Friday Reads: "A Clash of Kings" — plus a plea for book recs!

So I finally finished George R. R. Martin's second Song of Ice and Fire book, A Clash of Kings! While I loved the first book, A Game of Thrones, it was in reading this one that I truly realized what a great writer Martin is. Some passages from A Clash of Kings were just incredibly beautiful. There were certain passages of prose—particularly Bran's wolf dreams and some of the descriptions of the world beyond the Wall—that I read more than once because I wanted to experience them fully. It was that slow, savoring reading style, combined with the sheer length of the book and depth of the storytelling, that made this a two-week read. (Luckily, har har, I still had something to blog about last Friday...)

I am in awe of Martin's world-building. The appendices at the back of the book alone are astonishing. He lists every member of every House, from the lords and ladies and their descendants (living and deceased, including certain bastards) down to the squires and maesters and many other servants. And read as a companion to the TV show, which I LOVE, the books provide so much nuance and depth. I spent a lot of time telling my husband, "So, you know how in the show, this character does this? In the book, this character actually has that same interaction with this other character, but then the characters come together again at this other place, and also there's this character that isn't in the show... Oh, and these characters that weren't on the show until Season 3 first appear in Book Two..."

Anyway. I really enjoyed this book and am sure I will enjoy the third in the series when I get around to it! But in the meantime, I've got a stack of books to read that's growing ever taller. And here's where you come in! I need you to add to my list.

In particular, I am currently interested in reading YA books that show the main character in therapy—individual or group. I recently read Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets (thoughts on that book HERE) and I have picked up the first two Ruby Oliver books by E. Lockhart. I want to see more examples of teens interacting with a therapist, so if you know of one I must check out, please tell me in the comments!

I also want to read YA books about teens at camp. I'll take any camp books, fun or serious (or both!), but I'd especially love to read about camps that are not your typical summer camp. For instance, I've picked up The Miseducation of Cameron Post and am eager to see how the book's "gay re-education camp" works. Got any other recommendations?

Why am I looking for therapy books and camp books? Let's just say it has to do with a book idea I'm hashing out, and leave it at that. :)

Happy Friday to all!

~Kathryn

Expecting the Unexpected

Hi, folks. First and foremost, a friendly reminder: Back up your computer! Do it now! Seriously. I'll wait.

All done? Good.

So yeah. My computer crashed on Wednesday. And the Apple Geniuses had to wipe my data and restore factory settings. I wasn't too panicky in the moment, because I was sure we'd backed up my computer fairly recently. In fact, I remembered plugging in the external hard drive this past weekend. But then I got home, restored the last backup, and discovered that I'd lost everything since February 1. Needless to say, that was a LOT of stuff. The good news first: I had a version of my current work-in-progress on a zip drive that was only a week out of date, so I lost a grand total of 1500 words. And my agent had the most recent version of my book deal book, THE CREATION OF HALLELUJAH CALHOUN, so she emailed that back to me. The bad news: I still lost a lot of stuff.

Like many writers, I'm a bit of a packrat. Now that the world is pretty much digital, I have become a digital packrat. But I'm an organized one! I have folders and files for so many things. I keep all of the backup materials for my freelance work—research and notes and interview transcripts. I save multiple drafts of the books I'm writing, just in case I want to look back at that old version of whatever it is at some point in the future. I keep various sticky notes on my computer desktop with bits of information I want to have close at hand: book ideas, revision notes, travel itineraries, even songs that remind me of my book in case I ever want to make a playlist in the future.

And now much of that from the past few months is gone. I have final article drafts (because I submitted them via email), but no interviews or research materials. I have the most recent draft of HALLELUJAH, but I lost a complete set of revisions and notes before that final draft, which I worked on during February and March. My desktop sticky notes are no more. And yes, it could be MUCH worse. I'm supremely thankful that I didn't lose anything devastating. I have my new book draft, and I have HALLELUJAH ready when my editor sends my revision letter, and I didn't actually lose any current work projects. But still.

So that's my PSA for the week, in lieu of a new Friday Reads post (as I am still reading—and loving—A Clash of Kings). Back up your files! Don't make the mistake I made of assuming you've done it recently. Learn from my frustration!

On the bright side, it's otherwise been a pretty good week. Dance class and rehearsal, yoga, writing, watching junk TV (SharkNado, anyone?), and trying to stay out of the heat wave. This weekend, Justin and I are so excited to have our six-year-old nephew, Max, staying with us from tomorrow evening to Monday morning. We have fun Brooklyn plans... And our California trip (SCBWI LA for me, and then a drive up the coast to San Francisco with Justin) is only a few weeks away! More on that soon...

Stay cool! (And plug in your backup drive. Do it.)

~Kathryn :)

Friday Reads: "I Hunt Killers" by Barry Lyga

This is kind of cheating, because I actually read Barry Lyga's YA thriller I Hunt Killers two weeks ago. However, I'm currently only about halfway through George R. R. Martin's A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, book two), and thus I don't have much to say about that book today (other than that I'm enjoying it!). Besides—I just did a Game of Thrones post fairly recently. No need for another one. Yet... So I'm backtracking to a book I loved and haven't written about yet!

I Hunt Killers is about a boy, Jazz (nickname for Jasper), who is the son of the country's most famous and horrifying serial killer, Billy Dent. Jazz was raised by Billy after his mom left when he was young (or did she?), and "Dear Old Dad" basically imparted all of his rules for being a killer to his young son. Needless to say, it was a traumatic childhood. Billy was caught and arrested when Jazz was 12, and since then Jazz has lived with his senile, racist, angry grandmother. (Since the alternative is foster care or a group home, Jazz actually stays with his horrible grandmother by choice.)

Jazz has been trying to learn how to live a normal life. He has a girlfriend, Connie, and a best friend, Howie. He's trying to do well in school. But his father is a shadow that looms over him. Jazz is terrified that serial killing runs in the family, that one day he'll snap and pick up where Billy left off. He's never sure if the emotions he's feeling—affection, friendship, fear, sorrow—are real, or if they're something his father taught him how to fake in order to fit in. And since no one at school really can understand the world Jazz grew up in, the things he was forced to see and do, he is set apart, and he does have to fake certain emotions to get by.

