tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74548962011-04-22T01:25:24.787-04:00Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.comBlogger9491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-55326297252285074722008-06-24T05:33:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:14.290-05:00

Rites of Spring (Break) is out today! I've already got one "wild spotting" from Patrick, and Trish Doller says she's read it, so it's out there!In honor of my release day, I'm guest blogging over at the Manuscript Mavens. Head on over there and read my post about the challenges of writing this book and more -- the challenge of releasing it while in the midst of writing the fourth!(Yes, comments

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-23176042475231293822008-06-23T07:27:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:14.604-05:00

Hey, guys! Brand shiny new modem here, which means I'm back on line. Thank goodness. I'm such an addict.I've heard from several people that Amazon, at least, has been shipping copies of RITES OF SPRING (BREAK), and it should be appearing on bookshelves everywhere tomorrow. (Or maybe today. Some places jump the gun.)I'm having a small contest (though it doesn't take much to win): Send me photos of

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-32611907899537140342008-06-19T11:18:00.003-04:002008-06-19T11:22:20.248-04:00

So my modem is fried. Which means I'm sitting in a coffee shop typing this. People! Outside world! Extraordinary.Question: "How do you pronounce your last name?(I've told some of my friends about your books, and I'm sure I messed up your name)"Answer: Thank you for telling friends about my book! I tend to say "Peter-froind" (like "Freud" but with an N), but "Peter-friend" is what most of my

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-24985769159867331202008-06-18T07:35:00.000-04:002008-06-18T13:16:31.700-04:00

Question: "What should I major in to become a writer?"Answer: Major in anything you want. I did Geology, and then, because I wound up taking classes that worked for the Literature major (which fell into every category from Film to American Studies) I wrote another paper and took a second major in that. I think it's better, actually, if you don't major in English, Literature, or Writing. It means

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-63655702203560488772008-06-17T07:39:00.002-04:002008-06-17T07:46:15.777-04:00

Question: "What time of day is best for writing?" Answer: For me? All times are the same. Sometimes i get good writing done in the morning, sometimes in the evening. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and go write until I can fall back to sleep. I probably shouldn't admit this.Question: "When writing a book do you already have an idea on the ending for some characters?"Answer:

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-1451896663312047992008-06-16T09:39:00.000-04:002008-11-13T18:49:16.374-05:00

Question: "Is it true that, like, 99% of our presidents were in secret societies?"Answer: I haven't the foggiest. I believe some of the founding fathers were Freemasons -- though according to Wikipedia, John Q. Adams, at least, was a vocal opponent. People love to point out the signs and symbols of Freemasonry in some of the emblems of our country, design of our money, etc. But saying you were in

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-60309105762064262512008-06-13T09:42:00.003-04:002008-06-13T10:07:35.025-04:00

So, as part of the redesign of my website, I'm putting up a new FAQ. I already have some of my biggest hits down (**cough**cough**wereyouinasecretsociety**cough**cough**) but I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing.One of my recent faves: Why would otherwise intelligent, Ivy-League educated students let themselves become slaves to the weird rituals in a secret society?Diana: Why would otherwise

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-47190886356097551622008-06-12T09:23:00.003-04:002008-11-13T18:49:17.125-05:00

Unicorn found in ItalyIn Italy, no less!And a big thank you to all the people who've sent me this news story. I am agog, truly. I have decided to take the entire episode as a good omen about Rampant. there are already uicorns in Italy. Woo hoo!It's especially fortuitous because the unicorns in Rampant are not the horse-like unicorns most people think of. There are unicorns in several ecological

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-82086455814544222462008-06-11T07:52:00.003-04:002008-06-11T08:05:21.799-04:00

J.K. Rowling's been busy as a beaver lately. First, there was her commencement speech at Harvard. Then there were all those late night visits to Maureen. And now, she's posted an 800-word excerpt of the "prequel I'm not working on" at Waterstone's.*To read the handwritten note:1) Go to http://www.waterstoneswys.com/2) Wait for the Flash-based portion of the site to load2) Click the "Read our

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-38649433430452490502008-06-10T08:37:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:17.566-05:00

Of interest to readers, writers, and those who are both:My friend Carla Capshaw, an extraordinary writer and a connoisseur of hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants, tells about her road to publication on The Manuscript Mavens blog. I read Carla's wonderful "The Fox" many, many years ago, and was brokenhearted that it couldn't find a home. I specifically remember one dinner with C.L. Wilson, Carla,

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-56963672850267112222008-06-09T07:17:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:17.753-05:00

First up is Jess Riley's debut, DRIVING SIDEWAYS, which I first encountered, many, many moons ago as a contest entry called "Riding with Larry Resnick" that was much lauded and talked about by anyone lucky enough to get her hands on it. Funny and touching, it's the story of a road trip one woman takes with a teenage runaway and a borrowed kidney (yes, it belonged to the aforementioned Larry). I'm

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-88347130485950115502008-06-06T08:41:00.003-04:002008-06-06T09:42:40.685-04:00

The other day, I came across a blog post by my pal Colleen Gleason that had me scratching my head. In it, she posits that I run a writing blog:Some writers blog with an audience of other writers (published or not) in mind. They blog on topics of interest to people who are trying to get published or to find an agent, and about their own writing and publishing experiences. (Diana Peterfreund comes

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-63589407344996414512008-06-05T08:01:00.007-04:002008-11-13T18:49:19.268-05:00

