Waaaaay down upon the Suwannee Riveeeeer...

So we went to Suwannee River State Park this weekend...

Amazing, right?

Suwannee means black muddy water in the Native American language that was spoken here thousands of years ago. Wonder why they named it that?

You might be wondering why we would choose to camp in August, in Florida, but the lovely people at the Florida state parks have cabins! With air conditioning! Beautiful, right? We were there with good friends and we were all amazed that the state would provide such s nice place (picture a cabin with a screened-in wrap-around porch with plenty of rocking chairs, a fire place, and country-chic decor).

There have been heavy rains in this part, and so while we were there, we got to see an underwater spring literally bubbling up with turbulent (coffee black) water and swirl into the Suwannee. At 72 degrees, pure and clear, straight out of the earth, it made for a very refreshing dip after a long, sweaty hike.

It was an amazing, beautiful weekend, that made me grateful to live in such a lovely state.

More later,

Tammar

Oh my, Olympics!

Don't you just love the Olympics?

It's story-telling at its best. There's action, drama, a whole range of human emotions. Glory. Victory. Defeat. Physical pain. Emotional toughness. It's all spiced by the knowledge that these games only come once every four years, and for most of these amazing athletes these games will be the first and only time they will be in such a glorious, terrifying spotlight.

I can't get enough. Here in the States, we hear a lot about the victors, but there's something so poignant and human about the ones that don't make it to the podium.

 

This is French rower Julien Bahain, comforted by his girlfriend after his team finished fifth in a semifinal race and failed to advance to the final. There's something so sweet and heartbreaking about this photo. He looks stunned, she looks heartbroken. It reminds you how much these athletes' families and friends have invested in their success.

More later,

Tammar

 

15 Views of Tampa Bay

I was fortunate to participate in a project called 15 Views of Tampa Bay, run by the literary magazine Burrow Press Review. The basic premise is that 15 writers take turns writing short vignettes that feature a place in Tampa Bay and that are somehow linked to the story that preceded them.

I've not worked on a collaborative writing project before and it was so much fun! 

The introduction to the project was just posted and from now on, each Tuesday, Burrow Press Review will post an installment for the next 15 weeks. Mine goes up August 14th.

Check out the intro, it rocks!

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Tammar

The Fault in Our Stars

I knew about this book. Read about it right when it came out earlier this year. It's by John Green who's a great writer. It's about teenage cancer victims, which is depressing. Everyone said it was amazing.

Lev Grossman, the Times book critic, gushed in a way I'd never seen before. Grossman, a successful novelist in his own right, raved that this was the perfect example of why YA fiction is taking off, because it's wonderful storytelling without self-conscious pretensions and long, boring descriptions. He also said that he reads a ton of books and he can't remember the last time he cried reading one until TFIOS.

I said, no thanks.

I get really into my characters when I read. I develop a highly personal relationship. I don't need to go in knowing something awful is going to happen to them.

Then more people said it was wonderful, amazingly good. Months went by. I was in Barnes and Noble,  trolling for books and I saw it. I thought, I'll just pick and read the first few pages, to see what all the fuss is about.

Big.

Mistake.

Because Green, darn him, hooks you from the first page. By the end of Chapter One, I was a goner. I was charmed and half in love with Hazel and Augustus, and come hell or high water, I needed to find out what happened next.

I won't lie to you. You have to be brave to read this book. Or as my husband--who saw me weeping at midnight, and then some more at seven in the morning as I picked up where I left off--would say, masochistic. Hazel and Augustus broke my heart about seventeen times over the course of 300 pages. But I'm here to tell you, it was worth it.

I do not go out of my way to read sad books. And there's no denying or avoiding the senseless tragady of cancer, especially at a young age. But Green's characters transend their lot in life. They're looking head on at questions that hover in the back of all of our minds. We're all going to die one day. Every one of us. We all want to find love, a purpose, to mean something before that happens. We just think we have years to get around to that, and they know that they don't.

And it's funny. I couldn't believe how often I laughed--watery, teary chuckles maybe--but still, damn funny.

So gird your loins. Set aside a nice long weekend. Stock up on tissues. And read it.

More later,

Tammar

The Secret to Happiness...