Then a body is found in his small town. Jazz is sure the killer isn't done, and he takes it upon himself to solve the crime. He's sure he is just as qualified to handle the job, thanks to his upbringing, as the police are. As he becomes more and more obsessed with stopping the new killer, Jazz realizes that it isn't just about saving lives—he also has to prove to himself and everyone else that he is NOT his father.

I went through a major mystery novel phase in high school. I wasn't very discriminating, reading everything from so-called "cozy" mysteries (mystery-solving cats, mystery-solving pastry chefs, mystery-solving quilters, etc.) to the dark, scary, gory, and sometimes creepily sexy realm occupied by Patricia Cornwell and the like. I sped through series, setting one book down only to immediately start the next one. Some of them—especially read one after the next—were pretty formulaic. A few gave me nightmares. But I loved them.

I Hunt Killers reminded me of that period in my reading life. This book was creepy and scary. The mystery was plotted brilliantly—so much so that I don't want to give any more details away, for fear of spoiling the experience. But I Hunt Killers is also something new, a murder mystery written from the point of view of a killer's child—the collateral damage of a life of horrifying crime. My husband and I watch "Dexter" (no spoilers for seasons 7 or 8, please!), and Lyga has written a twist on the serial killer genre that is just as fascinating. I can't wait to pick up the second book in the series, Game, which just came out in hardcover!

If you like mysteries, check out this fascinating glimpse into the head of a boy who has all the tools he needs to become a killer—and who desperately wants to avoid doing just that.

~Kathryn

Summer Writing (aka: The Second First Draft)

I have been having so much fun writing lately! I am chugging along on my new novel-in-progress, keeping myself busy and productive until I get my revision letter for THE CREATION OF HALLELUJAH CALHOUN. And after getting off to a sputtering start, I am now really happy with this new project, which is exciting. I just passed 28,000 words, so I'm about halfway through my first draft! Part of my spurt of productivity is that now that I've found my groove with this story, I can't seem to get the scenes down fast enough. Another element at play is that I want to have as much of a first draft done as I can before I shift focus to revise HALLELUJAH with my editor, so that when I've finished working on HALLELUJAH in a few months, this new book will be ready for me to jump back in. And I have to give some credit to my wonderful Write Night friends, who have banded together to do our own version of Camp NaNoWriMo this month, which includes digital s'mores, '80s music, and a LOT of encouragement for each other's various writing and revising goals.

If you're a regular blog reader, you might remember me posting about my first-draft blues back in early May. The funny thing is, I've completely reworked the plot of the book since then—and I'm pretty sure in retrospect that the main reason I was having trouble launching into that first draft is that I knew on some level, deep in my gut, the plot and voice weren't quite right. I actually got 30,000 words into that version, all the while feeling that it wasn't working yet but if I could just keep going, I'd figure it out. It took a well-timed comment from my agent, after I sent her some sample chapters, for me to set that version aside and move in a different direction.

So that synopsis of the book in that post from May? Thrown out the window. I'm still working on a book about a teen ballet dancer with body image issues, but it's pretty much completely different. And I am so excited about it, I can't stand it. Yesterday, in the shower, I finally figured out what one of the climactic scenes will be, and I skipped ahead and started writing that this morning. It was the final puzzle piece that I needed, at least for the first draft. (Of course, during revisions many, many more puzzle pieces will appear. I feel like the first draft is one of those kiddie puzzles with the big wooden pieces that can obviously only fit in one spot. Revising is like suddenly shifting to a puzzle with several hundred pieces, and it's a picture of nature where for a while you're just looking at lots and lots of leaves...)

And I'm going to be a tease now and NOT tell you the new direction for the book! One, because I want to keep it under wraps a little longer, and two, because I shared my first vision for this new book and that...didn't work out so well. Until I share the new idea with my agent and get feedback from some writer friends, there's still that lingering worry that maybe I've gone off on another tangent... Such is the life of a writer!

Anyone else first-drafting out there? Have you ever scrapped half a draft after having to admit that it wasn't panning out? Did you rework the same idea, or start something completely new? Inquiring (first-drafting) minds want to know!

~Kathryn

Happy Six-Month Blog Birthday to Me!

July is here! That means it's really hot outside, and I pretty much start sweating the moment I step outside. But that's not all it means. My blog is officially six months old! It's rolling over. It's grabbing its toes. It eats solid foods sometimes. It's smiling and giggling and ... enough with the baby metaphor. Basically, I feel like I've met my first big blog milestone. I started in January with great intentions, and making it to July feels like I've actually done what I set out to do. Yay me! Ha. :)

I've had a crazy busy few weeks, and I don't really expect things to slow down over the next couple of months. I'll be getting my first editorial letter sometime soon, so I'll be back to revising THE CREATION OF HALLELUJAH CALHOUN. I'm finishing up some freelance projects I was assigned before the book deal fell into place. I'm rehearsing for my performance with Becky Radway Dance Projects in October. It's all good stuff, and I'm excited about all of it, but that doesn't mean I won't cherish every bit of downtime I can find.

Starting with this coming holiday weekend. Justin and I are flying to Nashville tomorrow night to see my family (including my ADORABLE nephew, who is also turning six months old this month!). We plan to relax, soak up some southern sunshine, and eat lots and lots of delicious southern food. We also have a few awesome things to celebrate: my mom's birthday, my brother having completed his first year of medical residency, my sister's teaching contract being renewed, and of course, my book deal. Some things don't feel official until you celebrate them with family and friends, and I can't wait to see everyone.

Because of the long weekend—and thus the short work-week this week—I'm keeping today's post short. But I couldn't let the start of July slip by without mention! Thanks to all of you who've been reading from the beginning, and to those of you I've picked up along the way. It's nice to feel like there are some people out there who are interested in my ramblings! I hope the second half of the year just keeps getting better and better.

Happy 4th of July! Hope you have all the fireworks and barbecue (or peace and quiet and rest) you're dreaming of. :)

~Kathryn

Friday Reads: Catching Up!

It's been (gasp!) several weeks since I posted a Friday Reads, so I have a lot of catching up to do! And I've read a lot of great books in that time. So rather than write in depth about one book, I'm going to do a quick roundup of awesome things I've read lately. Ready? First up, I read all three Infernal Devices books by Cassandra Clare. This series is the companion series to the Mortal Instruments books, which I blogged about HERE. I actually read the first Infernal Devices book, Clockwork Angel, more than a year ago, before reading any of the Mortal Instruments books, which was a mistake. At the time, I didn't love it—and I think that's mostly because I didn't understand the world Clare had set up as well as I could have had I read the Mortal Instruments books first (that series started first). But anyway—I picked up Clockwork Angel again, ready to give it another try...and got completely sucked in. So sucked in that the day I finished it, I squeezed a visit to The Strand into my schedule so I could buy the next two in the trilogy, Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess.

