Notes from New England

Revise, revise, revise. Repeat.

2012-01-09T19:40:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012, world! Sorry for the long gap between posts, but I'm revising again. In fact, last November I pulled all the fulls I had out with agents just for this revision. I hoped to have it done by 2011 year's end, but that didn't happen. Sick kids, winter break, house guests and whatnot derailed the original schedule, but I'm definitely back on track now. Won't be posting much here until I'm done (two weeks, tops!) but here are some random things I'm currently researching for the ms.

Library stacks in a monastery in Tibet. Indian libraries in the 12th century would have been similar.

Marwari horses: An indigenous breed of war horses from Rajasthan. Notice the inward turning ear tips--they're a peculiarity of the breed.

Chabutras:Huge bird feeders found in public places in Gujarat. Would have existed in the 12th century too.

Cool, huh? :) Now back to that revision ...

Walk, delayed.

2011-11-18T07:20:00.001-08:00

Walk!

Walk?

WALK??!!

Writing unleashed - NaNoWriMo Week 2

2011-11-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

Yogi in the woods.

Sadly, my last post proved to be a tad optimistic. I thought I was prepared for NaNoWriMo. Ha! I had no idea what was coming at me.

Here's what: The night before Halloween my son spiked a high fever. Instead of trick-or-treating he was laid up on the couch, too sick even to hand out candy. The fever didn't go down for the next few days, and then a chest x-ray finally confirmed pneumonia.

To make things worse, the Halloween noreaster dumped a foot of snow on us and knocked out cable TV, the sole solace of our sad little invalid.

And finally, the Scrivener for Windows release I was looking forward to was pushed back from Oct 31st to Nov 7th. Dang!

Between the doctor's office, the pharmacist, the making and ministering of various comfort foods, a week's worth of seventh grade schoolwork to make up at home, the other kid's schedule etc., absolutely nothing got done. Even the poor dog had to make do with hurried on-leash trots around the neighborhood. End result as far as NaNo: 800 words instead of 9000.

However, the week of misery is now at an end. Both kids are back in school. I've installed my brand new copy of Scrivener. My fellow NaNo'er Heather and I have booked a sunny study room at our town library, and managed to pound out our daily word counts. Heather even joined Yogi and me for our morning walks around Lake Waban, where Yogi romped, unleashed, in carpets of crunchy fall leaves. And the snow? That's gone too.

Hope you didn't hit any slumps in your NaNo wordcount!

NaNoWriMo 2011

2011-10-29T05:38:00.001-07:00

Two days to NaNoWriMo 2011!

This year I'm totally prepared. I'm buying Scrivener for Windows on Monday (They're finally launching it, according to David from Lit and Latte), and my friend Heather and I are meeting at the library every weekday from ten to one to write together.

I haven't managed to get to 50K in my previous two attempts, though I did get a lot of writing done. Maybe third time's a charm ...

Happy Diwali!

2011-10-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Call it procrastination, but I spent way too much time putting together the Diwali card last night. It beats cooking, cleaning, shopping, calling up people, wrapping gifts, and all the other things I have to do for Diwali. Speaking of which, I better get back to it!

Make your own free scrapbook design

Scrivener for Windows

2011-10-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon the beta version of Scrivener for Windows while flailing around trying to outline the NaNo ms. I've always wanted Scrivener but, alas, don't own a mac. Everyone in the house has a macbook, except me, even the kids. So unfair. Though it's true that I'm quite fond of my battered (what IS this thing??) um, Gateway laptop, and have passed up an upgrade a time or two. Can't think of anything I envy on the mac anyway, except Scrivener. So Yay and Yippie for a windows version at long last! I love the corkboard concept already. It's perfect. And it saves me from pasting long rolls of paper on my walls like so:The only problem is that the beta runs out on November 7th. I'm not clear what exactly happens next. We're supposed to provide feedback on the beta, I think, and maybe (please, please, pleeease, Literature and Latte) they'll have a new version available for trial or sale by then!

If you want to try Scrivener for Windows get it here: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivenerforwindows/

Outlining for NaNoWriMo

2011-10-18T10:19:00.001-07:00

Why is Yogi on my outline chart? Because he's cute!

I'm Nano-ing the shiny new idea this year! And for a change, I'm pretty sure about what is going to happen, and how it's going to happen, and who it's going to happen to. So, I've decided to OUTLINE before November. Having been a pantser forever, this is all new to me, but I think it'll work this time. No way of knowing until I give it a shot, so here goes.

I may even switch laptops to download Scrivener ... :)

Happy Dusshehra!!

2011-10-07T19:52:00.001-07:00

I've shared pictures of our Ravanas from past years, and now there's a new addition to our gallery of villains. This year he was made out of pizza boxes and paper plates. I've no idea why the kids decided to give him a popcorn crown or laughing cow cheese earrings, but I think he looks pretty cool! So, ***drum roll*** I give you ...

the Demon King Ravana of 2011 !!

Wondering what the heck this is? Check it out at the festivals of India website here: http://www.festivalsofindia.in/dussehra/

And have a look here to see our oldies: The Gallery of Villains

Hurricane wedding

2011-09-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

Me (in blue), my kids, my husband, and the bride (in red)
I'm back!!! Feels like forever since I posted here. All summer, in fact. And what a summer this has been!

I spent huge amounts of time helping my sister-in-law long distance plan her Big Fat Indian Wedding (she's in San Francisco and the wedding was in Boston) only to have it CANCELLED at the last minute, due to hurricane Irene!!

Ever get the feeling that you're in a bad movie? That such things couldn't possibly be happening to you, only they are? That's what this was like. We had planned things down to the last detail, but had to start over with hours not months to make everything happen.

Nana (my husband's grandfather) came all the way from India for the wedding!

They did have a beautiful wedding after all. Only it was a day earlier at the temple instead of the gorgeous Elm Bank reservation in Wellesley. And the reception was (shock, horror!) at my house.

Too late to re-order flowers, but my potted mums look nice, I think.

I'd planned to have the henna ceremony (mehndi) at my house anyway, so we just threw it open to anyone who could make it. A great caterer, an amazing set of friends (Amy, Reetu, Denise and Martha: You ROCK!), a big tent, and my father-in-law's construction crew made it possible to welcome everyone into my not-so-huge home.
There was chaos, confusion, laughter, celebration, umbrellas, wet saris, and a magical garage jam session (the groom is in a band, and his mates were all there, with their guitars!) It was perfect. And the smiles on the faces of the bride and groom made it all worthwhile.

Storm's over, sun's out, pots and pans washed up, now I can smile!

Now the wedding and hurricane is done, the kids are back at school, the last guests are leaving tomorrow, so I can actually get my life back :)! Not that I would have traded the whole crazy experience for all the peace and quiet in the world! I mean, this stuff is gold, right? Better get writing ... ;)

Band, Baseball, and BEA

2011-05-27T05:44:00.000-07:00

It’s been a crazy week. My kids had their end of year band concerts on Monday, and the Saturday before that, I chaperoned the middle school band to a competition at Six Flags New England.
But the best bit was finding the fire department waiting at the town line to escort the band buses home. They heard about their two first place trophies and decided to give them the VIP treatment. The rest of week was stuffed with endless baseball in the endless rain. I don’t know how parents who have more than one kid in more than one sport survive spring.
In the middle of all this, I had to decide whether or not to go to New York for BEA. That's Book Expo America, the publishing industry's biggest event. This year I had a special reason to want to go. My friend Kiki Hamilton was going to be there for her first book signing. Miraculously, my husband could actually take the day off to get the kids to wherever they needed to go. I got my train ticket, registered online and off I went!

The weather was a perfect sunny 80 degrees. I didn’t get lost OR lose my train ticket, BEA registration, cell phone, car keys, parking garage slip or any of the other things I regularly misplace, being the absent minded writer type that I am.

Being in NYC always feels like coming home. Maybe because I grew up in another big city (New Delhi) the energy of a big busy gritty city feels so utterly familiar.

I found Kiki without a hitch. Despite having been online friends for years this was the first time we ever met for REAL!! It was so awesome be there for her very first signing.

I also met most of the Class of 2K11 thanks to Kiki ...

And ran into Anindita Basu Sempere, a fellow SCBWI New Englander. And met the lovely Cindy Pon. And got and as many books as I could carry. I could go on, but I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

But it's good to be back in suburbia ... even if there's more baseball practice this evening (groan!).

NESCBWI 2011

2011-05-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

Harold Underdown giving the keynote address on Sunday

I've been very distracted by non-writerly stuff lately. So the NESCBWI conference came at absolutely the perfect time for me. I'd signed up ages ago, so had no choice but to go. I was only there Saturday night and Sunday, but what a lovely day and a half it was!

Highlights ... Meeting the wonderful Stacy Whitman of Tu Books, who has such infectious passion for multicultural children s' fiction, and attending her 2 part fantasy world building workshop. Watching a screening of The Library of the Early Mind. The upbeat Getting Unstuck workshop with Mark Peter Hughes. And of course hanging out and catching up with lots of writing friends.

It isn't long before the school year's done so I'm switching to warp speed writing mode now. Thanks NESCBWI for the energy, inspiration, and focus to get me back in the zone!

Sisterly reconnection

2011-04-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

Had a wonderful b’day present last week in the form of a visit from my kid sister. She lives in Delhi so getting together means juggling schedules, pet sitters, airplane tickets, figuring out touristsy stuff for the kids to do, and other madness. It’s a whole project to organize, and a major expense besides. So how cool was it that she had an all-expenses-paid work trip to NYC, and could just add a week in Boston to it? Just in time for my b’day! Only downside is that she left today. Time to start planning the next vacation … argh! I can feel a headache coming on already!

Writer Spotlight

2011-04-13T04:49:00.000-07:00

So excited to have my first blogosphere interview up on Paula Kay McLaughlin's Writer Spotlight series. Paula started it to shine a light on serious unpubbed writers and their manuscripts. She's doing an interview every Tuesday, and this week it's my turn. I talk about my YA Historical STAR CURSED, my current work in progress, literary crushes, and other stuff. So, go on over and have a look HERE. Also, if you're an unpubbed writer, definitely check out the criteria to be on Paula's series, and contact her you'd like to be featured. You could be the next writer on Writer Spotlight!!

Whispering Pines 2011

2011-03-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time this weekend at Whispering Pines, a writer’s retreat in Rhode Island organized by SCBWI. It’s so incredibly beautiful and peaceful there. I just love that place. I learned a ton from the extremely knowledgeable and talented mentors, in particular from the talks on revision by Cynthia Lord, Cheryl Klein, and Ammi-Joan Paquette.
But the best part was connecting with friends, old and new--my ex-critique group buddy Sarah Albee, fellow inky Lena Goldfinch, blueboarder KarenB, and old WP friends Laurie Murphy, Mary Pierce, Julie Kingsley, Janet Costa Bates, Liz Dubois and many, many, more.
What else? Let me see … I carpooled with Natalie Reid and Alisa Libby, marveled at Jennifer Thermes's gorgeous artwork and maps, was very moved by WP organizer Lynda Hunt’s spontaneous sharing of her writing journey (no, didn’t record it for YouTube, Lynda), enjoyed participating in the YA peer critique group and kidlit jeopardy (we came second!), and even won a beautiful American Girl doll and book for my daughter in the raffle. The food was awesome too!

