Valentine's Day: America vs. Japan

(Some virtual Valentine's chocolate, from me to you. Happy V-Day! :)

I find it fascinating how the same holiday can be so different in different countries. Take America and Japan:

In America, Valentine's Day is mainly about men doting on women - buying them candy and flowers and jewelry and taking them out for fancy meals. This is all well and good - if you have a significant other. If you don't, the holiday becomes just another day on the calendar, since they have yet to make it a National Holiday (if they did, then we'd have someone to love ;). Children are not to be left out, however - there are also the popular Valentine's Day cards, emblazoned with the latest and greatest in entertainment (movies, music, video games), which are purchased by the box and handed out to every friend and schoolmate a child may come into contact with. Some parents even give their kids candy, creating a second Easter (although instead of being delivered by a rabbit it's a baby in a diaper wielding a bow and arrow).

In Japan, however, Valentine's Day is mainly about girls giving boys chocolates. Some prefer to hand make them, but the Valentine chocolate industry is a booming one. It's a great way to announce to a boy you like that, well, you like him (and find out if he likes you back). Some popular boys rate their standing by how many chocolates they get (or, at least, that's what they do in manga ;). Girls (especially ones without boyfriends) sometimes use the holiday to give "thank-you" chocolates to friends and colleagues and people they are grateful to. Smaller children are sometimes required to give chocolates to their whole class by the school - or their mother.

While in America the holiday has expanded to women also giving men things (romance goes both ways), in Japan it's rare for a boy to give anything to a girl on February 14th (unless they are very young). This is because of White Day, which is held exactly one month from Valentine's Day on March 14th. White Day is when the males who received chocolates reciprocate by giving a small thank-you trinket (sometimes white, but not always). Girls who received "thank-you" chocolate sometimes reciprocate as well. Nothing like instituting a holiday to clear up any confusion about when that thank-you is due. ;)

Two different countries, one holiday, two totally different ways of celebrating it. Fascinating, no?

Super Special Secret Surprise

After much toil and way too many revisions, Project SS12 is in the mail and on it's way to the contest! *throws confetti* It feels so good to finally be done with it. I have been dying to get back to writing Project V, but wasn't allowed to until SS12 was out of the way. Now it's back to the WIPstone for me!

As for this week's Library Haul, I was engaged elsewhere and unable to make the trek to peruse the stacks, therefore limiting my haul to just holds. The only thing to note is I got my hands on Pandemonium by Chris Wooding and Cassandra Diaz - a youth graphic novel that looked pretty good when I spotted it at B&N last month. I will let you know how it turns out.

Well, I think that's about it...hmm? Super Special Secret Surprise, you say? Oh, that. You'd like to know what it is? Really? I mean, sure it's super special, and a secret, and who doesn't like surprises, but you aren't reading this post just to find out what it is, are you?

Of course you are. (I would be.) So without further ado, the Super Special Secret Surprise I've been hinting about for several months... *drum roll*

I have started a local writing group! It's called Wordsmythes (like "wordsmiths," but British ;), and it's "an exclusive writing club for young ladies of a noveling persuasion." We had our first meeting Saturday afternoon, and I think we'll get along rather well. Together we are four young ladies working in similar genres, at similar stages in our writing, who met through the East Valley Nanowrimo group. Well, actually, I met each of them through the group - before our meeting Saturday they didn't know each other from Eve. But we had a good time getting to know each other, and I foresee some fun and productive meetings ahead of us!

Curious about the group? I already made us a blog! (I do stuff like that. ;) Check it out here: Wordsmythes. Although it won't be up and running officially for a few months, we have some great ideas for it and can't wait to start posting. I definitely recommend giving it a Follow. *nods*

Where I Haz Been (& Consolation Music)

If I've seemed a little more absent than usual this week, I apologize, but life has been insane. I normally blog at work, but we're getting new carpet and paint next week and I've been trying to get the files ready for boxing - which has been impossible because I've been so busy with general work! I barely have enough time to respond on Twitter - don't even ask how many unread emails I have. T.T

The major time-consumer this week has been putting the final touches on Project SS12 for the contest (which has to be mailed Monday or else). This included a complete re-write Tuesday/Thursday and shopping it out last-minute to several writer friends for comments (thank you to everyone who read it for me!). It's almost finished - I polish up the final draft tomorrow. I'm just thankful it's only 2,400 words - last year I was two pages over the limit and had to take a cleaver to over 100 words. It wasn't pretty. *shudder*

I've also been preparing for a special something that finally goes down today (my Super Special Surprise ;). I'll post about soon, but if you want a hint, click here!