There's always so much to do when you get home from a vacation. Like, unpack, and then look around in dismay at all the stuff (mail, email, bills, work, laundry -- and seriously, there was more laundry, which makes me wonder what species of brownie or sprite was wearing my clothes when I was in the Caribbean) that somehow piled up while you were gone.So Sailor Boy* and I spent a little while

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-12084112591808756842008-06-04T10:40:00.004-04:002008-06-04T10:57:52.701-04:00

I know I've talked before about my rather amusing typos and errors and the valiant attempts made by my editors to justify them. You know, rather than just admit that I have a problem with typing to sound, or just forgetting my character's name mid-paragraph, or am actually writing a book about killer uniforms.Sigh.Amusing mistake of the day:I have a character in my latest book who is Austrian. In

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-72953389117028730402008-06-03T08:08:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:20.121-05:00

Still in the Caribbean. But while we wait for our plane, and for the "go live" date of my brand-new website, I thought we might talk about some of my upcoming appearances for the release of Rites of Spring (Break).*Launch Party*MONDAY, JUNE 30, 7 PM Borders Books11301 Rockville Pike 11301 Rockville PikeKensington, MD 20895301-816-1067*Bookstore Anniversary with Nora Roberts*SATURDAY, JULY 12

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-77199553784435952862008-05-30T04:06:00.002-04:002008-05-30T04:17:48.910-04:00

That's me, today. Unfortunately, I am headed toward an island that's being hit by a tropical storm.Travel luck strikes again.Pray for a swift break-up or movement of Tropical Storm Alma. Kicking myself.In other news, I received my first trade review for Rites of Spring (Break) and boy is it spoilerific! So filled with spoilers, in fact, that this is all I can share:An ideal summer read, whether

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-57355124854805598872008-05-29T06:17:00.003-04:002008-11-13T18:49:20.650-05:00

(My pal Vicki is starting on a quest in the fabulous world of manuscript submissions -- head on over and wish her luck! Sailor Boy and I are heading on our own adventure this weekend. It's entirely possible that we're nuts, but here goes.)I've been meaning to post about this for a while (in the sense that I've had this jpg on my desktop forever), but I keep forgetting. Who here has read the

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-76731067041970491902008-05-28T00:59:00.002-04:002008-11-13T18:49:20.979-05:00

Lovely, lovely day.I may have mentioned that I was dog-sitting this weekend. I have serious dog envy, folks. Now, I've known Gracie for seven or eight years now (a fraction of the time I have known her human, who is my best friend) so we understand each other pretty well. Gracie is gorgeous (she's a random-breed that, back in Florida,would have been called a "Florida red dog" and we keep seeing "

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-32472343328160499282008-05-27T03:43:00.004-04:002008-05-27T03:49:27.178-04:00

One of the really nice things about WordPress* is that I can write blog posts in advance and them schedule them to appear, so on days when I can’t check in — not even to change something from “draft” to “published” — we can already have posts raring to go. Just think of it — there will be no more two-week long dry spells like in January, where you heard nothing as I sludged, enfeebled and sick

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-64495453474623481352008-05-22T08:27:00.003-04:002008-05-22T08:41:51.779-04:00

Get ready... (a hint)In other news, my friend Justine gave me a heads up as to a new review of Secret Society Girl on the Book Blog, Bookshelves of Doom. My favorite quote?This book almost got me hit by a car. Every writer likes to hear that one! Read the whole thing here!

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-56128517455263292372008-05-20T09:47:00.002-04:002008-05-20T09:59:48.717-04:00

I know I've been a bad blogger, but the last few days have been so busy. For instance:* I volunteered at the Smithsonian's annual Zoofari* I attended Sailor Boy's high school reunion* I watched Sailor Boy get yet another degree (our walls, they have no room for more diplomas... luckily, the Yale ones are both small and undiploma-y)* I designed some very cool promotional items for the release of

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-36077607557572918722008-05-15T10:37:00.002-04:002008-05-15T11:20:56.084-04:00

Cravenly stolen from Marianne Mancusi's blog:I could not stop laughing. This is every conversation I have with other writers every day on every writer list. What to do to promote your book that has nothing to do with writing books.And, like a flake, I keep forgetting to pick the winner for the Narnia drawing of Sarah Beth Durst's book. It's..... BARRATT MILLER. Barratt, email me your address, and

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-42593399646571605952008-05-14T09:47:00.003-04:002008-05-14T10:21:16.627-04:00

A few days back, Candy of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, posted an excellent rant about this post on Pharyngula about the preponderance of mass market vampire romance.Basically, PZ Meyers knows nothing about the topic, but is curious (though he pushes buttons instantly by writing it off as "formula fiction" from the word go). Things really go off the rails, however, in the comment thread, which I

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-46598901331083251682008-05-13T10:55:00.002-04:002008-05-13T11:15:06.821-04:00

So apparently I've been tagged by Allison Winn Scotch. These are the rules of the tag:1. Pick up the nearest book.2. Open to page 123.3. Find the fifth sentence.4. Post the next three sentences.5. Tag five no people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you've posted your three sentences.Like Allison, the closest book to me at the moment is the manuscript for Rampant. No, seriously

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-59880522068543860392008-05-12T04:07:00.002-04:002008-05-12T04:26:16.810-04:00