The Infernal Devices series is set in Victorian London, and one of the things I loved about it was that the whole magic element includes automatons (the "infernal devices" of the series' title). The danger felt all the more terrifying because these characters had seen just about every kind of demon and monster imaginable—but now they're fighting machines the likes of which they could never have imagined, given the technology of the day. The romance, meanwhile—ignoring the slightly frustrating love triangle that only redeemed itself fully at the VERY end of Book 3—was steamy and dramatic despite the constraints of the Victorian Age. And it was great to see all the ways in which these prequels tie in to the modern-day series.

Two thumbs up! (But read The Mortal Instruments books first!)

After that, in the mood for something pretty different, I picked up Melissa Walker's Small Town Sinners. This book is YA contemporary set in a conservative Christian community, and the action centers around a Hell House—an evangelical version of a haunted house showcasing various sins along the road to hell. The narrator, Lacey Anne, is a good girl who finds herself falling for a new boy in town—a boy her parents don't approve of. At the same time, events are leading her to question some of the truths she's been raised to believe, and she's wondering what her faith means in the face of truly difficult circumstances. And one of the things I loved about this book was that Walker let Lacey Anne ask those questions without preaching, on the one hand, and without condemning faith, on the other.

I've been interested to read this book for a while now, in part because my debut novel, The Creation of Hallelujah Calhoun, is set in a southern Christian world. Though the plot is very different, my characters grapple with some of the same issues that Lacey Anne finds herself struggling with. I wanted to see how another author handled setting her story in that world, complete with youth group drama, adults who don't "get it," and the occasional prayer. That said, I didn't want to read Small Town Sinners until I'd figured out the story I wanted to tell in my own book, so I waited to buy it until a few weeks ago. I went to an event at Powerhouse on 8th bookstore in Park Slope featuring Walker, Barry Lyga, and Michael Northrop, and ended up buying lots of things—and getting Walker to sign my copy:

Two thumbs up, again!

After finishing that book, I picked up Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans. I'd heard great things about this book, and it was on my to-read list, so imagine my excitement when during my meeting with my editor at HarperCollins, Alexandra Cooper, she handed me a copy from her stash! Level 2—soon to be retitled The Memory of After—is about Felicia, who died and has found herself in a sterile white version of the afterlife where everyone plugs into a network to view and relive their memories of life. Her routine is blown to pieces when one of her few friends in this strange place goes missing—and no one else remembers she existed. Then she is "rescued" by a boy from her past, a boy she thought she'd never see again...

To say much else about the plot would be giving too much away! I have to say that this book surprised me several times, both in the world that Appelhans created and in how events played out. The characters Felicia meets in the afterlife are all fascinating mysteries, while the characters in Felicia's former life, who we meet through her memories as she watches them on the 'net, feel real and difficult and sympathetic and flawed. And unbeknownst to me until Alex handed me the book, a lot of Level 2's flashback action takes place in church youth group settings—another chance for me to see how another writer tackled this world and its beliefs in a compelling way.

Another two thumbs up!

Finally, I just finished another recommendation and gift from my editor Alex, Morgan Matson's Second Chance Summer. This book was already on my radar—Matson is a New School MFA grad, and I loved her debut, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour—so I was pretty sure I was going to love this one when I got around to reading it. And I completely did! Even though I cried and cried at the end, and then wanted to go hug my dad (and my mom, and my husband, and my siblings...).

Second Chance Summer is about Taylor, whose father has just been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. There's nothing the doctors can do other than try to make him comfortable, and so the family returns to the lake house where they used to spend every summer—until five years ago, when life started getting in the way. They'll have one last summer together as a family. But upon returning to Lake Phoenix, Taylor discovers that it's not so easy to pick up where she left off. Her childhood best friend Lucy won't speak to her, while Henry, the boy she shared her first kiss with (and maybe still cares for), is chilly, at best. As her father gets sicker, Taylor has to face up to her tendency to run away when things get tough and learn how to seek support through hard times, rather than pushing it away. Even though you know from the start where the book is headed, at least in terms of Taylor's father, it's a beautifully written, heartwrenching, powerful read.

Two more enthusiastic thumbs up! (But bring the Kleenex...)

That catches you all up on my reading habits, which is a good thing because my thumbs are getting tired!

What are you reading? Any recommendations? With some travel on the horizon, I'm always looking for the next great read...

~Kathryn

From Coney Island to the Bronx Zoo—in Pictures

The blog is back, after a week off! I just couldn't bear to move "Announcing...My Book Deal!!!" away from the top slot. But after the weekend I just had, I knew my blog hiatus was over. I have to share pictures from one of the most epic NYC Adventure Weekends my husband and I have had in a while. (Also, one of the first completely work-free weekends I've had in far too long!) So prepare yourself: Pictures Ahead! On Saturday, Justin and I went down to Coney Island to check out the Mermaid Parade. I've wanted to go for years, and this year the timing actually worked out. We were prepared for crazy costumes and crowds, and we weren't disappointed! We got there early to snag a prime spot. I slathered myself in sunscreen. And then we proceeded to have a great time. The pictures below are only a fraction of what I took, and a fraction of the awesomeness we saw! But you'll get a taste:

When we were all paraded out, Justin and I rode rides at Luna Park and walked on the beach. This was Justin's first visit to Coney Island, so I wanted to make sure he got the total experience! The only things we missed were the Cyclone (couldn't get there around the parade crowds) and Nathan's Hot Dogs (the line was so long, and we were so hungry...). But since Coney Island is only a subway ride away, I'm sure we'll be back.

On Sunday, we joined some friends for a trip to the Bronx Zoo. I didn't take nearly as many pictures—the Mermaid Parade's costumes were, let's face it, a lot more exciting than some of the hot, sleeping animals—but we still had a blast. I love going to the zoo! Here are a few highlights from the day:

Justin and I will be out of town the next two weekends, so it was great to spend a full weekend enjoying some of the awesome events and attractions NYC has to offer! Meanwhile, as I write this post, I am enjoying the couch and the air conditioning. :)

~Kathryn

Announcing...My Book Deal!!!