I have lots still to do today, so I close this post with a consolation for my absence - this is the latest song from one of my favorite artists, Imogen Heap, called Xizi She Knows. Imogen is very hands-on with her music, and for her upcoming album she's been traveling the world and writing a song about her experiences in each place. This time it was China, and even though I wasn't initially impressed with this song it totally grew on me and now I'm addicted to it (I have it on Repeat right now). I especially like the dancing girl in the paper factory at the end - she looks so graceful and magical in such a mechanic setting. Take a look, and a listen, and I'll be back soon!

Library Haul: Hold Me Closer, Postmaster

It's time for a look at my Library Haul, the tower of goodies I picked up during my weekly trip to the libraries (TL, ML, and CL). Sideways are borrowed, upright are purchased used from library Friends.

Here is this week's haul:

Highlights:

• Finally got my hands on the Going Postal movie! Not much for the Discworld books, but I adore the movies. And this one was very timely too, given the state of our own postal system. I'll talk more about it in an upcoming post - on the post! XD
• Felt the need to re-watch Ella Enchanted. Wasn't quite as good as I remembered, but Ann Hathaway rarely fails to entertain.
• I thought Salt was rated for dreadful things, but when it turned out it wasn't I gave it a try, even though I'm not a Jolie fan. It wasn't bad, although whoever didn't rate it for "language" should be fired.
• Picked up Parasol Protectorate Books 2-4 (I already own 1) for a re-read before Book 5 comes out next month. (I'm going to buy them at Comic-Con so I don't have to lug them there on the plane.) I'm excited to see how Gail ends the series, especially since I know there will be both pre- and post- spin-off series to come soon. If you haven't read Gail Carriger's books yet, DO. She is an amazing writer and a genius storyteller.
• ML is finally collecting Bakuman., so I can continue reading the awesome series!
• Discovered a new manga series: Saturn Apartments. It's very plain but very interesting. Will have to do a review on it when I finish the first two volumes I was able to snag.
• A friend informed me that I should give The Scorpio Races a try, even though I thought the werewolf series by the same author was dreadful. We shall see...
• Also picked up Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. Have been ready to give it a try if I ever came across it - I finally did, so home it came.
• Giving Stephen King's On Writing yet another try. Only the writing part though.

So what good reads (or watches) did you pick up on your last trip to the local library?

Authors, Authors, Everywhere!

Instead of my usual library rounds this weekend (no Library Haul this week, btw), I attended a YA Writing Conference in Phoenix. It was piggybacked onto the annual YAllapalooza, in which 300+ teens converge on a group of unsuspecting YA authors to bombard them with questions and eat pizza. I didn't stay for the craziness afterward, but the Conference was a lot of fun and I'm really glad I went. I was also happy to get to hang out with J of Concrete Pieces of Soul for the day! We even wrangled it so we attended classes together. ;)

They had an awesome author lineup: Kiersten White, Aprilynne Pike, Anna Carey, Bree Despain, James Owen, Adam Rex, Tom Leveen, Janette Rallison (C.J. Hill), Robin Brande, Cecil Castellucci, and Amy Fellner Dominy (who I just realized I never even saw...bummer).

There were four classes to attend, although time restraints dictated you could only pick three. :( So I chose Heroes & Villains (Kiersten, Aprilynne, and Anna), Unforgettable Characters (Bree, James, and Adam), and Edgy Fiction (Tom and Cecil). And then they had a YA vs. MG panel during lunch with five of the authors (which I personally thought was extremely cruel, making the authors eat in front of everyone and talk without a break - but that's just me). Kiersten was not one of them (smart woman), so J & I got to "have lunch" with her! She's super-nice and it was awesome.

Five of the authors doing the panel during lunch. Poor things!

