Well, it's been a long time since I've posted, but here I am.
It's been a busy year, both personally (we got married! We're looking to buy a place!) and professionally (lots of travel, lost of books to edit, lots of managing), and thus we stayed in NYC this holiday season--couldn't bear the thought of getting on a plane and going cross-country again. I need time to unwind and decompress (see my post over at the Blue Rose Girls on Battling Burnout).
I was reading this post on Gawker: "The Day we Became Cynical: How did you find out Santa Isn't Real?" and thought I'd post my own experiences.
I don't remember how old I was, but there were two main incidents that led me to the knowledge that Santa wasn't real.
1) my older brother and I decided to write a letter to Santa with all of our questions. One question involved Rudolph. I can't remember our question, but when a letter from Santa came back (his handwriting suspiciously similar to our father's handwriting), his answer was something to the effect of "Rudolph lived so long ago, I can't remember." Of course, my brother and I were indignant--I assume my brother probably did not believe at that point. For me, it gave me some nagging doubt.
2) one of Santa's gifts to me (a teddy bear) came wrapped in an old shoebox that had been sitting in our basement for a while. I pointed this out to my parents, who replied that Santa probably saw it and decided to use it. I wasn't convinced.
Of course, my brothers and I pretended to believe in Santa long after we learned he wasn't year. We wanted more presents, of course!
Happy holidays, all!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Singapore and BEA
Cross-posted from Blue Rose Girls.
***
I've been MIA again lately--and I apologize, but my posting will be sporadic until August, most likely.
Two weeks ago I was in Singapore for the Asian Festival for Children's Content. I had never been to Singapore, and was excited to go, mainly because I had heard so many incredible things about the food there! I was, of course, also looking forward to the conference, and meeting friends I only knew through blogs and Twitter, like Tarie Sabido, who blogs at Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind, and is a huge fan of Grace Lin's work. Tarie and I arranged to have dinner my first night in Singapore. I had a bit of a hellish trip over--a delayed flight to London resulted in a mixed connection, and I ended up having to hang out at Heathrow for over nine hours. All was not lost, though, as I got a much-needed mani/pedi while I waited, and still made it to Singapore in time to check in, unpack, and meet Tarie for dinner.
I had been told that I HAD to have a dish called "chicken rice" while there, and so Tarie and I walked over to the nearest food centre, Makansutra Glutton's Bay. There are these food centres all over Singapore, and they're basically outdoor food courts with all kinds of food. We found chicken rice, which is basically rice cooked in a special chicken broth with chicken. It's a very simple, tasty dish. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
The next morning Tarie and I met to head over to the festival together. Leonard Marcus gave the morning's keynote, and then there were several breakout sessions. I attended one on translation, and one on the Filipino Book Market--I found both to be fascinating.
In the afternoon, Sarah Odedina, Managing Director of Hot Key Books in the UK, and I spoke together about "Making a Bestseller." (But really, don't ask us how to "make" a bestseller. There's no magic formula.) Author Candy Gourlay has a nice wrap-up at her blog, "Notes from the Slushpile."
She also has a nice summary of the 1st-page critique I participated in on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Sarah and I once again collaborated, this time on an all-day Master Class. I think the official title was "Editing a Bestseller" but we basically focused on craft in the morning--we talked about character, plot, setting, and dialogue, and in the afternoon we talked about point of view and then did a writing exercise and critiqued each of the 30-something participants' writing, and then ended on a discussion about the business of publishing. I thought it was a rewarding, stimulating day (and hope the attendees agree), but I must say, it was also exhausting and by the end of the day my brain was mush.
But I was still itching to see some of Singapore, and so that night an author and I went to the Night Safari at the zoo. We saw lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes, and more, but I must say, our favorites were the flying foxes and fruit bats (who flew so close to our heads we had to keep ducking) and these scaly anteaters called pangolins.
We then managed to make it to the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel around midnight for a quick Singapore Sling--the drink had been invented there.
