because this is such an amazing series that I recommend to everyone. Be advised that it’s pretty violent, but the world is so vividly drawn, the characters so remarkable, that I re-read the entire series (the trilogy and beyond) at least twice a year. Here’s the link to the trilogy:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Black-Jewels-Daughter-Darkness/dp/0451529014/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391528371&sr=8-3&keywords=black+jewels

 

Michelle Grajkowski, agent, 3 Seas Literary Agency:

Who is my favorite fictional hero?  What a delicious question!

 

To me, Rhett Butler is the ultimate hero.  His rough and tumble, bad boy past taught him to be the man he was when he first laid eyes on the woman he knew he must have.  On the outside, Rhett truly appeared to be a scoundrel.  Willing to do anything to get what he wanted.  (Truly, was he much different than Scarlett???)  He was the epitome of an alpha hero – determined, strong, stubborn, opinionated, dangerous and just a tad rough around the edges.

 

But, once Margaret Mitchell introduced us to the true, ooey-gooey, makes-our-heart-melt Rhett, raise your hand if you didn’t swoon!  When we met the Rhett who stood at the bottom of the stairs and knew, immediately, that Scarlett would be his.  That he would prove to her through kisses, gifts, passion and compassion that he would be there for her forever.  When he proudly cherished his daughter with the same intensity that he had for her mother.  When he finally realized that Scarlett truly would never love him for the man he was, and had the strength and courage to finally walk out the door…

 

Frankly, my dears, I DO give a damn.  Rhett truly, truly was a man of strength, honor, courage, passion and above all, love.  (Oh, and the fact that he was completely, 100% swoon-worthy doesn’t hurt, either!)

 

 

Nicole Resciniti, agent, The Seymour Agency:

Pick one–one–favorite hero? I think that’s why romance is my favorite genre, because I get to ‘fall in love’ with a new hero each time I pick up a new book. I have some faves that vary by genre.

RS– Frank Knight. He’s the hero of Julie Ann Walker’s second, BKI book, IN RIDES TROUBLE. He’s big and gruff and loyal. He has a heart the size of Texas and is a total badass. He isn’t your typical, pretty-boy perfect hero. Frank has scars and some inner fears. He reminds me so much of my hubby Frank, that it’s impossible not to adore him.

PNR– I have to say that I’ve found myself falling for Gideon. Y’all haven’t met him yet, but . . . damn. Gideon is the hero in Kate SeRine’s EVER AFTER (A Transplanted Tale Novel). He’s smart and gallant, and so . . . good. Look for it when it releases from Kensington.

HISTORICAL– Johanna Lindsey totally ensnared me with her Malory Family (and, as an agent, I’d LOVE to discover a family saga in this vein), especially James the ex-pirate/gentleman. His story, Gentle Rogue, is a go-to for rereads.

YA–This one goes to Aelyx. Of the planet L’eihr. Yeah. He’s a foreign exchange student–foreign, as in, another solar system. Raised in a complex society where emotions are not expressed, seeing that Aelyx has feelings (and they run deep) is just more incentive to L’ove this hero. Check him out in ALIENATED by Melissa Landers.

 

NA– Mateo from Cecy Robson’s new series ONCE PERFECT. Matteo is a bouncer who was dishonorably discharged from the military after he beats up the guy that raped his sister. He’s down on his luck, down on himself, and supporting his family through underground MMA fights. He’s a tough guy with the purest heart. He is . . . perfect. The author keeps talking about the hero in her second book ONCE LOVED, Brody, but I’m still team Mateo. The other NA hero that I’m crushing on is also former-military. In BROKEN, Paul Langdon comes home from Afghanistan scarred, crippled and as broken internally as he is physically. His journey is heartwarming and beautiful.

 

CONTEMPORARY– Kate Meader’s hero, Chef Jack Kilroy is H-O-T in the Chicago-set FEEL THE HEAT. He knows his way around women–and a kitchen. Shane August, the hero in Jessica Lemmon’s TEMPTING THE BILLIONAIRE has that same, powerful I’m-in-control sexy vibe going on.

 

Sandra Pesso, marketing direction, Evernight Publishing:

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/

http://www.evernightteen.com/

My favorite all-time hero is James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser, better known as Jamie, from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.

Even though I read the first book in the series many years ago, Jamie has stayed with me as my number one. Jamie is the perfect hero without being too perfect.  He’s a fine blend of determination, wit, loyalty, humility and honor. He’s brave and willing to do anything for the people who are important to him, whether it’s living in a cave for years, having nails driven into his hand, letting the love of his life leave him, or even sacrificing his body to his enemy. To top it all off, Jamie is a Scottish Highlander complete with an accent and yes, a kilt. Men in kilts just seem to do something for me!