Finally got the chance to kick back with a few novels. I'd been in a bit of a dry spell, not just behind in my reading, but also failing to find a book that really set me off. I don't know about you, but I tend to read in spurts. If I get my hands on a really good book, it just makes me want to read more. If I read some novels I'm so-so about, I tend to put books aside and check out the Netflix

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-86620449460256362832008-05-08T09:36:00.002-04:002008-05-08T10:36:37.384-04:00

Sailor Boy and I have been re-watching the second season of Veronica Mars. I have long maintained that the first season of VM is my favorite season of any television show. However, I did recently watch season one of Dexter. What do these two shows have in common? (Besides being smart, witty, expertly written and crafted, with compelling characters, luminous dialogue, and amazing pacing?)They both

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-70679396476380916682008-05-07T10:14:00.008-04:002008-11-13T18:49:23.705-05:00

A.K.A. My Books And Where You'll Find Them What It Is: Through the Wardrobe: Your Favorite Authors on C.S. Lewis's the Chronicles of Narnia.Place You're Likely to Find It: Border's Book Stores (Exclusively), either in the YA or children's sections, shelved with the other Narnia books, OR under B for Herbie Brennan (who edited the collection). Alternately, your local Borders may have a special

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-24798098193459305592008-05-06T00:26:00.001-04:002008-05-06T08:53:50.133-04:00

Yesterday, Louisa Edwards asked for a list of YA books I recommend. This is far from exhaustive, but here's a start. It's not arranged in any order, other than the fact that the first few I thought of are all fantasies, since I write YA fantasy. Then I realized there was a lot of really dark, dark, dark books on the list, so I grouped a bunch of light ones together at the bottom for the people

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-52176972244884550672008-05-05T09:30:00.007-04:002008-11-13T18:49:24.821-05:00

The internets are abuzz with conversations about YA:At Publisher's Weekly, a panel of YA authors, booksellers, agents, etc., discuss what makes a YA a YA, and why there is such a stigma about it. National Book Award winner Sherman Alexie says:“I thought I’d been condescended to because I’m an Indian,” he said. “That was nothing compared to the condescension I get because I’ve written a YA novel.”

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-55341607801827097012008-05-01T09:25:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:25.448-05:00

Hey, y'all. Something came up that is keeping me from blogging as planned this week, but to entertain you. go check out this fabulous interview with my critique partner, debut author Marley Gibson! Her first two books (writing as Kate Harmon) in the Sorority 101 series will be released this week!And, on Friday, Marley will be doing a radio interview on Blogtalk Radio. Stay tuned for more info!

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-61463691734189605502008-04-29T06:59:00.005-04:002008-11-13T18:49:25.837-05:00

Today, we're talking to Andre Norton Award finalist, Sarah Beth Durst. Her debut novel, INTO THE WILD, is an adventure that takes you into the heart of the fairy tale world. Years ago, the fairy-tale characters escaped from a magical entity called The Wild. But when The Wild begins to take over again, it's up to Rapunzel's daughter Julie (and her foster brother, Puss-in-Boots) to save the day. (

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-3283902015186997092008-04-28T07:18:00.003-04:002008-04-28T07:52:39.333-04:00

I know I said this was going to be an all-Narnia week, but I got distracted on Thursday night and then crashed as soon as I got home from the Washington Romance Writers retreat on Sunday, so you find me unprepared this morning. Hold your horses (Talking and otherwise), and I'll get back to you.In passing, it was a great weekend. Heard some good speeches, went to some cool workshops, started on a

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-60163008305817597212008-04-25T08:17:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:26.425-05:00

I currently have an essay out in an anthology calledThrough the Wardrobe: Your Favorite Authors on C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia.(I wish that was a direct link to buy, but since the book is a Borders Store exclusive, you can't get it on Amazon or BN.com. However, I've seen copies in just about every Borders store I've visited recently, so run run run and pick up yours!)It's edited by

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-64165506357037193562008-04-24T08:12:00.001-04:002008-04-24T09:03:34.525-04:00

I'm almost positive that I've previously posted about all the manuscripts I've written in the past, but after searching the blog, I can't find the post, and the topic is making its way around the blogosphere again, so I'll share mine:The Juvenilia: Many, many short stories, both for school projects and on my own. I took my school short story projects very seriously, and my prom date can testify

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-85403448828995711842008-04-22T13:53:00.003-04:002008-11-13T18:49:26.687-05:00

To help track the various threads in my book during revisions, I made a new plot board. It's probably the most complex I've ever made, due to the fact that it focuses on threads I wanted to make sure got their fair share of screentime, as well as plots and subplots.Voila:Ah, a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Until, of course, I start digging in there and rearranging stuff.

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-91519225705406912372008-04-21T09:13:00.002-04:002008-04-21T09:46:13.766-04:00

As I plow through some line edits, I am once again struck by what a very aural writer I can be. I have been known, at times, to put down homophones of the word I mean write. (This can get very confusing to copyeditors, editors, critique partners. I've been in situations where I get back critiques where I'm incredibly confused, though clearly not half as confused as the reader, who has been

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-82728869556484610482008-04-18T00:41:00.003-04:002008-04-18T01:11:19.223-04:00

I've been a lazy blogger this week, but I promise I will get it together and have something very special to read on here next week.The weather here has been gorgeous, which is especially nice for my current occupation, which is (oh joy!) not sitting front of a computer watching my hips spread. I've been spending a lot of time outside, enjoying the bright sunshine and the beautiful spring flowers.