So, lots to remember and hold on to there. I’m currently reading my (signed copy!!) of Second Sight by Cheryl Klein to continue the learning from the weekend. And looking forward to next year already :).

A sad farewell ...

2011-03-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

Karate trophies, teddy bears, ballet shoes, dance dress ... these belong in a child's room not her wake. Ayesha Chauhan was just seventeen when she passed away on March 17th after a two year battle with cancer. Can't say how sad these past few days have been ... :(

Appropriately, her memorial was on a beautiful, sunny, first day of spring. It felt like half the High School showed up for it. Click here to see the pictures.

Ayesha was my first teenage beta reader. I was nervous about putting my story in the hands of a real teenager, but I hoped to distract her from the discomforts of her treatment. When I got the ms back the first few pages were covered in careful notes, but after that, according to to her mom, she "just wanted to see what happened next". She loved it. I know that's common for friends and family, but I was still very touched by her feedback. If that novel ever sees ink I'm dedicating it to her memory. I wish so very much that I didn't have to.

Writing workshop in RI

2011-03-07T04:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a good day! My local critique group trekked down to Providence RI to workshop our manuscripts with editor/author Kara LaReau. Given that I hadn't seen them since last December (Jan got canceled because of snow, and I couldn't get to Feb because of the flu) I was thrilled simply to see everyone. But the workshop itself was awesome too.

(Natalie Reid, Me)

Other positives: Natalie and I drove down together, so had time for a long chat. I didn't get lost! The library was beautiful, though not as beautiful as the BPL, of course ;). The four liters of hot water I hauled over for the tea didn't leak or spill.

Kara was wonderful! The picture of her (left) is from her Bluebird Works website. I'm embarrassed to say I took not one individual picture of her, so had to steal this. We were all in awe of her on account of her, you know, having edited books like Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux etc. After which we were going to read our humble stuff, YIKES! But she was so sweet and unassuming and truly gave each of our mss her full attention. She was liberal with praise and constructive feedback, and brainstormed some great ideas to fix the problems we identified together.

(Allison Vinkels, Amy Benoit)

I was horrified to realize that I had to read first, since they decided on alphabetical by last name order. This had something to do with my not being there for the last crit. meeting, I suspect (Thanks a lot, gals ...) I managed to read a couple of pages without swallowing my tongue. We'd settled on 15 minutes of critique for each piece--Kate did a great job being timekeeper--and spent most of my time talking about my synopsis. I hate writing them and really appreciate the input from Kara on how to make it better.

(Kara LaReau, Kate Narita, JoAnn DiVerdi Miller, Sue Lovejoy, Natalie Reid)

Then we went around in order and worked through everyone's writing. Kara's insights really gave so much energy to the discussion! I don't even know where the time went. Now we're all thinking over the individual critiques we had from Kara and from each other. I know my synopsis is definitely going to improve as a result of this exercise. And we'll have a LOT to talk about at our next critique meeting. Like I said ... a good day! I should mention that what made the workshop possible at all was a grant from our local SCBWI, so thank you SCBWI! You rock!

(Deborah Orzack, and last but NOT least, the lovely and talented, April Jones Prince)

Belated thanks and links ...

2011-03-02T05:21:00.000-08:00

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but various things got in the way. Better late than never, so here goes. Belated but heartfelt thanks to--

Alisa Libby : For trekking out to talk to my daughter’s girl scout troop last month and for the inspiring and fun discussion she had with them. Thanks also for bringing me flowers, Alisa. You’re a sweetheart! Check out Alisa’s blog post about the visit, Pay me in cookies.

Heather Kelly : For being the designated driver on our trip to the wilds of Westford for the Central Mass Kidlit tweetup. And for bringing a camera :). Thanks to her we have pictures of the lovely group of writers at the tweetup, and of our adventures at the gas station afterwards. Check them out at her blog, Edited to within an inch of my life.

And last but not least …

Uma Krishnaswami : For the best and most in-depth critique I’ve had of my ms. Her sage advice helped me put my setbacks behind me and get back to work on my revision again. I can’t thank her enough! Speaking of Uma, I should mention that my review of her beautiful picture book Out of the Way, Out of the Way is currently up at incultureparent.com, a parent webzine with a global awareness. Check it out at incultureparent.com.

Writing break & querying baby steps

2011-02-25T05:32:00.000-08:00

Le Chateau Frontnac, Quebec

Taking a bit of a writing break to hang out with my father who is on a two week trip to the U.S. The kids are on Feb vacation too, so we took a road trip to Canada--Papa's seen enough of New York, Washington DC, Boston etc. And, yes, it IS possible to go to Canada in February and still have fun!

Brought along some manuscripts and got great feedback from Papa on my YA fantasy WIP, Katyani's Curse. Not his usual genre, obviously, but his critique was spot on. Go figure.

I did send out three and a half queries before we left. But I'm holding off on major querying until after the Kara Lareau workshop next Sunday. So looking forward to it!!! Hope her critique of the first pages of LEELA help me give them a final polish ... they've been revised so much I've lost all perspective. I've a horrible feeling that they look a bit like Michael Jackson's face after too many surgeries. However, the queries I did send have resulted in two fulls out with two great agents (Yay! Fingerscrossed, fingerscrossed, fingerscrossed ...)!!! Hope I haven't sent them out prematurely ... gulp.

Revision complete

2011-02-07T09:15:00.001-08:00

(Sona in spring)

Given that I've been going on about it for months, I suppose I should mention that my revision is complete. I wish I could revise some more since the bit that comes next--subbing, querying, waiting--is not my favorite thing. But I have to move on. Sigh. Wish me luck.

Sona 1996-2011

2011-02-04T05:06:00.000-08:00

We lost our cat Sona the night of Groundhog Day. She'd been with us nearly fifteen years. I loved her, and I'm very sad.

When we got her from the shelter we had just bought the house. It was an empty echoing thing with no kids, or pets, or furniture and Sona made it home. She examined everything we brought into the house or yard. The babies who grew into middle schoolers under her watchful eye, our other cat Rakhan, the dog, new cars, house guests, home remodels. She was incredibly skilled at hunting. Loved nothing more than laying in the long grass up on the hill stalking something to kill and bring home to her "family". Mice, birds, chipmunks, frogs, snakes (shudder!). And she was in charge when we went away on vacation and the pet sitters came in.
She'd been on meds for an over active thyroid for a couple of years, but she started getting sick this winter ... sneezing, runny eyes etc. The doctor couldn't find anything hugely wrong in her bloodwork. Then on Monday she had a seizure. I rushed her to the vets but she came out of it having lost her sight. Sona, blind? It didn't seem possible. Her kidney values were high, and the vet said this could be it. She hated being at the vets because she couldn't see and didn't know anyone, so we brought her home. She spent her last two days surrounded by her family, finding her way around her house from memory, finding her food and litter box, and sleeping and purring in my lap. I was watching TV with her in my lap when she had another short seizure. It was late night and snowing hard but we rushed to get her to the vet. She died peacefully on the way there, cradled in my arms and wrapped in her favorite blanket.
It feels wrong not to hear her bell or her chirruping meow around the house. But she had a full life, a happy life, and I'm glad she shared it with us. Goodbye Sona, my golden girl. Thanks for fifteen years of companionship. Even though I didn't seem to appreciate the gifts you brought me, I did appreciate the thought. The birds and beasties of the backyard won't miss you, but we will, and do.
Sorry for the sloppy writing, but I'm not going to edit this since it makes me cry. I still have a revision to get back to this morning ... :(

Inspiration for today

2011-01-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

"Kadambari" by Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) Oil on Canvas.

A timeless portrait by Raja Ravi Varma.

As far as the revision ... in spite of another snow day this week I got a lot done, and I'm really pleased. Twenty chapters done and eight to go. I can almost see the end in sight!!

X marks the revised chapter

2011-01-22T06:11:00.000-08:00

I wish I had Scrivener or something but I'm stuck with Word. So how to keep track of revision?

Here's my method: When I’m revising I usually have a navigation pane open in Word with the outline chapter list. When I’m done with a chapter I put an X next to it. That way I know how far along I am just by glancing at it.

Lately the Xs have been stopped in their tracks. Snow days, sick days, and a chapter I’ve had to completely rewrite instead of revise are to blame, but I’m panicking a little at having lost momentum. Hope I can get to twenty Xs by my critique meeting next week.

And what's up with the photo of the cat in the cravat? I just found the Austencats website this week. It had me in stitches!! So, of course, I couldn’t resist uploading a picture of my cat as Mr. Darcy … :)

Back on track

2011-01-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

It's snowing outside my new windows, and my daughter's home with a cold, but that's par for the course in winter. The important thing is that all the mess and dust and noise of construction is done, and I can finally get back to my revision. I've a new plan to be done by Valantine's Day. Let's see if I can execute.

There are a couple of things I'm looking forward to writing wise. The always amazing Whispering Pines retreat in March is one. The other is a field trip with my critique group to Rhode Island for a manuscript workshop with Kara LaReau. We were granted funds from SCBWI for the workshop. Cool, huh?! It'll be fun to spend the day with the gals talking books and writing. Can't wait!

Meanwhile there's that aforementioned revision still waiting to be dealt with. So it's over and out and back to work. Sayonara!

Revision derailed by new windows

2011-01-06T07:42:00.001-08:00

It's a bit hard to write when your favorite writing spot looks like this! Still, when the dust, noise, and chaos ends (SOON, please!!!) it'll be nice to see how it turns out. Have to stop now and put my laptop under a drop cloth. Here's hoping all the windows are in before the snow storm hits this weekend.

Writing resolutions

2011-01-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

Write everyday

Read
Learn craft
Ponder critiques but
Trust gut
Draft, revise, multitask
Don't rush
Finish
Send out
Celebrate

Don't take rejection to heart

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-27T06:04:00.000-08:00

Peace on Earth ...

not with YOU ...

OK, just for today ...

Star of light

2010-12-20T12:52:00.001-08:00

Happy Winter Solstice everyone!

From tomorrow the days start to get longer, and not a moment too soon for me. We'll try to glimpse the full moon lunar eclipse that will occur tonight, though it seems unlikely that the cloud cover will lift. There's only been one other lunar eclipse on a Winter Solstice day in the last two thousand years, so I'm really sorry to miss this one.

The nerdy part of me enjoyed reviewing facts about our Sun with the kids. Do you remember this ...?

Age: 4.5 billion years

Type: G2V Yellow Dwarf

Composition: 75% Hydrogen 25% Helium.

Volume: 103 million time that of Earth

Mass: 333,000 times the mass of the Earth

Interior Temperature: 27,000,000° F

Impressive, huh? I think I might wake up early and do some sun salutations tomorrow morning ...

