Doing things a little differently with the weekly letter

Hi everyone -- 

It's fall again. It's definitely started here in Chicago. The temperatures dropped the Tuesday after Labor Day -- as if the weather knew that this WAS the day, which seemed odd, too specific really. Isn't this fish gorgeous? We let him go. Catch & release that day.And then those temps dropped something like 30 degrees, like a point was being made. Chicago schools officially started on Tuesday. I imagine grandmothers across the USA are gazing a little longer at their white pants, white shoes and wondering if they can wear them a couple more weeks -- afterall, the kids are wearing white. Those kids never did listen to all that no wearing white after Labor Day.  

Weather great. That's Phil. And I'm making changes again. Last year I said the same thing. Read this post from last September. Well, it's been a year. I've written one entry every week for a year, and it's been fun. I learned I like to write about food. I shared a lot of movies and writing tips (some better than others). I got an idea of what makes a good blog entry (size, shape, & topic). So I've truly liked it. 

But here's the thing: I need to cut back. At least for the fall and spring.

Why? ONE CAME HOME. It's about to be published. And that means I need to gear up to tell you all about it. I'm planning to build a section on this website. I'm going to make my first ever book trailer. I've got to plan the promotion. Will I do a book tour? If I do, where will I go? What about book festivals? And what awards is this book up for? You get the idea.

In addition to all of that, I've got some stuff in mind for my book THAT GIRL LUCY MOON too -- a wonderful book that makes a great companion to ONE CAME HOME, despite the 100 year difference in their settings. 

So things to do, things to do. The list keeps growing. 

This guy needs a name. Anybody?What's the plan for the letter? I'm going to keep this section going. Yes, I've changed the name to "News! News! News!" but for those of you in the know it's the same thing.  But I'm not going to be quite so regular. I'll write when I have something to share: maybe a hint, maybe some photos (love taking photos), maybe some news about ONE CAME HOME. Maybe something for my mom, brother and cousins -- those I know who see this thing... But it won't be every Monday. It'll happen when I get the urge to TELL something. (And when that happens, there's no stopping me.)

Anyway, if you love this letter, I suggest you subscribe via a feedreader like Netnewswire. Or simply sign up to get them by email. Enter your email address in the spot provided in the upper right hand corner. That way you won't miss one due to it not being as regular.

News?  Spent Labor Day Weekend back at the Wisconsin Lake -- just a few days this time. And boy, was it lovely. See photos as proof. It was good to see family, go for a swim, and see all the creatures. Loons were calling all weekend. That's a treat!

What did you do this Labor Day?

More soon!

Amy 

P.S. Below is a video of Chris Thile & Michael Daves. Just went to a concert. A-MAZING. And so, I close with a little fun music. Enjoy "Rabbit in a Log!"

running while bird-watching? & cool mag app

Hi everyone -- 

Thank you for your help with my resolution to make an "exercise habit for life."

John, the advice to go for intensity and not time is good, as well as doing it during a time when it seems fun (lunch break at work). 

And Brad, I love what I'm reading of the book Switch! Full title (for everybody else): Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. I read the sample chapter on my Kindle, and think I'm going to go through it. But by just reading the sample, I realized that one of the things I struggle with in my running is that I can't watch the birds or take photos. I know it sounds odd, but it's true.

See, I like to go on walks because I can take time to see things, but if I run it's all about exercise, and if you're exercising you're not supposed to stop. The pattern is that I run by something I'd really like to pause at -- a flotilla of ducks on Lake Michigan say -- and feel disappointed because (a) I feel I've got to keep going if I'm going to get the benefit of all this effort, and (b) KNOW that I don't have time to come back (which is what I want to do) and figure out what ducks those were on the lake. 

So though I have a good post-workout feel, I am disappointed. It's slight, but I'm wondering if this is partly responsible for not allowing me develop running as a habit.  

But what if I allowed myself to stop? And what if there was a way to bring a camera and a monacle (for bird-watching) along? I think it might be fun. Now instead of not wanting to run, I kind of want to do it. 

* * * 

I'm tired right now. I'm working on the book with intensity. The count down is on -- I'm hoping to finish by the end of the month and there's plenty to do. So far, I think I'm going to make it. Working on the ending now, finished the beginning last week, and then I've got to go through the whole book and smooth it out. I want Phil to read it and give feedback before I sent it out. (He's a very good reader.)

Otherwise, here are a couple of things I thought were interesting from the realm of new ideas in publishing, technology, and will publishing survive this new world (the fatalism seems overdone to me -- truth is, this is opening up a lot more possibilities, allows more access...). Both of these are fun (don't be frightened): 

I love this demo of McSweeney's iphone app: http://app.mcsweeneys.net/ Makes me almost want to get an iphone . . . And for those of you in the kids book world, imagine if there was a kids book magazine like this. Imagine if the Horn Book looked like this. Interestingly, they don't put everything they print in the magazine on this app. And I believe when you pay for the app you're paying for a subscription (I believe). What if you could access all Horn Book reviews from an app on the iphone? Or ipad? Or smart phone? And what if they linked up to places to get sample chapters? 

In general, McSweeney's is the one I'm watching -- they do things their own way and are not afraid to break rules. For instance, publishing their own books, involving the community, allowing their sense of humor to shine . . . 

And this quote from a book critic, writing in The New York Times, about how he sees literary criticism changing:

Why, then, do we read? There’s something Buddhist about literary reading, as I understand it — you drop yourself into a little pocket of silence and peace and allow magical things to happen to your consciousness. I read, on the most basic level, because it makes me happy. It calms my brain down. My wife and I sometimes refer to this as “textual healing”: if I’m in a wretched mood, feeling oppressed by the world, I can go off with a book for an hour and suddenly be myself again. This practice, if you’re receptive to it, can come to define your life — can come in fact to seem like the very definition of a rich life. (Pound: “Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one’s hand.”) If our era needs to learn that lesson, or to relearn it, the book critic is in the best possible position to teach it.

Here's the whole article if you'd like to read it.

That's it for this week. Back to work! The photos are from northern Wisconsin. We visited Mom up at the lake and were surprised this year by hoarfrost! Lovely! (And yes, these are taken with the new camera, Powershot s95 -- so much better than my old powershot. As you can see I can get more contrast and more color even on a bright day with a lot of snow.)

Hope you're all well!

Amy

  

Progress & photos from the cabin...

I've just returned from time in northern Wisconsin with my mom, and it was wonderful -- both relationally AND in terms of my work.  

In the past, whenever I've travelled I've lost a lot of work time, but this time I was dedicated.  I got up at 6am EVERY morning and drove to the coffee shop. I sat there until 12P-1P and worked. By the time I returned to the cabin I was ready to do other things and I truly enjoyed myself. I did not feel rested when I returned to Chicago, but that's because I was still working. It wasn't a vacation. But it WAS a time with family. 

What I wonder is why it took me so long to do this sort of thing so deliberately.   

Here are some photos of the cabin area. There's 125 photos, but hey, dip your toes in! Wisconsin is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Every day a new sunrise and sunset on the lake -- every one different, just like snowflakes.