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<title>Kirstin Cronn-Mills</title><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/index.html</link><description>Homepage blog</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2007 Kirstin Cronn-Mills</dc:rights><dc:date>2009-08-04T10:32:52-05:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:28:03 -0500</lastBuildDate><item><title>Blogspot me&#x2c; baby&#x21;</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-08-04T10:32:52-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0e601e4afd770490823080bbb8e36c83-52.html#unique-entry-id-52</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0e601e4afd770490823080bbb8e36c83-52.html#unique-entry-id-52</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This blog will no longer be updated, friends--feel free to read the old stuff, but the new stuff is elsewhere.    Instead, check me out at my new blog home here.


(aka kirstincronn-mills.blogspot.com)


More words of wordiness from me!  

...Thanks . . . see you on Blogger.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quick review:  HALF-BLOOD PRINCE</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-31T12:07:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0208875a9acfa1ec899e8c5cdbf63b9a-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0208875a9acfa1ec899e8c5cdbf63b9a-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[To be simple, I&rsquo;m going to make lists, keeping in mind that BOOKS AND MOVIES ARE NOT THE SAME GENRE, SO THEY CAN&rsquo;T BE THE SAME.  

...6) the fact that there was NO natural lighting in the entire film except after Dumbledore died (when HRH are on the Astronomy tower, talking about what comes next).  

...The film Dumbledore has disagreed with me since Movie #3, so it doesn&rsquo;t surprise me I didn&rsquo;t like this scene, because I don&rsquo;t like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, and I think his characterization is about 50% wrong.    Even so, we want to understand that Dumbledore wants to be released from his agony of the ring curse and the agony of the potion, and it didn&rsquo;t happen here.  ...  I also wasn&rsquo;t sure about the &ldquo;let&rsquo;s raise our wands together&rdquo; thing, because it almost sent me into hysterics the first time I saw it (because I was tired, and because I was thinking about lighters and &ldquo;Freebird&rdquo;), but I *did* like how the light destroyed the Dark Mark.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Characters in real life</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-28T21:39:27-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/4b4ae79388489fae2c957c294328bad2-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/4b4ae79388489fae2c957c294328bad2-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This guy&rsquo;s name is Jeff Lebowski, and he&rsquo;s also known as The Dude.    This guy is in a movie called THE BIG LEBOWSKI, and if you haven&rsquo;t seen it, I recommend it.  

...Hopefully someday a character for one of my books will come strolling up to me in an airport, or a mall, or in my classroom (well, that&rsquo;s already kind of happened).  

...AND (this is the really cool thing) he&rsquo;s got a YA daughter, and after he asked me what I do (&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a writer, Dude&rdquo;), he asked me to send her a copy of SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME.  

...She&rsquo;s probably so sick of The Dude (not her dad, The Dude, unless her dad can&rsquo;t get out of character) she can barely stand it.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Book trailer&#x21;&#x21;</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-22T12:46:37-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/8f1e20280bbb618bd12339934215c14b-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/8f1e20280bbb618bd12339934215c14b-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Please go watch the book trailer  for THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME.     It&rsquo;s incredible--thank you ten tons, Madison Meyer, and thank you Dad and Kjell for your photos and your songs.  


How bad is it that it&rsquo;s appeared on other people&rsquo;s blogs but not my own???   ...  I have been deep in revisions for book #2, so lots of things have gotten pushed to the side.


...Digital promotion tools, here I come.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>RIP Michael Jackson--no&#x2c; seriously</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-07-06T22:02:52-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0ef4287024855643cdc87eda2abe63fd-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0ef4287024855643cdc87eda2abe63fd-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have purposely been avoiding the hype that has been Michael Jackson&rsquo;s death, but every time I see a musical clip of him (not so much anything else, just musical clips), I am seriously whelmed over with sadness (that&rsquo;s what my family says instead of &ldquo;overwhelmed&rdquo;).  ...  Not that I participated in MJ Mania when I was in middle school (when he was ginormous), but his contributions to the world of music can&rsquo;t be underestimated.  ...  Elvis, the Beatles, MJ--all changed the music world, and that&rsquo;s fine with me.


...LOVE the visuals, and the old MJ is there, even if his old face isn&rsquo;t.   ...  Boy agrees the Moonwalk is pretty amazing, and all he knows of MJ is the child molester stuff.   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>TRANSFORMERS and audience analysis</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-26T12:24:10-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/fd24f4d86dfe3dc7779f5b081cd7d94d-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/fd24f4d86dfe3dc7779f5b081cd7d94d-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have never been such an un-target audience member in my life.  

...But the jokes weren&rsquo;t engineered for me, the music wasn&rsquo;t picked for me, nothing was for me.    But that&rsquo;s perfectly OK--it *shouldn&rsquo;t* be for me.  

...I have to say, though, I wouldn&rsquo;t mind having a guardian car with a humorous personality:


The only way that movie could have been more male-oriented is if it had smells.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>This is Christine</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-25T09:23:01-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/7a03ce9a3350cccdb0d0287cbc36b95e-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/7a03ce9a3350cccdb0d0287cbc36b95e-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I know you don&rsquo;t know her, and I don&rsquo;t know her well, but this is Christine, everybody.


