Cover Reveal for Pompeii Novel

So Scholastic included my upcoming young adult novel, CURSES AND SMOKE: A NOVEL OF POMPEII, in their online preview video. Which means I can share the glory that is the cover!  Tadddaaaaa!

Honestly, I am SO BLESSED to have such beautiful covers for my books.  Thank you Scholastic, Cheryl Klein, and the Arthur A. Levine Books team!

Curses and Smoke releases June 2014.

Oh, Hello Again...

     Blogger tells me I haven't posted here since late June. Ooops. In my defense, I've been very busy, which will soon be explained. 
     Meanwhile, I'm back to blogging because my friend, Tracy Barrett--author of the wonderful Dark of the Moon and King of Ithaka, among many other great reads--invited me to participate in a "Blog Tag," wherein you have to answer the questions below and tag three other authors. She tagged me and I'm tagging, Elizabeth O. Dulemba, Cathy C. Hall, and Dorainne Bennet. Go forth and share, friends!
     Thanks for the push, Tracy! 

Hot boy, smart girl and a volcano--what could go wrong?

1.  What are you working on right now?
     This summer, I was heavily into revising and editing my upcoming young adult novel, Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii, set to release in June (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic).  My brilliant editor, Cheryl Klein, was as always, fierce about pulling out the best story from me that I could manage. 

     Curses and Smoke is told from two points of view--Lucia, the daughter of the owner of a struggling gladiatorial school; and Tag, the medical slave trained to treat gladiators at the school. Scholastic wanted a "Titanic in Pompeii" type of story and I've done my best to deliver that, along with (I hope) interesting details about Roman religion and the belief in "curse tablets," the power of dark magic to curse your enemies.

Anubis loves the gross bits...

     At the same time, I was also working on editing Anubis Speaks: A Guide to the Afterlife by the Egyptian God of the Dead, which releases in October, and writing the next one in the series, Hades Speaks: A Guide to the Underworld by the Greek God of the Dead. The series is published by Boyds Mill Press and is edited by the wonderful Larry Rosler.
 2. How does it differ from other works in the genre?      Anubis Speaks differs from other mythology books in a number of ways. First, it is narrated by Anubis himself and he speaks directly to the reader. He is written with a snarky voice (he's a bit irritated that the world no longer bows down to him) and glories in the grosser facts about ancient Egyptian death practices. I was very excited to learn that School Library Journal really liked the book, calling Anubis a "wickedly funny tour guide...[and that] His narration, plus the incredible wealth of interesting detail, could make this book a hit in any library." 

     From your lips to god's ears, School Library Journal! The challenge in writing the Hades

I'm not grouchy, I'm just irritated w/my little brother, Zeus...

book was finding a different voice for the Greek god. I ended up imaging that Hades was mightily put out with his little brother, Zeus, because 1) he was the first-born male, yet the youngest brother (Zeus) got all the good bits of the world, and 2) Zeus's son's and othe heroes were constantly invading his realm on stupid quests. And don't get him started on that meat-head, Herakles, who once even stole Cerberus right from under his nose.

     The next one in the series is Thor Speaks, for which I just started the research. I'm a little overwhelmed because I know so darn little about Norse mythology. At least with the other two books, I had a fair grounding of knowledge. So, I'm doing a lot of reading about the Vikings right now.
3.  Why do you write what you do?
     Because I never outgrew my fascination with ancient Egypt and the cultures of Greece and Rome! Writing about these worlds allows me to escape to other times in my mind. How fun is that?
4. What is the hardest part about writing?  

What a bad review can sometimes feel like...

      I've been staring at this question for a while, because there are so many parts of it that I find hard! I think getting that first draft down is brutal. Revising, to me, is more fun, even if I have to throw away chunks of writing and kill my darlings. The hardest part, though, isn't so much about the writing, but the vulnerability of sending it out into the world. Not everyone is going to like your baby. Not everyone is going to like your voice. To manage that reality, I keep telling myself, "It's JUST a story. That's all." But that is, as we all know, easier said than done!

When Anubis Speaks, Y'all Better Listen!