The classes were interesting and I picked up quite a few tips. Highlights included Kiersten's piece on villains (she loves villains), Anna's spin on The Hero's Journey, and Adam's Steamship Goggle Fish (see below). And then there was Tom and Cecil's class. Their sheer enthusiasm and energy had us all excited, and even though they made us do exercises (which totally freak me out), their class was a ton of fun and by far the best.

Kiersten and me. I wanted proof that I was taller than her, but then I went and slouched! ARGH!

The greatest part was seeing so many amazing authors in person at one time. As a writer, such a gathering is like catnip for me, and seeing them "in action" makes me want to work all the harder to become part of that "crowd." I kept thinking: "One day, I could be here! That giant poster could be of my book! Teens would flock to eat pizza with me! I would be the one sitting behind that signing table, handing out bookmarks and thanking readers and sweating like a pig from nerves!" Having something to strive for makes the struggle worth it, and every now and again I need reminding.

Adam Rex's Steamship Goggle Fish. Isn't it AWESOME? O.O

P.S. Adam Rex is my new favorite author to see in person! He's funny and talented and he sketched me this awesome Steamship Goggle Fish, which I now have framed on my wall. He created it on the class whiteboard in a moment of distraction when James was talking about the things a steampunk book is required to have. Author-Illustrators are awesome.

Top 10 Clues You May Be A Writer

Found this and thought I'd share it with you today (i.e. it's too long to Tweet ;). Here are the Top 10 Clues You May Be a Writer, and my comments to prove "My name is Skye, and I am a writer." ;) Enjoy!

Top 10 Clues You May Be a Writer

1. You would rather talk to the voices in your head than the person sitting next to you. Unless that person is a writer - and then you can't stop talking to them!
2. You know the library's phone number, but not your work number. In my defense we just changed my work number. Well, in July. The library's remains unchanged, despite their remodel.
3. Some of the letters on your keyboard are completely worn off. This is also the mark of a secretary. Therefore, since I am both, my keys are letter-less.
4. You have a favorite pen that no one else can touch. Well, a type of pen. But if anyone uses any of them (because, say, I accidentally left them about the house - but it's not my fault!), I get very upset (especially since they leave the cap off - they dry out people!).
5. Books are your favorite scent. Any other scent usually gives me a headache.
6. If you could meet anyone in the world, it would be your favorite author. DUH. Presidents and celebrities come and go - authors are forever.
7. You eat macaroni and cheese for a week because you spent all of your money at the bookstore. But I like mac & cheese...
8. Your/you're errors drive you crazy. O.O Crazy like an insane person!
9. You named your laptop. Blue, for that horrible blue logo wallpaper I CAN'T CHANGE.
10. You would rather write than go out. Going out takes too much energy, and can prove distracting. Unless it's to see a favored author, of course. ;)

So are you a writer? ;)

Post-Published Aspirations

What are looking forward to when you finally publish? What do you want to do when your story is en route to a bookstore shelf? If you hope to make a career of writing, I'm sure you've thought about it at least once.

We fantasize about the finer things that come with signing that book deal - launch parties, tours, the long line of fans waiting hours just to get our autograph. But while these are pretty much pipe dreams for a debut author, there are still plenty of awesome things we can aspire to.

Here are the top 5 things I plan to do, and look forward to, when I get published:

1. Sneak-signing my book at a store. Stephanie Perkins tweeted that she did this at a Target once, and I knew right then that I had to do it myself someday. What an awesome surprise for a random reader!
2. Meeting other published authors as colleagues. Right now I meet authors on a reader-to-author or aspiring-writer-to-author basis. I can't wait for the day that I meet some of the authors that inspire me on an author-to-author basis and be able to say, "Yes! I am published too! Meet Tuesday for coffee and discuss how to fend off hordes of screaming fans? I'm free!"
3. Being a Guest at a convention. I've been an attendee to many conventions, even a volunteer, but the thought of being invited, possibly even paid to attend a beloved convention would make my decade.
4. Being part of a multiple-author tour. While I'll admit they look a bit exhausting, how awesome would it be? Passing a mike up and down a long table with fellow genre authors answering odd questions with hilarious anecdotes and riling the crowd into a screaming frenzy. Good times, good times...
5. Receiving fan mail. I'm not stupid - I will receive dislike and hate mail as well. But those few instances when a reader takes the time to write and tell me how much they loved reading my work will make everything worthwhile. 

So what's on your post-published checklist?