She is a very kind, cool woman, and she&rsquo;s the first person who asked to interview me as an author.  ...  It&rsquo;s a new title to add to the list: mom, writer, spouse, teacher, sister, aunt, cousin, on and on.  ...  She wanted a photo for the story and she likes the ones I have on here, which are the point-the-camera-at-yourself-and-hope-for-the-best kind.   

...The reality of sending a book out into the world is this:  life is busy, and the list of things to do is long.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quick review: NYT bestelling author</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2009-06-21T11:52:34-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/6267eee265154ced737f0d39d82c6c9b-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/6267eee265154ced737f0d39d82c6c9b-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So I am spending time with a famous teen author, one who&rsquo;s been on the NYT bestseller list.  ...  Granted, my style (except here, it seems) is slightly minimal, so it doesn&rsquo;t take much to be wordier and busier than me.  

...I don&rsquo;t believe she&rsquo;s won any awards, so that doesn&rsquo;t do it (I can&rsquo;t imagine there&rsquo;s a huge correlation between awards and bestseller-dom at all).  

...At my heart, I&rsquo;m a lit major, and as a very wise editor said, sometimes lit majors are not good writers---they&rsquo;re trying too hard to imitate the Great Books, and failing quite admirably.


She seems like a very cool, sane, down-to-earth person, and her writing mentor is the author of one of my favorite short stories.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Literary fathers for Fathers&#x27; Day&#x2c; via NPR</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-19T11:30:38-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/3f573d8688c458ceac4745ee2a35de2e-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/3f573d8688c458ceac4745ee2a35de2e-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So yesterday we&rsquo;re driving along to soccer practice, and this woman on NPR starts telling us about the 3 literary father characters she&rsquo;s picked to highlight for readers, since we&rsquo;re so close to Fathers&rsquo; Day (is it Father&rsquo;s Day?  

...Atticus Finch--he&rsquo;s the good father, from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (my friend Kristin&rsquo;s favorite book in the universe).  

...Jack Torrance--he&rsquo;s the bad dad from THE SHINING, or the Good Dad Gone Awry, so to speak, made worse by Jack Nicholson&rsquo;s indelible film images.  

...I didn&rsquo;t get to hear her reasoning (damn soccer practice), but my thought is this:  Vladek loves Artie, his son, so he does his best to relate his horrific survival tale within the Holocaust so Artie may document it in an incredible way (Artie/Vladek are real people, and this is a true story) and eventually win a Pulitzer Prize for it.    As he is doing this difficult and loving task, Vladek is also miserly, rude, racist, and a general pain in the ass.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quick review:  UP</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-10T16:31:50-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0dbe9ab529be450d93ffc8a482dd4a7d-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0dbe9ab529be450d93ffc8a482dd4a7d-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I will expose my nerd self once again and tell you I liked the TV show LOU GRANT--I was way too young to really get it, but I thought Ed Asner was great.  ...  The film also does America a great service in the way it explores how it&rsquo;s possible to love someone for a loooooooooooooong time, through lots of changes--Carl and Ellie&rsquo;s relationship is lovely and warm, even in the face of sadness and loss (Carl and Ellie are even opposites, just like the rest of us married people who think we&rsquo;ve found someone like us, and then that person turns out to be from another planet, a nice planet to be sure, but another planet, and what the hell were we thinking?).    Not to risk sounding like a conservative, but America could do with some more examples of couples who stick it out through the craziness (straight AND every other kind of couple, mind you).  

...I am terrible in the fact that I pick apart storylines now (&ldquo;ooh, you need more exposition there,&rdquo; and &ldquo;well, that&rsquo;s a giant hole&rdquo;), but this film has little to pick apart.  ...  I did NOT, however, buy into the fact that said guy and captive Boy Scout-ish friend (who the dogs of the film call &ldquo;the little mailman&rdquo;) could then tow said house around like a parade balloon.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Catching up &#x26; Platform 9 3/4</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-06-04T14:14:28-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/14290fe9c28d7c6359531f8535eb1c61-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/14290fe9c28d7c6359531f8535eb1c61-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Can I blame it on the fact that I went to Ireland and Wales/England with 37 students and 8 other grown-ups, plus a tour guide?


...It&rsquo;s pretty intense, and I&rsquo;m ready to punch Harry by the time it&rsquo;s all over, but it&rsquo;s also a ton of fun.    So, you can&rsquo;t not go to Platform 9 3/4 when you&rsquo;re in London, right?    And it will look just like you imagine it---or how you see it in the films, right?


...A friend of mine has a picture of some nice red sign somewhere at King&rsquo;s Cross that says &ldquo;Platform 9 3/4&rdquo; but we couldn&rsquo;t find it anywhere.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Retelling stories: the new STAR TREK</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-05-12T08:45:48-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/bdf12ebc63ae61b8bd0ba471dc1c047f-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/bdf12ebc63ae61b8bd0ba471dc1c047f-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m thinking about story because It&rsquo;s That Time Of Year (end of the semester), and literature students are reacting to/evaluating stories they&rsquo;ve heard this semester in books & films.  ...  Abrams has, in my opinion, done something nice for the franchise (and what is a franchise but a story told over and over again?) 

