Karen Healey's Blog: That Healey Girl, page 4
June 19, 2013
Hello, Internets!I of course must respect the privacy of ...
Hello, Internets!
I of course must respect the privacy of my students, so I don't talk about them directly here, or much about what I do with them (and wouldn't even if I had the time!) but I think professional conduct allows me to say this:
Today we were doing a creative writing lesson on writing an action scene. I gave the students this for an example:
"What happens next?" they wanted to know.
"You tell me!" I said merrily, and set them brainstorming, planning, and drafting.
I think Luisa dies in about half the stories. 14 year olds LOVE gore.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/67823.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
I of course must respect the privacy of my students, so I don't talk about them directly here, or much about what I do with them (and wouldn't even if I had the time!) but I think professional conduct allows me to say this:
Today we were doing a creative writing lesson on writing an action scene. I gave the students this for an example:
At the soft scrape of a bare foot on stone , Luisa whirled.
The Grey Man stood directly behind her, reaching for her throat. Luisa didn’t waste a second. She took one step forward, lifting her knee sharply. Her tensed foot snapped up. Too late! With the speed of a snake, the Grey Man caught her ankle and yanked.
Luisa went down hard, the gritty rock of the clifftop scraping her hands and knees raw. She tasted blood in her mouth and felt the sharp pain of a bitten tongue. With a monumental effort, she forced herself back to her feet. The Grey Man was waiting. Watching.
“Give me the stone,” he said, his voice soft and sibiliant. “The secret stone. Give it to me.”
Luisa risked a look over her shoulder. The ocean below was rough, the sharp rocks jagged teeth. And there were predators in the water.
But none of those were as dangerous as the creature that blocked her exit.
No safe way past him. The only way out was down.
With her heart pounding in her chest, thumping against the stone in her pocket, Luisa turned on her heel and fled. Towards the edge of the cliff.
She felt a tug at her hair, but she wrenched free and leapt. For a breathless moment, she felt suspended in air, flying past the startled gulls who screamed their displeasure.
Then, she fell.
"What happens next?" they wanted to know.
"You tell me!" I said merrily, and set them brainstorming, planning, and drafting.
I think Luisa dies in about half the stories. 14 year olds LOVE gore.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/67823.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
May 26, 2013
Sunday Reading II
New school placement! Very exciting, very different. So many new names to learn!
Naturally, I have caught the latest round of plague. Apparently, new teachers (and teacher trainees) had better just resign themselves to regularly getting sick in the first couple years of practice. I have occupied the weekend in 1) writing mentorship first thing Saturday* 2) laundry and 3) sitting on the couch/in my bed, feeling extremely sorry for myself.
Never mind, self, reading over the past week!
Finished:
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne Valente. Deeeeelightful. I particularly like the differences between childish heartlessness and teenage raw hearts, and the ethical quandaries of selfhood and autonomy.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Mary E. Pearson. A re-read, as it happens, but this is the novel I am/will be teaching in two classes, much as I taught The Hunger Games in my last placement. I knew my writing would be useful to me as a teacher, but I wasn't quite expecting, "we're going to study future-set YA exploring the ethics of violence, power, humanity and medical advancement! Do you know anything about that, perchance?" It's nice to feel useful.
Dirty Little Secrets, C.J. Omololu. Child of hoarder has managed to conceal the circumstances in which she lives from almost everyone, but when you have a great bestie and a guy who seems to be interested, it's really hard to keep your dirty little secrets from coming to light. Stark and subtle in turns, with some lovely psychological reasoning.
Also, some really great cleaning descriptions for people into that kind of thing, which is definitely me. If you're the sort of person who likes to read UfYH because descriptions of people cleaning their places and restoring order are soothing, I would recommend this book. Or even if you're another sort of person. But if you DO like the cleaning stuff, definitely grab it.
Reading:
Thud!, Terry Pratchett. Another re-read, in snatches on the bus to and from school. I like it very much.