Onward, donkey train!

2010-12-17T06:44:00.001-08:00

Got to the end of Part 1 today. YAY!! I feel like I'm getting somewhere with these revisions. I just read all the revised chapters in sequence and they seem ... OK. Take that, Part 1.

But enough with the premature crowing, it's time to get back to work. The holidays/vacations are looming, along with the end of my regular weekday writing time, and I've still got Part 2 and 3 to do. Onward, donkey train, there are plenty more hills ahead. (More sweet faced donkeys below ... thank you, nice YouTuber helentonic, for bringing the Annapurna to me today)

Doing the work of revision

2010-12-15T09:56:00.000-08:00

picture from flickr creative commons by TaylorMiles

Revision is hard. I'm in the middle of one right now. It takes dogged determination to get through a little bit everyday. The thrill and magic of the first draft is gone, now it's all about craft.

I like looking at this dude as I plug away at the ms, hoping I'm making things better instead of worse. My new wip has a donkey in it, and I'm really getting fond of them. What patience, what perseverance, what attitude! If this creature can get up that hill with his stupid load then I can get this revision done. I can't wait to get back to him and the new story, but I've work to do first.

One more chapter revised today. Nearly there, buddy. Don't vanish while I get this thing finished!

Things that make you go hmmm.

2010-12-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

I'm working hard on my revisions so this space may be a bit neglected. Again. But I thought I'd share some random nuggets I uncovered on the net, while ~~procrastinating~~, ...um, researching.

First random nugget: Punjabi pioneers in the Australian outback! Seriously? Who knew? Yet here they are in all their turbaned glory, next to the tinker carts in which they plied their trade. I have got to look into this. Someday.

Random nugget number two: Caminho Das Indias a.k.a. India, A Love Story, an international Emmy winning Brazilian soap partly based in India. Imagine a bunch of people who look Indian (sort of), with names like Ananda and Maya, dressed up in Indian clothes, in Indian settings, and speaking Portuguese. Oh, it's exactly as weird as it sounds! Of course this would never work if they were Swedish or something, but some of them look like pukka desis. I know from experience that the reverse is true. I'm constantly having people talk to me in Spanish and Portuguese, from the doctor's office to the the dude in the MacDonald drive through. So it's actually fun to watch them attempt some Hindi for a change! Check out this rather sweet clip which shows two naming ceremonies/baptisms, one in India (or so they would have us believe!) and one in Brazil.

Both these things made me think about the strange connections between people and places. Hmmmm! And now ... back to revisions.

NaNoWriMo fail. WIP win!

2010-11-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

The Tiger's Nest monastery in Bhutan--one of the inspirations for my NaNo WIP.

Well, I tried! And even though I got nowhere near 50,000 words I made a start on a new idea that I’m pretty sure, now, I’ll end up finishing. It didn’t help that November had Diwali, Thanksgiving, my daughter’s birthday, the education foundation grant review, and sundry other distractions to slow me down. Also, I’ve never written epic fantasy before, and this is world building, magic wielding, dragon hunting, map in front fantasy! Plus, it is set in a fictional version of ancient India, so there’s research to contend with. But I've reached critical mass in KATYANI’S CURSE, I think, and I’m really excited about it. My New Year resolution is going to be: Finish. The. First. Draft. Of. KATYANI’S CURSE. By. Summer 2011.

Meanwhile, I got back a really thorough critique of LEELA from a wonderful writer friend. I am going to use it to try and finish the revision by Dec 31st, so I can get back to KATYANI in 2011.

But you know me and my plans :). The plan WAS to finish 50K words in November, right? Regardless of success rate, a goal and a deadline at least gives me something to tilt at!

And here's a link to a discussion about fantasy settings where I talk about why I picked Bhutan (Drukyul, the land of the Thunder Dragon) as one of the places to set KATYANI!

Kidlit Critterpalooza!

2010-11-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

For over a year now, CRITTER, the creation of artist Ian Sands, has been travelling the world, meeting many talented writers and authors and exploring where they live. At each stop he learns more and more about KIDLIT and the importance of literacy and creativity. This journey was the brainchild of Christy Evers, who got her hands on Critter after an interactive art project of Ian’s, where 500 Critters were hidden all over her city for people to find.

(Critter on our tree last winter)

Critter has visited PJ Hoover (and the Texas Sweethearts!) in Texas, Beth Revis in North Carolina, Christina Farley in Korea, New England with Nandini Bajpai, Illinois with Kelly Polark, MG Higgins in California, Rena Jones in Montana, Cynthia Leitich Smith in Texas, Bish Denham in the Virgin Islands, Jacqui Robbins in Michigan, Tina Ferraro in California, Cynthia Chapman Willis in New Jersey, Jill S. Alexander in Texas, Ellen Oh in Virginia and finally, Alberta Canada with Angela Ackerman.

(Critter lunching with Anna Staniszewski, librarian Sarah Chessman, Deva Fagan, Ellen Booream, Alisa Libby, and Marissa Doyle at ALA Midwinter 2010)

Critter has been to college, rock concerts, national landmarks, a palace, attended his first SCBWI conference, walked among giant redwoods, and met the world famous artist, Robert Bateman. Now that his journey is coming to a close, it’s CRITTER’S hope that you will help him celebrate over at The Bookshelf Muse. His new hosts, together with old hosts, have teamed up to create the Kidlit-inspired event, Critterpalooza! and you’re invited!

There are many AMAZING prizes to be won, all in the spirit of helping Critter celebrate the wonderful creativity & support within out KIDLIT community, and to also raise awareness for his charity, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

If you would like to donate a few dollars to Critter’s charity, just click on the I Love St. Jude button. Children’s lives are saved every day thanks to the support of people like you!

NaNoWriMo Ticker

2010-11-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

The only thing I'll be updating on the blog for a while will be the word-counter below. It should be ticking slowly upward over November ... if it's stuck, please, please, NAG!

Katyani's Curse (WIP)
Day 26

11030 / 50000 words. 22% done! (Pathetic, I know!)
Day 12

8030 / 50000 words. 16% done!
Day 10

7010 / 50000 words. 14% done!
Day 5/Day 6/Day 7/Day 8/Day 9 (don't ask ... Diwali etc.)
Day 4

6007 / 50000 words. 12% done!
Day 3

5029 / 50000 words. 10% done!
Day 2

2883 / 50000 words. 6% done!
Day 1

1026 / 50000 words. 2% done!

Ready to NaNo!!

2010-10-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

Yikes! Have I only posted once this month?? That's what happens when you attempt super-mom, domestic-diva, and pillar of society all at the same time!

So, it's been a sad, happy, busy, crazy kind of month.

Sad: An aunt who'd been ailing all September passed away, sending me further into blackest gloom. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :-(

Happy: Long awaited visitors from overseas and out of town helped lift the gloom somewhat, as did a birthday party (Ravi's) and a holiday (Dusshera).

Busy: Trips to a new veterinarian for the menagerie. Trips to various touristy spots for the visitors. And baseball practice, and drama practice (Kiki's a very proud OompaLoompa, never mind my post-colonial reservations about OLs, but I guess I can live with it, as long as there are no grass skirts or something ...), and karate tests ... and you know ... stuff.

But all this procrastination is at an END because, **drumroll**, I've decided to NaNoWriMo! Yay!! I even made a LOL cat (the picture above) for my DO NOT DISTURB sign!! Let the fast drafting begin!!

Reading the leaves

2010-10-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

People see pictures in hearth fires, passing clouds, even tea leaves, but have you ever seen shapes in tree leaves? It’s leaf peeping season in New England, a perfect time to imagine things in the foliage.

Can you see the T-Rex in this tree?

Like so …

Or Micky Mouse?

What do you see ...?

And here's a cool tree link--Melissa Stewart’s weekly observations of her maple tree on her blog, Celebrate Science. Check it out!

Highlights from Literary Lights

2010-09-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

(Kiki and me. Picture by Roger Farrington.)

Been pondering the speeches given by the Literary Lights at the Boston Public Library on Sunday. Now that we’re over the cold (my son was home sick for the last three days) I finally have time to blog about them. I don’t recall everything that was said but some things stood out.

First up was Jerry Spinelli who talked about readers being co-creators of books along with the author. An author can write it, a publisher can print it, but unless a book is read it is not truly a book. He thanked all the young people in the room for being co-creators of stories through reading.

His point was immediately reinforced by the student who introduced the next author, Karen Hesse. This young girl was so passionate about Karen’s books that it brought tears to my eyes. Karen hugged her and presented her with a journal. Write in it every day, she said. Watch the kaleidoscope of life swirl around you and put down every detail here. When this journal is finished, she said, start another.

The next author was Grace Lin (read her full speech HERE .) Her advice to young writers is good for … uh, older writers too! She described how certain she was that the first story she wrote was the best story ever. How she sent it to several publishers and got rejected. And how she put it away and (sounds simple, but is, in fact, hard to do!) wrote another. And another, and another, until she was published. When she went back to look at the first story, she realized that it wasn’t the best story ever after all. But because she never stopped writing she got better and better. Great advice for writers young and old!

The last speaker was Neil Gaiman who talked about the importance of daydreaming! Daydreaming, making stuff up (not just good excuses for not doing homework), imagining things, these are all good things, he insisted. Absolutely vital for the human race, or words to that effect. Ha! It’s good to have someone (other than John Lennon) stand up for dreamers!

There you have it--the words of the masters. Definitely inspired me to keep writing!

Tea at the Library

2010-09-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Enjoyed a lovely mother daughter outing today. Kiki and I drove into town to attend the Literary Lights for Kids event at the Boston Public Library. Cookies, lemonade, and meeting your favorite author (Grace Lin, in Kiki's case) ... it doesn't get better than that!

Listening to Tagore

2010-09-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

Been mostly on the Mom track this week. Finally got over to the middle school library and signed up to help out once a week. Glad I did. I love the bright new building, the collection (they have a whole section for ARCs), and the knowledgeable librarian. Good week to be shelving books anyway ...

Also been listening to Rabindra Sangeet. This version of Ekla Chalo Re (Walk Alone) is sung by Kishore Kumar, an old family favorite. Can't really translate it without sounding melodramatic--it's best in Bangla. And no giggles or rolling eyes from the too-cool-to-listen-to-Tagore gallery, please. Sometimes only Tagore will suffice!

Déjà vu

2010-09-21T08:31:00.001-07:00

Alfie at Rest, originally uploaded by bexifeena.

I’ve been there before.

That’s the feeling I get when Yogi (my dog) and I pass this one spot on our morning walk. Most of our regular route through the neighborhood is classic American suburbia, but when we reach the bottom a certain street I’m immediately transported to Australia, circa 1991.