From Antoine Revoy's book, Haunted Houses.

I've got two projects in the works right now. One is a YA novel (edited by the fabulous Cheryl Klein and set to release in 2014) and the other is a midgrade creative nonfiction book called, Anubis Speaks! A Personal Tour of the Egyptian Dark Lands (edited by the fabulous Larry Rosler and due out in 2013).

Anubis Speaks! is being illustrated by the uber-talented Antoine Revoy. I cannot wait to see how he interprets Anubis's dark and snarky voice!

I often get asked what I mean by "creative nonfiction." In this case, the nonfiction part refers to all of the facts about ancient Egyptian death practices and their beliefs about the land of the dead. None are made up. The information is based on primary and secondary source research.

The "creative" part is that these facts are "explained" by Anubis, Egyptian God of Mummification, who "speaks" directly to the reader. The jackal-headed god is a bit miffed about having been ignored for thousands of years and is baffled by his own people's fascination with cats ("I'm more of a dog person," he explains).

He warns readers to "Go back to coloring rainbows and unicorns," if they don't think they can handle the frightening boat-ride journey through the twelve hours of darkness. "There will be blood. And snakes. And decapitations. And monsters who like to gobble up hearts," he gleefully cautions.

Anubis is probably my favorite god in the Egyptian pantheon (followed closely by Isis).  I've had a lot of fun writing in his voice. I can't wait to share him with the world.

Was it too Dark/Gross for YA? Another Deleted Scene

 I can’t remember why my editor deleted this scene from my novel about Cleopatra’s (true life) daughter. Perhaps she cut it from Cleopatra’s Moon because Octavian/Augustus was already established as Selene’s nemesis. Or maybe it was just too creepy for YA. 

After all, the scene implies that Rome’s first emperor may have been a pedophile. I got the idea after reading Suetonius’s Life of Augustus, where he claims that Octavian was “fond of deflowering maidens, who were brought together for him from all quarters, even by his own wife.” (71.2) 

Bust of Augustus. Yes, the ancients painted their statues for extra creepiness.

Granted Suetonius was like “TMZ” of the ancient world, making outrageous, eyebrow-raising claims whenever possible. Still.

By the way, Suetonius doesn’t claim that the “maidens” were children, only that they were virgins. But since ancient girls sometimes married at 13 or 14, it was well within the realm of possibility that Octavian sometimes deflowered even younger teens. I imagined Cleopatra Selene learning of his behavior by accident when she sneaks out of her cubiculum late at night for a breath of fresh air:

The early spring air was sweet and warm, scented with early jasmine. The tinkling of the great fountain was almost as soothing as the silent black sky. Until I heard voices. Who else could be out at this time of night?

I scuttled behind the scalloped edges of the fountain, squatting in the darkness. One voice sounded young. Like a girl on the edge of tears. The other was a man’s and seemed vaguely familiar.

“Think what an honor this is!” said the man in a soothing tone.

“But I have changed my mind,” the girl whined, her voice thick.  “I want to go home now!”  

“You are just scared,” a second man said, his guttural accent making me crouch even lower.  “You will see, Caesar will lavish the family with honors thanks to you. Think what this will mean to your father’s career in the senate!”

“Come, let us splash your face and wash away those tears,” the familiar voice said, in the too-calm voice adults sometimes use with children about to erupt.  Once at the fountain, the men lavished the girl with compliments—on the beauty of her skin, her hair, her eyes. I peeked out to see this vision of Helen incarnate and blinked in confusions.  She was pretty and coltish in the way twelve-year olds often are, but she was clearly just a terrified girl.

“All right now?” asked the familiar voice. “That’s a good girl.  Come on, take my arm and let me escort you to him like the princess you are.” 

I knew that voice. 

It was Octavian’s freedman, Thyrsus.  I raised my eyes over the lip of the fountain. Thyrsus held a small bronze oil lamp, which threw little flicks of light against his angular face.

The girl swallowed and took his arm.  I sat, with my knees under my chin, waiting for the second man to follow so I could escape.  But instead, he sat down, belched, and sucked at what I guessed was the tip of a wineskin.