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-84792519740970392602008-04-16T08:24:00.003-04:002008-04-16T08:27:45.612-04:00

NEWSFLASH: First ever (that I've seen) review for Rites of Spring (Break) at Teen Book Review. Quote of note:I loved every second of the time I spent reading this book! Diana Peterfreund has a way with words that will have you spending hours devouring this novel when you only meant to read a chapter or two. I love all of the interesting characters present in this book, although there were some

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-64601050631792624062008-04-15T10:19:00.003-04:002008-04-15T10:27:54.757-04:00

Writer, buddy, and agency sistah Kwana Jackson is hosting her agent, Elaine Spencer, on her blog for a Q&A. Any burning questions for an agent? Ask away!On another agency front, Jessica Faust of Bookends has this sage piece of advice:An example of that is when I said that I see a lot of insurance adjustor mysteries and many of you commented that you’ve never seen one. Because what we sometimes

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-87115997099525087032008-04-14T09:16:00.003-04:002008-04-14T10:00:36.515-04:00

You ever have so many things to blog about you don't know where to start? On the craft front, I want to talk about Lilith Saintcrow's controversial "Write Every Day" blog post on Fangs Fur Fey (which I agree with, btw, because it's not about "writing every day." It's about being a pro). I want to talk about Holly Black's recent post on writerly joy translating into readerly joy, too.I'm also in

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-34861382329752743912008-04-13T10:54:00.002-04:002008-04-13T12:10:05.114-04:00

Sailor Boy does not like me watching movies about novelists. Whenever we do, and I get on one of my tears (you should have seen me when the recent Cheaper by the Dozen was out), he always says, "Hollywood? Being unrealistic? You don't say" and hopes I'll leave it at that. I admit, I'm more lenient when it's obviously a magic realism situation, as in the Will Ferrell/Emma Thompson vehicle Stranger

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-55930067032158530882008-04-11T10:34:00.003-04:002008-11-13T18:49:27.685-05:00

A recent review of Julie Leto's book, Phantom Pleasures (in passing, I viewed the hero's old fashioned, flowery talk as a feature, not a bug), included a comment thread that digressed into the topic of characters' hair.They discussed the preponderance of red hair in romance novel heroines (this has also been a topic in YA), as well as the lack of blond heroes (this is often attributed to the fact

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-1440258429978924972008-04-10T00:30:00.001-04:002008-04-10T09:10:17.826-04:00

I recently received a comment on one of my old (almost three years now, but still very popular) posts. It's the one on Four Act Structure:Sean Ashby said: Four acts, eh? Very interesting, thank you! I'm learning so much more about structure than I ever thought existed. I just read an interview over at Writer Unboxed with Blake Snyder about his book "Save the Cat".He's a screenwriter, but the same

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-51201629128628277722008-04-09T09:20:00.003-04:002008-04-09T09:39:26.910-04:00

HelenKay Dimon recently clued me into the page 99 rule used by book critics. (Though some say it's the page 69 rule. And no one seems to know who, precisely, invented it.) But this is the gist:The rule is this: skip to page 99, read it, and if the writing or scene grabs you, chances are, it's worth beginning. If not, toss it.I think I'm too much of a purist to go around spoiling myself in that

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-14930233667913953212008-04-08T08:35:00.003-04:002008-04-08T09:07:36.923-04:00

I've been tagged by Marianne! Looks fun:You're feeling: Exhilarated and exhausted. I have completed my eighth manuscript, the longest yet!To your left: the couch, the side table and lamp, Sailor Boy's Rock Band guitar, an ARC of Ink Exchange, and, on the wall, the framed copy of my first newspaper cover story.On your mind: taxes, book revisions, and titles for SSG4.Last meal included: margaritas

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-65781474655390951972008-04-06T08:54:00.001-04:002008-04-06T08:57:28.627-04:00

You ever wake up in a bad mood? I did this morning, for reasons I'm not entirely interested in getting into here on the blog, but as I was perusing Scalzi's daily screeds, I ran across something that almost entirely knocked the mood out of me:Our terror stems from the fact we’re soft squishy primates, descended from animals even softer, squishier and smaller than we, and thus to survive as a

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-2720224418601139242008-04-03T08:37:00.002-04:002008-04-03T08:48:08.725-04:00

[Note from Diana: Today, we have a special guest blog from Julie Leto, author of PHANTOM PLEASURES. Keep reading to see who won yesterday's giveaway and for another opportunity to enter!]First, want to thank Diana for the opportunity to hijack her blog for a day. The release of PHANTOM PLEASURES is a really big deal for me because it has been a long time coming. Most writers expect a two or

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-90262698440791864032008-04-02T08:26:00.005-04:002008-11-13T18:49:29.361-05:00

My first foreign edition, from AST Publishers in Russia. Isn't it exciting? Translation of the cover copy care of some good friends currently living in Latvia:“Secret Society Girl”First of Diana Peterfroynd’s stories about the “Ivy League” – light and funny student reading.Diana Peterfroynd graduated from Yale University . She lives in Washington , D.C. This is the author’s first novel.A Yale

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-26456507119130063882008-04-01T08:37:00.002-04:002008-04-01T11:00:09.035-04:00