I remember walking back from a hair salon in Ivanhoe. The neat front yards, so different from my native Delhi, showed off pretty flower beds and the occasional well fed cat. The cold air on the nape of my neck felt weird because I’d just had ten inches of hair lopped off. The stylist had taken in the shock on my face as I looked at myself in the mirror and wondered if I was OK. No, I was not. The short sassy style was cute, but it wasn't me. Maybe shock makes for strong memories.

I’ve analyzed exactly what about that street triggers the déjà vu. Most houses here, if they have a fenced yard at all, have one that starts at the house and goes back to encircle the backyard. But the house at the bottom of that street has a fenced FRONT yard. It has flower beds running along the fence. An old couple live there and say cheery hellos in an accent (British? Aussie?) I can’t quite place. That’s probably it. And what a mistake that hair style was, I remember with a shudder. Thank goodness it grew out fast.

Confession: I’ve had another shock this past week. My agent and I parted company. I didn’t see it coming at all, but apparently, it isn’t that unusual. My friends from the Blueboards, the Enchanted Inkpot, and my local writing group have all been awesome, and it's thanks to them that I'm dealing with it so well, considering. It’s a business, I’m a professional, and I’ll move on from this and start over. It wasn’t that long ago that I didn’t have an agent.

Today, I walked past that Aussie house on the New England Street, dog in tow, face to the sun, long messy hair made messier by the leaf tossing wind, and felt cautiously optimistic. It’ll take time, I know, but I’ve been there before.

Gypsy lore

2010-09-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Did you know the Roma people came to Europe from India? I didn’t. Not until a conversation in the vet’s office a few years ago. I was there with my two cats for their annual checkup--Sona yowling pitifully and Rakhan catatonic with terror, as per usual. A petite woman with dark curly hair and … a small dog, I think, started chatting with me. Are you from India, she asked, and on hearing I was, she beamed happily and said her ancestors were too.

Oh? Said I. Where from in India? She didn’t know. Turned out her grandmother was Roma. Her name had been Chandra, and the woman's daughter was named Chandra for her.

My husband’s name is Chandra too, I told her. It’s usually a man’s name in India. The minute I said this I wished I had kept my big mouth shut. Her face fell. Sensing her disappointment I tried to patch up the damage. Some girls are called Chandra too, I said lamely. Or Chandrika, or Chandrakanta, or …

Don’t you have moments you want to rewind and do over in life? This was one of them.

Anyway.

Recently that conversation came back to me and I dug around a bit on the subject. Seems she was right, the gypsies of Europe ARE of South Asian descent. They left in waves from the 7th century onwards. No one knows why. Sounds like they've had a rough time of it in Europe, and still are, even today.

Fascinating.

So, this whole subject is kind of steaming on the back-burner of my imagination right now. I have some major revisions to finish, and a synopsis to write, but I’m going to keep collecting material about the Roma and come back to it when I get time.

I think there’s a story there … and if I write one, I’m putting a girl called Chandra in it to make up for my insensitivity that day in the vet’s office.

Hardy Mums

2010-09-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

These signs always make me smile. Mums is short for chrysanthemums here, but to me, raised as I was where mums = moms, the term conjures up visions of redoubtable women. And right now those women are just done dealing with the extra needs of kids out of school all summer. Perfect, isn’t it? Them coming to market just when hardy mums of the human kind need to spiff up that much neglected garden?
Had a great time this morning transferring mums into window boxes where I can see them from my writing desk. Now that I’ve washed up and settled down at my laptop, I raise a steaming cup of earl grey to them. Here’s to hardy mums. It’s our time to bloom!

Ready or not, it's BACK TO SCHOOL

2010-09-01T04:57:00.001-07:00

Come down from there ...stop petting the dog ...
AND OFF YOU GO!!!!

Yogi says:

2010-07-20T05:55:00.001-07:00

Will return when the kids go back to school at the end of August. Have a great summer!

Delhi, Agra, and back to the U.S.A.

2010-07-08T03:26:00.000-07:00

The weekend before we left Delhi the monsoon arrived. One more thing to tick off. See monsoon: Check! Seems all the things I planned to do/see ended up happening, including the rains. Part of this was due to luck (like the monsoon ... it dosn't show up to schedule, ever) but a lot of it had to do with stamina. My sister Anuja kept saying, don't slack off now--go to Agra, go to C.P., Karol Bagh, Sundar Nagar, Hauz Khas ... and by God, I did.
Delhi is my town. Even though bits of it have changed beyond recognition it is still my town. That's why I didn't blog while I was out there. I was too busy catching up, soaking in (not just the rain!), reminiscing. Good things happen for those with stamina. Layers get peeled back to remind you that you're not a stranger in your own home--you are home. The concrete coils of the metro looping above you like TIME itself can't change it. The frantic construction for the commonwealth games, the changed street names, the eight lane highways, the toll plazas, can't change it. You plunge into it like a river you once knew and come up kicking, remembering the currents, finding your rhythm, staying afloat. I did.
Catch up with friends and family: Check! Found my old high school buddy Chitra! Hung out with my niece, Tara, for her twelfth birthday. Attended my aunt's 50th anniversary bash (awesome piece of luck, again!!!) and so saw all the aunts, uncles, cousins etc. in one fell swoop--what an afternoon and evening that was!!! My kids now have the kind of the bond I had with my cousins with their cousins. Given skype etc. I think it will endure.
Go to a Bollywood shoot: Check! Lights, camera, action! OK it really wasn't on my check list originally. And it was a TV commercial not a movie, but it's the same kinda set up, from what they tell me. But it was so good to see what my kid sis ( a V.P. with JWT) actually does ... never mind the boxer (a rather hunky but down to earth type) who was the star of the show, for us Anuja was the "main". Which boxer? Apparently that's a dumb question in India where there's only one boxer celebrity--Olympic medalist, Vijinder Singh.
Go back to KBagh/Dhaula Kuan ... places I've called home: Check! The old house in Karol Bagh is still the old house in Karol Bagh. The bricked up veranda, the divided courtyard, the separate entrances, the howling traffic on Rohtak Road (no idea what they call it these days) notwithstanding.
This is where we lived while I went to DU and got my first job at NIIT. Now only one Uncle and one cousin live in the place everyone else having moved to the US, Australia, Singapore, or failing that, Gurgaon. The steps still echo solidly as we climb up to the timanzla (third floor terrace) to look out over the city. It may be worth whateverthehellitisworth but I will cry the day they finally sell the place. Honestly.
And Dhaula Kuan, What can I say about that. No point saying that Dhaula Kuan has not changed. Not only has it changed, it has vanished. It was this sleepy corner of town. One nice grassy roundel with five roads radiating off it. Of those streets one led to my school, one led home, and one led to the Army Club (which contained the swimming pool, the movie theater, and most importantly, the library) and also a later home. For years this was the hub of my existence. Now the road that went to the club is the road to Gurgaon, once a dusty little country town, now a major international city. The roundel is no more, instead there are interweaving overpasses and (what else?) an undulating loop of concrete carrying the metro. And yet ... peer past the trees on Sardar Patel Marg (road number two, the one that led home)and in the thorny keekar trees, the scrubby ber bushes, the bunches of bright bougainvillea I still find the woods where I walked home from school, where I learned to imagine worlds, and make things up.
Take the kids to see the Taj: Check! Stamina, I haz it. I've seen the Taj so many times I really didn't feel like going again, but how can you not take the kids?? We left at 5:00 AM and were back by 3:00 PM or thereabouts. A record apparently, at least in my family. I didn't waste time with the Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri etc. It was too hot (120 degrees!) to be dragging the kids around there that day. Someone give me a medal for this one ...
See the appartment: Check! I own a bit of Gurgaon now, having bought an apartment with my dad. Nice flat, nice tenant, nice feeling!

Lastly, shopping ... Huaz Khas Market: Check! Dilli Haat: Check! C.P.: Check! Sundar Nagar: Check! Gurgaon malls: Check! Oh, I shopped alright.

Then the monsoon ... it was a gift. I'm so glad we saw the Qutub in the rains.

And now home. This home. Jetlagged but happy. Up at odd hours writing this long rambling post. I need to go back to sleep now ... though I've a feeling this slomo clip is going to be looping through my head endlessly when I do!

Neemrana, Rajasthan

2010-06-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

There was a time when Neemrana was just a story my father told us--the place we were from originally, somewhere in Rajasthan. Yes, it was home to the direct descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan, the last Hindu king of Delhi, but unlike wealthier, better known princely states like Jaipur or Udaipur, it wasn't even remotely cool. From what my father said the fort was completely run down, and the remaining royal family living there broke and destitute, but still, I always wanted to visit it-- someday.
Fast forward a few decades, add a couple of enterprising history buffs--who bought the old fort, restored it, and turned it into a premier hotel--and here we are, having a back-to-our-roots vacation of a lifetime. I know there are more glamorous forts and palaces in Rajasthan, but for me, personally, Neemrana is the best of them all. You can take a Chauhan out of Neemrana, but you can't take Neemrana out of a Chauhan. (In case you're wondering ... Chauhan was my maiden name.)

OUT OF THE WAY! OUT OF THE WAY!

2010-06-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today this blog is a stopover on the OUT OF THE WAY! OUT OF THE WAY! blog tour, so welcome to anyone following it! Just to clarify—the blog title reads “Notes from New England” but at present I’m in India on vacation. My children and I read the book before we left Massachusetts and it was a great (re)introduction to India for them.

The book follows the journey of a sapling, a boy, and a road; but most of all, the place where they all grow—an unnamed village in India. The boy finds a young tree in the middle of a busy village street and carefully borders it with stones. What happens next could happen, perhaps, only here. The stream of people and animals swerve to make room for the young tree and the path gradually curves out enough to accommodate both. Over time the dirt road turns into a major paved road, the village turns into urban sprawl,the boy into a father and grandfather. And the tree grows tall and wide into a refuge for wildlife, a resting place for people and animals, and a landmark of the cityscape around it.

The book resonated for me at a very personal level--I grew up in New Delhi but every time I come back it is different. India has been growing at an incredible pace. The fields and villages of Haryana that we used to drive through to visit my father’s farm have turned into Gurgaon, a major international city. And yet, at some cultural level, it is the same. It is difficult to capture that sense of change and sameness, but OUT OF THE WAY! OUT OF THEWAY! does it effortlessly.

And this is no wordy, complicated, messagey book. The simple narrative and catchy refrain work beautifully for the picture book reader. The illustrator of the book (would you believe, another Uma Krishnaswamy, this time with a “y” instead of an “i”?!!) has done a great job breathing life into Uma(i)’s prose with her wonderful folk inspired artwork. I can’t tell you how many times we’re recognized something around us from the illustrations in the book on this trip. Look, a bullock cart/ street light/ street dog/ mango seller … just like in the book!

I leave you with some pictures of trees and street life from our trip that made us think of the book. Hope you’re enjoying the blog tour so far. Over, out, and Namaste from India!

Goodbye Nainital ...