Acquired:
Dirty Little Secrets, C.J. Omololu.
My TBR piles are disturbingly high, so I may have to institute a no buy rule until I've restored them to a reasonable height. Or at least a single pile.
* I don't think I've talked about that? I mentor a couple of adult writers who are doing some interesting YA work. It's fun.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/67527.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
Naturally, I have caught the latest round of plague. Apparently, new teachers (and teacher trainees) had better just resign themselves to regularly getting sick in the first couple years of practice. I have occupied the weekend in 1) writing mentorship first thing Saturday* 2) laundry and 3) sitting on the couch/in my bed, feeling extremely sorry for myself.
Never mind, self, reading over the past week!
Finished:
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne Valente. Deeeeelightful. I particularly like the differences between childish heartlessness and teenage raw hearts, and the ethical quandaries of selfhood and autonomy.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Mary E. Pearson. A re-read, as it happens, but this is the novel I am/will be teaching in two classes, much as I taught The Hunger Games in my last placement. I knew my writing would be useful to me as a teacher, but I wasn't quite expecting, "we're going to study future-set YA exploring the ethics of violence, power, humanity and medical advancement! Do you know anything about that, perchance?" It's nice to feel useful.
Dirty Little Secrets, C.J. Omololu. Child of hoarder has managed to conceal the circumstances in which she lives from almost everyone, but when you have a great bestie and a guy who seems to be interested, it's really hard to keep your dirty little secrets from coming to light. Stark and subtle in turns, with some lovely psychological reasoning.
Also, some really great cleaning descriptions for people into that kind of thing, which is definitely me. If you're the sort of person who likes to read UfYH because descriptions of people cleaning their places and restoring order are soothing, I would recommend this book. Or even if you're another sort of person. But if you DO like the cleaning stuff, definitely grab it.
Reading:
Thud!, Terry Pratchett. Another re-read, in snatches on the bus to and from school. I like it very much.
Acquired:
Dirty Little Secrets, C.J. Omololu.
My TBR piles are disturbingly high, so I may have to institute a no buy rule until I've restored them to a reasonable height. Or at least a single pile.
* I don't think I've talked about that? I mentor a couple of adult writers who are doing some interesting YA work. It's fun.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/67527.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
May 19, 2013
Sunday Reading I
Over the last week! I read some stuff! Lists.
Finished:
Sandman Slim and Kill the Dead, Richard Kadrey. I picked up the first one of these at a friend's house and borrowed it because Holly Black had blurbed it. Then I bought the second ebook. Good choices, self! Fast-reading, tough-talking, no-time-for-emoting-I-gotta-kill-people-and-or-bodyguard-Lucifer-and-or-save-the-city stuff in a grimy, gaudy LA.
Brown Girls in Bright Red Lipstick, Courtney Sina Meredith. Holy shit. Incredible volume of poetry, I can't even, so many feels. Read it, preferably out loud.
A Stranger in Olondria, Sofia Samatar. Nnnngh, pretty words about words. I love books about the pleasure of reading, particularly ones that also have fascinating magic and spooky spirits and awesome mysticism and politics and omg it's also a travelogue? And a bibliography for works that don't exist? Anyway, recommended reading for people who love reading.
Reading:
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne Valente. September! I missed you! You're a delight! Valente's adult prose, while lush and gorgeous, is occasionally so ornate it throws me out of the story. This isn't a problem with her more accessible fables, which are incredibly charming.
Acquired:
Oh, Auckland Writers' and Readers' Festival. Thanks for hosting me! Damn you for having so many books there. I managed to limit myself to three:
Ancestry, Albert Wendt. (I accidentally walked into the wrong green room and found myself face to face with a total legend. I made noises with my mouth! Some of them were sentences!)
When Water Burns, Lani Wendt Young.
Brown Girls in Bright Red Lipstick, Courtney Sina Meredith.