About a year and a half ago, I had an idea for a book. About 13 months ago, I wrote the first words of the first draft of that book. Three drafts (and many, many query letter revisions) later, I was offered literary representation by the amazing Alyssa Eisner Henkin, who has been nothing less than the best agent I could have asked for. And about a month and a half ago, my book went out on submission to editors at various publishing houses. Now...

I am so excited to announce that my debut novel, THE CREATION OF HALLELUJAH CALHOUN, has been acquired by HarperCollins! And sometime soon (most likely early 2015), my book will be on the shelves in bookstores across the country (and on digital platforms) for everyone to read!

As you might imagine, I am over-the-moon excited. This is something I've been dreaming about and working toward for years. I'm so proud of this book and I can't wait to find out what my editor, Alexandra Cooper, has in mind to make it even better. I know there is more work ahead, but I am so ready to tackle it—and to eventually share this book with all of you. Yay!!!

But first, some thank-yous:

Thanks to my family, who always believed I could do this and who have supported me along the journey. Thanks especially to my wonderful, smart, sweet, kind husband, who is always willing to be a sounding board and a cheerleader and a shoulder to cry on, and who is easily as excited about this big next step as I am. Thanks to all of the friends and friends of friends who have listened to me talk about writing for years, and who have encouraged me to keep at it. Thanks to every single person who read HALLELUJAH in draft form and offered thoughts; you helped shape the book in so many ways. Thank you ALL for listening, for commenting, for caring, for critiquing, and for understanding when I can't do social things because I have to write. And finally, my heartfelt thanks to Alyssa and Alexandra, for believing in me and my manuscript and for helping guide me to this exciting moment. I couldn't have done it without any of you.

I am truly lucky.

THE CREATION OF HALLELUJAH CALHOUN is about a 16-year-old girl who gets lost in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, along with two other teens. Even as they're fighting to survive in the mountains with no supplies, Hallie is fighting to overcome her own personal issues—in particular, the fallout from a lie told about her by a popular, cruel boy about something that happened between them a year ago. Hallie has to find her voice and her strength—and let go of her past—if she wants to make it home alive.

I can't wait to give you more details about the book! In the meantime, please enjoy this gif of Lucille Bluth from "Arrested Development"—and imagine me doing this:

~Kathryn

A Perfect Day for a Big Apple BBQ

On Saturday, Justin and I went with two friends to the Big Apple BBQ Block Party, which takes place each summer in Madison Square Park. (I wrote a little more about it HERE.) We brought our appetites, our sunscreen, and our FastPass to skip the longest lines. The sun was shining, it was warm but not too hot, and we even landed prime park benches to enjoy our spoils. We were prepared to pig out. And pig out we did! The Big Apple BBQ is one of my favorite summer events. I've gone six times since I moved to the city—by myself, with friends and roommates, and with my husband. Almost every time, I've gotten a pulled pork sandwich from Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, which is based in Decatur, AL. (The one year we didn't get Big Bob Gibson's pulled pork was because they had so many customers that day they ran out of pork. Seriously!)

My family grew up on Big Bob Gibson's. My dad (an Alabama native) ate there all the time as a child, and talks about the original owner, Big Bob Gibson himself, who'd give the kids bubble gum as they went out the door. When I was growing up, we'd eat at Big Bob Gibson's when we drove down from Tennessee to Decatur to visit my dad's mom. If we could, we'd take her out to lunch and have barbecue and slaw and lemon icebox pie. My brother had Big Bob Gibson's pulled pork at his wedding reception, and I imported several cases of their Championship Red Sauce (which is AMAZING) up to Brooklyn for my wedding (which had pulled pork on the menu). So the first time I saw the chance to eat this incredible barbecue, a connection to my childhood and to my dad's childhood, in the middle of Manhattan, I jumped on it. And I've tried to take advantage of the opportunity every year since.

Because we had the FastPass on Saturday, we sampled a few other BBQ restaurants in addition to Big Bob Gibson's. We had pulled pork from Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville (which was excellent) and St. Louis-style ribs from Memphis Barbecue Co. in northern Mississippi (also excellent). If you're ever interested in tasting some of the best barbecue the country has to offer without leaving NYC, keep your eye out for the Big Apple BBQ next year!

And now, the photos:

Is your mouth watering yet? Do you have a favorite barbecue joint in NYC—or in the country? Do tell! As a barbecue lover for life, I'm all ears. :)

~Kathryn

Friday Reads: "Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets" by Evan Roskos

This week, I'm so happy I read Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos. I'd heard a lot of buzz about this book online—several people I follow on Twitter have reviewed it and/or interviewed Roskos about it—and so I picked it up on my last trip to Barnes & Noble. This debut YA novel is unique, heartfelt, heartrending, and honest. It has a teen boy voice I haven't read before and a bittersweet ending that left me both wanting more and completely satisfied with how everything did (or didn't) resolve. I highly recommend this one!

So what's it about?

Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets is about a boy, James Whitman, who loves Walt Whitman. A boy who sings his very own barbaric Yawp! each morning. A boy who hugs trees and writes poetry. A boy who struggles with depression and anxiety. A boy who has imagined a pigeon therapist named Dr. Bird—and has talked to her for months. When the story starts, James is reeling from recent family drama that resulted in his sister, Jorie, being kicked out of the house by his abusive parents. He's trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to put his broken family back together. To hold his fracturing self together. In short, James is having a rough time. But with help from his best friend, Derek, a new friend/crush, Beth, an actual, real-live therapist, and even Dr. Bird, James might be able to find the strength he needs to keep going.

There were many things I loved about this book. James is a fascinating character. He jumps from narrating his life like your average teenage boy (if there is such a thing) to speaking/thinking in Walt Whitman-esque odes—to himself, to the people in his life, to the natural world. He literally does wake up in the morning with a loud Yawp! (Partly to get himself amped up for the day, and partly because he knows it irritates his father...) He is thoughtful and kind and sad and hopeful and angry and funny, all at the same time. It was a pleasure to spend time with him, even as my heart twisted and hurt for what he was going through. I wanted James to succeed, even as I was pretty sure he wasn't heading in the right direction and that he wouldn't get the answers and the absolution he craved.

