Louise Miller's Blog: snapshots - Posts Tagged "joy"
contrasts
This weekend has been deliciously quiet. I have a few plans--mostly in the form of walks and meals with friends. After the adventures of the past couple of weeks, I am really enjoying being at home getting caught up on things like emails and ordering cat food and making handouts for an upcoming workshop I am giving with Kate Racculia.
I've been thinking a lot about the need for this sort of ebb and flow in life. I think all joy comes from these contrasts. It's the thing I love the most about living in New England. Spring feels *so good* after a long winter, in a way that it never could in southern California. Chocolate is in itself good--but it tastes even better after eating french fries. Contrast invites us to have fresh experiences. I think the key is to try and not to play favorites. I am totally enjoying the contrast of being home, even though I loved every minute of traveling.
What I am reading: just finishing up the amazing Kissing in America by Margo Rabb. Next up: no question. It is time to re-read all three books in Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle, starting with The Raven Boys, because the last installment of the series, The Raven King pubs APRIL 26th, PEOPLE. That's just 2 short days after my birthday! I love, love, love these characters so much, and am in awe of Ms. Stiefvater (if you ever need someone to fangirl over The Scorpio Races with, drop me a line) and basically I CAN'T WAIT.
What is on repeat: I've been listening to The Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico. What else is there to say about this seminal album? Just this piece of advice. If you are home, even when you think you are alone, do not listen to this record with headphones on, because you will start to sing along. And you will start to sing like Nico. You won't even realize that you are doing it. And you will not sound good. At all. And guess what? You left a window open. And your neighbors are unloading their groceries. And they just heard you singing in the accent on an German model-chanteuse.
In the kitchen: My favorite desserts are always concoctions of leftovers, and my best dessert this week was made from just that. I had a quart of extra passionfruit curd and a flat of little ripe mangos in the kitchen...and voile! tropical shortcake with passionfruit cream and fresh mango and pineapple tossed in sugar and lime zest. Yum. It also looked like springtime:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEEGhK2PZ...
Book news: All's quiet on the debut novel front. I have been taking a lot of book two notes, which are starting to come together and feel real to me. At the same time I have been doing a little dreaming (and a little scheming) about The City Baker's Guide to Country Living. I have some ideas for events that I would love to create, and goals I would love to achieve--and August 9th is coming up fast!
It's a strange and funny time, trying to write a new book while letting go of the first. I wrote about it for the Debutante Ball this week: http://www.thedebutanteball.com/book-...
It's a piece where I talk about each novel as a love affair i'm having.
Random cheer: newborn goats in hand-knit sweaters. do you need me to say more? this is what the internet was made for:
http://laughingsquid.com/a-trio-of-ne...
Thanks for reading, friends. May all the contrasts of life bring you joy and not suffering, this and every week.
I've been thinking a lot about the need for this sort of ebb and flow in life. I think all joy comes from these contrasts. It's the thing I love the most about living in New England. Spring feels *so good* after a long winter, in a way that it never could in southern California. Chocolate is in itself good--but it tastes even better after eating french fries. Contrast invites us to have fresh experiences. I think the key is to try and not to play favorites. I am totally enjoying the contrast of being home, even though I loved every minute of traveling.
What I am reading: just finishing up the amazing Kissing in America by Margo Rabb. Next up: no question. It is time to re-read all three books in Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle, starting with The Raven Boys, because the last installment of the series, The Raven King pubs APRIL 26th, PEOPLE. That's just 2 short days after my birthday! I love, love, love these characters so much, and am in awe of Ms. Stiefvater (if you ever need someone to fangirl over The Scorpio Races with, drop me a line) and basically I CAN'T WAIT.
What is on repeat: I've been listening to The Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico. What else is there to say about this seminal album? Just this piece of advice. If you are home, even when you think you are alone, do not listen to this record with headphones on, because you will start to sing along. And you will start to sing like Nico. You won't even realize that you are doing it. And you will not sound good. At all. And guess what? You left a window open. And your neighbors are unloading their groceries. And they just heard you singing in the accent on an German model-chanteuse.
In the kitchen: My favorite desserts are always concoctions of leftovers, and my best dessert this week was made from just that. I had a quart of extra passionfruit curd and a flat of little ripe mangos in the kitchen...and voile! tropical shortcake with passionfruit cream and fresh mango and pineapple tossed in sugar and lime zest. Yum. It also looked like springtime:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEEGhK2PZ...
Book news: All's quiet on the debut novel front. I have been taking a lot of book two notes, which are starting to come together and feel real to me. At the same time I have been doing a little dreaming (and a little scheming) about The City Baker's Guide to Country Living. I have some ideas for events that I would love to create, and goals I would love to achieve--and August 9th is coming up fast!
It's a strange and funny time, trying to write a new book while letting go of the first. I wrote about it for the Debutante Ball this week: http://www.thedebutanteball.com/book-...
It's a piece where I talk about each novel as a love affair i'm having.
Random cheer: newborn goats in hand-knit sweaters. do you need me to say more? this is what the internet was made for:
http://laughingsquid.com/a-trio-of-ne...