The next day I had lunch at Epigram Books with an editor, Sheri Tan, and the CEO and Publisher, Edmund Wee. Sheri Tan had been an editor at Simon Spotlight for 15 years, and although we had never met in the States, she introduced herself to me at the conference and we had some mutual friends. She was originally from Singapore, and had recently moved her family back there.
In the afternoon, illustrator Isabel Roxas and I met up with a friend of a friend of a friend named Eliza who had attended my masterclass. Isabel lives in Queens, but we had never met before Singapore, although she had visited our offices and met with some other editors. A friend of Eliza's joined us as well, and they took us to see the famous symbol of Singapore, the merlion! Yes, part fish, part lion, and quite cute.
We then went to the famous Orchard Road--an upscale shopping area that reminded me of a cross between Times Square and Fifth Avenue.
We ended the night in the most delicious way possible--famous, Singaporean chilli crab!!! So, so, so, good.
The next day, another Master Class attendee, Katherine, offered to take me around. We got Thai food for lunch, and then wandered around Little India. Then, she dropped me off at the beautiful Botanic Gardens, where I wandered until dinnertime. After a quick and final last chicken rice, it was off to the airport and home for me. What a whirlwind trip it was!
I absolutely loved Singapore, and the AFCC was so well organized and invigorating. Thank you to the organizers and the sponsors, and thank you especially to the attendees and my new friends who showed me around! Thank you so much for your warmth and hospitality.
Two days later (after editing Laini Taylor's Days of Blood and Starlight in between), I was back in the thick of work with Book Expo America (BEA). Here are a few pics:
***
I've been MIA again lately--and I apologize, but my posting will be sporadic until August, most likely.
Two weeks ago I was in Singapore for the Asian Festival for Children's Content. I had never been to Singapore, and was excited to go, mainly because I had heard so many incredible things about the food there! I was, of course, also looking forward to the conference, and meeting friends I only knew through blogs and Twitter, like Tarie Sabido, who blogs at Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind, and is a huge fan of Grace Lin's work. Tarie and I arranged to have dinner my first night in Singapore. I had a bit of a hellish trip over--a delayed flight to London resulted in a mixed connection, and I ended up having to hang out at Heathrow for over nine hours. All was not lost, though, as I got a much-needed mani/pedi while I waited, and still made it to Singapore in time to check in, unpack, and meet Tarie for dinner.
I had been told that I HAD to have a dish called "chicken rice" while there, and so Tarie and I walked over to the nearest food centre, Makansutra Glutton's Bay. There are these food centres all over Singapore, and they're basically outdoor food courts with all kinds of food. We found chicken rice, which is basically rice cooked in a special chicken broth with chicken. It's a very simple, tasty dish. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
 |
| chicken rice! |
 |
| Tarie and me |
The next morning Tarie and I met to head over to the festival together. Leonard Marcus gave the morning's keynote, and then there were several breakout sessions. I attended one on translation, and one on the Filipino Book Market--I found both to be fascinating.
In the afternoon, Sarah Odedina, Managing Director of Hot Key Books in the UK, and I spoke together about "Making a Bestseller." (But really, don't ask us how to "make" a bestseller. There's no magic formula.) Author Candy Gourlay has a nice wrap-up at her blog, "Notes from the Slushpile."
She also has a nice summary of the 1st-page critique I participated in on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Sarah and I once again collaborated, this time on an all-day Master Class. I think the official title was "Editing a Bestseller" but we basically focused on craft in the morning--we talked about character, plot, setting, and dialogue, and in the afternoon we talked about point of view and then did a writing exercise and critiqued each of the 30-something participants' writing, and then ended on a discussion about the business of publishing. I thought it was a rewarding, stimulating day (and hope the attendees agree), but I must say, it was also exhausting and by the end of the day my brain was mush.