Leave, I ordered him in my mind. Leave now!

“What are you doing out here?” Thyrsus called, returning without the girl, and for a moment I thought he was speaking to me. “You need to be outside the room to intercept your charge if she shies away again.”

“Aghh, she’s not going anywhere for a while.”

“Actually, it could be just a matter of minutes,” Thyrsus said and they both sniggered. “Wake me when it is time to retrieve her,” Octavian’s freedman added.

“You are going to sleep?”

“I have trained myself to sleep whenever I can.  When Caesar can’t sleep and there is no…entertainment…he relies on me to stay up with him and keep him company.”

“Fancy that,” the other man muttered.  “The most powerful man in the world is afraid of the dark.”

But Thyrsus was already snoring.

I curled even further into myself.  They were bringing that girl to Octavian?  For him to…to….  I must have made a sound for the other man hissed, “Who’s there?”

I put my hand over my mouth while I crouched even lower, one hand on the fountain to steady myself.  I held my breath.

”Is somebody there?” he called.

Isis protect me, I prayed.  What would Octavian do if he knew I had discovered his perverted secrets?

“Well, well, what do we have here?” the man said from behind me and I jumped up, almost falling over in surprise.  He stared at me with a leer. “Were you spying?  Oh, what a bad little slave.  I shall have to punish you.”

 “No…I…I…”

“Caesar won’t mind,” he continued, grabbing me by the arm.  “So don’t try to complain to him.”  He pulled me closer. He smelled so strongly of sour wine, it was as if he sweated the cheap swill. “You’re a little young, but you’re pretty enough.”  He reached under his tunic as if loosening a belt.

“No!” I yelled.  “Do you know who I am?”

The man slapped me and I stumbled.  “I don’t care whose slave you are.  That’s what you get for being outside by yourself.  Your master should train you better.”

“Thyrsus!” I called.

The freedman jumped up.  “What?  What?”

“Help me!” I cried, still trying to wriggle from the man’s grip on my upper arm.

The man pulled my head back by the hair.  “Silence, girl!”

“You can’t do this to me!  I am the daughter of the Queen of Egypt.”

“Yeah, well, I’m the son of Neptune, now quiet or I will beat you for making too much noise.”

“Thyrsus, please!  Tell him!” 

Octavian’s man stared at me with wide eyes.  “Selene?”

“Yes!” I cried.  “I am the daughter of the great general Marcus Antonius.  Let me go!” 

That stopped the man, though he still held my hair.  “Wait, I thought you just said you were the daughter of that whore-queen…”

“Let her go,” said another voice, familiar only from my nightmares. I groaned. Octavian emerged from the dark, pale and cold as death.

 “Caesar,” the man stammered, releasing my hair.  “I…I found this slave spying …”

“I wasn’t spying and I am not a slave!” I said, rubbing my scalp.  “I came out to the fountain to get some fresh air because I could not sleep.”

Octavian narrowed his eyes at me.  

“Does the girl not please you?” my attacker asked Octavian.  “Where is she?”

“Sobbing on the floor in my room. Go and remove her.  Tell the senator I am no rapist and that he needs to convince his daughter to come to me willingly if he wants my favors.”

“The older daughter, sir, is even more beautiful,” the man said with a tremor in his voice.

“Yes, but is she a virgin?” Octavian asked.

“Ye..yes, I think so.”

The First Man of Rome laughed.  “Well that answers it. Don’t bother. Now retrieve the girl and leave the premises.”

“Yes, sire,” the man said, already racing to collect his charge.  

“Well, well, well, Selene,” Octavian said looking at me up and down.  “You have grown up, haven’t you?”

            I shivered, wishing I had not run out in my short sleeping shift. “I am sorry to cause a commotion,” I said, turning toward the girl’s wing. “I will return to my cubiculum now.”

            “Stop,” he called and I froze. He placed a hand on his chin in an exaggerated gesture of contemplation.  “Hhhhmm.  Perhaps the night is not a total waste.” He circled around me. “You know, your mother was not so tall.  Perhaps you get the long legs from your father.”