From Auckland bookstores:
Auto Da Fay, Fay Weldon's autobio.
Extra-curricular, a magazine thingy about creative types in New Zealand that I bought at random from a shop that was so cute I couldn't walk out without something. It's a sickness.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne Valente.
From Book Depository:
The Chaos, Nalo Hopkinson.
I start my next teaching placement tomorrow. I have determined that Sundays are going to be devoted to a) laundry b) reading all the things.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/67308.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
Finished:
Sandman Slim and Kill the Dead, Richard Kadrey. I picked up the first one of these at a friend's house and borrowed it because Holly Black had blurbed it. Then I bought the second ebook. Good choices, self! Fast-reading, tough-talking, no-time-for-emoting-I-gotta-kill-people-and-or-bodyguard-Lucifer-and-or-save-the-city stuff in a grimy, gaudy LA.
Brown Girls in Bright Red Lipstick, Courtney Sina Meredith. Holy shit. Incredible volume of poetry, I can't even, so many feels. Read it, preferably out loud.
A Stranger in Olondria, Sofia Samatar. Nnnngh, pretty words about words. I love books about the pleasure of reading, particularly ones that also have fascinating magic and spooky spirits and awesome mysticism and politics and omg it's also a travelogue? And a bibliography for works that don't exist? Anyway, recommended reading for people who love reading.
Reading:
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne Valente. September! I missed you! You're a delight! Valente's adult prose, while lush and gorgeous, is occasionally so ornate it throws me out of the story. This isn't a problem with her more accessible fables, which are incredibly charming.
Acquired:
Oh, Auckland Writers' and Readers' Festival. Thanks for hosting me! Damn you for having so many books there. I managed to limit myself to three:
Ancestry, Albert Wendt. (I accidentally walked into the wrong green room and found myself face to face with a total legend. I made noises with my mouth! Some of them were sentences!)
When Water Burns, Lani Wendt Young.
Brown Girls in Bright Red Lipstick, Courtney Sina Meredith.
From Auckland bookstores:
Auto Da Fay, Fay Weldon's autobio.
Extra-curricular, a magazine thingy about creative types in New Zealand that I bought at random from a shop that was so cute I couldn't walk out without something. It's a sickness.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne Valente.
From Book Depository:
The Chaos, Nalo Hopkinson.
I start my next teaching placement tomorrow. I have determined that Sundays are going to be devoted to a) laundry b) reading all the things.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/67308.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
May 8, 2013
How it goes.
What does my learning how to be a teacher entail? It looks like this:
Weeks 1-3: Center block!
Seminars (behaviour management, planning and assessment prep, collaborative learning workshops, etc etc - practical teacher knowledge)
Academic bids (we research in pairs or groups and then present our findings in order to demonstrate understanding - academic teacher knowledge we can put into practice)
Weeks 4-9: Teaching placement!
We're in a school, teaching. I was teaching a full class on my second day in my last school. It was awesome. And terrifying. But also awesome.
"Teaching" involves planning, assessment, resource preparation, involvement in school life, professional conduct and contributions with your senior colleagues, meeting attendance, club activities, and the part where you actually have a classroom with a bunch of students in it who need to learn something.
While teaching, we get observation, feedback and consultation.
Observation and feedback happen whether we want it or not - tutors come in and watch us work, note down the things we're doing great and the things we need to work on, and then tell us. It's up to us whether we listen. You can bet I listen.
Consultation is us actively seeking help or advice - "Homg what is a unit plan and how do I use pre-assessment to help create one?" "I need some literacy activities for my Year 9s; resource tips?" "How do I differentiate learning in a class where I have high achievers and kids with a lot of learning needs?" And so on. Different questions, depending on our classes and our experiences.
Week 10: Bidding week!
All that teaching we just did? We reflect on it. For pages and pages and pages, assessing whether we hit the criteria, what we'll need to do next time to get them, etc etc. Word count isn't actually important, but just to give you an indicator of the amount of labour involved: In the last bidding week I wrote ~14 000 words in five days. (Actually, I wrote 14k in four days and then my hands stopped working, thanks RSI). This was on the low side - some people did closer to 30k.