...But I kept thinking about the line that&rsquo;s now drawn from this particular James T.   Kirk (Chris Pine), daredevil and raconteur extraordinaire, to William Shatner, even though he&rsquo;s no longer known much as James T. 

...My story, Kirk&rsquo;s story---all blended together now, and differently than it was blended before.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>No &#x22;on&#x22; switch for books&#x2c; thank you</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-22T22:00:53-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/7e41583f145459cbc91e943e0c8f3525-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/7e41583f145459cbc91e943e0c8f3525-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Call me hopelessly 20th century, but I do not want my books to:


...Maybe I&rsquo;ll feel differently when I read one of my faves on his Kindle, but it will be a while before I try.  

...I stand in the camp of people who don&rsquo;t buy Kindles because they like the sensuous pleasure of books.    The weight, the smell, the act of turning pages---all of that is what I need.  ...  And  I like that I can&rsquo;t break a book unless I&rsquo;m REALLY trying, or I set it on fire.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Target markets</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-04-04T13:19:37-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/d0d554b15f2dd53f638ff790d84f58ce-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/d0d554b15f2dd53f638ff790d84f58ce-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s a small stop on the publicity road, but I&rsquo;ve been included in an article about lesbian/bi characters in YA novels.  ...  It&rsquo;s even cooler because it&rsquo;s in one of my target markets: the LBGT crowd.    AND, my book is mentioned in the same paragraph with Julie Anne Peters, one of the stars of LBGT YA lit.  

...I keep forgetting that it could be a Big Deal that my book has LBGT themes in it (themes?  ...  I don&rsquo;t think Tessa&rsquo;s character (Morgan&rsquo;s lesbian friend) will be as shocking as the fact that Morgan is heteroflexible---someone who might consider a same-sex relationship if the time/person was right.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quick review:  THE DUST OF 100 DOGS</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-25T19:24:23-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/ea6f146c6208d400df60c96b22178f6d-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/ea6f146c6208d400df60c96b22178f6d-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[History, not as much--but by the time I was done with this book, I wanted to know tons more about Cromwell&rsquo;s conquest for Ireland (look it up!).


...Emir was cursed to live as 100 dogs back when she was a pirate, and Saffron remembers Emir&rsquo;s life as well as the lives of the 100 dogs Emir became.  

...I&rsquo;ve never seen the likes of him in a YA novel---he could have walked out of the pages of King&rsquo;s JUST AFTER SUNSET.  

...But the issues don&rsquo;t jump out at you--the story jumps all over you, and I was hanging on every single bit of it, ignoring the rest of my life to finish it, then being sorry I was finished with it.


I just realized, this very moment, that I didn&rsquo;t include links for the other authors I reviewed (my apologies to Heather Brewer and Meagan Brothers).  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>High school = Ric Flair</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-23T20:19:48-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/1778062ca773ca0d0d216b8661a95289-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/1778062ca773ca0d0d216b8661a95289-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He&rsquo;s beating up Ric Flair, in the spot where his head got opened a million times, and he hit him with a camera!&rdquo;  

...A guy who wanted to marry me so I could live in my home town for the rest of my life.    As much as I loved him (and I did, more than just the &ldquo;omg this is love&rdquo; situation), I knew I couldn&rsquo;t live in my hometown when I graduated from high school (he wasn&rsquo;t intending to go to college). 

...It was just to say that this high school boyfriend was pretty serious, and since we were serious, we did lots of stuff together, and he LOVED LOVED LOVED wrestling: Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Dusty Rhodes, Andre the Giant, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Stunning Steve Austin, back when there were three titles, maybe, instead of thirty-three.  

...Ric Flair wakes up from a long siesta, and dang, there he is, bugging my kid instead of my high school boyfriend.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quote for the ages </title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-12T17:25:48-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/93999e39717071c48bc8f32feb36c0fa-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/93999e39717071c48bc8f32feb36c0fa-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m not an expert or a fangirl, just a literature geek, though I play both of the other roles in my HP class.  

...Today I was reading interviews with JK Rowling, and she mentioned she&rsquo;d been waiting 17 years to get to use those words.   

...Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry&rsquo;s ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.


&ldquo;Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?&rdquo;


...And, if you&rsquo;d like a bound galley of HP AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, signed by JKR, it will cost you $242, 485.43 from Abebooks.com.   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Things I (re)learned today</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-09T22:40:52-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/3c17c26db93e552066e55222b2fb4ebe-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/3c17c26db93e552066e55222b2fb4ebe-35.html#unique-entry-id-35</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[2) I opened my big trap when I was asked not to---not good.


...5) I should reschedule important phone calls for days when I have not been up sick all night the night before---not an excuse for what happened, just good business practice in the future.


6) I should take uber-scrupulous notes and read them back before important phone calls are over.


7) (to redeem some luck from this situation) I can wi-fi for free in the Ft. 