            What would happen if I screamed? Would anyone help me?

”Tell me Thyrsus,” Octavian said. “Do you think the queen’s bastard daughter is still a virgin?” He laughed. “No.  My guess is that she’s a whore just like her mother.” 

“Sire,” his freedman said.  “I do not think this is wise…Livia would surely not turn a blind eye to this…”

            Octavian laughed.  “Yes, you are probably right.  Besides, I would not want to catch whatever disease she carries between her legs.”  He spat on the grass at my feet and turned away.

            “Pleasant dreams,” he called over his shoulder, sauntering back to his rooms. I watched him blackness of nigh swallow him up, then raced for the safety of my room.

As always, my editor was right. We really didn’t need this scene. In addition to being overkill (and too long) Cleopatra Selene was merely an observer in this scene, rather than the driver the action. So, out it went.

What are your experiences with deleted scenes? How much distance did you need before you could see the rightness of your editor’s/critique partner’s cuts? 

A Deleted Scene--And Why My Editor Killed One of My "Darlings"

People often ask me what it was like working with the great Cheryl Klein (delightful!) and how I responded when she suggested I cut or rewrite scenes (jump? How high?).  Yet Cheryl encouraged me to stand my ground if I felt strongly about something.
But claiming that you want to keep a scene just because you "liiiiiiiked it," wasn't good enough. Let me give you an example. Below is a scene of that got cut from Cleopatra's Moon. A young Cleopatra Selene wakes up in the dark burning to confront her parents (Mark Antony and Cleopatra) about something. The larger scene stayed in the book, but Cheryl wanted me to cut the following portion. I argued for not cutting it.  Why? Because I wanted some lighter moments in an otherwise fairly dark book.  I wanted to "show" Cleopatra Selene's spunkiness. I wanted to make the reader chuckle or at least smile. Here's the scene:

When I awoke in the deepest-dark, I sat up, still burning with outrage that I had been denied such a powerful amulet. I listened for Zosima’s heavy breathing, then slid from my silken couch onto the cold marble, inching my way out into the hallway. I expected Katep to rise from his bench across the hall, but it was empty. Good. He would have tried to stop me.

            “Ah!” a voice said. “I was warned to expect this.” A young Roman soldier emerged from the darkness.

             “Expect what?” I asked in my formal Latin, proud of my improvement in the language, as I knew it pleased Tata.

“A roaming princess.”

            “Oh,” I said, heading in the direction of Mother’s chambers.

            “Wait!  Princess...” The soldier scrambled in front of me, his sword belt slapping against his thigh, the leather straps of his breastplate creaking.  “You must return to your chamber.”

            He was not my guard. He could not tell me what to do.  I moved to go around him. To my shock, the soldier grabbed my arm. “Go back,” he ordered.

I shook him off. “You may not touch the Princess of Egypt under punishment of mastication or death,” I announced, lifting my chin.

His brows knitted.“What?”

“If you touch me you will be either masticated or put to death,” I said slowly as if talking to a dull-wit. It never occurred to me that my Latin was anything less than perfect.

The soldier raked his hands through his hair, cropped in the Roman fashion straight across his forehead. “And by masticated you mean...?”

“You know. When they make you like a girl.”

The soldier paled and stepped back. "Oh. You mean castrated?"

"That's what I said!" I smiled up at him and continued on. 

He did not follow.

It's a small scene, one that became one of my "darlings." When I read it to my critique group, they chuckled. How could she not like it? But her argument--as usual--was sound.

Cheryl: The framework of the book is that a nearly 16-year old Selene is looking back on her life after a traumatic loss; she is gutted and is trying to figure out when her world began falling apart. The conversation with her parents gives us some clues and this scene only delays that conversation.

Me:  But I liiiiike it. It's meant to lighten the moment a little.

Cheryl:  (Graciously allows it to go through one revision.) But after revision two or three (or twelve?), she comes back to it. The message is clear: It needs to go.

Me:  But what about lightening the mood and all that?

Her:  Yes, but what has she just done in the opening scene as she recalls this?