But I was still itching to see some of Singapore, and so that night an author and I went to the Night Safari at the zoo. We saw lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes, and more, but I must say, our favorites were the flying foxes and fruit bats (who flew so close to our heads we had to keep ducking) and these scaly anteaters called pangolins.
 |
| It was too dark to take pics of the real animals, but here I am with a pangolin statue! |
The next day I had lunch at Epigram Books with an editor, Sheri Tan, and the CEO and Publisher, Edmund Wee. Sheri Tan had been an editor at Simon Spotlight for 15 years, and although we had never met in the States, she introduced herself to me at the conference and we had some mutual friends. She was originally from Singapore, and had recently moved her family back there.
 |
| the open-plan Epigram offices--gorgeous. |
In the afternoon, illustrator Isabel Roxas and I met up with a friend of a friend of a friend named Eliza who had attended my masterclass. Isabel lives in Queens, but we had never met before Singapore, although she had visited our offices and met with some other editors. A friend of Eliza's joined us as well, and they took us to see the famous symbol of Singapore, the merlion! Yes, part fish, part lion, and quite cute.
We then went to the famous Orchard Road--an upscale shopping area that reminded me of a cross between Times Square and Fifth Avenue.
 |
| Orchard Road is so called because it used to be an orchard. Hence the metal "trees" on the outside of this mall. |
 |
| Isabel about to chow down! |
 |
| This picture makes me salivate. |
The next day, another Master Class attendee, Katherine, offered to take me around. We got Thai food for lunch, and then wandered around Little India. Then, she dropped me off at the beautiful Botanic Gardens, where I wandered until dinnertime. After a quick and final last chicken rice, it was off to the airport and home for me. What a whirlwind trip it was!
 |
| The street where we had lunch--a nice mix of traditional and modern. |
 |
| in the orchid garden |
I absolutely loved Singapore, and the AFCC was so well organized and invigorating. Thank you to the organizers and the sponsors, and thank you especially to the attendees and my new friends who showed me around! Thank you so much for your warmth and hospitality.
 |
| the view from the hotel suite where we hosted meet-and-greets for Chris Colfer in honor of his debut MG, THE LAND OF STORIES |
 |
| The speakeasy scene for THE DIVINERS party |
 |
| Erica Perl and Alison Morris |
 |
| Libba Bray sang a few songs to entertain the crowd. She rocked! |
 |
| the BEA Children's Breakfast |
 |
| Chris Colfer, the charming and funny emcee, and author of THE LAND OF STORIES |
 |
| author Libba Bray with the huge banner for THE DIVINERS |
 |
| speed dating with Libba Bray |
 |
| The amazing dessert table at the Lemony Snicket party |
 |
| Megan Tingley introducing Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) |
I also participated in the Middle Grade buzz panel where I talked about Grace's new book, Starry River of the Sky, coming this Fall. You can view that panel and others at the BEA livestream channel here.
It was an amazing, whirlwind conference, and I'm still catching my breath. Now back to regular life! Next up is the ALA conference in Anaheim in two weeks! And away we go again...
Monday, May 14, 2012
Long time no see!
**Cross-posted from the Blue Rose Girls**
Sorry, I haven't been a very good blogger this year. What have I been up to lately?
Well, in the middle of April I was in London for meetings and the London Book Fair. A colleague from subrights and I visited our UK sister companies, which included Hodder UK (both children's and adult), Orchard, Headline, Orion, and Atom (part of Little, Brown UK). We also squeezed in some sightseeing and went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Modern, and I wandered around the Tower of London and saw the Crown Jewels. We had a dinner with the international publishers of Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers, and I spent a day at the London Book Fair meeting with UK agents and publishers. And I saw some old friends, too--took a trip out to a friend's home in the English countryside (kinda), and had fish and chips at the local pub, and sticky toffee pudding for dessert! Yum! I absolutely love London. I fantasized about living there, of course.