Week 11-12: SLEEP.
Or in my case, line edits. BUT ALSO LOTS OF SLEEP and also lots of pleasure reading and baking and Mass Effect. Shep/Garrus, all the way.
Right now we're in the center block, doing academic work. So when Roomie Matt comes home, it's usually to this:
Me: *slightly glazed* Matt! Do you want me to teach you about the social, educational and political development of Maori since 1840 in terms of the Treaty of Waitangi?
Matt: Not... right now.
Me: I MADE A TIMELINE. Also, if you would like to learn about how tikanga can be practiced in the classroom, I found some great resources!
Matt: Good for you!
Me: How about the rationale for including Classical Studies as a social science?
Matt: How about, instead of that, you take a nap?
Me: GOOD IDEA. YOU ARE RESPONDING TO MY OBSERVED BEHAVIOURAL STATE AND SUGGESTING MODIFICATION THAT ADDRESSES MY SPECIFIC NEED; IE, TO GAIN RESILIENCE.
It is an intense course. It is a great course. I am really happy I'm doing it, and I'm learning so much, all the time.
But that's why I'm not blogging much this year.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/67069.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
Weeks 1-3: Center block!
Seminars (behaviour management, planning and assessment prep, collaborative learning workshops, etc etc - practical teacher knowledge)
Academic bids (we research in pairs or groups and then present our findings in order to demonstrate understanding - academic teacher knowledge we can put into practice)
Weeks 4-9: Teaching placement!
We're in a school, teaching. I was teaching a full class on my second day in my last school. It was awesome. And terrifying. But also awesome.
"Teaching" involves planning, assessment, resource preparation, involvement in school life, professional conduct and contributions with your senior colleagues, meeting attendance, club activities, and the part where you actually have a classroom with a bunch of students in it who need to learn something.
While teaching, we get observation, feedback and consultation.
Observation and feedback happen whether we want it or not - tutors come in and watch us work, note down the things we're doing great and the things we need to work on, and then tell us. It's up to us whether we listen. You can bet I listen.
Consultation is us actively seeking help or advice - "Homg what is a unit plan and how do I use pre-assessment to help create one?" "I need some literacy activities for my Year 9s; resource tips?" "How do I differentiate learning in a class where I have high achievers and kids with a lot of learning needs?" And so on. Different questions, depending on our classes and our experiences.
Week 10: Bidding week!
All that teaching we just did? We reflect on it. For pages and pages and pages, assessing whether we hit the criteria, what we'll need to do next time to get them, etc etc. Word count isn't actually important, but just to give you an indicator of the amount of labour involved: In the last bidding week I wrote ~14 000 words in five days. (Actually, I wrote 14k in four days and then my hands stopped working, thanks RSI). This was on the low side - some people did closer to 30k.
Week 11-12: SLEEP.
Or in my case, line edits. BUT ALSO LOTS OF SLEEP and also lots of pleasure reading and baking and Mass Effect. Shep/Garrus, all the way.
Right now we're in the center block, doing academic work. So when Roomie Matt comes home, it's usually to this:
Me: *slightly glazed* Matt! Do you want me to teach you about the social, educational and political development of Maori since 1840 in terms of the Treaty of Waitangi?
Matt: Not... right now.
Me: I MADE A TIMELINE. Also, if you would like to learn about how tikanga can be practiced in the classroom, I found some great resources!
Matt: Good for you!
Me: How about the rationale for including Classical Studies as a social science?
Matt: How about, instead of that, you take a nap?
Me: GOOD IDEA. YOU ARE RESPONDING TO MY OBSERVED BEHAVIOURAL STATE AND SUGGESTING MODIFICATION THAT ADDRESSES MY SPECIFIC NEED; IE, TO GAIN RESILIENCE.