...And, as it turns out, 8)--the people I&rsquo;m working with are quite kind (which I knew) and forgiving (which I had hoped, since it usually goes with kindness).  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>RIP:  Paul Harvey</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-03-01T14:18:46-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/ab0a86431ba1fdca37f499619c575e00-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/ab0a86431ba1fdca37f499619c575e00-34.html#unique-entry-id-34</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I know this will be important to 0.002% of you, but Paul Harvey died yesterday.    His voice is a constant of my childhood, at noon and 2:30, every week day.  ...  He was a smart man, mostly conservative, but a Midwestern voice of  . . . ...  I&rsquo;m not even sure what I&rsquo;m trying to say, except that there was no one else like him, nor will there ever be again.    Radio doesn&rsquo;t accommodate a Paul Harvey anymore, and that&rsquo;s sad for all of us.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Book update for Two Constant Readers</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-22T11:22:32-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/7a04fb92aaeb86c0d79b3711cdbf0f53-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/7a04fb92aaeb86c0d79b3711cdbf0f53-32.html#unique-entry-id-32</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m gearing up for publicity stuff for THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME--first conference call with my publicist and the publicity manager is this Thursday.    It&rsquo;s slightly nerve-wracking, because getting a book published is a looooong process (14-15 months or so), so I&rsquo;ve sort of forgotten this stuff is coming up.  

...But it&rsquo;s fun to think about it again--what are the features of this book that we can emphasize to help it sell?  ...  Not many books are set in the Big Empty (at least not YA novels), so people may want to look in and see what it&rsquo;s like.  

...I&rsquo;d love to work with him again, but there&rsquo;s no track record for me yet, so he&rsquo;s still gambling by buying it.   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quick reviews:  SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and MILK</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-15T20:52:07-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/bf3c037bab57f914a925c60798402fa3-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/bf3c037bab57f914a925c60798402fa3-31.html#unique-entry-id-31</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I don&rsquo;t ever want to watch it again, and I want to watch it sixteen times in a row, so I see everything and understand it all.  

...The story itself is fantastic--kid with nothing gets everything, even after you think it&rsquo;s going to end horribly--but the way it&rsquo;s told is incredible.  ...  There&rsquo;s a time transition in the film that&rsquo;s incredible, too--the boys fall off the train, and they&rsquo;re probably 7 and 8.  

...I was introduced to Harvey Milk through the first documentary about him, THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK, back in college, and I was completely taken with the man.  

...Check here for a story about two of the child actors who still live in slums, even though the film has grossed a gazillion dollars.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sisters in ink</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-02-08T10:44:38-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/8ee76261fadb37cc6a26fd069366363b-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/8ee76261fadb37cc6a26fd069366363b-30.html#unique-entry-id-30</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I went to a slumber party this weekend, for the first time since sixth grade.  ...  , so we celebrated with a major session of goofing around, followed by a tiny bit of sleep, followed by a writing retreat.


...They taught me what to do, they showed me my mistakes, they cried with me at my rejections, they celebrated with me at my successes, and they took me seriously.  ...  There is no jealousy--one member&rsquo;s success is everyone&rsquo;s success.    And we&rsquo;ve had a few successes--three agents acquired (one lost in there), one sold book, one Pushcart-nominated nonfiction piece, myriad drafts of book projects and stories (some of them final drafts), smaller publications in large and small venues, the list goes on.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What&#x27;s next?</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-24T11:38:45-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/028d60d5fb8d859ae4ffb49467dc06d3-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/028d60d5fb8d859ae4ffb49467dc06d3-29.html#unique-entry-id-29</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Writing with eyes fixed on the market doesn&rsquo;t work (IMHO), but it&rsquo;s still important to glance at it more than once.  

...I don&rsquo;t think about the verse novel, even though I&rsquo;d love to, because I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s the right time for a verse novel---I need a couple more regular novels out there first.    I think a lot about a boy novel---a crazy boy, a streaking boy, a boy interested in saying what he feels and thinks to the detriment of his life---and I&rsquo;ve thought about the phrase &ldquo;jerk off for peace,&rdquo; plastered across a wall of a vacant building in town (for a cultural reference, see the &ldquo;bong hits for Jesus&rdquo; Supreme Court free speech case from last year).  

...I love the idea of not busting my ass for a while---2008 was about busting my ass, and I am TIRED.    At the same time, the images and ideas keep creeping in, even when I tell them to leave me be for a while.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Reviews . . . the good&#x2c; the bad&#x2c; and the ugly</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-10T10:33:45-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0ddc214c88eefa5bcb96ced84296c8e0-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0ddc214c88eefa5bcb96ced84296c8e0-28.html#unique-entry-id-28</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[An acquaintance of mine just received a . . . lukewarm? . . . review from Kirkus for his first book, a middle-grade sports novel.    I can&rsquo;t find the review to read, so I can only report on what he said:  Kirkus claimed his book &ldquo;tried too hard.&rdquo;  

...A lukewarm-to-bad review can&rsquo;t just be blown off, especially for a first-time author.  

...But it makes me wonder what will happen to THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME, and it makes me wonder how my acquaintance is thinking about his review, after a few days has passed.  

