Palm Leaf Manuscripts

This is what a palm leaf manuscript looks like.

My (as yet unpublished) novel, Rishi and the Karmic Cat, has a magical book, the Jiva Sutra, or the Book of Life, which is a palm leaf manuscript. I cannot begin to count how many times I've had to explain what it looks like to critique partners. Even though it is explained clearly (I think) most people just can't get their heads around a format that is not a book with regular binding, or a scroll. This format, the long, narrow, palm leaf or birch bark manuscript, was the default format of all books in South-Asia for centuries.

I'm officially in revision mode again. I'm hoping to do the final revisions on Karmic Cat by year's end and get it ready for the query process.

And since this book pops up in the prologue, my description of it is item #1 on the revision checklist. You know this post is just procrastination, right? Gaaaaah! OK, better go revise ….

Picture ©1996-2008 Copyright Mahendra Gunaratne

Superdog!

So, I've been wondering who our new puppy, Yogi, reminds me of. And it just came to me. He looks like all the superdogs in kids' movies and TV shows! Have a look - here's Krypto

and Bolt

and our Yogi!!!

* pictures of Bolt & Krypto from photobucket.com

Recycled Rice Bag

I had my doubts, but in the end it wasn't that hard to make! This project, to make a recycled rice bag, is actually part of a short story I just wrote for a magazine. Hopefully it will be in their Green Issue next spring. Off to write the instructions ... might post them here when I'm done.

New Puppy!

It's taken us a long time, but finally the kids have their dog!

We discovered Ravi's allergy to dogs when we were training Hobbit, a Boston terrier puppy, to be a hearing dog for NEADS. That was 4 years ago. We couldn't finish his training and Hobbit ended up in the prison pup program, graduated, and went to Korea to be the first Korean hearing dog. Really!

We waited for Ravi's tenth birthday and had all his allergy tests done again. According to his allergist we could "try" a dog since his allergies have improved somewhat. We looked at some really cute peekapoo (Pekinese and Poodle mix) puppies initially, but ended up with a mutt from the Buddy Dog Humane Society. With absolutely no pretensions of being hypoallergenic. I blame my husband. He had something against those adorable peekapoo puffballs.

Anyway, Yogi is a four month old "sato" rescue from Puerto Rico. He looks like a lab/ terrier mix but he could be anything. So far it has worked out. Ravi doesn't seem to have any problems with allergies. The cats have checked Yogi out and there has been no fur flying - yet!

It really is like having another baby. The housebreaking, the crate training, the obedience classes, the crying at 4:00 AM ... but have a look at that picture ... boy and dog ... it makes it all worthwhile :-)

Ravi and Amadi!

Here's a picture of my son, Ravi, reading Amadi's Snowman, the lovely picture book by Katia Novet Saint-Lot, on Katia's blog.

http://katianovetsaintlot.blogspot.com/2008/11/day-8-of-amadis-snowman-global-virtual.html

She is hosting a Global Virtual Book Tour, entirely online! What a great idea!

http://www.katianovetsaintlot.com/Katia_Novet_Saint-Lot/Virtual_Book_Tour.html

Feedsacks

The short story I'm working on right now has to do with feedsacks, and basmati rice, and reusable grocery bags - don't ask!