Me:   She has just buried her twin at sea.

Her:  So would she be thinking of lighthearted moments? Would she look fondly upon this little exchange with a Roman soldier?

Me: [Sighing] No.

She was right, of course. It didn't make emotional sense--not matter how "cute" I thought it was. I cut it. This is why editors rock. They keep our stories "honest."

(If this example of editing is at all helpful, let me know. I've got PLENTY of scenes that my editor cut/changed that I can share!)

Bunce’s STARCROSSED Now $2.99 on e-book

Elizabeth's first book in the trilogy can be had for $2.99. Also, how cool is it that we both had the word "Moon" in our titles released in 2011?

Even though I've never met Elizabeth Bunce, I love her work. Plus, we share an editor--the wonderful Cheryl Klein. And now Cheryl is hosting a giveaway of Bunce's book, Liar's Moon.  Go here, to Cheryl's blog, to learn how you can win signed copies of both Starcrossed and Liar's Moon.  

Also, Cheryl provides excellent tips on finding the core of your story:

• If your story’s climax involves a big fight and someone wins and someone loses, that’s a Conflict.
• If it involves a piece of information being revealed, that’s a Mystery.
• And if two characters get together, or the character can achieve something they haven’t been able to before—that’s probably a Lack plot.

To read the rest and enter the contest for the signed books, go to Cheryl's blog.

"Mamas Don't Let You Babies grow up to be Twit-less!"

Yesterday, I had a twitter chat with my editor, Cheryl Klein of Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic and stumbled upon some unexpected drama.

The hashtag we used--#CMchat (for Cleopatra's Moon chat)--was being used by country music aficianados. #CMchat was a fairly busy twitter convo before we came along and crashed their party for an hour.

It took us a while to understand what was happening. We ended up keeping the hashtag because well, what else could we do? This was the hashtag we'd told folks to use for more than a week. Plus, we were only going to be using it for an hour. We apologized as best we could.

But it turns out some country music fans aren't too "in-ner-es-ted" in the process of writing and publishing a novel.

Who knew?

Which, actually, I find surprising because I think that country songs are the last bastion of story-telling in the modern music industry. I don't always like the "sturm und twang" of some the songs but I can't deny that the storytelling is often compelling and full of emotional resonance.

And who knows, some country music fan may yet take pity on our hapless-hashtag-wrangling and check out my book.

If you missed the chat, Cheryl put the transcripts of the 140-character-at-a-time exchanges on her blog. In one section, she identifies the four essential elements she looks for when considering whether to purchase a manuscript.

Another interesting tidbit--Cheryl says she can "shut off" the editor in her if the pleasure-book she is reading contains those elements she seeks for her own manuscripts. If they don't, she puts the book down, which she says happens about once every three or four books. 

Also, you can find out what her Roman name would have been.

So check it out.  And thank you, pard'ner!

It's a Twitter Chat!

Ever want to ask me or my editor about the process of writing and publishing Cleopatra's Moon? Now's your chance!

AAL Books/Scholastic Senior Editor Cheryl Klein and I will be on a Twitter chat Monday, 11/14 at 12:30 EST to discuss writing, editing, and all manner of writerly things.

Cheryl has the details at the bottom of this Q&A post about the novel on her blog. The twitter hash tag will be: #CMchat and our twitter handles are @valvearshecter and @chavelaque.

So please join us during your lunch hour on Monday, November 14!

Also, please note that Drag-Queen Cleo (DQC) promises to be there and add her opinion on occasion. Oh, and she told me to tell you that she will know whether you are there or not. And she's not kidding--just look into her eyes, okay?

For those that don't know, DQC is an action-figure Cleopatra whom I adore, especially once I realized her makers stuck a GI-JOE head on her queenly body. You go, DQC!

Photo Updates

I've been busy writing so I haven't posted much. Fortunately, I have the lazy--er, I mean "busy"--writer's solution to ez-blogging: photos! 