Jamie is the ultimate hero. But don’t take my word for it. I’ve selected a few of my favorite quotes to illustrate my love for Jamie Fraser…

“I can bear pain myself, he said softly, but I couldna bear yours. That would take more strength than I have.”

 “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”

 “It has always been forever, for me, Sassenach”

 “Ye werena the first lass I kissed,” he said softly. “But I swear you’ll be the last.”

 “You dinna need to understand me, Sassenach,” he said quietly. “So long as you love me.”

*Sigh*

 

Stephen Morgan, editor, Entangled Publishing:

My favorite heroine is Anne from Anne of Green Gables.

 

Now it’s your turn! What do you think of the heroes/heroines our industry professionals picked? Who are some of your favorite heroes/heroines?

Snow Day!

mermaids, Pintip, Writing,

Since Masha shared with us what she was not in yesterday’s post, I thought I’d tell you what I am. I am the type of person who watches a pot of water boil. No, seriously. (And it actually does boil, believe it or not.)

When we first got fish, I could sit and observe them frolic and swim around for hours. And don’t get me started on babies. Endless. Entertainment. Of course, this is from the mother who still loves to watch her son fall asleep. (Hey, he’s still in nursery school. That statement would be a lot more strange if he were, say, thirty.)

Where I draw the line, though, is watching grass grow. Too damn boring, too damn long. Yesterday, however, I found a similar, albeit more interesting and prettier, pastime: watching snow fall.

1-snow day 1

As the snow fell and fell and fell, I was thinking that the accumulation of these fluffy white flakes is a lot like writing a book. You start with these fragile, insubstantial things — words — that by themselves don’t amount to much. You throw a bunch of them together, and you might get the slightest, barest hint of a story.

1-snow day 2

You keep at it, and pretty soon, you might have a chapter or two or three.

1-snow day 3

 

If the words continue to fall steadily enough, and for a long enough period of time…

1-snow day 4

…then sooner or later, you will have something substantial, something pristine, something you would be proud to share with the world.

To all of our friends in the mermaid lagoon, whether or not the weather is balmy or frigid, I wish you all a very merry Snow Day!!

Xxxx

So Grateful To Be Joyful

Health, mermaids, Pintip Dunn, ,

Following up on Alethea’s post about Famous Jammies yesterday, I’d like to talk about another short video (also 3 minutes, 45 seconds!) I found on YouTube rpintipecently. This one features Dr. Brené Brown, professor and renowned vulnerability researcher. She is perhaps best known for her TED talks on vulnerability and shame, but in this clip she talks about the connection between gratitude and joy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IjSHUc7TXM&feature=youtu.be

Namely, in her 11,000 interviews, Dr. Brown found that every single person who described his or her life as “joyful” or “joyous” also “practiced” gratitude.

By practicing gratitude, Dr. Brown doesn’t mean feeling or being grateful; rather she’s talking about a very specific and tangible gratitude exercise — keeping a gratitude journal, for example, or articulating something for which you are grateful at a certain time each day.

This relationship between joy and gratitude surprised her. She had gone into the research thinking, “If you are joyful, then you should be grateful.”
She found, instead, that “practicing gratitude invites joy into our lives.”

It surprised me, too. For the last several months, I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal, where I write down five things for which I am grateful about that day. I have to admit, some days are harder than others, and sometimes, if I’m having a bad day or am feeling physically unwell, I skip the journal altogether.

I would think: “Well, that was a crap day. It’s not that I don’t have anything to be grateful for; I just don’t have the energy or the inclination to come up with five specific things right now. Tomorrow, when I’m feeling better, I’ll try again.”

Now, Dr. Brown’s insights make me wonder if I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. Maybe the very fact that I choose NOT to practice gratitude contributes to my bad day. Maybe the times when I  need my gratitude journal the MOST are the tough days, not the joyous ones.

So, instead of avoiding my gratitude journal, I’m going to make a point of writing in it when I’m feeling my worst. In addition, per Dr. Brown’s suggestion, my family and I now practice a gratitude exercise every evening, where we light a candle and go around the circle saying what we are each grateful for. It is another source of joy in my life to see what my kids come up with every day.