The Week of Giveaways Has Begun!This weekend, at the conference, I was talking to erotica author Megan Hart about the current popularity of paranormal romance, and we touched upon the subject of picking your paranormal creatures with care, because of the insurmountability of certain conflicts.Vampire: "He's an immortal bloodsucker and I'm a human woman." Most vampire books on the market today

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-50729515200835360202008-03-28T07:20:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:30.008-05:00

Here I am in New York. Made the mistake of walking all around town in wedge heels yesterday, so now my calves are killing me! Good going, Di.So then, I arrive home to my hotel room very late, after a lovely boozy dinner with a college friend, to discover this: I've been Cover Snarked by the Smart Bitches!Remember those romance novel covers I did a few years back? Well, apparently Candy and Sarah

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-62709221272662434732008-03-25T06:32:00.003-04:002008-03-25T06:47:58.677-04:00

Who has been following the story of PHANTOM PLEASURES, by Julie Leto, on the Plotmonkeys blog?Every day this week, Leto is posting a chapter of her new novel, PHANTOM PLEASURES, and holding a contest for Amazon gift certificates for everyone who drops by the site to check it out.I was lucky enough to read this book in ARC form, and it's a fantastic, adrenaline-fueled ride. There's this car chase.

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-16265005997466442112008-03-22T08:09:00.000-04:002008-11-13T18:49:30.625-05:00

The conversation at Fangs, Fur, and Fey this week is all about how we chose the setting for our books. Makes sense. It's a site about urban fantasy, so the urban part should form a rather large component of the final result.My book, RAMPANT, is set in Rome, and, as others have said about their own books, Rome is almost another character in my novel.But in writing this post, I began to realize

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-76398026350746210062008-03-21T10:50:00.002-04:002008-03-21T11:00:55.809-04:00

Trish Ryan!Email me your address, Trish. Also, I kinda realized I flaked on sending out those CDs. Oops. Will be remedied. Never fear.(See, this is my problem: I hate post offices. So sometimes it takes a while for me to get up my nerve and send out all the amil that's been lying around.)Anyway, I am blogging about goals over on 70 Days of Sweat today. Are you still sweating?

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-28080440085798751542008-03-20T11:29:00.005-04:002008-11-13T18:49:33.524-05:00

ARCS! Pretty! (The cover is actually way brighter than this. For some reason, this picture is coming out looking faded, and the ARC cover is a bit more pale then the real one will be, at any rate.)You know what this means, folks! Giveaway!But first, the long-overdue description of this book:RITES OF SPRING (BREAK) An Ivy League NovelFrom “witty and endearing” to “impossible to put down,” the

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-18384721703018524322008-03-19T09:08:00.001-04:002008-03-19T09:10:35.530-04:00

Carrie found this and sent it to me. I have no idea what gives with the marmoset fascination, but I am not at all surprised by my results. What Kind of Unicorn are YOU? (no, really..its cool- with graphics!) You're a bad, bad unicorn! Take this quiz!Quizilla |Join| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-35489288946184451992008-03-17T07:09:00.002-04:002008-03-17T08:02:41.205-04:00

In case you missed it, the incomparable Kathy Carmichael did a wonderful guest blog on writing great endings at Plotmonkeys this weekend. I love Kathy's advice so much: she's the woman who taught me to write (and adore) synopses. Don't miss it!One of the things I love so much about Kathy's essays and workshops is that they are arranged in the same way as my thought patterns. Everything she says

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-83034447638392406082008-03-15T10:26:00.003-04:002008-11-13T18:49:34.936-05:00

Tomba del Leone, Necropolis Etruscana, Cerveteri, Lazio, Italy.

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-33435581583524313182008-03-14T09:56:00.002-04:002008-03-14T10:29:43.266-04:00

So last night, Microsoft Word decided to screw with me. It wouldn't let me save, close, or recover my file.My book file. The book that's due next week.This has never happened to me before. Not in seven books, not in countless partials, critiqued chapters, synopses, edit letters, cut files, brainstorming notes, newspaper articles, school papers, or two senior theses (the second one filled with

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-87755562479051836302008-03-13T08:59:00.005-04:002008-11-13T18:49:36.057-05:00

As I mentioned the other day, I've misplaced the USB cable that connects my camera to my computer, so I have a lot of lovely pictures of unicorn paraphernalia trapped on my digital.For instance, the picture of my lovely Avenging Unicorn Playset, which my same friend who made me the Astrid!Unicorn Hunter action figure gave me as well.However, I have photographed parts of it before on the blog, so:

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-34890932736782219552008-03-11T10:40:00.002-04:002008-03-11T10:42:21.404-04:00

Is at 70 Days of Sweat. Are you still sweating?Also, check out Carrie's New Cover! Nice, huh?(Sorry about the lack of unicorns. I have misplaced my camera cord. More to come, I promise!)

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-55089365383739827782008-03-07T09:38:00.002-05:002008-03-07T09:39:07.533-05:00

Today's Post is as Romancing the Blog. See you there!