It is an intense course. It is a great course. I am really happy I'm doing it, and I'm learning so much, all the time.
But that's why I'm not blogging much this year.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/67069.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
April 18, 2013
Karen At Conversation In The Bookstore, Frequently With Herself.
"So many white dudes. I want the new Karen Lord, L, L, no. Um, I wonder if… no, this is sci-fi, where's YA. Sherri Smith, I think? Yeah, Flygirl, Smith. S, s, s, no! What do I have to do get Orleans? Or the new Seanan McGuire?*"
"Lili! Gotta read Lili. Oh, and the Steampunk anthology! Dylan's in that, he sent me his story, I haven't read it yet, I suck, what else is in it? Oh, this looks fun. Holly, and Libba, and ooh, comics! Look, Matt, look! Comics! Yeah, I'm getting this. Lili's Love-Shy, and Dylan's steampunk."
"Oh, Among Others! This book is about how reading makes life bearable even when it's not. It's about a girl who - her twin died, and she's in a boarding school and becoming a sexual being and she reads a lot of science fiction and fantasy I think it's the sixties? Also, fairies. Different fairies, it's good."
*stabs viciously at author's name on spine* "This guy… this guy, okay, no, I was at a thing with him once, no, no way, no."
"Hello! I would like to buy these books, and also I wrote this one, would it be all right with you if I signed it? Thank you! I like your nail polish."
*points to Villette* "Matt, this book is amazing. You read it, and at the end you're like, why is everything? That's my review. Don't read it, though."
* Turns out I had to hit up the Book Depository. I still love you, Book Depository.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/66693.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
"Lili! Gotta read Lili. Oh, and the Steampunk anthology! Dylan's in that, he sent me his story, I haven't read it yet, I suck, what else is in it? Oh, this looks fun. Holly, and Libba, and ooh, comics! Look, Matt, look! Comics! Yeah, I'm getting this. Lili's Love-Shy, and Dylan's steampunk."
"Oh, Among Others! This book is about how reading makes life bearable even when it's not. It's about a girl who - her twin died, and she's in a boarding school and becoming a sexual being and she reads a lot of science fiction and fantasy I think it's the sixties? Also, fairies. Different fairies, it's good."
*stabs viciously at author's name on spine* "This guy… this guy, okay, no, I was at a thing with him once, no, no way, no."
"Hello! I would like to buy these books, and also I wrote this one, would it be all right with you if I signed it? Thank you! I like your nail polish."
*points to Villette* "Matt, this book is amazing. You read it, and at the end you're like, why is everything? That's my review. Don't read it, though."
* Turns out I had to hit up the Book Depository. I still love you, Book Depository.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/66693.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
April 4, 2013
Captains.
My first teaching placement is OVER!
... and now I have a week of full-on assessment. But before that begins, I get a glorious weekend, during which I shall BLOG. Like the WIND. If the wind liked to BLOG.
In the meantime, here is a question I answered on my tumblr, and am pleased enough with to submit to wider dissemination in a more permanent form.
"Out of curiosity, if you were creating a Captain New Zealand for the Marvel Universe, who would they be?" by franzferdinand2
OOOOH.
Okay, so I am a traditionalist - I think the Captain characters should have military backgrounds, and be patriots, though not tools for patriotism. They should in some way encapsulate (insofar as possible!) the public perception of the “ideal” of their country, and they should be widely adored by the public.
So, I’d go with someone fictional, but inspired by Corporal Bill Henry Apiata, VC, the most trusted man in New Zealand. Willie Apiata is the only recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand, the highest military commentation we have. It was awarded when he carried a severely wounded comrade over broken ground, while exposed to heavy enemy fire.
He was also awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, which means his bravery has been recognised by two nations - not a bad start for a Captain figure. And having left the military, he now teaches adventure skills to young people. I think we all know I have a lot of respect for teachers!