...It&rsquo;s a business, and my book (or my acquaintance&rsquo;s book) is just one of the pieces of coal that makes the publishing industry go.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Frick-fracking cover art&#x21;</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-06T18:27:39-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/aec327395bf39ad405d095520927599e-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/aec327395bf39ad405d095520927599e-27.html#unique-entry-id-27</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s real now . . . here&rsquo;s an initial design of the cover art for THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME AND THE HILLS DON&rsquo;T MIND.


There are some things that could change:  1) Morgan doesn&rsquo;t have long hair, so neither should the cover model; 2) the second part of the title gets lost (in my opinion) down in the bottom of the page, and 3) I&rsquo;d like my name to have no caps, just like the rest of the cover.


...I like it a LOT.    Holy smokes, I&rsquo;ve got a book cover!    Great news to get on the first day back to school.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quick review:  JUST AFTER SUNSET</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2009-01-01T16:50:05-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/cb7ee52995a07dc40e4b464faf5270ea-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/cb7ee52995a07dc40e4b464faf5270ea-26.html#unique-entry-id-26</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;ve not gotten as much reading done over break as I had hoped, but I did let myself digest Stephen King&rsquo;s new book of short stories, JUST AFTER SUNSET.  

...I&rsquo;ve been a fan of King for a loooong time, since I was in middle school, which was right after he&rsquo;d written some of his greatest novels (CARRIE, THE SHINING, THE STAND, etc.).  ...  But I was still able to absorb his literary prose, his ability to create a character (he&rsquo;s a master), some of the themes he was working with (what happens when reality bends on you?)...  All of those things are still present in JUST AFTER SUNSET, but now as a grown-up, I can also tap into some of the craziness and desperation that comes with King&rsquo;s characters.  

...I didn&rsquo;t really buy his main character (weird convolutions, and some &ldquo;the character has to do X so Y can happen later on&rdquo;), but the rest of it was amazing, just incredible.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Invisible pink mohawks</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-18T21:14:35-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/198a924b5e40ad0ba0a16745b0aba3d4-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/198a924b5e40ad0ba0a16745b0aba3d4-25.html#unique-entry-id-25</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the course of that conversation, I talked about how I was the kid who WANTED to have the 12-inch spiked pink mohawk but didn&rsquo;t, because 1) there was no space for individuality in my home town, and 2) I had no idea how to claim who I was---namely, the kid with the big pink mohawk.    I didn&rsquo;t know until I went to college that there were other personas/looks available to me besides &ldquo;late-80s Midwestern girl,&rdquo; and if I chose to look a little unusual, PEOPLE WOULD STILL TALK TO ME.  

...Even though I&rsquo;m old(er) on the outside, I still want the pink mohawk, because that&rsquo;s how I still feel inside.    That&rsquo;s why all my characters are sort of &ldquo;stick it up your ass&rdquo; types---in one way or another they&rsquo;re who I wanted to be in high school, because they don&rsquo;t keep all their subversive thoughts inside.  

...Later on in my presentation, after we&rsquo;d gone on from the hair conversation, a teacher looked at me and said, &ldquo;well, you have an invisible pink mohawk.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The happy-agent-happy-book dance</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-12T09:26:59-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/942afe35848f1a44ec10334ea3d655da-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/942afe35848f1a44ec10334ea3d655da-24.html#unique-entry-id-24</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I am whacked-out excited to announce my partnership with my new agent, Amy Tipton, of FinePrint Lit.    I&rsquo;m convinced she will do great things with BEAUTIFUL MUSIC and whatever comes beyond it.    I had another offer as well, but had to turn it down based on the &ldquo;click&rdquo; with Amy and her enthusiasm for YA work.  

...Not having to fight for what I want in the book world is a COMPLETELY new experience.  

...Trans youth group in the Cities, get ready for a big fiesta! ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Seriously . . . who knew?</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-05T17:31:27-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/621caa23d6be10e0ac12db78d7952736-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/621caa23d6be10e0ac12db78d7952736-23.html#unique-entry-id-23</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The manuscript went from query to offer in 48 hours, a new land speed record for publishing . . . and it happened to ME, of all people.  

...I also have another agent who&rsquo;s interested in BEAUTIFUL MUSIC (when you get an offer, you notify the other agents who have your ms.),  and if he offers, too, then I have to choose.    Though I am currently clueless as to how to pick one, who knew I&rsquo;d be choosing between two top agents in the biz?  


AND . . . another author, one who judged the National Book Awards recently, plans to read THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME for a blurb.  

...And I have worked my ass off to get here.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>And &#x22;finished&#x22; lasted . . .</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-12-01T07:49:09-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/74cd78b502284601304ae328ba98f65f-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/74cd78b502284601304ae328ba98f65f-22.html#unique-entry-id-22</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[. . . less than 24 hours.    By yesterday afternoon I was fiddling around with a scene or two.    Granted, I think I made the scenes better (sometimes fiddling makes things worse), but I was still going back on my vow of being &ldquo;finished.&rdquo;


Dammit.    But it&rsquo;s the nature of the beast.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>&#x22;Finished&#x22; vs. FINISHED</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-29T14:18:18-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/4898777fe1abe0e7754b869fb1286242-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/4898777fe1abe0e7754b869fb1286242-21.html#unique-entry-id-21</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Then there were major retools in spring 2007 and summer/fall 2008 (gaps as a result of child/husband/job/life), plus there are always little tinkers.  