2010-06-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

We head back to Delhi early tomorrow morning. It's over 45 degrees Celsius in Delhi, so bracing ourselves for harsh heat after the lovely weather up here!! We had a wonderful, wonderful, time in Nainital and I know that the kids will always remember this vacation just as my sisters and I remember Sikkim and Kashmir. I even managed a field trip to Almora (a two hour road trip turned into a ten minute hop by helicopter since I tagged along with "H.E." as Margaret Aunty is known here!) I loved walking around the beautiful town soaking in the ambiance and taking pictures for my WIP. But now it's off to the last phase of our vacation ... Delhi, Agra, Neemrana ... then finally home!

Jim Corbett National Park - Tiger sighting!!!

2010-06-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

Four hours of hurtling down the mountain from Nainital to the Corbett park. Thirty six kilometers of bumping along a jungle track. A total of five hours of tooling around the woods by jeep and (my favorite) on elephant -- all for one lucky five minute glimpse of a wild tiger. And it was totally worth it!! I didn't really come with an expectation of seeing one, it was enough to know they were out there somewhere, but it sure feels awesome! In case you're wondering; that elephant hasn't fallen over, she's having a bath. They love to lie down in the water! I took so many blurry pictures in Corbett, but my one shot of the tiger turned out PERFECT!

Day 9-10 Driving to Nainital

2010-06-09T05:03:00.000-07:00

So we arrived from Ranchi to Delhi on a 5:45 PM flight and left at 4:00 AM the following morning for Nainital--all to avoid the crazy traffic snarls in New Delhi. But it was worth it. We sailed right through the sleeping city and reached the Raj Bhawan in Nainital in time for a late breakfast!

Day 5-8 Jamshedpur

2010-06-09T04:15:00.001-07:00

Next stop: Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, India. Mostly to meet, among others, my husband's 86 year old grandfather and two week old nephew. Bonuses--shopping in the old style Sakchi bazaar, visiting the Tata Zoo (Tata Iron and Steel basically built Jamshedpur), and meeting the cutest dog in the world, Max (except for our Yogi, of course).

Day 4 - Delhi

2010-06-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

Above -- the perfect Delhi (OK, Gurgaon, but close enough) cholla bhatura! We had only a day of catching up with cousins and shopping at the Ambiance Mall before leaving for Jharkhand.

Day 3 - London

2010-06-08T10:06:00.001-07:00

On our last day we took the tube to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Alas, it was some sort of holiday, so even though we waited along with zillions of others clueless tourists, nothing happened. Hence the thumbs down by the kids ...
So we packed our bags and bid goodbye to London. It is so amazing that I'm sure we'll be back!!

Day 2 - London

2010-05-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

Took a bus tour and a river cruise and spent most of the day at the Tower of London.
The clip below shows a demonstration of a trebuchet firing a cabbage in the moat of the Tower--this was the best thing we saw all day!! It was built by a history teacher and his class. The teacher, a thoughtful, soft-spoken man, was also kind enough to explain the design and let us watch the firing up close in the moat. Ravi just built two catapults for a class project before we left and this will definitely be a highlight of the trip for him.

So many books have been set in this city ... but funny which of them came to mind for each of us. Ravi saw St. Paul's Cathedral and thought of Leviathan by Scott Westerfield, Kiki saw Cleopatra's Needle and thought of The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, and I saw the Norman toilet, the suits of armor, and the once stinky moat at the Tower of London and thought of Poop Happened - A history of the world from the bottom up by Sarah Albee!

Don't know it? Here's a book trailer for the book, a hilarious, irreverent, and truly fascinating look at history from the the lowest common denominator of the human race. It's absolutely brilliant. And to think I heard more than one exasperated parent telling their child today that they didn't know their history because their heads were full of "American tripe"!

Now that goes through your mind when you see this ...?

Day 1 - London

2010-05-29T23:56:00.000-07:00

Toast and tea at the Museum of Natural History

Main Lobby

Darwin's journal

You can flip the pages ...
The British Museum

The Rosetta Stone @ British Museum

The Parthenon marbles

South Asian Gallery ...

The Near East Gallery

The Embankment

The London Eye

In the London Eye

Off to India! Balle, balle!

2010-05-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

British Airways came through at last. I was really, really, worried for a bit. But we have to leave a day early, which means my revision must be done, printed, and mailed off to my agent by tomorrow. YIKES!! Then we have to pack, clean, transport the dog to my inlaws, have the cat sitter go through her check list, and a zillion other things.

Can I get through all this? Heck, yes. I've got my kala chashmas on for Delhi sunshine!

Check out the Pizza Hut staff in Agra jamming to Kala Chashma (black sunglasses, folks ... it's a song by Amar Arshi). And here I thought the moose in Bugaboo Creek rocked!

NE SCBWI 2010

2010-05-16T08:46:00.001-07:00

This weekend I was at the New England SCBWI Conference in Fitchburg Mass. I remember being horribly shy and nervous at my first NESCBWI conference, when I didn’t know single soul, but now it feels like a reunion with old friends. It’s so great to hang out with people who get this whole writing thing. I feel lucky to be part of this community :-).

Some of the finest things about the conference this year …

Cynthia Leitich Smith : This year's keynote speaker was the fabulous Cynthia Leitich Smith. Who among us hasn't learned something from her blog?! I missed the start of her talk (couldn't even find standing room, after getting there late) but the part I did hear about her journey, her dedication to learning her craft, and her reinvention of her writing career was just amazing. Jingle Dancer, her first book, was acquired by one publisher, reacquired and edited by a second publisher, and launched by a third one--talk about a rocky start. I was lucky enough to have a chat with her in the lunch line and was even more impressed by her knowledge, warmth, and generous spirit.

Workshops: John Bell’s workshop on genres was genuinely illuminating (I’ve a post it note with “Stretch, cliché, or classic?” stuck to my laptop as I revise, thanks to John) Lisa Papademetriou ran a spectacularly energizing workshop on Getting Unstuck (Plot people and character people alike, write this down -- Write to your strengths, Revise to your weaknesses) and I also learned how to Skype, thanks to Kate Messner’s Skype author visits workshop. I may not have a book out, but we’ve promised to Skype my son’s 5th grade class from India, and I had better not mess it up when the time comes!

Hanging out: The best part! I didn’t take many pictures, because the lighting didn’t work for my camera, and I was too busy chatting with people to do much clicking, but here are a few I (or someone else) did manage to take. Some awesome people I met but didn’t take pictures with— Anna Staniszewski, Heather Kelly, Paula Kay Mac, Lynda Hunt and lots of friends from Whispering Pines, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Sarah Davis, Natalie Reid … OK there is actually no end to this list so I will stop now.

Sarah Albee and Kate Narita

with Martha Calderaro and Francine Puckly

with Padma Venkatraman

Revision: Weird as it may seem, I managed to do quite a bit of revising around the conference. Maybe it was all that creative energy in one place.Maybe it was because the agent I was driving had a delayed flight and I was stuck in Logan Airport for two hours with nothing but my laptop. Whatever it was, I’m grateful for it.

One thing that wasn’t so fun? All that driving!

I spent five hours on the road between Logan Airport, the SCBWI conference in Fitch-wayoutwest-burg, and home, because I volunteered to transport faculty. Ugh! Five hours may not sound like a lot to you but MY usual beat is a well worn two mile rut between school, supermarket, and after school activities.

I will say though, that the driving was worth it!

One last note--I’m really more of a jeans, tees, and yoga pants (usually covered in dog hair) kind of person, but the upgrading of the Natick Mall to the Natick Collection has done good things for my wardrobe. Even a hermetic writer can wander over and check out the clearance rack at Anthropologie without too much effort or sticker shock, whence the cute dress I wore to the conference. But it gets better. I tried to google my amarena dress to link to it in this post and found a picture of (Shock! Horror!) TAYLOR SWIFT in the same dress. Ladies and Gentlemen, I may have accidentally achieved coolness (however temporary) in the eyes of my ten year old ;-).

Mistwood

2010-05-03T05:45:00.000-07:00

Back from revisions this morning to give a shout out to Leah Cypass and her wonderful YA fantasy MISTWOOD. Leah and I are members of the Enchanted Inkpot, an online community of kidlit fantasy writers. Though we'd never met I picked up an ARC of MISTWOOD at ALA Midwinter because her book sounded awesome, and it's fun check out books by people you know (if only "virtually").

I loved the book so much that even though I have only 25 days (insert scream of panic here …) before I leave for India, I felt the need to trek out to Brookline for her launch party. I’m glad I did! Leah is just lovely, and it was a pleasure to share her special day with her. My daughter was so happy to meet Leah and have her book signed! It was also great to catch up with another fellow Inkie, Anna Staniszewski, and meet Heather Kelly whose excellent blog I’ve stopped by often. I still cannot get over the fact that Heather is my neighbor!!
So if you haven’t read MISTWOOD, do! For me it was Un.Put.Downable. Even my 10 year old, a picky reader who doesn’t usually like YA (there isn't much YA I let her read anyway!) , finished the book in a day and is singing the praises of Isabel and Rokan to anyone who will listen.

Need more convincing? Check out the book trailer below ...

And now back to revisions …

Revision break ...

2010-04-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Frazzled

2010-04-26T07:07:00.001-07:00

Today the kids went back to school--please excuse me while I do a celebratory dance around my kitchen.

OK, done! Spring break was only one week (or nine days if you count the weekend before and after) but it had me totally frazzled. Hubby was away in San Francesco all week so I was the only sheriff/dog walker/cat medicator (my kitty needs pills twice a day for her overactive thyroid) in town.

In that week we had karate camp, baseball practice, the little league parade, the first baseball game of the season, the Boston marathon, an old (and beloved) maple tree removed from the yard, glasses left behind at grandma's house, kid #1 getting their finger smashed in a door (by kid #2--it was an accident. We have a doctor's visit scheduled for that today ...), kid #2 spiking a fever ... I could go on. And I had to walk our high energy dog (he looks and acts like the logo of Rocketdog) TWICE a day with the kids in tow. We are SO getting a fence this year.

Add to that waiting on feedback from the submission process. It wasn't bad news, thank goodness. Just another step in the process kinda thing. But given the past week I'm really glad I have today to get my equilibrium back before hearing the details about the requested revisions.

So today is dedicated to de-frazzling. Walking the dog with my ipod not my kids. Sitting on my back porch swing and listening to the birds. Reading a book. And getting my head back in the game.

(I managed to delete all my pictures from LL opening day so here's a clip instead ...)

Boston Marathon @ Natick

2010-04-19T18:12:00.001-07:00

In which twenty six thousand people dash through downtown as Natick cheers ...

Duck dude!Nerd guy.Kiki gives a high five.

And another ...

Revisions, reunions, and a resurrected ipod.

2010-04-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the long silence. We’ve had a bout of allergies/cold/strep in the house which added to the general spring lethargy about all things online. But here’s the promised weekly post.

Writing wise, I’ve been revising Karmic Cat (again!) I planned to do a ms exchange with a friend but right before sending it off to her I had an excellent idea about how to tighten up the timeline. SUCH an excellent, excellent idea!! Don’t you love it when that happens?? My poor friend!! She’s been waiting to get feedback on her ms but instead of doing that I’ve been working on KC which I‘ve yet to send her. Hope by the end of the week I can finish up my comments on her book as well as the revisions on KC.