So that’s what I’d do - someone with a fairly normal background (I’m just a kid from Brooklyn/Te Kaha) who pursues a career in the army and exhibits extraordinary valour and care for his colleagues.
I’d leap into fiction with the return - perhaps he pursues a teaching role in a school, and while the school goes on a field trip to a science laboratory, he surprises some saboteurs who are trying to steal some work NZ chemo-geneticists have been doing on the super serum. They fail to obtain the secrets, but in the process, my character is accidentally exposed to the serum and OH MY GOD now he has superpowers.
So yeah. That’s what I’d do.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/66423.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
... and now I have a week of full-on assessment. But before that begins, I get a glorious weekend, during which I shall BLOG. Like the WIND. If the wind liked to BLOG.
In the meantime, here is a question I answered on my tumblr, and am pleased enough with to submit to wider dissemination in a more permanent form.
"Out of curiosity, if you were creating a Captain New Zealand for the Marvel Universe, who would they be?" by franzferdinand2
OOOOH.
Okay, so I am a traditionalist - I think the Captain characters should have military backgrounds, and be patriots, though not tools for patriotism. They should in some way encapsulate (insofar as possible!) the public perception of the “ideal” of their country, and they should be widely adored by the public.
So, I’d go with someone fictional, but inspired by Corporal Bill Henry Apiata, VC, the most trusted man in New Zealand. Willie Apiata is the only recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand, the highest military commentation we have. It was awarded when he carried a severely wounded comrade over broken ground, while exposed to heavy enemy fire.
He was also awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, which means his bravery has been recognised by two nations - not a bad start for a Captain figure. And having left the military, he now teaches adventure skills to young people. I think we all know I have a lot of respect for teachers!
So that’s what I’d do - someone with a fairly normal background (I’m just a kid from Brooklyn/Te Kaha) who pursues a career in the army and exhibits extraordinary valour and care for his colleagues.
I’d leap into fiction with the return - perhaps he pursues a teaching role in a school, and while the school goes on a field trip to a science laboratory, he surprises some saboteurs who are trying to steal some work NZ chemo-geneticists have been doing on the super serum. They fail to obtain the secrets, but in the process, my character is accidentally exposed to the serum and OH MY GOD now he has superpowers.
So yeah. That’s what I’d do.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/66423.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
March 12, 2013
When We Wake: Reviews
When We Wake has been getting some awfully nice reviews. Particularly, it is getting nice reviews from sci-fi venues, which pleases me very much, since this is my first sci-fi story.
Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, calling it: "a fast-moving and carefully built science-fiction story… accessible, thoughtful and compelling".
Publisher's Weekly says that I managed a: "very persuasive future world… The diversity of the cast is authentic and natural"
Liz Bourke at Tor.com says that When We Wake is: "an excellent YA novel. It’s also really excellent science fiction. … Healey really nails voice."
Sarah Frost at Strange Horizons says the book is: "exciting and powerful. … [Tegan] is both a believable teenager and an admirable person."
So that's all pretty excellent, huzzah!
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/66184.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review, calling it: "a fast-moving and carefully built science-fiction story… accessible, thoughtful and compelling".
Publisher's Weekly says that I managed a: "very persuasive future world… The diversity of the cast is authentic and natural"
Liz Bourke at Tor.com says that When We Wake is: "an excellent YA novel. It’s also really excellent science fiction. … Healey really nails voice."
Sarah Frost at Strange Horizons says the book is: "exciting and powerful. … [Tegan] is both a believable teenager and an admirable person."
So that's all pretty excellent, huzzah!
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/66184.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
When We Wake: My Big Idea
Internets, y'all know John Scalzi's Big Idea feature at the Whatever, right? This is the feature where authors will tell you the Big Idea behind their latest release, also known as The Place Not To Go When You Are Poor And Have Instituted A Book-Buying Ban, Yes, On Everything, Even That Really Cool One, Oh Wait, Maybe Just One Or Two Or Five.