...Some agent or editor will say, &ldquo;hey, have you thought of . . .&rdquo; or &ldquo;you know, I don&rsquo;t like . . .&rdquo; and it will change.    That&rsquo;s as it should be, and I like to revise---a lot, maybe too much---because it always leads you to new ideas.  

...For today, it&rsquo;s &ldquo;finished,&rdquo; and I&rsquo;m not fooling with it until it&rsquo;s agented.   

...Someone will always have a new idea for it, even if you never meet that person. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quick review:  EIGHTH GRADE BITES</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-11-24T21:32:25-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0967fa34d4f5a83ae168aa4e1b9ab2e5-20.html#unique-entry-id-20</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/0967fa34d4f5a83ae168aa4e1b9ab2e5-20.html#unique-entry-id-20</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I bought the first two of her Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, EIGHTH GRADE BITES and NINTH GRADE SLAYS last weekend (TENTH GRADE BLEEDS is out in February, I believe), and promptly *devoured* (pun intended) EIGHTH GRADE BITES.


...Being a vampire isn&rsquo;t so bad, though it does make things tough when he wants to talk to girls--but how is that different from any other eighth-grade boy?  

...Vlad&rsquo;s dilemma isn&rsquo;t so different from Gabe&rsquo;s dilemma (Gabe is the main character in BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN)---both are perpetual outsiders, for large, unchangeable reasons, and both have to make their way in a world that&rsquo;s perpetually unsure of what to do about those large, unchangeable reasons.  

...Vlad was also illuminating to me/Gabe for another reason:  at first, I was grossed out by him and his blood needs (no, he doesn&rsquo;t bite people).  ...  When I look at my manuscript and think about Gabe and his journey to pee in a men&rsquo;s room (you&rsquo;ll have to read it to find out what I mean), readers will potentially have the same reaction:  gross!  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>March 30&#x2c; 2009&#x21;&#x21;&#x21;</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Home</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-11-19T17:21:10-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/2ae3a2473b0cf95b0cb0fbb32d949c25-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/2ae3a2473b0cf95b0cb0fbb32d949c25-19.html#unique-entry-id-19</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[1) I have a hotness rating of 3.0 at ratemyprofessors.com (on a scale of 1-5).  ...  , and on the other hand, do I REALLY want my students thinking about me that way?    


...Sometimes it&rsquo;s good to exercise those old chops (I have a degree in business and technical writing, which is quite neglected).  ...  How do you explain terms like &ldquo;structural integrity&rdquo; to sixth graders in words that fit the reading scale?  

...In March 2009. people can buy a book I wrote (along with Tony the editor, who fixed a lot of the language stuff, so his name should be on it as an author, but it&rsquo;s not, which is too bad, as well as a couple of structural engineers&rsquo; names who also helped, etc., you get the point--a book is always a collaborative effort).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The kindness of strangers</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-11-17T21:58:31-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/eff99c0583a7a526fa8c5dabf7f352b2-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/eff99c0583a7a526fa8c5dabf7f352b2-18.html#unique-entry-id-18</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m on the agent hunt now, and three people---shout-outs and many thanks to Kurtis Scaletta, Amy Sarig King, and Heather Brewer---within the children&rsquo;s writing community very kindly and graciously helped me with my search by chatting about their agents.  

...That community&rsquo;s pretty cutthroat--not enough shelf space for everyone--so if you help someone else, you help your competition, and woe betide you!  

...But in the children&rsquo;s lit community, however, helping each other seems to be the norm.    I am grateful for that fact, not just because these two people gave me some great leads, but because it means the community is a nicer place to be.  

...I do think part of the reason why the kid lit community is kind to one another has to do with our audience--most children&rsquo;s books, even the dark YAs, have some sort of redemption and hope in them.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The blogosphere</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-30T17:25:18-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/91b841ed7fbcf9dbf4cfee619f5a4052-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/91b841ed7fbcf9dbf4cfee619f5a4052-17.html#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s not like the blogosphere is new, but I still have my doubts . . . all 90 zillion of us are sounding Whitman&rsquo;s barbaric yawp over the rooftops, but is anyone listening (hi, Mom!  

...I realized I should take blogging more seriously when I heard a news report about the media room for the bloggers at the RNC (and, living in MN, I heard a lot about the RNC).  ...  And I do read blogs every day--my writing group&rsquo;s blog (no, it&rsquo;s closed to you, too bad), my publisher&rsquo;s blog, a couple agent blogs--and I do learn stuff.  ...  But blogs are huge time sucks--bigger than the Face, even (Facebook, for those of you who aren&rsquo;t privy to that particular time suck).  

...But it still comes back to those junk-food words I mentioned a while ago:  how many empty words can you handle before you weigh 300 lbs?]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Title news and general Good Things</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-25T12:58:17-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/a148daf6971fa59a7cc75eea55164f57-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/a148daf6971fa59a7cc75eea55164f57-16.html#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[CONTENTS MAY EXPLODE UNDER PRESSURE is no longer . . . please welcome THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME AND THE HILLS DON&rsquo;T MIND.