A lot of the joy of this book is in seeing it unfold, so I don't want to say much more about the plot. But I will say this: an imaginary pigeon therapist named Dr. Bird! Who coos and cocks her head and gets her feathers ruffled and uses her beak to groom herself, all while dispensing sage advice! Genius.

Definitely check this one out!

~Kathryn

To Read or Not to Read? (the book of the movie/TV show, that is...)

I've been thinking about this topic A LOT since Sunday night. On Sunday, for those of you who aren't in the know, "Game of Thrones" blew our collective minds with a major plot development (which I won't spoil too much here for reasons delineated later in this very post!). As a writer who understands foreshadowing, and as a person who has read books and watched TV and movies before, I was expecting something bad to happen—but what did happen shot my expectations out of the water. My husband and I actually watched the scene in question with jaws dropped, hands over our mouths—the kind of physical reaction to something shocking that almost looks fake, but is all too real. (If you've seen Sunday's "GoT" episode, look up the reaction videos on YouTube to see examples of the gasping, open-mouthed stares, and yes, cursing that this scene caused.) I dreamed about this scene on Sunday night. I woke myself up thinking about it. Now that I've recovered somewhat, and have seen everyone else's responses online, one of the most interesting things about this whole experience is that I managed to make it to that shocking scene completely unspoiled. Why is that interesting? The book that this season of "GoT" is based on came out in 2000. That's 13 years ago. And these books aren't exactly under the radar. I consciously avoid spoilers, but I've been burned before by people who couldn't wait to post their knowledge of "shocking" TV twists on Facebook. And yet, for this one big event—possibly the biggest shock in George R. R. Martin's entire Song of Ice and Fire series—it was like the people with foreknowledge simply agreed to let us non-readers find out as it happened. (And then film our reactions as their reward...)

That's pretty freakin' cool, if you ask me. The idea that people generally seemed to feel that the non-book-readers deserved to experience the same shock and awe and horror while watching that the book-readers experienced when they read the scene. The idea that some things are just too important to post spoilers all over the Internet. (Which is why I am not posting spoilers for this event here—in case there are any of you left who haven't watched and want to experience it, ahem, Unsullied!)

I usually like to read the source material first, before the movie comes out or the TV show hits it big. I like seeing how my favorite characters and scenes will be interpreted on film. I even kind of like griping that "the book was better." I started watching "Game of Thrones" mid-season-one, and didn't want to read as I watched, but read Book One between seasons one and two of the TV series. And then I stopped. While I enjoyed getting the backstory filled in, seeing the depth of George R. R. Martin's vision of the world he'd created, and even noting the things that had been changed from book to show, I wasn't in a hurry to read Book Two. In fact, it's sitting on my desk behind my computer as I type this blog post. I'll get to it. I will. But season three of the show has been so surprising, and I have been so enjoying not knowing what's coming next, that I think I'd rather stay behind on the books. At least for now.

But enough about me. (And enough about George R. R. Martin!) Do you read books before their movie/TV show comes out? Do you like spoilers? Or do you prefer to be surprised, even knowing that apparently everyone around you knows what's coming?

~Kathryn

Friday Reads: "Notes from Ghost Town" by Kate Ellison

This book was yet another pleasant surprise—I'm kind of on a roll picking up books I haven't heard much about and enjoying them! I saw Kate Ellison speak on the same panel at Books of Wonder that featured my friend Lauren Morrill and Starstruck author Rachel Shukert (more on that book here). I was intrigued by Ellison's description of her book Notes From Ghost Town—intrigued enough to buy it that day! And I wasn't disappointed.  Notes From Ghost Town is the story of 16-year-old artist Olivia, whose world is shattered when her best friend (and fledgling crush) Lucas Stern is killed—and her mom is accused of his murder. Her mom is schizophrenic, and was found by Stern's body covered in his blood. Ten months later, Olivia is barely holding it together as her mom's trial grows nearer and her father is getting ready to marry his new girlfriend. Then she starts seeing Stern's ghost. The kicker: he tells her her mom is innocent.

This book is part classic mystery, with Olivia unraveling what really happened to her best friend and who was really responsible. It's part love story, both Olivia's with Stern, which was cut tragically short, and Olivia's with Austin, a boy she's only starting to get to know, but who makes her feel alive and hopeful again for the first time in months. The book is also a fascinating story about mental health. The day she kissed Stern for the first time—the last time she saw him alive—Olivia went colorblind. She's seen eye doctors who say nothing is physically wrong with her eyes. When she starts seeing Stern's ghost, she becomes convinced that that, combined with her colorblindness, means she's developing schizophrenia. After all, it's genetic, and her mom was a teen when her symptoms showed up. Throughout the book, Olivia battles with the idea of being "crazy," even as she acts in increasingly irrational (at least from the outside perspective) ways. I was fascinated by the idea of a grieving character with mental illness in her immediate family suddenly seeing a ghost, and I wasn't let down by how the story played out. (And I won't spoil anything further for you!)

Another thumbs-up recommendation from me! I hope my good luck with books keeps up. Anyone else reading awesome things right now? :)

~Kathryn

Walking Through Lower Manhattan on a Rainy Day

On Saturday, my husband and I took a walking tour of Lower Manhattan led by a New School acquaintance of mine, Suzanne Reisman. Suzanne graduated from the New School's nonfiction MFA when I was in Writing for Children. What I didn't realize until we were almost done with the program is that she'd also written an NYC guidebook, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track, that I'd given to my husband (then my boyfriend of only a few months!) as a birthday gift in 2009. It felt like a small world indeed when I made that connection! Because my husband and I had both enjoyed Off the Beaten (Subway) Track, when Suzanne posted on Facebook that she wanted to lead a walking tour, I responded "yes" immediately. And I'm so glad I did! Although it was a pretty lousy day to be outside—unseasonably chilly, drizzly, and very windy—the tour was informative and fun. We started off at the South Ferry subway station, worked our way through Battery Park, headed up Broadway past the Charging Bull statue, went across Wall Street, and then headed back south to finish at Fraunces Tavern. Along the way, I picked up some interesting factoids:

• Aaron Burr (longtime NYC resident) did not have to immediately resign as Vice President of the United States after he killed Alexander Hamilton in their famous duel.
• Burr's ghost is one of the most widespread, um, haunters in the city (not to mention that he's been spotted in Pennsylvania!). In Battery Park, he supposedly haunts the pier area, waiting for his daughter—she was lost at sea en route to New York in 1813.
• The famous Wall Street Charging Bull statue was originally a piece of guerrilla art, installed by the artist (without a commission from the city) in front of the New York Stock Exchange in 1989. The police actually impounded it, but public outcry led to the sculpture's official installation in its current home.
• The wrought-iron fence around Bowling Green park used to have crowns atop every fence post. After the Declaration of Independence was read in 1776, the Sons of Liberty knocked off every crown on the fence, melted down the iron, created musket balls, and sent them to General Washington.
• Fraunces Tavern is Manhattan's oldest surviving building. In its museum, you can see a piece of George Washington's tooth and a lock of his hair.
• Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch was so insistent upon being buried on the island of Manhattan that he had a plot in Trinity Cemetery (the one in Washington Heights) consecrated as a Jewish burial ground, just for him.

Despite the gray day, I took some photos:

It was fun to get reminders of the earliest days of New York City and to see how the area has changed, or hasn't, in the centuries since. Yay for walking tours! Oh, and if you want to check out more fun, weird, random attractions, museums, and historical sites in the five boroughs, check out Suzanne's book, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track!

Hopefully I'll have more fun around-NYC photo posts in the coming months! For now... hope you're enjoying some much-needed sunshine, too.

~Kathryn

Friday Reads: "Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi

Happy Rainy Friday! 

First of all, apologies for missing my usual Tuesday post. I was a bit sickly, but now am feeling much better. Fingers crossed for a full-blown cold averted! 

Secondly, I DID manage to finish Ken Follett's gigantic Winter of the World since last week. It definitely lived up to my expectations—as a history recap, as well as being an engrossing read. Two nights ago, when I was turning the last few pages and thinking, "Oh, right, that's what led to the Berlin Wall being built!" I was really glad all over again to have picked up Follett's book. That said, my back and shoulders thank me for having finished it. It was a beast to carry around. :) 

I immediately moved on to my next read: Tahereh Mafi's (slim, paperback) YA debut, Shatter Me. I grabbed it thinking it would be a nice palate-cleanser after a heavy historical epic, and was really pleasantly surprised to dive into a beautifully written, engrossing, and touching post- (or rather mid-) apocalyptic story. The brief plot summary: Juliette is in isolation in a mental institution. There's something wrong with her: she can kill people by touching them. In fact, she has, and although it was an accident, it caused her parents to officially give her up as a "monster," and the authorities to run tests on her and, eventually, dump her in this horrible place. At the start of the book, she hasn't talked to another person in 264 days. 

The fragmented, pain-filled, beautiful narration at the start of the book drew me in right away. I haven't read much else like it. Juliette thinks in stops and starts, in run-on sentences, in breaths and gasps. Mafi crosses out some of the narration, showing Juliette's denial and terror on the page. You only find out why she's locked up slowly—and, frankly, I was initially not sure whether her ordeal had in fact turned her a little insane. She seems desperate and just not quite all there. And no wonder, given everything she's been through. 

And then, on day 265, she's given a new cellmate. Adam. A boy she went to school with, back when she went to school. A boy who doesn't seem to remember her. (Or does he?) Just as she's getting used to his presence, they're both pulled out of confinement and brought to a young, hard, military leader named Warner. Warner wants to use Juliette's "gift" for torture. For control. And so the story begins... 

I don't want to go too much further into the plot because a lot of what makes Shatter Me effective is that Juliette literally doesn't trust anyone. She's never had a true friend. She doesn't know what hope feels like. So, as people are revealed to be trustworthy, and then untrustworthy, and then maybe trustworthy again, the reader (because we're in Juliette's head the whole time) is as off balance as she is. I will say that what I found really original and unsettling about the first half of the book kind of evened out as the story moved on, becoming a more mainstream YA apocalyptic fantasy romance thriller. (Yes, I said "mainstream YA apocalyptic fantasy romance thriller"...) By the end, it had gone to a place I can only describe as "X-Men." I'm not quite sure if that's where I wanted it to go.

BUT I really enjoyed Shatter Me, and am eager to pick up the sequel, Unravel Me. Mafi is a very skilled writer. Her sensory descriptions of Juliette being touched, after a lifetime of being deprived of skin-to-skin contact, are stunning. The characters feel pretty three-dimensional—even the villain, Warner, who is clearly not quite as heartless as he seems on the outside. And the love story, while of the "zero-to-sixty, I've loved you FOREVER" variety, is really touching and powerful. I have some B&N gift cards to burn, and I think Unravel Me is at the top of the list! 

What is everyone else reading today? Anything I should pick up? 

~Kathryn 

Friday Reads: "Winter of the World" by Ken Follett

Today's Friday Reads is going to be short and sweet, for two reasons. One, my husband and I are heading out of town this weekend to visit family, and I have a LOT to do before heading to Penn Station. And two, I am not remotely done with this book. Why is that, when I usually read a book or two or even three a week? Well, this one is... 940 pages long. Seriously. It's a doorstop:

Winter of the World is the second book in Ken Follett's Century Trilogy, which is basically a massive historical epic tracing world events through the 20th century. Book one, Fall of Giants, which I read about a year ago, followed the events leading up to, during, and after World War I, as lived by characters in England, the US, Germany, Russia, and elsewhere in the world. This second book starts at the end of the Great Depression and is moving rapidly toward World War II. Where I am now, Hitler has come to power and Socialists and Fascists are clashing all around the world.

This book is populated with the next generation of the families we met in the first book. After following the twists and turns of the first generation's lives, it's interesting to see their kids as teenagers about to make their parents' mistakes all over again. For instance, the generation that fought in World War I is trying to tell their kids not to fight Fascism with violence, but are the kids listening? (Spoiler alert: Not really.) They're about to hurtle headlong into World War II, and I can't wait to see how everything plays out. (For the individual characters—obviously I know how World War II plays out!) 