The weekend after I got back, I was off to the "Creating an Authentic Cultural Voice" conference, led by the amazing Donna Jo Napoli and Mitali Perkins, featuring special guest Kathryn Erskine, and editors Stacy Whitman and myself. It was held in the beautiful conference center in the Poconos--I stayed in my own private cabin! It was a beautiful, enlightening, stimulating time. Great, passionate discussions. I would highly recommend attending a conference run by Highlights--the locale itself is inspiring and beautiful (see photos here.) I'll try to post more about this later...
Work has been crazy busy--two weeks ago we had our Focus (sales) meeting for our Spring/Summer 2013 list (editors presented the list to in-house Sales for the first time), and catalog copy and ARC copy was due. All of us editors have been scrambling to get the novels on that list into copyediting, too--lots of deadlines!
Also, I'm off to Singapore at the end of May for the Asian Festival of Children's Content. Grace and I were originally going to go together, but--well, she had something come up! :) I've never been and am excited to see the city. Recommendations welcome, and if you're in Singapore, let me know! Perhaps we can meet up?
And on a personal note, wedding planning is still ongoing (the big day is a little over two months away...), and I had a fun bachelorette party and wedding shower weekend amongst everything else going on--which featured Karaoke, of course!
So, yes--I've been a bit busy this year...apologies for our sporadic posting.
Sorry, I haven't been a very good blogger this year. What have I been up to lately?
Well, in the middle of April I was in London for meetings and the London Book Fair. A colleague from subrights and I visited our UK sister companies, which included Hodder UK (both children's and adult), Orchard, Headline, Orion, and Atom (part of Little, Brown UK). We also squeezed in some sightseeing and went to the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Modern, and I wandered around the Tower of London and saw the Crown Jewels. We had a dinner with the international publishers of Barry Lyga's I Hunt Killers, and I spent a day at the London Book Fair meeting with UK agents and publishers. And I saw some old friends, too--took a trip out to a friend's home in the English countryside (kinda), and had fish and chips at the local pub, and sticky toffee pudding for dessert! Yum! I absolutely love London. I fantasized about living there, of course.
The weekend after I got back, I was off to the "Creating an Authentic Cultural Voice" conference, led by the amazing Donna Jo Napoli and Mitali Perkins, featuring special guest Kathryn Erskine, and editors Stacy Whitman and myself. It was held in the beautiful conference center in the Poconos--I stayed in my own private cabin! It was a beautiful, enlightening, stimulating time. Great, passionate discussions. I would highly recommend attending a conference run by Highlights--the locale itself is inspiring and beautiful (see photos here.) I'll try to post more about this later...
Work has been crazy busy--two weeks ago we had our Focus (sales) meeting for our Spring/Summer 2013 list (editors presented the list to in-house Sales for the first time), and catalog copy and ARC copy was due. All of us editors have been scrambling to get the novels on that list into copyediting, too--lots of deadlines!
Also, I'm off to Singapore at the end of May for the Asian Festival of Children's Content. Grace and I were originally going to go together, but--well, she had something come up! :) I've never been and am excited to see the city. Recommendations welcome, and if you're in Singapore, let me know! Perhaps we can meet up?
And on a personal note, wedding planning is still ongoing (the big day is a little over two months away...), and I had a fun bachelorette party and wedding shower weekend amongst everything else going on--which featured Karaoke, of course!
So, yes--I've been a bit busy this year...apologies for our sporadic posting.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
2011 in review
I've been terrible about blogging lately. But before we get too far into 2012, I thought I'd do a quick wrap-up of 2011. Not quite as detailed as my wrap-up of 2010, though!
I would say the highlights of last year include four main things:
1) ALA Midwinter in San Diego
2) My trip to Australia and New Zealand in May (I blogged about it here, here, here, and here.)
3) My promotion to Editorial Director
4) And last but not least...getting engaged!
Of course there were a lot of other things that happened last year: trips taken; movies watched; books read, acquired, edited, and published; food eaten; Karaoke sung; and more! But work did tend to dominate my life, even more than usual. Let's see if I can adjust that balance a bit this year.