...But my editor, the marketing people, the art people, and everybody else liked it, so it&rsquo;s pretty hard for a non-experienced person like me to say, &ldquo;whoa, Junior, ix-nay on that idea.&rdquo;  

...1) a big-time author has agreed to read a copy of THE SKY ALWAYS HEARS ME, and he will hopefully blurb it (send a quotation that says, &ldquo;I love the hell out of this!&rdquo; ...  This feels big to me, because I also use this guy&rsquo;s work in my teaching life, and I worship one of his short stories.  

...And wow . . . the response time is 1000x faster when you say, &ldquo;I sold a book.&rdquo;  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Words as comfort food</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-18T16:51:39-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/c34712edb2f8c587cfe4f61599c18094-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/c34712edb2f8c587cfe4f61599c18094-15.html#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[, and I also know my site is linked on the Flux blog, so somebody might look.   

...An interesting thing happened today:  I was told, by someone I love, I use too many words.    The speaker of that sentence would be mad if s/he/ knew I&rsquo;d revealed this comment, but it&rsquo;s a unique accusation to level against a writer.  ...  They&rsquo;re my comfort food, a big bowl of whatever makes a person feel better on a cold winter night.


...Our culture loves junk words (we have whole magazines and TV shows devoted to them), just like they love McDonald&rsquo;s and Burger King.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quick review:  DEBBIE HARRY SINGS IN FRENCH</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-08-05T09:46:13-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/56b1c18092a737f176c4788128ff5166-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/56b1c18092a737f176c4788128ff5166-14.html#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[He gets felt up by someone at the drag show, and thinks "does this guy know I'm a guy?"  

...Brothers uses Blondie song titles as chapter names, which I love, and which I didn't get (I don't like Blondie) until I ran across "Youth Nabbed as Sniper," a Blondie song I *do* know.    I am also a sucker for books about teens and music, since I'm a music freak myself, so the angle of falling in love with a musician makes perfect sense to me, since I'm currently in love with Elvis.    There are some implications in the book about cross-dressing that I'm not sure about (I don't know much about the topic), but I think Johnny's character is well drawn, and the subject of cross-dressing is handled with ease.


My editor, Andrew, describes books like Brothers' as "gay 2.0": characters have some kind of alternate sexual or gender identity, but it's not the main complication of the book, it's just part of the book.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Quick review:  HANCOCK</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-07-08T19:09:00-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/64481213e170c6d8b35899fd0f18a0dc-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/64481213e170c6d8b35899fd0f18a0dc-13.html#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So over the weekend we took in Will Smith's annual (it seems) Fourth of July blockbuster:  HANCOCK.  ...  Granted, there are several out there that are anti-hero superheroes--Ben Grimm (the Thing) comes to mind, as does The Punisher (though is he really a superhero?)  , and to some extent Batman and Wolverine fit that role, as does the Tick, but he's weird all around.  

...The plot falls apart and gets stupid at several points, so the movie itself isn't the best, but Hancock as a character is pretty great.    I think his brilliance was helped along by the writer Vince Gilligan, who used to write for the the world's best sci-fi series THE X-FILES.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Judy Blume in person</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-06-29T20:08:41-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/5e5fff5288cd960f37d6705b8767ad4b-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/5e5fff5288cd960f37d6705b8767ad4b-12.html#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I don't think she does much publicity these days, but she's got new books coming out (early readers), so she can use the publicity, and she's a goddess of children's literature, and even though gas is $4 a gallon, I just bought a Prius, and what's wrong with driving all over hell & gone if you're getting 45 miles a gallon?  

...Her interviewer was more than a shade clueless, and she didn't give Judy a chance to shine (in my opinion).  

...At some point in the evening, Judy asked her husband something from the stage, so then we all knew who and where he was.    After the Q&A, my friend Angie had the bright idea to get Judy's husband to sign a book, instead of waiting in the looooooong line for Judy to sign it (gotta love how Angie's mind works!).    While she was doing that, I whipped out a trusty 3x5 card and wrote Judy a note:  "Dear Judy:  I just sold my first YA novel, and it's your fault.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Link love and big news</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-05-15T19:50:54-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/f3a06d17b1b0adf41995fb312ee1b49c-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/f3a06d17b1b0adf41995fb312ee1b49c-11.html#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I am cartwheels-in-the-grass pleased to announce that CONTENTS MAY EXPLODE UNDER PRESSURE will be published by Flux, an imprint of Llewellyn, in the fall of 2009!


This little morsel landed in my May Day basket, and I am woefully behind in posting it to my website.    Yesterday I discovered that Flux's blog is linked to my site, and I realized I'd better get with the program.  ...  Now we're into reality--someone wants it, someone will pay me for it, and someone is going to give it the chance to make it to Barnes & Noble.  ...  I get to meet Andrew Karre (editor extraordinare) tomorrow, so that will seal the "this is real" deal.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The longevity of story</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-04-27T21:58:32-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/8b5a3b4daeb09a03f108a78256106b9e-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/8b5a3b4daeb09a03f108a78256106b9e-10.html#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My 9-year-old charmer comes home with a beat-up book in his hand and promptly sits down to devour it.    He's been doing that lately, and it cheers me to no end.