The most exciting thing that happened this week? I accidentally washed my daughter’s ipod! I mean, I actually laundered it in my front load washer with detergent, fabric softener, and bleach. Oh the tears, the storming, the stomping around! Along with her UGG boots it’s the most expensive thing she owns. She had saved and saved to buy the thing. Anyway, you know the funny part? When I let it dry out for a day and turned it on--it still worked. Perfectly! Can’t kill that thing, huh?! Steve Jobs, I salute you!

Another highlight was meeting up with a high school friend after absolutely ages. Can’t believe he now has a two year old daughter and a lovely wife (that’s her in the picture above.) She performed with her dance troupe at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem this weekend. Only other Dipsites from the 1980s can appreciate the irony of K. Ramachandran married to a noted Bharatanatyam dancer. Note to self: Must take the kids to DPS Mathura Road (my high school) and Miranda House (my college) when we go to Delhi this summer.

And of course there was my (rejection free, thankfully) birthday!

OK, better get back to the revisions!

Write on!

2010-04-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

Had our critique meeting last Wednesday. The gals like my revised beginning! Natalie even passed me the Write On magnet. So I'm the new writing goddess, apparently ;-). Actually, it's ridiculous how much harder I've been working with the thing on my desk.

Now that I'm happy with where the wip is heading, I'm going to try and post here at least once a week. Will try not to whine too much about the submission process, though it's the elephant in the room currently. But here's hoping that a recent semi-promising development won't end in a rejection tomorrow of all days (it's my birthday). That would truly rot. Off to "write on".

Beginnings

2010-02-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

Took the first pages of a new YA to my critique meeting this week. I was very nervous. The problem with starting a new novel is that you end up living with it for a LOOONG time. You have to love it enough to spend months (or years) with it. And your critique group has to live with it too, which makes it even harder to show it to your peers the first time.

I had the last critique slot. “What did you bring?” April asked as I passed out copies. We only do 10 pages at a time so we never get to read a full novel. But it’s useful in a way quite different from my online novel critique group (there we read a full novel ms every month--so every five months you get to submit a complete manuscript.) At Onwords & Upwords (the name of this group) the focus is more on a close reading of a small sample. Not great for story arc or plot holes, but awesome for voice.

“It’s new,” I said. I was one copy short so passed them all out--didn’t feel like reading aloud anyway. I focused instead on a handout someone had brought in. Also tried not to peek (and failed!) as they read my pages.

Meanwhile, Amy scribbled furiously at the end of my prologue, Joann read with a slight frown, Sue flipped back several pages, Kate made quiet notes, Natalie read calmly, her face impassive, April did too. The clock ticked. I figured out that the reason the handout didn’t make sense was because I was holding it upside down.

“OK, the prologue threw me,” Sue said. “But maybe that’s just me.”

“It’s the pronouns,” Kate said. “you have to clarify the 'theys', Nandini.”

“I like it,” said April (April likes everything!!!)

“It made sense after I went back and reread it though,” Sue added.

*Deep breath*

So we went back and forth. Sure, there were issues, but they liked it overall.

*Whew*

But. “You know, at the end?” April said. “It sounds a bit like …”

*BINGO*

“Leela,” I finished. (FYI, Leela is the mc of my last YA historical.)

“I know,” I said. “I’m hoping to find Katyani soon. I just have to live with the story longer.”

And so I do. For this reason I have to cut down on the internet for a while. It’s a constant distraction. Doesn’t help that I’m all antsy because of the submission process too. I need some time alone with the new ms so I can find Katyani’s authentic voice. I just have to listen really hard and pay attention.

So it’s goodbye to the blog for now. I’ve promised myself that I’ll be back once I’ve got 15-20K words done. April, perhaps? (Er … the month, not the person!)

We shall see …

More pictures from India

2010-02-25T09:44:00.000-08:00

Was looking at pictures from our last trip to India and decided to post some. Can't believe how little my kids look! They look nothing like this now ... how time flies.

Morning visit from the vegetable vendor.

Train museum. He was a serious train fan, then.

Rickshaw!

Ravi's first bat. It's a cricket bat, not a baseball bat, but I should have seen the signs ...

Kiki was still into princesses and pink ...

and bling ...

and flowers ...

Dreaming of India

2010-02-22T17:27:00.000-08:00

The Narmada river. I took this picture on my last trip to India. The river is a big part of the setting of my YA historical currently out on submission--Leela's Star.

We’re planning a trip to India in June! Now that I’m sure we’re going I can’t WAIT to get there. Every cold freezing morning I walk the dog, I promise myself real heat when I get there; 120 degrees in the shade heat, authentic Delhi chaat (a seriously spicy street food) heat, sleep all afternoon or die from sunstroke heat. Just feel like I’ve been cold forever. That summer in Massachusetts; even when it rolls around, it never lasts long, does it?

Walking the dog last week. Brr!

The last time I was in India, six and a half years ago, I had just started to think about writing. I’m so excited to go there as a "real writer", at least in my own mind ;-), and be inspired. The ms I’m working on is set in the Himalayas and in the plains of North India, and we’re planning on spending most of our time in Nainital, a small town high in the foothills of the Himalayan range. In fact, we’re lucky enough to be staying at the Governor’s mansion, a Victorian Gothic style mansion built in 1899 by the British Raj (my sister’s mother-in-law is the Governor, and an amazing, lovely, woman). Great timing, huh? Like I said … can’t WAIT!!

P.S. I have a post up about real life fantasy settings on the Enchanted Inkpot this week (along with posts by some truly wonderful writers). Mine is about a monastery in the Himalayas. Check it out here … Fantasy Settings...or Are They?--Part 2

Thank Gods it's Friday

2010-02-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

Lousy week. Snow, early release, sick-kid-up-all-night-with-strep-throat, and so forth. Pretty much the only thing that kept us going (the kids and I) was the wait for the Lightning Thief movie (release date: TODAY!). As you can see from our well thumbed copies of Percy Jackson 1 through 5, we're fans. Instead of the usual overdose of TV I'm subjected to when the kids are home, this time there was peace and quiet (except for the occasional bickering who had what book in the series). Thank you Zeus, Poseidon, Athena et al. Look forward to seeing you on the big screen later today.

The writer's rap - by Erin Dealey

2010-02-09T06:57:00.000-08:00

This made me smile ... :-)

The cookies are here!

2010-02-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

And until all eight hundred and forty boxes are sorted, delivered, and paid for, there isn't going to be much time for blogging. We got lots done today, thanks to the humongous jeep of my co-cookie-mom, Sue, and a full afternoon of dedicated cookie sorting. Now for a good soak and some well earned thin mints ...

From queries to curry ...

2010-01-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Last night my friend Martha and I enjoyed a much delayed celebration. We had both signed with agents at the end of last year; she with Ronnie Herman, of the Herman Agency, and I, with Steven Chudney, of the Chudney Agency. But due to the holidays, winter vacation week, my sister's visit etc. we never got around to an "official"celebration.

We had spent the day after Thanksgiving at the Calderaros and, over the fabulous feast Martha and Rob made, I'd promised them a lesson in Indian cooking.

Yesterday we did both ... cooked some desi curry together (with help from our kids), as well as took a look back at our writing journey so far. The 1st drafts, the conference critiques, the waiting-waiting-waiting on the requested submissions after the conference critiques, the dreaded queries, the partials, the fulls, and of course, the offer of representations :-) This may be just another milestone on the road to publication, with many more roadblocks to come, but I'm glad I have good company to make the journey with!!!

(I didn't take any photos, so had to steal these from Martha's blog.)

And the winner is ...

2010-01-26T08:09:00.001-08:00

... Kelly!!

As tempting as it was to send him to Kate in Australia, I thought Kelly deserves Critter next for offering to take him twice (at Christy's blog first, and then here!). So it's onto Wisconsin and Chicago for Critter. Kelly, I'll snail mail him to you as soon as I have your address.

Will you be Critter's Valentine?

2010-01-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

We had a grand time hosting Critter, but it is time for him to move on to his next blog stop. Just in time for Valentine's day!

In case you're wondering who or what Critter is, here's a recap. Critter is the creation of artist Ian Sands and has been sent out on a blog tour of the world by Christy Evers.

Blogs and places he's been so far:
1. Christy's Creative Space : Christy Evers got him started on his travels from Cary, NC.
2. Roots in Myth : P. J. Hoover hosted him in Austin, Texas.
3. Writing It Out : Beth Revis brought him to the Biltmore House near her home in Union Mills, NC.
4. Chocolate for Inspiration : Christina Farley took him shopping in Seoul, South Korea as well as to the the Gyeongbokgung Palace

and then he came to visit us in Massachusetts where he attended the ALA Midwinter Conference and went to see Louisa May Alcott's home in Concord.

Because, yes, I finally managed take Critter on a field trip to the Orchard House, the home of LMA, and the setting of her Little Women books. I'm really glad I did because it was quite something to go there all by myself (there were only 2 other visitors on the tour). So quiet, and peaceful, and so different from the other three times I've been there with multiple kids in tow!! The whole house was flooded with sunshine and I felt like I'd stepped back in time. Could almost hear the girls laughing and throwing snowballs outside. And I would never have gone there on my own if it hadn't been for Critter. Wish I could have taken pictures within the house, but photography is not permitted inside. So these will have to do!

But I digress ....

We were talking about Critter's next blog stop.

If you want to host Critter next, please leave a comment saying why Critter should visit!!

On Tuesday Jan 26th I'll pick the winner and announce it here. If it's you, you'll need to email me your mailing address so I can send Critter on to you. When you get Critter in the mail, write your name and city location and post pictures of Critter in his new digs! Then you can send Critter someplace new so he can continue his adventures.

Christy Evers will be tracking where Critter ends up next. The last person to have him sends him back to her.

Look forward to your comments!

ALA Midwinter

2010-01-16T17:24:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the ALA Midwinter. Sooooooo tired. But very happy with my stash of ARCs. And thrilled to have met so many writing friends, many for the first time in person.

UPDATE: Just added captions under the pictures with everyone's name. Sorry about doing this late! And thanks to my daughter for letting me use her camera for ALA (the batteries on mine were dead, as per usual) Love the date feature you turned on, Kiki!

YA author Anna Staniszewski, librarian Sarah Chessman, YA/MG author Deva Fagan, YA author Ellen Booream, YA author Alisa Libby, YA author Marissa Doyle, and me.

Alisa, Marissa, and me.

Anna, Sarah and Deva.

Ellen, Alisa and Marissa.

Also went to the tweetup which was awesome!

Christine Brodien-Jones, Grace Lin, Deva Fagan, me, Dawn Metcalf, Ellen Booream, Marissa Doyle.

Natalie Reid, Sarah Albee, me, Kate Narita

And CRITTER WAS THERE!!!!