Check out Drag-Queen Cleo posing with tiny Harry Potter books in (my editor) Cheryl Klein's office. Someone gave her those adorable booklets because, um...she worked on the real ones!  See how stately Cleo looks? Yeah, I can tell ya that despite my best efforts, I was not able to pull off the same level of dignity.

I did, however, try to keep the squeeing and jumping to private moments. (I mean, come on--I was at SCHOLASTIC people. In NYC! I met Arthur Levine!) Though now that I think of it, I sure hope that ladies room was empty. (Hmmm, this might explain the sudden appearance of security...)

While at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with my friend, Diane Capriola, I stood before this portrait of a Egyptian/Roman boy (right).  It's one thing to see Fayum portraits in art books. It's quite another to stand before them knowing that they were actually used as mummy covers.

This painting in particular touched me because of the boy's soulful eyes.  I also love the hint of a smile playing on his lips.  In my upcoming novel, CLEOPATRA'S MOON, this is what I imagined Cleopatra Selene's youngest brother, "Ptolly," looked like. 

Drag-Queen Cleo, as you can imagine, became quite melancholy in the Ptolemaic/Roman Era wings of the museum.

The only thing that cheered her up was gold. And lots of it.

During Memorial Day weekend, I was delighted to spend time at Mingei World Arts signing books and hanging with the delightful Egyptian artist, Mohamed Elganoby, whose gorgeous paintings Mingei featured during the Decatur ART WALK.  I was totally sold on his work when I initially saw them but I became a true fan when I learned that he uses the same technique in his encaustic paintings that the ancient Egyptian painters used for Fayum mummy portraits.

If you missed seeing his gorgeous work, come back to Mingei during Labor Day when Elganoby returns for the Decatur Book Festival.

Finally, I am preparing to help run "Camp Kane" at Little Shop of Stories next week (Camp Half-Blood is in July). The camp is based on Rick Riordan's best-selling books about Egyptian gods and monsters. Riordan is an amazing person. Not only is he genuinely nice, but he also has the Midas touch. Whatever he writes turns to gold.

So, there you go. All caught up now.

Walking Like an Egyptian with Arthur Levine and Cheryl Klein

So yeah. I did that. I walked like an Egyptian with editors that still make me tremble a little when I'm in their presence.  Even better, I have proof!

I went to New York to present my first YA novel, Cleopatra's Moon, at the Jewish Book Council.  Why? Because they have an unbelievable program supporting book festivals around the country.

The Jewish connection in the novel is subtle, but strong: Cleopatra Selene is introduced to the Hebrew concept of free will during a sojourn into the Jewish Quarter of Alexandria (the largest concentration of Jews outside Jerusalem during this period).

Her intellectual and emotional struggle with the idea of free will--in the face of tragedy--provides (as Cheryl Klein put it) the "thematic backbone" of the story.

Drag Queen Cleo approved of the offerings.

From the JBC, the wonderful Antonio Gonzales escorted me to the Scholastic offices where we had a little "meet and greet" with folks from publicity and sales. We snacked on Egyptian-inspired treats like almond cakes and fig cookies (thanks Cheryl!).

Then we had drinks and dinner with several wonderful bookstore owners from the west coast. I must now find an excuse--any excuse--to get out to California and Washington state, just so I can visit their stores.

The highlight? Arthur Levine breaking out into song when I talked about my favorite children's book store in Atlanta, Little Shop of Stories. 

Tireless sales rep, Sue Flynn, personally made the most exquisite Cleopatra's Moon bookmarks for every dinner guest.

Seriously, how awesome is this??!!  The scan doesn't adequately capture the "oooooo, pretty, shiny!" vibe.

Tuesday, I headed to BEA for the children's breakfast. Actress Julianna Moore hosted. I was, um, so star struck by the authors on stage--Brian Selznick, Kathryn Patterson, Sarah Dessen, and Kevin Henkes--that I forgot to take pictures (sorry).

Then it was time to check out the immense exhibition.  Books, books, everywhere! Of course, I wanted them all.  Things almost got out of hand when I happened upon the publisher of this book (right--not a children's book, but still). I grabbed it off the display and made embarassing cooing sounds over it. One of the reps came over to me.