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-48041575171006909112008-03-06T09:44:00.003-05:002008-11-13T18:49:36.378-05:00

This one is from my critique partner, Marley. I keep it on my desk as I write, like a unicorn mascot. I've named her after one of the unicorns in the book. (she looks a bit like her, too).Marley once said to me, "When you initially told me about virgin decendants of Alexander the Great who hunted unicorns, I thought you'd finally gone off your rocker..." so to me, the gift of the stuff unicorn is

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-15498656580555996582008-03-05T07:49:00.005-05:002008-11-13T18:49:36.911-05:00

Yes. I even have unicorn WINE.This one was a gift from my father, who found it in a wine store and couldn't resist (starting to see a pattern?). I checked out the winery and they don't use this particular label on their newer bottles. That makes this Limited Edition Unicorn Wine.A close-up on the label:

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-68935233048639827652008-03-04T09:01:00.004-05:002008-11-13T18:49:37.138-05:00

Back when the book was merely a twinkle in my eye (it may have been early 2006), I told my idea to a friend. She made me an action figure of my main character (and something else, coming soon), for my birthday. I named a character in the story after her.The small print says: Comes with cell phone, inappropriate clothing, and magically changing hairstyles. Weapons kit sold separately.When I first

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-91107831178161362632008-03-03T08:43:00.002-05:002008-11-13T18:49:37.417-05:00

A gift from friends of mine the day I sold my book. They said they found it in an old-fashioned candy store and thought of me.

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-77008773462779917332008-03-01T08:51:00.003-05:002008-11-13T18:49:37.925-05:00

70 Days of Sweat starts today. You only think you're ready.I will also be participating in the sweating this round, though mine may not be lasting the full on 70 days. This is the goal:We’re looking for a total word count between 60-100k. This means between now and May 16, (77 days total, 7 ‘free’ days worked into the calendar), you will write 850-1500 words a day.Are you up for it? For me, I'll

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-82161862719121560832008-02-29T08:56:00.002-05:002008-02-29T09:17:08.006-05:00

Now that all the other work is off my desk, I am gearing up for an all-unicorn, all-the-time extravaganza here at my desk. Around the same time, Jaye Wells had a little chat about all of my unicorn paraphernalia. You see, ever since I sold the unicorn book (indeed, even before that, when my friends knew I was writing it), they would send me unicorn stuff. I have quite the collection by now.Maybe

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-83473011948957266402008-02-28T08:17:00.004-05:002008-11-13T18:49:38.738-05:00

It's very very sunny, and very very cold right right now. I feel this is unfair. For me, sunshine signifies warmth, and when I wake up in the morning and see blue, sunny skies, I believe in my heart that it's because spring is finally here and that Florida girls like me can stop hiding hibernating in my apartment. But it's not true. It's still 22 degrees.Curses.In other news, I've given it a lot

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-56394536845863856812008-02-27T09:09:00.002-05:002008-02-27T09:27:06.534-05:00

Did that get your attention?I love that yesterday's comment thread turned into a discussion of the use of backgammon in literature. Who knew we had so many aficionados amongst blog readers?(Confession: I've never actually played backgammon myself. I have, however, had a head wound.)The other thing I did yesterday was turn in preview material for the title-less SSG4. There are currently 64

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-18096224582413478262008-02-26T09:14:00.003-05:002008-02-26T09:56:17.964-05:00

Remember last week?1. 1pp for ROSB2. Outline for SSG4 (title TK) (TODAY)3. Finish unicorn book4. Finish judging RITAs5. Finish judging Golden Heart entries6. Read and return CP's work (simply devouring it!)Still super busy!Elsewhere:Justine and Scalzi make the point I've argued often: blogging for the purpose of marketing is a zero sum game. Of course, the folks at Harper Children's and Simon &

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-66611191953675401542008-02-25T00:45:00.004-05:002008-11-13T18:49:39.284-05:00

My pal Colleen Gleason is canvassing for titles for the fifth Gardella Vampire Chronicles book (And if you haven't been reading these, why the hell not? Go forth now and devour!These books have always had the most amazing titles. Check it out:The Rest Falls AwayRises the NightThe Bleeding DuskWhen Twilight Burns (out August '08!)So far, my favorite of the suggestions has been The Ardent Dawn,

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-73415728532799086052008-02-21T08:35:00.003-05:002008-02-21T08:57:17.736-05:00

Some interesting reads out there in blog-land:The prolific and always candid Lauren Baratz-Logsted discusses writing in multiple genres, and the various mythologies about that.Scott William Carter, a debut author whose website I just discovered yesterday, talks about the dangers of being too candid at your place of work.The talented and admirable Betina Krahn guest blogs on the Writing Playground

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-8360192630256097762008-02-20T09:49:00.003-05:002008-02-20T09:53:12.769-05:00

When I was in high school, this famous Dickens scholar came to speak to our school and he said that Dickens had three rules for writing that he had learned from his childhood nanny and her penchant for telling him horror stories. Now, for the life of me I can't remember the other two, but I do remember his obsession with character names. Now, sometimes Dickens gets a tad outlandish with his names

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-43035638619066476192008-02-19T00:04:00.003-05:002008-02-19T00:09:56.338-05:00

1. 1pp for ROSB2. Outline for SSG4 (title TK)3. Finish unicorn book4. Finish judging RITAs5. Finish judging Golden Heart entries6. Read and return CP's work (simply devouring it!)Busy month...

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-30307969104221145692008-02-18T10:17:00.004-05:002008-11-13T18:49:40.352-05:00

Oh, that he were mine!We think his name shall be Harry. He's got the sweetest disposition. Not excitable at all. He just kind of chills out, even though int eh two days since leaving his mommy, he's been in three new places visiting all these new people, none of which has been home. I'm thinking when he finally DOES get home, he won't believe they are staying there at first.