We’ll see if Dr. Brown is right. I suspect she is. 🙂

What about you? Do you practice any gratitude exercises? Do you agree with Dr. Brown? What do you believe is the connection between gratitude and joy? What are you grateful for today?

 

Racing Like a Snail

mermaids,

Today, I’d like to talk about a little snail named Turbo. (And yes, if this is sounding familiar, then it probably is. I am referring, of course, to the Dreamworks movie, Turbo, which released this summer. I apologize in advance for any spoilers I am about to give, but pintipsince this is a kids’ movie, I hope you’ll forgive me.)

Turbo is a snail who dreams of speed. In fact, his dearest wish is to race in the Indy 500, as crazy as that sounds. But it’s not so impossible, after all. Turbo gets into the engine of a drag racer, and his body is infused with nitrous oxide. Presto! All of a sudden, he’s super-duper “turbo” fast. Blue-streak lightning fast. Upwards of 200mph, qualifying for the Indy-500 fast. Just as he is about to win the race, however, his powers desert him, and he must inch his way to the finish line with his own snail-intrinsic abilities.

My son LOVED this movie. And I loved it, too, but for different reasons. It was cute to see a character yearn for something for which he is so absolutely unqualified. Exciting to witness his transformation with the receipt of his super powers. And satisfying to know that it was the abilities he had all along that allowed him to prevail.

Sometimes, in this high-speed world of publishing, it can be easy to feel like a snail. An ordinary, garden-variety writer, Theo, wanting desperately to succeed as big bad author, Turbo. Super powers, in the form of a 200 mph contract or a coveted award or mega sales, seem to be all we need in order to succeed.

Unfortunately, we’re not cartoon snails in a movie, so we can’t expect these powers to appear magically in our laps. So what, then, is a writer to do?

Believe in our own intrinsic abilities, of course! Inch, after slow painstaking inch, word after slow painstaking word…and maybe one day, we, too, will realize we never needed those super powers, after all.

Or so we can dream. Right?

Have you seen Turbo? Thoughts? If not, what movies have you seen lately that have inspired you?

“This Is the Happiest Day of My Life!”

Books, mermaids, Pintip, , ,

This has been a good week for books in my household.

First, this lot of Daisy Meadows’ Rainbow Fairies books arrived in the mail.

photo (17)

A little background. My kiddo’s been OBSESSED with these fairy books for the last couple months. We read a new one every single night. Her imaginative play has been filled with all sorts of fairy magic. And three guess as to what she’s going to be for Halloween.

I’ve been borrowing these books from the library, but kiddo’s been begging me to buy them. I had the brilliant idea of getting the books used from eBay, and after a week of stalking the mail, they arrived.

Kiddo’s reaction? “This is the happiest day of my life!”

Oh my goodness, I remember that feeling well. When I was a kid, books were my dearest, most precious possessions. I systematically worked my way through the children’s section of our public library, and every birthday, I asked for books, books, and more books.

You can imagine my thrill in seeing kiddo share my joy for stories.

Not only was I thrilled, but I was also inspired. So I ordered another lot from eBay, and it arrived yesterday.

photo (18)

K.A. Applegate’s Animorphs series. This was *my* favorite series when I was a kid. Okay, so I wasn’t really a kid. But it’s been a good fifteen years since I’ve read these books, and I still remember them with great fondness. That counts, right?

I cannot wait to share these books with my kiddos and see if they love them as much as I do.

Happy days, indeed.

Now, it’s your turn! Please share. What were your favorite series of books as a kid? What about right now? When was the last time you had the “happiest day of your life” feeling?

Natalie Richards Swims With the Mermaids

Guest Post, mermaids,

I am so excited to welcome debut author Natalie Richards to the warm waters of our lagoon. Her YA thriller, SIX MONTHS LATER, released earlier this week, and it’s one of those books that stays with you for a long time.

Here’s the blurb:

She Has Everything She Ever Wanted. But Not Her Memory…

When Chloe fell asleep in study hall, it was the middle of May. When she wakes up, snow is on the ground and she can’t remember the SML Cover Smallerlast six months of her life.

Before, she’d been a mediocre student. Now, she’s on track for valedictorian and being recruited by Ivy League schools. Before, she never had a chance with super jock Blake. Now he’s her boyfriend. Before, she and Maggie were inseparable. Now her best friend won’t speak to her.