"I want this book," I said.

"Great," he responded, seeming a little alarmed by the way I was clutching it to my chest.

"No, really. I WANT this book, I must have it."

Again, he smiled at me, his eyes scanning the area, possibly for security.

I fully expected him to smile and say, "Well, of course. Take it! We have plenty!" When he didn't, I tried to explain: nobody else was going to love this book more than me! Couldn't he see that? Never mind that it was not an ARC, but a hardback (and the only one there to boot). I had to have it.

The man blinked at my ferocity....er, I mean, intensity. So again I asked: "Can I have it? Please?"

Quickly assessing that I was not a bookstore owner and therefore had no value to him, he said, "No."

Just like that!

At my devastated reaction, he said, "Come back at the end of BEA and then maybe."

"But I'm not going to be here at the end of BEA!" I wailed.

He shrugged as if to say, "Not my problem lady." Then walked away.

Steve Smith, Leslie Krueger and Jordan Smith of Oasis Audio.

I will admit that for one horrible moment, while his back was turned, I contemplated slipping the book into my swag bag and sneaking away. I coulda done it too, if I hadn't thought about the poor author and all the people involved in publishing his book. They all worked hard to get it out there. The least I could do was actually BUY it, right?

With a sigh, I replaced it on its display stand.

After my close brush with kleptomania, I sought out the Oasis Audio booth. Oasis is releasing the audio version of Cleopatra's Moon at the same time Scholastic is releasing the book.  

It was great to finally meet Steven Smith, Leslie Krueger and Jordan Smith. I could've hung out with them all day--they're hysterical. Plus, they enjoyed posing with Drag Queen Cleo.

After several more mind-numbing rounds of the exhibition floor, I met up with my good friend, Diane Capriola, owner of Little Shop in Decatur, GA. Then, because it would've been a crime for me to go to NYC and NOT visit the Metropolitan museum, I talked her into accompanying me. By the time we got there it was a bit late, but I still got to stand in awe before many exquisite pieces of Egyptian and Ptolemaic art that I had only ever seen in books.

No surprise, the Temple at Dendur was breathtaking. In the courtyard of the complex, I looked upon supports for Cleopatra's Needle that once stood outside the Caesarium in Alexandria, guaranteeing that just about every single character in my book stood before it at some point.

The Temple itself made me shiver. Octavian/Augustus had it built just years after defeating Cleopatra and Marc Antony in an effort to appease the locals.

One day, some day, I'll make it to Egypt. Until then, this would have to do.

In the meantime, I'll be forever trying to figure out how to come up with another excuse to visit New York City. Any suggestions?

An Interesting Dilemma--Seeking Writerly Advice

A while ago, I started blogging "Friday Funnies--Ancient Style" just because I love ancient history as much as I love to laugh and play with words. It also helped that my blog's emphasis on humor showcased the style of my mid-grade biography, Cleopatra Rules!, since the book featured a voice-with-an-attitude as well as lots of word play and funny references.

But now, with the release of my first YA novel, Cleopatra's Moon, looming, I worry that I am undermining myself by continuing that light and funny approach in my blog. Here's why:  the voice in the novel is VERY different than the fun-loving voice I used in my mid-grade biographies. 

Did I paint myself into a corner with my blog?

 In fact, the voice in Cleopatra's Moon is way more serious. It is also darker. And some say, more literary.

As the novel begins to gain momentum before its release in August, I don't want readers who stumble across my blog (I know, wishful thinking, but still) to think that my novel is as fun and silly as my biographies for younger kids. Because it's not.

So what's a writer with two very different "voices" and markets to do? I worry that funny or silly blog posts (my typical M.O.) might undermine the image and style of the soon-to-be-released novel. Not to mention possibly even mislead potential novel readers who might--as a result of the playful tone in this blog--expect a light, comedic novel. 

OMG, they're using gold foil on the cover!

I don't have the money, knowledge or time to create another blog just for the novel, so I was thinking I would just slowly shift the tone of this blog to reflect the more serious voice of Cleopatra's Moon. Is this a smart thing to do? Does it matter? Does anyone have any other suggestions?