Also, I'd like to take a quick look at how I did with my New Year's Resolutions for last year. Results in blue.:
I'll keep my personal resolutions for 2012 short and sweet.
-Get rid of at least 365 items (includes clothes, books, etc.) (I borrowed this resolution from Libby.) -Exercise at least three times a week
-Have fun at my wedding and don’t stress too much about the planning -Buy no more than one new item of clothing a month on average.
-No candy, except for gifts and “experiences” (and on my birthday)
-Do at least 5 cultural things this year (museums, plays, etc.)
-Go on at least one pure vacation (no work!). Honeymoon counts!
-Work on improving my posture!
-Dress up for Halloween (I figure this is an easy one to achieve each year...)
And now, onwards and upwards for 2012!
I would say the highlights of last year include four main things:
1) ALA Midwinter in San Diego
2) My trip to Australia and New Zealand in May (I blogged about it here, here, here, and here.)
3) My promotion to Editorial Director
4) And last but not least...getting engaged!
Of course there were a lot of other things that happened last year: trips taken; movies watched; books read, acquired, edited, and published; food eaten; Karaoke sung; and more! But work did tend to dominate my life, even more than usual. Let's see if I can adjust that balance a bit this year.
Also, I'd like to take a quick look at how I did with my New Year's Resolutions for last year. Results in blue.:
-Don't
buy any new clothes for myself (excluding accessories and necessities,
for example: underwear, socks, jewelry, shoes, etc.)
I did end up buying three items of clothing--two dresses (one was for the Nation Book Awards) and one T-shirt (bought at the US Open). But overall, I did pretty well here!
-Maintain current weight (or lose)
I think I gained a few pounds...
-Save an average of XX a month (I'm keeping the actual amount private)
Yes!
-Read average of 1.5 published books per month. Read at least three adult books this year.
Yes! I read a lot this year, including quite a few adult books, including: Just Kids by Patti Smith, A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, Bossypants by Tina Fey, The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemison, and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling.
-Do more cultural activities (shows, concerts, museums)--at least 10 a year
I think I failed at this. I went to one show (Book of Mormon) and to the Met once. Although I did do some cultural activities while traveling in Australia and New Zealand...but that wouldn't bring me up to ten, I don't think...
-Eat candy no more than once a month, on average
I didn't overdo this, but I did fall off the wagon between Halloween and Christmas.
-Get 4,000 followers on Twitter
Yes! I exceeded 5,000 followers.
-Post on bloomabilities at least once a month (I resolve to do this every year. I'm really going to do it this year!)
Uh...FAIL!
-Clean my apt. at least a little bit once a week
Yes, "a little" being the key phrase.
-De-clutter and fully set-up the apt (there are still unresolved corners left over from my move in June)
Not really, but better!
-Go horseback riding
Yes! In Australia.
-Dress up for Halloween
Yes! I dressed as Madrigal from Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
-Get my golf game down to 70 for 9 holes (or, at least, to the level where I can actually count my shots accurately!)
I actually did this twice! Once scored 68 for 9 holes, scored 70 another time. And I am at the point where I can accurately keep count. Amazing.
-Exercise at least 120 times
I think so...
-Run at least a half marathon
Nope.
-Go on at least two long bike rides
Yes!
-Schedule at least one night a week for unscheduled time (you get what I mean...)
Nope.
I'll keep my personal resolutions for 2012 short and sweet.
-Get rid of at least 365 items (includes clothes, books, etc.) (I borrowed this resolution from Libby.) -Exercise at least three times a week
-Have fun at my wedding and don’t stress too much about the planning -Buy no more than one new item of clothing a month on average.
-No candy, except for gifts and “experiences” (and on my birthday)
-Do at least 5 cultural things this year (museums, plays, etc.)
-Go on at least one pure vacation (no work!). Honeymoon counts!
-Work on improving my posture!
-Dress up for Halloween (I figure this is an easy one to achieve each year...)
And now, onwards and upwards for 2012!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)