What happened to her? Remembering the truth could be more dangerous than she knows…

Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? You know what else is amazing? The hero of this book, Adam. Ah, Adam. I am kinda (okay, totally) smitten with this boy, so I asked Natalie to give us a little more insight into his character. She was kind enough to share with us some of Chloe’s thoughts:

Shh…we’re sneaking up the stairs, and Adam’s apartment is…Holy Cramped Spaces. Have to be quiet, too, because his grandma isn’t the type to invite me in for milk and cookies. Let’s twist open the door and….whoa, what do you know? Adam is a neat freak. Capital N to the K, people. I could bounce a quarter off his bed. If I could stop thinking about the fact that he sleeps here.
Ahem…anyway…
Okay, so his iPod is beside his bed, the earbuds perfectly coiled beside it. Maybe we’ll just take a quick little look at his first playlist.
Hm, wonder if he thinks of Piper when he listens to some of these.

Lonely Boy — The Black Keys
Breakdown — Seether
Demons — Imagine Dragons
Comeback — Redlight King
Rope — Foo Fighters
Staring at the Sun — TV On The Radio
Sia — Breathe Me
All This and Heaven too — Florence & The Machine

There you have it, readers! A sneak peak at Adam through his music. Are you in love yet? 🙂

Natalie’s Bio:
2013 Headshot MediumLost for years in a maze of cubicles and file rooms, Natalie found her way back to her love of writing. Natalie lives in Ohio (Go Bucks!) with her husband, their three amazing kids, and a giant dust-mop who swears he’s the family dog.  Follow her on Twitter @natdrichards or visit her atwww.nataliedrichards.com

Kiddo Wisdom

mermaids

Children lap up knowledge like it’s a melting popsicle on a hot summer day. But they can also be teachers, if we take enough time to listen. Here’s my kiddo teaching me a thing or two about stress.pintip

****

Kiddo: Mommy, what’s competition?

Me: It’s when a bunch of kids get together and perform, and some judges decide who did the best job. It can be pretty stressful.

Kiddo: Why, Mommy?

Me: Well, I guess some kids put a lot of pressure on themselves to win, and they feel sad if they don’t win.

Kiddo: But why do they want to win?

Me: A lot of reasons. Maybe they’ve put in a lot of work, and they want to see it pay off. Or maybe they want to be the best. I don’t know.

Kiddo: *thinks for a minute* That’s not why I want to compete.

Me: *smiles* Why do you want to compete, honey? So you can wear the cool clothes?

Kiddo: No, Mommy. It’s because it’s fun and I like doing it.

Me: *momentarily speechless*

Kiddo: I mean, it’s supposed to be fun! Why would you get stressed? That doesn’t make any sense.

Me: *manages* You’re very wise, sweetie. That’s the right attitude to have.

****
Frankly, that’s the attitude I wish I had! And I’m going to remember my kiddo’s wisdom the next time I feel stressed about my manuscripts.

Writing is fun. I love doing it.

End of story.

The Perfect Moment

mermaids

photo (14)When I was little, I used to wish I could bottle up perfect moments in my life, so that I could take them out later and relive them. Back then, I pictured a row of glass bottles, similar to the kind you throw in the water with a message inside, capturing the best times of my life. These days, we have much more sophisticated technologies — all sorts of cameras, videos, even holograms — but they still wouldn’t fulfill my childhood wish.

I didn’t want a representation of the moment, after all. I wanted the moment itself, complete with feelings and thoughts and physical sensations.

This was the first reason I started writing. I would scribble for hours in my spiral notebooks, attempting to record (and therefore keep for always) every moment of my middle school experience. Not that said time was particularly happy, much less perfect. But everything at that age was so new and precious and emotional, I couldn’t bear the thought of letting any moment slip away and disappear forever.

The moments I want to keep now are fewer and far between. But that doesn’t make them any less precious.

I experienced one just the other day.

photo (13)The sky was that calm, pure blue, where the few clouds unfurled like lingering wisps of cotton. Plump raspberries peeked out behind leaves, hidden gems just waiting to be discovered. And my children ran up and down the rows of bushes, white buckets clattering around their knees, yelling, “Mama! Come quick! I found the biggest, juiciest berry ever!”

My heart felt content. Peaceful. Everything was right in my world.

So right, in fact, that I didn’t think to take any photographs of that moment in the raspberry fields. But that’s okay. I’ve never needed a pictorial representation in order to remember.

What perfect moments have you experienced recently? Please share! I’d love to hear all about them!

Mermaids out of Water

mermaids

Sometimes, we mermaids must venture onto land, as a handful of us did last week in order to attend the RWA National conference in Atlanta.

photo(1)

 

But never fear. We will always, always find our way to our underwater friends.