I'd be especially curious to learn how other writers have handled such issues. And, yes, I'm very aware that this is an AWESOME problem to have!

Cleopatra's Moon, by the way, is edited by  Cheryl Klein (http://cherylklein.com) at Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic (www.arthuralevinebooks.com). It is slated for release this August.

The Singular Satisfaction of RIPPING Notes off a Manuscript

     So, I posted earlier in the week about receiving the typeset "First Pass Pages" of my 2011 YA novel Cleopatra's Moon. 


     As you can see from the photo on the left, it looked, basically, like someone with a Post-It Note obsession forgot to take their meds that day.

     In reality, it was all the work of my brilliant editor at Arthur A. Levine Books, Cheryl Klein. Did I mention she was thorough, too?

So what was on most of the notes? Often Just questions. Other times, flags about Style or word usage. And what Was the most Frequent question/issue to Arise? Why, yes, you're Right! It Was about my weird and troubling Habit of being Terribly inconsistent about capitalization. How Did you Guess?

     So it turns out I sometimes capitalized certain words like priestess or goddess (as well as countless other words), and sometimes I. just. Didn't. Couldn't tell you why either. My theory is That I have pinky-finger Tourette's, a syndrome I only just now made-up....er, I mean, Learned about.

     Still, I went through every single note on the manuscript, ripping each off with a wild and guttural, "YES!" when I finished.

   Okay, not really (couldn't disturb the cat sleeping on my lap after all). But I did finish it all just in time for the last FedEx pick-up last night. I sent back the manuscript in all its beautiful, pristine, and Post-It note-less glory!

Ta Da!!!!!!

     And then, very soon, we will go through it all yet again, not once, but twice! In the meantime, All I can Say is thank-gOd for editors Like Cheryl, who not only Find our Strange little Writing quirks, but are infinitely patient when they Stumble over them again. And again. and Again.

Don't Forget about Entering to Win A Free Book!

Go to my September 16 post on the Book Give-a-way and just leave a comment!

Post-It Parade

Got the 'first-pass' typeset pages of my novel decorated with all of my editor's notes. On the one hand, seems like a lot, though thankfully, Cheryl Klein (aka Editor Goddess) tells me it's not all that unusual for her. On the other, I'm so relieved that somebody is so ON it! It's like having a super-strong safety net.

The book, CLEOPATRA'S MOON, is a YA historical fiction based on what happened to Cleopatra's daughter in the days/years before and after the Roman invasion. It releases next summer and is being published by Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic. (Yeah, I know. I KNOW! I still squee about being able to work with Cheryl Klein and AAL Books.)

Cleopatra’s Jewelry—Why so Snake-y?

My fantastic editor, Cheryl Klein at Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic sent me a little present last week.

(Let me just say that never in my life did I ever picture the words “my editor” and “Cheryl Klein” in the same sentence. STILL boggles…)

Cheryl, The Goddess of Editing, is helping shape up my young adult novel set in ancient Egypt slated for release next summer. She said she saw a street vendor in NYC with this cool snake wrap bracelet/necklace and couldn't resist picking it up for me.

First of all, how NICE is that?

Also, it’s a blast. I’ve wrapped it around my wrists, ankles, neck, and even my pets. The dog tolerated it; the cat threw a hissy fit.

So why is snake jewelry often associated with Cleopatra? The one or two busts we have of the Queen of Egypt carved during her lifetime show her in Greek dress (since she was a Ptolemy). Not a snake in sight.

(Granted, she rocked three snakes on her crown when the Egyptians depicted her, but that's a different post!)

Cleopatra's association with snakes changed as the story of her death slithered into legend. Plutarch said Cleopatra died by the bite of an asp. But then he also claimed she just as likely died from pricking herself with a poisoned pin.

Seriously, though, who wants to believe the latter? Death by snakebite is so much more…. Dramatic. Outrageous. Exotic. Way more interesting than any other kind of death.

So, Plutarch, hiss off!

I’ll stick to the legend. It has way more poison-ality.