Comparing the Na'vi to Indian art

2010-01-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Going to see Avatar today and intrigued by the similarities between the look of the Na'vi and the depiction of Avatars in Indian Art. For a better look click on the picture (above) of a painting of Radha-Krishna alongside a still from the movie. Wonder if the the similarities stop at the surface level or go deeper? Will have to wait to see the movie to figure that out!!
The phenomenal success of the movie makes me wonder if Indian motifs are finally ready to go mainstream. That's very exciting for a fantasy/historical writer like myself who loves those themes/motifs. Another depiction of Krishna below.
Apologies for not siting sources. Will have to hunt down the images and give due credit ...
Hmmm ... now that I think of it, even Critter (see previous post) looks a bit like the Na'vi!! At least as far as the blue skin !

Critter @ school

2010-01-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

Took Critter to pick up the kids from school today. Think he liked it. Maybe he'd like to go to class on Monday ... hmmm.

Starting over

2010-01-07T06:45:00.000-08:00

OK. New Year and whatnot. It's time to get back to writing. And time to break open and brew up a cup my favorite tea. My sister Ruhi bought it for me before leaving (I'm too cheap to buy it in such a large quantity.) "For the next book" she said. So brewing tea and staring over in 2010.

NEWSFLASH: Leela's Star is officially out on submission. Yay!

Critter's here!!

2010-01-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

We've been feeling pretty down today, because my sister and her family left this morning. Guess the price of family reunions is adjusting to an empty house afterward (sigh). But guess who showed up in the mail to cheer us up? Critter!

Yes folks, Critter has arrived safely at destination number five. Stay tuned to follow his adventures!

Happy New Year 2010

2009-12-31T06:42:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

A gift

2009-12-14T07:00:00.001-08:00

I was given a very special gift last week. It was from my fellow Onwords & Upwords critique group members, in recognition of my getting agented. I can't tell you how much it meant to me. I've been in the group for at least three years (maybe four ... will have to do some mental math to figure that out.) If anyone knows how hard I worked to get here, they do.

It still feels like a gift to have an agent. The strangest thing is that I have been so busy that I haven't had time for it sink in. My sister Rohini (Ruhi to us) is visiting us from Australia with her family, an eagerly anticipated event for us, and our house is FULL. This is the first time she's ever been to the U.S. and I really want to her to enjoy her time here, as well as spend as much quality time with my nephews (aged 10 and 12) as we can. Can you believe my luck that even though I only started querying October end/beginning of November I signed by November 20th, and had my revision done (this took an entire day in pajamas squinting fiercely at red edits on my ms, but I know that revisions for agents can take a very long time, so again, I feel incredibly lucky) by December 1st?!! Ruhi landed here on December 3rd and I was DONE and free to spend time with her. And that's what I've been doing ... shopping-shopping-shopping with my sister (not usually my thing, but it's her vacation), museums, cooking, laughing, catching up, watching my nephews play in the first falling snow they've ever experienced, getting them acquainted with our menagerie of pets ...

So, my critique group meeting last week was the first time I could focus again on my writing, and on (gasp!) being agented , with people who *get* it. They were more than happy to listen to my blow by blow account of how it unfolded. They hugged me. We celebrated. And it felt awesome! Check out what they wrote on it ... made me tear up.
I have this brief moment to post on the (much neglected) blog only because my sister and co. are currently in Washington DC, and the kids are at school, and the hubby is at work. The house is quiet. Never realized how essential quiet and solitude are for my writing! As they return today, this is probably the last such moment until Jan 3rd, when Ruhi leaves. I know we'll miss them all, but my YA novel will finally be ready for submissions the week of Jan 4th, so I will have something to look forward to. Perfect timing again. And maybe this amazing miracle of being agented will finally start to sink in ... :-)

Until then ... Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2010!!!

AGENTED!!

2009-11-20T14:04:00.001-08:00

NEWSFLASH: I just signed with Steven Chudney of The Chudney Agency. However, I still have to get the kids to the ice cream social in the next 10 minutes, and then clean up for my daughter's 10th birthday party this weekend, so more info will have to wait.

But I couldn't resist posting just the basic news :-)

NaNoWriMo 2009 - Day 13

2009-11-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

Bit embarrassed to admit that I'm, ahem, done with my re-write! I really thought it would take me longer, but most of the stuff I had to change was kind of at the start of the story. Once I had the new voice down (moved the mc to middle school instead of elementary), it was just a matter of plugging through the manuscript re-writing dialogue. I'm printing out the whole thing today and editing the hard copy, but I'm pretty much done. YAY!

Time to pick up the house ... OMG what happened here while I was writing???

NaNoWriMo 2009 - Day 1

2009-11-01T06:17:00.000-08:00

Not a great start! My daughter woke up with a fever last night. Looks like my uninterrupted weekday morning writing time is in jeopardy, since she'll probably be home from school for a few days. But I plan on starting anyway. Will update word count daily, so watch my widget (on the right)!

NaNoWriMo 2009

2009-10-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

I've just signed up for nanowrimo. It's probably cheating to do nano for a rewrite, but who cares? I need the motivation! I have to submit Karmic Cat to my novel critique group for our December critique spot. We do one full ms per month, and my turn's up again. Except, I want to rewrite the whole darn thing from a different (older) POV. So, let the (re)writing begin! Will I be ready for that December critique, or will I have to send them my revision of LEELA'S STAR (of which they are probably thoroughly sick!) again??

Poetry Friday-Lucy's Picture Day

2009-10-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Nani took this picture of Lucy and Nani's sister & cousins.
Winter 1940(?) Mainpuri, India.

LUCY'S PICTURE DAY - Nandini Bajpai

Lucy leapt onto the bench
lit by the mellow winter sun
There, the girls s-at for pictures
as they got their homework done

Lalli, Usha, Kumud, Sushma
Cousins, sisters, friends, and foes
None of them could match the lovely
El-e-gance of Lucy’s pose

Ears tucked, muzzle lifted
White on chest, front paws, and head
Lucy waited for the birdie
“Smile please” your Nani said.

A short poem for my Old Pet Chronicles project. This one is about Lucy, probably the first dog my Mum (Nani to my kids) ever had. She looks so cute! Wish I could reach into the picture and scratch her behind the ears.

Update: I didn't consciously set out to write a schoolyard chant, but just realized (thanks to my 9 year old) that is what that rhythm is. We even Miss-Mary-Mack'd it! Somehow, I can see the girls in the picture (three are now septuagenarians!) doing the same ...

Poetry Friday roundup is at Kelly Herold's Big A little a!!

The big picture

2009-10-20T05:59:00.001-07:00

This week is reading time. I've sent off my revised ms to five wonderful people who have agreed to read it and tell me what they think. I have three full and partial mss to read in exchange. I'm really enjoying it. It's so nice to relax into a story someone else has written.

Reading their work made me realize how much easier it is to see the big picture, the story arc, the plot inconsistencies etc. if the ms is not my own. It is so hard, at least for me, to step back and read something with fresh eyes when I've been working away at it for months. The only way I can do it is to let something that's been finished sit for a while, and come back to it, or to outline.

Here's a picture of my outline for LEELA'S STAR. It is plain and boring (compared to the one for my last novel, which had pictures of settings, characters etc.) but it really did help me revisit timelines, story arc, characters, settings, and so forth, and figure out if the structure worked.

So, what do you do to step away and take a look at the big picture of your 1st draft? Do you outline (before or after the 1st draft), do you let it sit, do you send it to trusted critique partners to read? I'd love to know how other people deal with it!!

Happy Diwali!

2009-10-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Diwali. It celebrates (with lights and fireworks) the return to his kingdom of Prince Rama, the hero of the epic poem--the Ramayana, after 14 years in exile. So, here's to happy endings and homecomings this fall! May good fortune step into your home and light your days!

For us, it has been a good one. Two days ago my husband’s consulting gig turned into a job offer that he has accepted. And today my revisions are complete.

Poetry Friday - Lost Cats

2009-10-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

Nani's sister, Usha, with Kaloo -1964

LOST CATS -- Nandini Bajpai

Kaloo would hiss at the postman--
pink mouth, white fangs, in a black velvet face.
“Is that a cat?” he’d ask “Or a panther cub?”

Before him Nani had his brother Tashi,
a Siamese cat, like his mother Mona.
He fell in a well and drowned, poor Tashi.

And then Nani brought Kaloo,
who was black, just like his name,
and not like his mother at all.

She brought them from Meerut
to Delhi, a distance of 30 miles, and
two hours, those days, by road.

So Mona lost her sons, just as Nani
was starting to lose Rippun, your uncle,
and her only son of four daughters.

He as a baby then. It took a long
time for them to know that he would not
grow up, grow healthy, live long.

Those days doctors couldn’t
help babies during a difficult birth,
you see? It’s different now.

And Nani's Kaloo just vanished
one night. A lovely, silky, black cat.
Gone overnight, just like that.

Nani had no cats after that
until Rippun passed away at twelve
and her girls were grown.

Nani’s four daughters--Padmini,
Rohini, Nandini, Anuja, grew up, grew
strong, and made her proud.

This one came out a bit sad, somehow. Losing my brother is not something I dwell on often, but it worked its way into this one because of something my Mum (Nani to my kids) said when she was talking about the cat. I haven't shown it to the kids yet. Maybe I'll change it or write a different version for them ... can't decide. They should know it doesn't always turn out well with pets or people.

Above, a picture of Ripu Daman Chauhan, my brother Rippun. The hands holding him up are Mum's.

This is the latest of the Old Pet Chronicles, a project I started for Poetry Friday. Poetry Friday round up is at Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Week.

Critique group traditions

2009-10-05T06:51:00.001-07:00

Kay Kudlinski shares her lovely critique group quilts

Last Saturday I attended FANNING OUR FLAMES, a workshop for Critique Group Leaders, organized by the New England SCBWI. The speaker was Kathleen (Kay) Kudlinski, author and veteran critique group leader. The workshop was wonderful! Kay had some great ideas, suggestions, and tips on what makes a writing group work well for everyone. The group attending was also amazingly knowledgeable and experienced.

There was too much that was discussed for me to encapsulate here (for that you should schedule one of Kay's workshops!), but I did want to mention one of the things she talked about that struck a chord with me--establish traditions within your writing group.

Mark special occasions for your members. Celebrate rejections (they have a certificate for the 100th rejection!) as well as acceptances, because rejections mean you have submissions out there. Celebrate birthdays, completion of drafts and revisions, book sales and launches ... everything! She shared two beautiful critique group quilts she had pieced together herself with a square for each member. Every time someone is down about something, or sick, they get to have the quilt and be enveloped, literally, by their writing friends.What a great tradition!

I had been deputized to represent my group since our actual critique group leader, April Prince, was busy that day. I can't wait for our next meeting so we can talk about the workshop and begin to incorporate some of Kay's suggestions into our group. Particularly traditions. I may even start a quilt!!