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-55229443175498066712008-02-15T10:48:00.003-05:002008-02-15T11:05:32.368-05:00

Though it has long been a axiom amongst YA authors that zombies (like Alan Rickman) make everything better, Maureen Johnson has been putting that to the test in her guest stint on InsideADog. To wit:Here’s the challenge: take one paragraph of a book that you feel can be improved by zombies . . . and PUT THAT ZOMBIE IN THERE. (Need an example? See the previous entry!) Roolz: Keep it to one

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-44252104653820456652008-02-14T08:08:00.002-05:002008-02-14T08:25:03.634-05:00

Today marks the release of The Spiderwick Chronicles Movie!To see heaps of interviews with the writers, Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, click here.Congratulations, Holly!

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-77240781940906988382008-02-13T09:35:00.003-05:002008-02-13T09:52:57.138-05:00

I've seen a lot of folks coming to my blog looking for plotting board advice in the last few days, and I've also seen a lot of blogs directing people here, or otherwise commenting on the method.Some are snarky, "Make sure you put on your sunglasses!" (I think referring to the fact that post it notes tend to come in neon colors?), some are skeptical, and some are supportive.The methodology of

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-60791674009872041102008-02-12T08:29:00.000-05:002008-02-12T09:10:18.077-05:00

Maureen McGowan saved me from having to come up with a blog topic today, but she's also making me break my own rule about not doing this tag thing. So of course, I'm changing it to fit my meme rules, which is that I don't foist this on anyone else. Do it if you will.Rules:1. Link back to the person who tagged you.2. Post the rules on your blog.3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.4. Tag

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-23743010262893179942008-02-11T09:13:00.001-05:002008-02-11T09:17:03.776-05:00

Calling all Writers:Seventy Days of Sweat returns this week. The sponsors, Yours Truly, HelenKay Dimon, Jaci Burton, Larissa Ione, Lauren Dane, Portia Da Costa, and Shiloh Walker invite you to join in. Basically, 70 Days of Sweat is designed to challenge (naturally), support, and encourage those of us crazy enough to write a book in 70 days. At the end, we’re looking for a word count between 60-

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-59460049112276391972008-02-09T08:04:00.000-05:002008-02-09T08:10:05.875-05:00

A girl gets married, and completely misses a review of her book, despite the fact that her editor did, in fact, send it to her that weekend. Then, later, when she's looking at the proofs, in which her editor has considerately included a quote from said review, she if muchly confused.But, hey, cool!Diana Peterfreund continues the enjoyable, breezy charm she delivered in Secret Society Girl. Under

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-21342814070901875932008-02-08T00:28:00.001-05:002008-02-08T00:43:40.922-05:00

Thing the First: Justine Larbalestier talks about the ethics of blurbing, asking for blurbs, and being blurbed. Good stuff here. As someone who is still shaky on the puzzling protocols of the blurb praxis, I found it helpful.Thing the Second: Ooh la la, Nalini Singh! Mine to Possess is #32 on the NYT Bestseller List! Congratulations! I've loved Nalini's writing ever since her first book, a

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-61370529927365795472008-02-07T07:12:00.001-05:002008-02-07T08:08:48.483-05:00

Oh, Maureen Johnson, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...So when everyone was debating about “Chick Lit,” I was probably off eating a sandwich somewhere and missed the whole thing. Which was fine by me. Except that I kept getting these interview questions over and over again, people asking me about my favorite “fellow Chick Lit writers” or how I felt about something “as a Chick Lit writer

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-51901799192904569132008-02-06T07:43:00.000-05:002008-02-06T08:13:52.768-05:00

Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. Plus a flight to Washington this afternoon. Busy day ahead of me.Check out: Manuscript Mavens Choose Your Own AdventureA Whole Mess of Goodness on FFFHeather Giving Up Blogging For Lent (I may have to pretend to be Catholic)Kwana Jackson's musings on plotting in advance: My opinion is that plotting in advance doesn't necessarily let you know exactly where your

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-34556725427880276942008-02-05T06:50:00.000-05:002008-02-05T10:47:17.964-05:00

Folks all over are talking about the value (resulting smackdown to be found here, here, here, here, and, even at GalleyCat, who calls for the dude to be replaced), classification, and fun of writing a YA novel (or not). (Updated to add: Susan Adrian was also posting about it here.)This weekend at my writing retreat, I was asked "Why YA?" a good dozen times, by writers who would never consider,

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-45334039247542394432008-01-30T01:54:00.000-05:002008-01-30T03:23:01.760-05:00

There have been several interesting posts on the topic of writing advice in the past few weeks on my blog roll.1 I like Justine's (first link), and it's a good thing to keep in mind.She says:I occasionally get letters from beginning writers and newly published authors who are confused by some of my writing advice and observations about the publishing industry. Confused, because they have read

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-71826095523304149122008-01-29T08:17:00.000-05:002008-01-29T08:59:11.195-05:00

How Many Five Year Olds Can You Take In a Fight?Why does this exist? I don't know, and I don't care.24Sailor Boy, apparently, can be responsible for 34. Together, we could take out a kindergarten.

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-23187199896066028002008-01-27T08:30:00.000-05:002008-11-13T18:49:41.876-05:00

BeforeAfterWriting-wise, there's an interesting discussion going on at Robin Brande's blog, prompted by a post on Patrick's. Grrrrr.... Patrick, why can't I post on your blog?