It's a great feature. Directly responsible for me spending a lot of money on very good books.
Anyway, the point is, I wrote my Big Idea for When We Wake, talking about (naturally) Sleeping Beauties, and why I wanted an action hero with verve to be my leading lady. Go! Read!
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/65914.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
It's a great feature. Directly responsible for me spending a lot of money on very good books.
Anyway, the point is, I wrote my Big Idea for When We Wake, talking about (naturally) Sleeping Beauties, and why I wanted an action hero with verve to be my leading lady. Go! Read!
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/65914.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
March 9, 2013
Correlation is not causation BUT I WANT SOMEONE TO BLAME.
I valiantly slew a whitetail spider last night, but as it lay in agony, legs twitching, it laid upon me its death curse. Now I have the plague.
Guess who has two thumbs and won't be teaching tomorrow and feels super sorry for herself?
THIS GIRL.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/65595.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
Guess who has two thumbs and won't be teaching tomorrow and feels super sorry for herself?
THIS GIRL.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/65595.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
March 8, 2013
WAKE UP: The When We Wake blog tour
Time to talk about me!
No, wait, time to talk about MY NEW BOOK.
Internets, When We Wake has been released in North America. I was lucky enough to do a blog tour on five awesome young adult fiction blogs to coincide with this release.
BUT. I didn't really want to do a blog tour when people ask me questions and then I answer, because I already had lots of that kind of interview lined up. Even though I could happily talk about my process and inspirations forever (which reminds me, I owe you a Sleeping Beauty essay on Captain America) I didn't want to go around repeating myself.
SO. My awesome publicist was like, why don't they interview When We Wake CHARACTERS? And I said, yes! Faye, you are brilliant! They can interview characters on topics relevant to the book!
So that's what we did. Massive thanks to Faye and Little, Brown for organising everything, and even more massive thanks to the bloggers, who really put the extra effort in to come up with compelling, relevant, interesting questions! I am super happy with the WAKE UP tour, which you can read by clicking on the links below.
If you are in the US, you can also enter giveaways for the book!
The WAKE UP tour:
Bethari talks about media and communications at Novel Novice.
Abdi talks about immigration at The Book Smugglers.
Dr Marie Carmen talks about science and medicine at 365 Days of Reading.
Tegan talks about music at Forever Young Adult.
Joph talks about the environment at The Readadventurer.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/65285.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
No, wait, time to talk about MY NEW BOOK.
Internets, When We Wake has been released in North America. I was lucky enough to do a blog tour on five awesome young adult fiction blogs to coincide with this release.
BUT. I didn't really want to do a blog tour when people ask me questions and then I answer, because I already had lots of that kind of interview lined up. Even though I could happily talk about my process and inspirations forever (which reminds me, I owe you a Sleeping Beauty essay on Captain America) I didn't want to go around repeating myself.
SO. My awesome publicist was like, why don't they interview When We Wake CHARACTERS? And I said, yes! Faye, you are brilliant! They can interview characters on topics relevant to the book!
So that's what we did. Massive thanks to Faye and Little, Brown for organising everything, and even more massive thanks to the bloggers, who really put the extra effort in to come up with compelling, relevant, interesting questions! I am super happy with the WAKE UP tour, which you can read by clicking on the links below.
If you are in the US, you can also enter giveaways for the book!
The WAKE UP tour:
Bethari talks about media and communications at Novel Novice.
Abdi talks about immigration at The Book Smugglers.
Dr Marie Carmen talks about science and medicine at 365 Days of Reading.
Tegan talks about music at Forever Young Adult.
Joph talks about the environment at The Readadventurer.
This entry was originally posted at http://karenhealey.dreamwidth.org/65285.html. You can comment here, at Dreamwidth using OpenID, or at my website, karenhealey.com
That Healey Girl
A newsletter about my creative life and weird research rabbit holes, with the most up to date book news and occasional freebies.
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