http://www.christinacann.com Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:16:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I started reading Wings by Aprilynne Pike this week. I had seen it reviewed by a few bloggers and then it landed at #1 on the New York Times Children’s Bestseller List, and I was intrigued. I don’t usually read fantasy, but I am working on that superhero idea, so ... http://www.christinacann.com/2009/10/what-i%e2%80%99m-reading-wings/ Whew, that was a busy weekend! In addition to ripping out the dead plants from our garden and building two new raised beds for next year’s crops, I spent a lot of time writing my WIP and musing about my first ms. I have a few ideas for making it ... http://www.christinacann.com/2009/10/a-few-ideas/ Questions from Friday5.org. 1. Who in your life is as blind as a bat? Me! I have very bad vision and have needed glasses/contacts since I was eight. Every time I go in for an annual eye exam, my doctor remarks upon the imbalance of my imperfect vision (my right eye is ... http://www.christinacann.com/2009/10/friday-five/ When I read about Bringing YA to PA (PAYA) on Jennifer Hubbard's blog, I knew I wanted to blog about it. With the Carnegie Library system closing branches and cutting hours and staff, it's more important than ever before to support local libraries as best we can. When I went ... http://www.christinacann.com/2009/10/bringing-ya-to-pa/ You know what really bugs me? Firing up the furnace on October 7th. I’m not sure if it was my thrifty upbringing or just some conviction I have that October isn’t cold, but I am philosophically and morally opposed to turning the heat on during the tenth month of the ... http://www.christinacann.com/2009/10/kvetching-and-cooing/ Our first exercise in this Pennwriters class was about flawed characters, which made me think of one of the best (and yes, flawed) characters I’ve ever known: Meg Murray. From the beginning of the book, Meg is grumpy, jealous, and prone to getting into fights with her classmates. Yet she obviously ... http://www.christinacann.com/2009/10/wayback-wednesday-a-wrinkle-in-time/ The truth is, I’m not really reading anything at this very moment! I finished The Lost Symbol yesterday evening and haven’t picked anything else up. I definitely have a pile of books staring me down, though. I’m planning on starting The First Five Pages this week. As for non-craft books, I ... http://www.christinacann.com/2009/10/what-i%e2%80%99m-reading-um%e2%80%a6/ No Friday 5 last week! And such a shame, because it was a really good one, particularly for writers, since it was all about stories. I was in charge of planning a conference for my day job that I was at all weekend, and I was too frantic and busy ... http://www.christinacann.com/2009/10/totally-on-it/ You might be aware that it’s Banned Books Week, which celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. As an aspiring author and avid reader, and as a person who grew up in a house where certain things (though not books) were censored, it’s always an ... http://www.christinacann.com/2009/10/banned-books-week/ God, how amazing is this book? And, want to hear something funny? I actually heard about it from another book! In Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson, the amazing Judy Blume had Rachel recommend that Alison read this book. I really identified with Rachel and thought, If she thinks that’s a ... http://www.christinacann.com/2009/09/wayback-wednesday-summer-of-my-german-soldier/