I got this book for Christmas from my parents, after having gotten the last one for Christmas 2011, but it took me five months to pick it up just because it's so big. This isn't light subway reading! But after last week's foray into historical fiction with Starstruck, I was ready to dive in. And 200 pages in, I'm remembering why I enjoyed the first one. Ken Follett is a master of showing some of the grandest periods in history through the eyes of a group of individuals, making those epic and powerful and devastating events feel intimate. (I've also read his Pillars of the Earth, set in the Middle Ages and following the building of a cathedral.) In these 20th century books, he juggles a global cast of characters and manages to show how the changing political scene the world over affects people of various classes and cultures on a personal level. 

So—characters you grow to care about (or despise!), along with an in-depth refresher course on 20th Century World History? Count me in. If you're a nerd like me, you'll probably like Winter of the World, too (but read Fall of Giants first!). 

And there's suspense involved: Will I finish 700 more dense pages in time to write about something else next Friday? I do have two train rides ahead of me this weekend, which will help... 

See? Like I said up top. Short and sweet. Until next week... 

~Kathryn 

It's Time to Dance!

Yesterday, I went to my first rehearsal for a new dance project! My super-talented friend Becky Radway is putting on a show in October, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. I went to college with Becky, and have performed with her in NYC several times. For every show, she creates work that is new and different from her previous pieces, without losing sight of her signature movement style. I really enjoy working with her and am really excited to see what this show will become. More updates as we get further into the rehearsal process! Regardless of whose choreography I'm dancing, I love being in rehearsal. Even though I work hard in class to improve my technique and expand my artistry, it's the rehearsal setting (and then, later, performance) where all of that gets put into practice. A lot of the choreographers I work with—Becky included—get input and inspiration from their dancers. Yesterday, Becky gave us a series of prompts and asked us to come up with a movement phrase that traveled across the floor, based on whatever those prompts brought up in our minds and bodies. As we go on to refine those movement phrases—and believe me, like any first draft, the phrase I made yesterday needs refinement!—Becky will shape what each of us created into a cohesive part of the overall piece.

I love working like this, being given an idea or a challenge and coming up with movement that meets the criteria while showing my voice and my style. It appeals to my writer/problem-solving side. It reminds me of doing writing prompts as a way to jump-start a fiction-writing session. Sometimes you come up with something truly fabulous on the first try. Those are the best days. But other times, all you can glean from the whole mess you made up are a few small, choice movements (or sentences, as the case may be). As I write this post, I'm still going over the movement phrase I made up, thinking about what moments I like and want to keep and what probably needs to be discarded. I can't wait to get back in the studio and make it even better.

In other dance news, my summer favorite So You Think You Can Dance starts tonight! I unabashedly love this show. Plus, I've been lucky enough to interview and write about the winners of the past two seasons for Dance Spirit magazine. (Read about Season 8 winner Melanie Moore HERE and Season 9 winners Eliana Girard and Chehon Wespi-Tschopp HERE and HERE!) I can't wait to see what this season brings, and what future dance stars we'll meet for the first time.

I'll end this dance-centric post with a video from another awesome dance show, Bunheads. Per the title of this post: It's Time to Dance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0xHmu-jRks

~Kathryn :)

Friday Reads: "Starstruck" by Rachel Shukert

This is an interesting Friday Reads, because this book totally took me by surprise. I hadn't heard anything about it before the day I bought it. I probably wouldn't have picked it up in a bookstore on my own, based on the cover. (Not that it's a bad cover... it just doesn't quite sell the book for me. More on that later.) But I went to a YA panel at Books of Wonder a few weeks ago, primarily because my friend Lauren Morrill (author of the fabulous Meant to Be!) was on it, and Rachel Shukert was one of the other authors. Her first YA novel, Starstruck, sounded like fun, so I bought it that day—along with several others from the panel I hadn't read.

I'm so glad I bought Starstruck! It was a fun, glamorous, gossipy, pulpy, romantic romp through the Golden Age of Hollywood, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes movie history, or historical fiction in general, or stories about teen girls in unusual and challenging situations, or just fun, interesting, well-written books.

Starstruck is about Margaret Frobisher, a movie-obsessed teen from Pasadena who dreams of being onscreen herself. And then she's discovered at Schwab's Pharmacy by a studio executive looking to replace a missing movie star. Margaret has her name changed to Margo Sterling and is transformed from a lovely society girl into a true Hollywood ingenue, complete with new clothes, a platinum dye job, and, before long, a studio-manufactured romance with a young song-and-dance star (who's hiding a secret...). The only fly in the ointment of this perfect new life? She's actually falling for the studio's leading man, Dane Forrest, who was kind to her on her first day on set (and who is hiding secrets of his own...).

The book also follows two other up-and-coming stars: Amanda Farraday, an Oklahoma girl who made her way to Hollywood to escape a horrible home life and is a redheaded knockout (I pictured a Jessica Rabbit type) (and she also has secrets she can't let anyone find out), and Gabby Preston, a former vaudeville performer who's currently doing cheesy musicals but wants to be a leading lady—and date Margo's studio-mandated fella (and who, um, secretly will take drastic steps to get what she wants). 

If it sounds like a tangled web—it is! But Shukert handles it all beautifully. In Hollywood in 1938, no one is who they seem. Stars come from all over and have new names and identities created for them by the studio. Everyone has something in their history they don't want the studio finding out, or that the studio is forcing them to keep secret for the sake of their career, or that they're keeping from the person they're starting to care about because it would jeopardize the fledgling relationship. Margo (especially when she's still Margaret) basically stands in for all movie fans: she believes everything she reads in Picture Palace and is shocked and dismayed as the curtain is pulled back and she learns the gritty details about how Hollywood really works. Of course, by the time she knows the truth, she's too far in to escape...

Shukert has packed Starstruck with characters that feel straight out of an old movie themselves, as well as references to actual stars and studios of the era, and it all comes together to create a rich, fascinating, and really fun read. Several questions/mysteries are left unsolved at the end, so I'm assuming this is the first in a series—and I'll be picking up the next one whenever it comes out! If you like old Hollywood, from the glamor to the seedy underbelly, check this one out. 

~Kathryn 

(Oh, and the cover? It's not that I dislike it, but to me it looks too contemporary. She looks like Taylor Swift sort of done up like a pin-up girl. They couldn't have found a girl who looked more period-appropriate, without sacrificing the marketing aspect of getting today's teens to want to read it?) 