Thanks for reading, friends. May all the contrasts of life bring you joy and not suffering, this and every week.
joy and fruition
I just returned from my writing center Grub Street's Muse and the Marketplace conference. Return is a funny thing to say, since the conference is in Boston and I live in Boston, but it felt like I was away, and today I am feeling pretty jet-lagged regardless of distance traveled.
I attended my first Muse back in 2010 as a fledgling writer with 20 pages of a novel under her belt and a lot of enthusiasm, but not much else. Now it is 2016, and I was a presenter at the conference for the first time, and that very same novel is about to be published.
I met my editor at the Muse. I met an agent who introduced me to the woman who would become my agent at the Muse. I won a first page contest at the Muse that led me to meeting the wonderful judges who have continued to be so supportive of my writing--one of them even wrote me a beautiful blurb! I have connected with countless friends and mentors and teachers at the Muse. It is a very special Weekend--one that I look forward to every year.
But this year was a little different. This year I felt a wonderful feeling of fruition. When your debut novel publishing dream happens, it unfolds in many stages--some big and some very small, and through out the process it can feel quite unreal. It was at the registration desk, receiving my presenter name tag, that I finally felt it. I wrote a novel. I became apart of a writing community. I sold my book. It's now taking baby steps towards finding its readers. I'm an author. Like all of those writers whose books I have loved--I'm like one of them.
Needless to say, it was a joy-filled weekend. I had the chance to see many wonderful old friends, and I met many more excellent people. I received so many well-wishes I thought I might burst. I could see tiny ways to give some of that back, and am excited to find more. It was a magical weekend, one I'll never forget.
Book news: I had a wonderful meeting with my new publicist and her assistant, and I also Had lunch with one of the New England sales reps of Penguin. A quiet week, but a cheery one.
What I'm reading: I am currently reading a dear friends screenplay, which is AMAZING and I can't tell you about it, but I am just hoping that I get invited to the Oscar after-party.
What i'm listening to: Kathleen Edward's first record, Failer. Ms. Edwards took a break from music and opened a cafe in Canada where she lives. I have a secret hope that she will turn to fiction writing. Every song on this record is a novel waiting to happen, and I am hungry to read them all.
In the kitchen: Weddings! Dances! Mother's Day! It's that time of year where I am less baker-artist and more baker-factory worker. Seriously, I have concerns that I am cursing the wedding cakes I am making with my stress. I'm afraid to look at the divorce rate of the couples whose cakes I have made. Very much looking forward to having my quiet little job back!
Random cheer: I haven't been online much to see anything too cheery, and NPR is full of election news which is basically, in my opinion, the anti-cheer. So I will tell you my favorite joke:
What did the zero say to the eight?............
NICE BELT!
May you all experience the joy of having someone genuinely happy for you, and may you experience the joy of being genuinely happy for someone else.
I attended my first Muse back in 2010 as a fledgling writer with 20 pages of a novel under her belt and a lot of enthusiasm, but not much else. Now it is 2016, and I was a presenter at the conference for the first time, and that very same novel is about to be published.
I met my editor at the Muse. I met an agent who introduced me to the woman who would become my agent at the Muse. I won a first page contest at the Muse that led me to meeting the wonderful judges who have continued to be so supportive of my writing--one of them even wrote me a beautiful blurb! I have connected with countless friends and mentors and teachers at the Muse. It is a very special Weekend--one that I look forward to every year.
But this year was a little different. This year I felt a wonderful feeling of fruition. When your debut novel publishing dream happens, it unfolds in many stages--some big and some very small, and through out the process it can feel quite unreal. It was at the registration desk, receiving my presenter name tag, that I finally felt it. I wrote a novel. I became apart of a writing community. I sold my book. It's now taking baby steps towards finding its readers. I'm an author. Like all of those writers whose books I have loved--I'm like one of them.
Needless to say, it was a joy-filled weekend. I had the chance to see many wonderful old friends, and I met many more excellent people. I received so many well-wishes I thought I might burst. I could see tiny ways to give some of that back, and am excited to find more. It was a magical weekend, one I'll never forget.
Book news: I had a wonderful meeting with my new publicist and her assistant, and I also Had lunch with one of the New England sales reps of Penguin. A quiet week, but a cheery one.
What I'm reading: I am currently reading a dear friends screenplay, which is AMAZING and I can't tell you about it, but I am just hoping that I get invited to the Oscar after-party.
What i'm listening to: Kathleen Edward's first record, Failer. Ms. Edwards took a break from music and opened a cafe in Canada where she lives. I have a secret hope that she will turn to fiction writing. Every song on this record is a novel waiting to happen, and I am hungry to read them all.
In the kitchen: Weddings! Dances! Mother's Day! It's that time of year where I am less baker-artist and more baker-factory worker. Seriously, I have concerns that I am cursing the wedding cakes I am making with my stress. I'm afraid to look at the divorce rate of the couples whose cakes I have made. Very much looking forward to having my quiet little job back!
Random cheer: I haven't been online much to see anything too cheery, and NPR is full of election news which is basically, in my opinion, the anti-cheer. So I will tell you my favorite joke:
What did the zero say to the eight?............
NICE BELT!
May you all experience the joy of having someone genuinely happy for you, and may you experience the joy of being genuinely happy for someone else.
snapshots
a quick peek into Louise's week--books, music, baking and random cheer.
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