Poetry Friday - The Ballad of Romy

2009-10-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Nani's sister and Nani (holding Romy) - early 1950s

THE BALLAD OF ROMY - Nandini Bajpai

Romy was born in the washer-man’s shack
Where a hot heavy iron
pressed wrinkles out of crumpled clothes

Run Romy run / Hide Romy hide / Run, hide, spit, fight!

His mother, the washer-man’s calico cat
A graceful dainty fearsome mouser
Taught him well before he went to Nani’s house

Run Romy run / Hide Romy hide / Run, hide, spit, fight!

Mango lassi orange striped, study buddy;
He swatted Nani’s fountain pen
stretched out upon her open books as she studied

Run Romy run / Hide Romy hide / Run, hide, spit, fight!

But all was not well in Romy’s world …
In the alley, over the wall there
lurked a vicious cat who looked—just like Romy!

Run Romy run / Hide Romy hide / Run, hide, spit, fight!

The alleycat stalked, the alleycat sprang
And every few days he jumped
over that garden wall and thrashed poor Romy

Run Romy run / Hide Romy hide / Run, hide, spit, fight!

Romy could run; that served him well
until the day, the horrible day
that cunning cat cornered him, with no escape

Run Romy run / Hide Romy hide / Run, hide, spit, fight!

There was hissing and spitting (even some shitting)
Which cat was which?
Who knew in that rolling flat-eared fur-flying fight?

Run Romy run / Hide Romy hide / Run, hide, spit, fight!

Then at last one battered tom peeled away
defeated, and the bristling
champion stayed his hard won ground

Run Romy run / Hide Romy hide / Run, hide, spit, fight!

Nani grabbed a broom and whacked him hard
“Meeeoww?!!” said Romy
For it was Romy!! Who had at last earned his scars.

Run Romy run / Hide Romy hide / Run, hide, spit, fight!

This is a 1st draft of Romy's story. Romy was my mother's cat when she was in high school and college. (See another picture of mum, Nani to my kids, holding Romy. It was ruined by water exposure :-( ) Though the details are accurate, I didn't have time to polish it as much as I wanted. But the kids gave it their approval and here it is; another installment of the Old Pet Chronicles.

At this rate I might have enough material to compile a copy for family gifts by year's end!

Poetry Friday round up this week is at Crossover.

Gallery of Villains ...

2009-09-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

Thought we'd share pictures of our homemade Ravana from this year, as well as years past. So, ***drum roll*** presenting ...

the Demon King Ravana of 2004 the Demon King Ravana of 2007!!

and finally, the Demon King Ravana of 2009!!In case you're wondering how they meet their end ...
Sorry pal!!

There goes Ravana ...

2009-09-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Dussehra ...

During the 9 days leading up to the festival of Dussehra, plays that tell the story of the Ramayana (this kind of play is called Ram-lila), are staged all over North India. On the tenth day, the last battle between Rama and the demon Ravana is staged, and a huge effigy of Ravana (stuffed with fireworks!) is set alight. The guy playing Rama usually shoots Ravana with a flaming arrow. It's pretty fun to watch. But in New England we have to make our own, rather lame, versions and stick them in the fireplace. Still fun though!

So, the kids and I were looking for a good Ravana design to make. Then I realized my sister Anuja sent me a clip a while ago, in which she demonstrates how a make a Ravana, with the help of her kids and their friends, for some holiday special in India. No idea where this aired originally ... but it's fun!

I'm posting this as my kids are coloring the ten heads of our Ravana on paper plates!! We'll post our finished product tomorrow.

Poetry Friday - Itchy dog

2009-09-24T20:25:00.000-07:00

Nani's sister and cousin, with Nana Ji and Donny - June 1958 Surajkund lake

ITCHY DOG - Nandini Bajpai

He liked to snake beneath the hedge;
a spiky, scratchy, bushy hedge,
curving along the edge
of Nani's garden.

Crawling commando slow,
itchy-twitchy limbo low,
tunneling thru prickly rows,
in canine heaven.

We're chronicling memories of old family pets via verse. The idea is to write down anecdotes my kids like to hear about critters that belonged to my parents and grandparents (Nani and Nana Ji = grandparents in Hindi). They're totally off the cuff, but kind of fun for all of us, and a good break from Revising The Novel.

To read more about Donny, the dog this is about, see THE DOG IN THE RICKSHAW.

Poetry Friday roundup is hosted today by Susan Taylor Brown.

Pictures from Boston's first Kidlit Pie Night

2009-09-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

More on that tomorrow ...

Oh, never mind. Mitali Perkins has covered it comprehensively at Mitali's Fire Escape!!

Fever ... and Guilt most horrible.

2009-09-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

I knew it, I knew it IknewitIknewit.

Should have kept the kid home from school on Friday, and skipped the show in Boston that night. Not gone to the bookstore on Saturday, or let her help walk the dog with hair still damp from the shower. Sure enough, signs became symptoms, her fever spiked, coughs became wheezing.
And I knewit all along, darnit.

Rant done, must go pick up medicines from the pharmacy (sigh).

'this comes from within'

2009-09-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

(Eggshells and shattered mirrors ... click for a better view! Though my grainy picture really doesn't do justice to this lovely sculpture. Apologies!)

Thought I'd share some pictures taken yesterday at an installation by Natick artist Virginia Fitzgerald at the Medicine Wheel Production Studio in South Boston. The installation titled 'this comes from within' is part of Virginia's ongoing Dress Project. I'm thankful to my friend Martha for taking us along. I thought the work was a beautiful, provocative, visual treat. My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Check out some of the other dress sculptures below ...

(The Valentine dress)

(The Poetry dress)

Poetry Friday - Love that boy, Love that dog

2009-09-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

(Poem on the post-it by Ravi, illustration by Kiki)

My son wrote the poem on the post-it (above) at school yesterday. They're reading Love that Dog in class, and he said he was inspired by it, as well as Love that Boy by Walter Dean Myers. Thought I'd share excerpts from both as well as his original here ...

Love that boy by Walter Dean Myers

Love that boy,
like a rabbit loves to run
I said I love that boy
like a rabbit loves to run
Love to call him in the morning
love to call him
"Hey there, son!"

Love That Dog -Jack from the book Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Love that dog,
like a bird loves to fly
I said I love that dog
like a bird loves to fly
Love to call him in the morning
love to call him
“Hey there, Sky!”

Love that Pup - by Ravi

Love that pup
like Sona likes to hunt
Love that pup
like Beta likes water
Love chasing him in the afternoon
then call him "Yogi, Yogi, Yogi."

(Should mention that Sona is a cat and Beta is a fish ... but you could guess that, right?)

Write your own instant Love that poem here

Round up today is at Becky's Book Reviews

Poetry Friday: The Dog in the Rickshaw

2009-09-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

(Nani with Donny - 1957?)

THE DOG IN THE RICKSHAW - Nandini Bajpai

What is most recalled about Donny
is that he was Stubborn.
So Stubborn that when Nani
took him for his walk
he always refused, refused
to turn back.

Luckily, he wasn’t the
Brightest bulb.
So Nani found a circuitous route
which brought them home
eventually.
And that worked fine.

Until the day Nana Ji walked him.
Nana, as you know, is very Bright
but just as Stubborn as Donny.
And sometimes (he's your Nana)
his Stubborn overcomes
his Bright.

They left. Two hours passed.
And Nani knowing
two Stubborn beings
can get into a
Standoff
began to worry.

At first Nana Ji didn’t
remember Donny's ways.
He just kept walking
and after a reasonable amount
of time, turned back.
Or tried to.

No matter what Nana Ji did
Donny would only go Forward.
He could have tricked Donny
quite easily
but remember what I said
about Nana Ji?

"You want to keep walking?"
Nana Ji said.
"Let's go then.
We’ll walk, and walk, and walk.
Until you are so tired that
YOU will turn back."

No one knows how far they walked
before they sat down
panting
exhausted
by the side of the road
and had to hail a rickshaw.

Nani laughed when
she saw them coming
up the street.
Thirsty hot, Stubborn mad
Dog tired
in a rickshaw.
------------------------------

My kids love stories about old family pets. Even ones they've heard over and over. Since I'm poetry challenged, I've decided to write the stories down in free verse to have something to post on Poetry Fridays. That way the kids can have them for good.

Maybe one day I'll even revise ...

Note: Nani and Nana Ji mean Grandmother and Grandfather in Hindi (Ji is like San in Japanese.)

The round up today is at the Wild Rose Reader

Yogi and Maya

2009-09-09T14:28:00.001-07:00

SatoReunion-457, originally uploaded by warlotte.

Just received an email from the Northeast Animal Shelter with a link to pictures from the Save a Sato reunion last month. This photo is my favorite!!

It shows Yogi (our dog, the white one) meeting his sister for the first time since they were adopted. We knew he had a sibling attending and actually guessed it was "Heather", now renamed Maya, right away. It's amazing how similar they look even with their different colors. And how well do their names match? Strange and wonderful! Really wonder how much they remember ...

Back to Revision

2009-09-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while ... but I've been busy. Not drafting, revising, querying or anything remotely useful in the writing sense, just busy. One thing I’ve realized over summer is that kids 24x7 and writing do NOT MIX WELL, at least for me. So it was either summer camp for 2 months (too expensive given our revised budget), me turning into Momzilla while trying to write with them underfoot, or for the writing to be sidelined for a bit. I chose option three. It was actually fun not to care about deadlines and wordcounts and outlines for a bit since I’ve been writing pretty much without a break since Jan 2008. But I missed it, and it’s good to be back!!

New goal: revise LEELA’S STAR by September end.

Kiki Hamilton's THE FAERIE RING to be published!!!

2009-08-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

From Publisher's Marketplace ...

Kiki Hamilton's THE FAERIE RING, an urban fantasy set in Victorian London, in which a streetwise pickpocket steals a ring from Buckingham Palace, then has to try to return it in order to keep a peace treaty between the British and Faerie courts, to Susan Chang at Tor, in a nice deal, by Kate Schafer Testerman at kt literary (World English).

If it is possible to be more excited about someone else's success than your own I'm that way about Kiki's just announced book deal. Kiki is the nicest, most generous, talented, optimistic, funny, hardworking, supportive writing bud you could find.

Can't wait to see it in print, Kiki!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Mini-reunion

2009-07-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

My friend and writing buddy Paula couldn't make it up to the VCFA symposium last week. So we decided to find a place half-way between us and get together for our own mini-reunion. Paula and I have known each other for close to two years, having met online in Uma's class. But we've only met in meet-space (hope I'm using this term correctly) once before, at the NE SCBWI conf. last year.

We picked the lovely Sturbridge Coffee House purely via google, and what a good choice that turned out to be! We were there for nearly four hours (actually Paula was there even longer, since she got there early) and we had a really nice visit. Missed all the members of our online crit group (UA, you know who you are) who weren't there. Even posted a joint message for the rest of the gang. We have to do this more often, Paula. And I remember those deadlines, so you better be working at it! Yes, I know I should start revising too ...