I just loved this article in the New York Times about how the secret to happiness is not to spend money on things for yourself but on other people. Researchers ran an experiment where they stopped random people in the street and handed them $20. One group was told to buy something for themselves while the other group was told to spend it on someone else. You might think that the people who bought something for themselve were happier. But when they reported back, the second group was much happier than the first.

It does make sense. I get a thrill when I see something I know my friends would love or that I know would make my mom smile. It feels great to see that delighted smile and know that I helped put it there.

We feel better when we take care of those we love. That's the secret to happiness. Beautiful, right?

More later,

Tammar

SCBWI

I just attended my first SCBWI conference on Saturday. It was in Orlando, at the Disney Yacht Club, never a bad place to hang out. But besides the lush carpets and beautiful flower arrangement, it was a conference full of writers and illustrators. How can you have a better day than that?

SCBWI (which stands for Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) is an organization for writers, run by writers. Its got published authors galore, and it's the perfect place for aspiring artists and writers to learn about the craft of children's books and the business of publishing.

I met great people over the weekend who inspired me to keep digging harder, to never stop trying improving my words, and that yes, it is bloody hard to write a book, let alone a good one. It's nice to be reminded that I'm not the only one struggling to put down words on a screen. Not the only one to get frustrated when plots and characters don't behave. And certainly not the only one who feels inadequate when faced with the greatness of authors past and present.

Sometimes it's good to spend some time with your homies, you know?

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Tammar

Navy SEAL commencement speaker

Wow, former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens is a truly inspiring commencement speaker. He received an honorary degree from Tuffs and spoke at their 2012 graduation.

Check it out here.

His organization, The Mission Continues, challenges veterans to serve and lead in communities across America.

His basic premise is that the more we think only about ourselves, the weaker we grow. The more we think about others, the stronger we get. Amazing words to live by.

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Tammar

Big Brother

I have always believed that adopting is one of the single greatest acts of kindness and generosity that people can do in this world. To take a little person who might fall through the cracks of life and bring her into your home and into your heart--that's literally making the world a better, brighter place.

That's one of the many reasons it's been such a pleasure for me to get to know Mike and Michelle, two wonderful people who have adopted three little boys. They are such a vibrate, happy, chaotic family, the kind that when they walk by, people can't help smile at them.

They just found out that the birth mother of their youngest son is pregnant again and she asked them to adopt the unborn baby so that two siblings could be raised together. This would be their fourth child, but their hearts are so big, they jumped at the opportunity.

One little catch. Adopting is expensive. Crazy expensive. And after paying for three adoptions, their bank account has cobwebs and chirping crickets. So they've set up a website that tells their story and accepts donations to help fundraise for the cost of the adoption.

Please go check it out. If you can, help these wonderful people make the world a better place.

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Tammar

 

Ted Hipple Special Collections--USF

I recently donated some of my papers and books to the Ted Hipple Special Collection at the University of South Florida and had the pleasure of meeting some of the awesome people of make this really amazing collection happen. (That's Joan Kaywell, the spirit and driving force behind the collection.)

They have over 3000 copies of signed YA novels as well as manuscripts, advanced reader copies, various editions, and it's the most used section of the University's special collections. I'm so honored to be part of it!

Check it out here.

Back to work

I didn't get the chance to hobnob with Moses or Abraham or any of the other biblical characters strolling to the ground of the Daytona Jewish Heritage festival. I did see a woman in hoop skirts, so maybe some Daughters of the Confederacy sneaked in and took their parking space. But everyone seemed to be having a great time, with plenty of falafel, bagels, and klezmer music to get people in the Jewish mood.

And while Moses was MIA, I did get a chance to meet some very nice people, like KC from the Peach Valley Cafe (they really did have the best Greek Omlettes...thanks for the tip!) and all the other lovely people who stopped by to say hello and buy a copy of Kindred and High Dive. I hope you're all enjoying reading it and thanks for your support!

Now, the shmoozing is over. It's back to work for me and hopefully I'll have something to share with you soon!

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Tammar

Come see me

I will be in beautiful Daytona Beach this weekend, as a speaker for their (in)famous Jewish Heritage Festival on Sunday, March 18th. It's been known to draw as many as 10,000 visitors, most of them excited to meet King David and Moses--both have been known to stop by for a visit. There are even camel rides. I mean, come on, camels!

If you can tear yourself away from visiting with Biblical patriarchs and desert transportation, I will be at the Jewish Hall of Fame, speaking at 2pm.