...When he's done, I check out the pub date.  

...My next goal is to read HENRY HUGGINS and see why the story's so delicious after 58 years.    If it can get through to my YouTube-loving, RUN'S HOUSE-watching child, I need to take lessons on storytelling from Beverly Cleary.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Boy books</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-03-12T19:47:05-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/4aba7f62e7f1e7fc75436f4cfe2840cb-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/4aba7f62e7f1e7fc75436f4cfe2840cb-9.html#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There's at least some girl culture in him (cultural influences for girls), because he was raised as a girl, even if he's got a guy brain.  

...I like the stereotypical things--like when they fix and build, and when they watch sports (especially football, but I turn into a guy for football).  

...These traits are even more endearing when they're exercised by 9- to 20-year-old guys trying to find their way in the world.    It's a trick to teach a boy (like the one who lives in my house) when it's good to use the word "penis" instead of "doodle" (thank you Homer, Bart and THE SIMPSONS MOVIE, you spider-pigs).  

...THE SCHWA WAS HERE, Neil Schusterman (possibly the coolest title ever, especially if you're a nerd who knows what a schwa is).  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Plain old-fashioned dislike</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-02-13T19:58:01-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/2a6ad55dd18109b70a47d1e9bef5af42-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/2a6ad55dd18109b70a47d1e9bef5af42-8.html#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[An update--I thought for a long time about Anton Chigurh and Sweeney Todd, and despite what I said about violence and what I'm teaching my kid, I eventually came to the conclusion that I just plain didn't like Sweeney Todd, at least Johnny Depp/Tim Burton's version.  ...  I haven't liked an on-screen character that much since Ralph Fiennes became Voldemort.


I'm going to read NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN this summer, to see if Chigurh is as brilliant on the page as he is on screen.  

...Does this mean I'm not still wondering about violence and what I'm teaching my kid?    Of course I am--but I've decided to own my likes and dislikes as well.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>SCBWI--the personal gets national</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-02-13T18:36:09-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/e7cd1cae2f455be429544cf2acbf8109-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/e7cd1cae2f455be429544cf2acbf8109-7.html#unique-entry-id-7</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In that particular time of my writing life, I hung out with some really cool people who wanted to help each other get better at their work.  

...I also got all sorts of good info, wonderful speeches from Susan Patron (the Newbery Queen of Scrotums, if you don't know what I mean, go find out), Richard Peck (omg, what a speech!)...  I got to trip Carolyn Mackler, eek, but then I got to tell her my favorite line from THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHRE BIG ROUND THINGS was Shannon's insult of "onion-loving fuckers."  

...PLUS I got to travel with two of my favorite people (who are also in my writing group) and hang out with other writer friends from here.  

...However, despite the hangover of work, tiredness, and germs, I came home reinvigorated to write and renewed in my commitment 1) to this group of people, and 2) to writing for kids, big or small.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Whose story should be told?</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-01-21T13:15:58-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/453a1c91e1ad039c4a48bad261b154a1-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/453a1c91e1ad039c4a48bad261b154a1-6.html#unique-entry-id-6</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&nbsp; When I did some research, I discovered Sweeney Todd is a historical figure (first appearing in literature around the mid-nineteenth century, which seems obvious from the film), and there are people who believe a real person did what the movie says he did.

...&nbsp; Is it worth it to tell the story of a revenge-obsessed man who butchers people so that his downstairs neighbor can feed them to the unsuspecting public?

...Essentially, this is a fiction question, but it does have moral implications, because how do I teach my kid not to be violent and/or like violence when these characters are all over?...  All of this is his fault, isn't it (I know it's not, but there are people who probably blame him instead of Poe and his ilk)? 

...&nbsp; I know that one of the purposes of tragedy is to say "There but for the grace of God go I," but . . . . people like Sweeney Todd & Mrs. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A lesson in audience</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-01-16T15:57:05-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/7f0a21088457662b312b52db30cd7dc4-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/7f0a21088457662b312b52db30cd7dc4-5.html#unique-entry-id-5</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm being extreme, to say it's hate mail, but it's certainly not love mail.  ...  It's the first negative public comment about the topics of my book(s)--I'm guessing it was spurred on by my trans character, Gabe.   

...My friends & family have been very supportive of this web site, and its address has gotten passed around, even sent out in Christmas letters.  ...  The comment is anonymous, of course, and you can find it in the comments of the first blog entry, if you're curious.  ...  And why, if this person felt my prose is "absolutely terrible," wouldn't s/he stand by that judgment and name themselves?  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hello and welcome&#x21;</title><dc:creator>kirstin@kirstincronn-mills.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2007-11-20T16:03:41-06:00</dc:date><link>http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/feeab3350f4f0b2c1dacc24c04546799-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.kirstincronn-mills.com/files/feeab3350f4f0b2c1dacc24c04546799-3.html#unique-entry-id-3</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Hello and welcome!   Thanks for checking out my web space.  &nbsp; Please look around, read some writing samples, and comment here in the blog section if there's anything else you'd like to see.   Hope to see you again.]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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