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-18904347252646084922008-01-26T08:36:00.000-05:002008-01-26T08:41:23.811-05:00

I'm off to the first WRW meeting of the new year today. Emilie Richards is talking about how to save your novel from sinking, which sounds like a fabulous topic. I can't wait!Meanwhile, to entertain you, listen to this fascinating podcast by prolific and talented author Lauren Baratz-Logsted, whose latest book, Secrets of My Suburban Life, is out now. I loved her last YA, Angel's Choice, and I'm

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-92015050193722222362008-01-24T08:20:00.000-05:002008-11-13T18:49:42.139-05:00

A few facts you may not know about me:1. I love the show How I Met Your Mother and am probably missing it more than anything else on TV right now.2. Primarily because of Barney, the character played by Neil Patrick Harris.3. In fact, I started watching HIMYM again because I was watching my much beloved DVD of Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle and was reminded, again, of how hard NPH rocked his

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-65133332120077710682008-01-23T08:56:00.000-05:002008-01-23T09:28:28.136-05:00

That would like me to "partner" with them in their blogging endeavors, who have invited me to become a "contributor" to their blog, who would like me to "collaborate with them" to sell their product, and who wish for me to take "unique advantage" of their "very special offer" to get in on "the hottest new trend-setting" scheme, all because they so love my blog, attention:No. And you know what? I

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-34308733995750460202008-01-22T06:59:00.000-05:002008-11-13T18:49:42.620-05:00

One of my favorite pictures from our trip. There we are, strolling down Rome's most fashionable shopping strip, and we come across the following window display:The Belstaff website also has the movie poster up, which I guess means they are the official outfitters of survivors of the zombie apocalypse.At least we know what to wear.

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-15334480773076302372008-01-21T09:02:00.000-05:002008-01-21T09:14:18.023-05:00

So I got my RITA books in the mail, which of course, I'm not allowed to talk about.In passing, why do we capitalize the word RITA? The award is not an acronym. It's named for Rita Clay Estrada. Why don't we just call it the Rita, like the Norton, or the Hugo, two literary awards named after genre luminaries? Inquiring minds would LOVE to know.I've got one friend with fabulous RITA judge luck. Two

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-51115955720189392992008-01-19T08:09:00.000-05:002008-01-19T08:19:30.533-05:00

I have a nice, healthy obsession with character names. I need to get them right, or they don't work on the page. In the past, I've started writing a character as one name and he's changed his mind mid-sentence, started referring to himself as a different name, and it was a couple of pages before I noticed! (At which point, I proceeded, calling him by the new name, and he turned into a slightly

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-59946836421469085712008-01-18T07:10:00.000-05:002008-01-18T07:47:05.384-05:00

I used to be a journalist. I wrote for several years for an alternative weekly paper in Tampa Florida. Most of my articles were food reviews, which made them opinion pieces. When I wrote those pieces, I went to the restaurant, ate the food, and then formed an opinion upon which to base my article.That style seems to be out of fashion. Exhibit A: A letter that was sent from a journalist at the

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-4159794644928292372008-01-17T06:45:00.000-05:002008-01-17T11:58:19.400-05:00

Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld, Cecil Castelucci, and many others are in a new anthology out today about First Kisses, called, appropriately, First Kiss (Then Tell): A Collection of True Lip-Locked Moments edited by Cylin Busby.In honor of that, Justine is canvassing for first kiss stories on her blog. Head on over and share, if you dare.I actually dare not, given the fact that not only

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-9254434714973775322008-01-16T07:23:00.000-05:002008-01-16T08:07:25.547-05:00

The semi-finalists in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest have been announced and are available for free download at Amazon.There are about 800 entries, which seems like an awful lot. However, I wanted to take this opportunity to point out a particular entry that I think deserves special merit and attention:The Miseducation of April Hillson, by Maureen McGowan.I first read this piece (a

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-88809812507268307642008-01-15T03:36:00.000-05:002008-01-15T09:13:04.846-05:00

Stolen from Scalzi:1. Lay on the floor of a cloud forest and listened as a family of monkeys were hunted by a jaguar.2. Visit a pre-published archaeological dig.3. Get stuck in New York City airspace on the morning of September 11, 2001.4. Be in a performance directed by Anne Reinking.5. Have a picnic on top of a four-thousand year old sculpture of Dionysis.6. Go mist-netting to catch bats and

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-12956193560893792932008-01-14T05:24:00.000-05:002008-01-14T07:02:27.843-05:00

We arrived home late last night, after a series of misadventures culminating in me accidentally trailing Senator Joe Lieberman out the special State Dept. Customs Exit. Oops.I blame all the strange European medicine I'm on. Paracetamol? I feel like I'm in The Golden Compass and wearing coal silk in anbaric lighting.That's right, happy campers, both Sailor Boy and I are sick as the proverbial

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-80187587588059568892008-01-01T10:23:00.000-05:002008-11-13T18:49:46.478-05:00

The Time: New Year's Eve, 2007.The Place: Washington D.C.The Cast of Characters: Diana, Sailor Boy, and Five of their Closest FriendsThe Event: It's a Mad, Mad, Masquerade Ball, presented by Scythian, at the Carnegie Library.Diana took a break from stressing over her impending journey out of the country for a New Year's Eve celebration. Diana and SB are usually quite leery about NYE events, and

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com19