Stop by and say "sababa!"

More later,

Tammar

 

Florida wildlife part 2

In my ever continuing segment of weird/unusual/beautiful/freaky Florida wildlife, I have the following photos:

 

We are lucky enough to have manatees regularly visit our neck of the woods (errr, waters). It's pretty awesome when you can see an endangered animal on a regular basis. Though often, there's not much to see.

 (That grey rock...it's a manatee.)

And then sometimes, when you least expect it, you see some really crazy wildlife.

 It's a bit hard to tell the size of this fish from the photo, but just the visible part is almost as long as I am tall. And if you're thinking, gulp, that's one giant fish, well my friends, you'd be exactly right. It's goliath. A Goliath Grouper, to be exact, feasting on all the tasty treats a fish could wish for under a pier.

And that's how we roll in Florida. You might see an endangered species in our clear, Gulf waters...or dinner. You never know.

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Tammar

And the winner is...

Thank you to all of you who entered my book give-away. I really enjoyed reading people's favorite line and the winner is....Kelly P.! Thank you, Kelly, your signed copy of Kindred will be posted shortly. Everyone else who entered will be getting a signed bookplate to sell on Ebay stick on a book. Since I've never won a single contest, I figured I'd let everyone else get a little something special, too.

I loved this description of what the copy editing is like. It's completely accurate, even though she's writing a cookbook. I guess copy-editing is copy-editing, no matter what the text is about. And speaking of copy editing...yes, my turn is coming. Spoils is on the docket and as soon as I have a pub date to share with you, I will!

Have a great week, leap year and all!

More later,

Tammar

Monday give-away!

Yes, it's true. Kindred is now out in paperback. You might not recognize it, it does have a lovely new cover, but inside, Miriam and Emmett, Mo and Jason as up to their usual mischief.

And so, in honor of them and my new cover, I'm holding a wee contest. Just email me your favorite line from Kindred (if, for some reaosn, you haven't read Kindred, you can email me a line from any one of my books) and I will pick one winner to recieve a signed paperback copy of Kindred! I can't wait to see what line you pick. And I'm very curious if I'm going to be seeing a lot of the same line or if you all pick different lines.

I'll announce the winner next week!

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Tammar

Love

 This story is one of the most beautiful love stories I've heard in a long time. I was driving, listening to NPR,  and it was one of those magical moments where tucked in between stories of war here and corruption there,  was this amazing story of a nun and a priest who fall in love. Their son tells their story and you can just hear the amazed bafflement in his voice as he talks about them.

It's beautiful.

It's love.

Happy Valentine's Day.

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Tammar

 

Creativity

 

Just read this book. Loved it!

It's fourteen drawings, supposedly dropped off at a children's publisher, that are the beginnings of fourteen stories, with the title and first line enclosed. The mysterious artist who dropped them off never returned. The drawings are haunting and magical, and with first lines like: A tiny voice asked, "Is he the one?" Or: He threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back. Or my favorite, entitled Mr. Linden's Library, the first line reads: He had warned her about the book. Now it was too late. The drawing is of a sleeping girl and an open book covered in vines. Can't you just feel a fairy tale tickling the back of your mind? This would be such a great book to use in a creative writing class.

Love this blog. People who chose to live life surrounded by creativity delight me.

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Tammar

Yummy snacks

I believe I've mentioned my awesome sister-in-law before. She's the one who was in the Navy and sailed all over the world, doing good deeds (fighting pirates, helping Iraqis, stuff like that.)

She's out of the Navy now, but her coolness-quotient hasn't eased off. She's part of a new company called NatureBox and it's such a cool concept. They send you a snack box full of healthy snacks every month. It's like a care package but with super healthy yummy stuff that changes monthly. Getting care packages was pretty much the best thing about going to college for me. Don't you agree that it's so much fun getting a big box of goodies in the mail?

They also run a blog with fabulous snack ideas. Take this one:

Apple nachos? Brilliant! Thinly slice apples, toss with lemon juice. Drizzle peanut butter (just nuke it for 20 seconds). Scatter chocolate chips, sliced almond, shredded coconut, whatever floats your taste buds. And ta da, awesomeness. Wouldn't this be a great Superbowl treat? Crunchy, sweet, sour, and healthy! Check out their recipe for lighten-up spinach-artichoke dip. Delicious.

More later,
Tammar