Back to the Beginning

So, I've started working on a new book idea! I have my characters sketched out and I have my rough outline/synopsis. I'm working on finding the voice and the style that make this story unique. I've been playing with this new book on and off between making edits to my agented book, THE CREATION OF HALLELUJAH CALHOUN. Now, I'm officially trying to crank out a first draft. And I have to admit, I forgot how hard first-drafting is. It's not just the nuts and bolts of figuring out the plot and the characters. It's not just getting words down on the page (or screen, in my case). It's emotionally hard, transitioning from making upper-level nitpicky edits to HALLELUJAH, which I am so proud of and feel so good about, to being back in the uncertainty of a first draft. Can I possibly create something that I love as much as HALLELUJAH? Is it okay that it's different—different voice, different themes? And can I do this new topic justice? Did I only have one good book in me, after all?

After talking to some writer friends, I've confirmed that yes, pretty much everyone feels like this when starting something brand new. This mix of excitement over a shiny new idea and anxiety about not being able to pull it off. So I've been telling myself, over and over, that the only way out is through. I won't know if this new book is any good until I write a cruddy first draft and dig into revisions. I can't revise a blank page.

So, starting this week, I'm going to aim to spend at least an hour each workday adding to the word count. Pushing through the story. Figuring out who these characters truly are and how they interact with one another the best way I know how: by spending time with them. (For the record, I wish I could give myself a minimum word count to meet each day, but my freelance schedule doesn't always allow that; it's easier to schedule in an allotment of time and write however much comes out in that time...)

What's this new book about? My main character is a ballet student with the wrong body type. When she doesn't get a part she wanted in her studio's summer production—in fact, she gets what is, in her eyes, the worst role in the show—it sends her into an emotional tailspin. She's only ever wanted to be a ballet dancer, and her curvy body is standing in her way. (Well, her body and her overbearing mom...) When she ends up having to dance with a clumsy football player who signed up for ballet class because his coach said it might improve his scholarship potential, it's like adding insult to injury. But what if the two of them are actually perfect partners?

And that's all I'm going to say about that until the book is written! So much writing and tinkering to do...

Anyone else have the first-draft blues? Want to commiserate? :)

~Kathryn

Friday Reads: "Skinny" by Donna Cooner

I've had this book on my to-read list for a while now, and I finally picked it up this week. I'm so glad I did! It touched me on a few different levels, and I couldn't wait to write about it for the blog. Skinny, by Donna Cooner, is about Ever Davies, a 300-pound 15-year-old who hates being trapped inside her body. She's haunted by a vicious inner voice that she's named Skinny. Skinny has something nasty to say about just about every moment in Ever's daily life. She calls her every variation on "fat" you can think of. Tells her she'll never be popular or happy or loved. If there's a moment of good in Ever's day, Skinny is quick to skewer it. She says all of the negative things Ever is sure her classmates and family are thinking about her, every awful thing Ever believes about herself.

After a humiliating incident with a broken chair at a school assembly, Ever has had enough of being overweight. She decides to have gastric bypass surgery near the end of the school year, so she'll have the whole summer to lose weight. With her best friend Rat (real name: Ted, though no one calls him that) by her side, she makes it through the painful and traumatic recovery. She relearns how to eat. She forces herself to exercise. And the pounds drop off.

The only problem? Skinny doesn't go away.

As you can probably guess, Skinny is about how changing your appearance is fine—especially if you're benefiting your health, like Ever is—but it doesn't solve all of your problems. Ever has to learn to change on the inside, as well. Even 100 pounds lighter, Ever hears Skinny tell her how ugly she is. How she'll never look good enough. She's a talented singer, but has to conquer her terror of being in front of people (will they make fun of her?) in order to audition for the school production of Cinderella. She's had a crush on Jackson, a childhood-friend-turned-jock, for years, but is sure he'll never give her the time of day. (Never mind that her actual Prince Charming might be someone who's been there for her all along...) It's a straightforward message, but Cooner delivers it effectively by showing Ever's continued insecurities even as, on the surface, she has less and less to be insecure about.

As I said up top, I related to this book on multiple levels. For starters, a few people close to me have had gastric bypass surgery, and what Ever goes through dovetails with things that I've heard about the process, from the physical side effects to the emotional. It was interesting to see the experience through a vulnerable teen girl's eyes.

For myself, meanwhile, I related to that voice in Ever's head that tells her she's not good enough. As a teen, I trained pretty seriously at a ballet studio in my hometown, and even before puberty hit, it was pretty clear I wasn't going to be a ballerina. No matter how much I loved dance, and how much I worked to improve, I just didn't have the right shape. After several years of hearing that I needed to shed a few pounds, and losing roles due to costumes not fitting, and always seeing myself as the largest, curviest girl in a studio full of waifs, I had a Skinny of my own. She wasn't as vocal or as nasty as Ever's, but she was there, telling me that if I could just be thinner, everything would be a lot better. She didn't stay in the dance studio, either. I didn't date for a long time because I wasn't confident that the guys I liked would find me attractive, and a lot of that stemmed from how I felt about my body.

One of the things I loved about Skinny was Cooner's point (and Ever's realization, late in the book) that so many people have that voice in their head that tells them they're not good enough. For Ever, it's about her weight. For her step-sister Briella, it's about not being smart. One of the popular girls in the book turns out to have stage fright. I love the empathy that comes from Ever's realization that she isn't the only one out there who's struggling. I love the transformation, inside even more than out, that comes from facing and conquering Skinny. I love that readers of the book can see themselves in it, and can think about overcoming their own negative inner voices.

Plus, the book has a lot of really clever parallels to Cinderella, from Ever's step-sisters to an actual Fall Ball at school. :)

Skinny is a fast read, and if you like teen transformation stories, I can't recommend it enough!

~Kathryn

Life Lessons From My Yoga Mat — Part 3

Bet you thought I forgot about this mini-series! I did not. Books and writing stuff just took precedence for a few weeks. But I still very much want to write about the concept of BEING PRESENT, so here I am. Present. On the blog.  If you're new-ish to my blog, you can check out Part 1 (PATIENCE) and Part 2 (STILLNESS) before reading on. Or live in the moment and forge ahead!

I've had a lot of excitement over the past few weeks. Signing with a literary agent and starting to see this publishing dream get closer and closer to being a reality results, I've found, in being really excited. And eager to see what's next. And then anxious about what may or may not happen. And nervous about starting to write something new. And then excited again. Over and over. I've been trying to remind myself to enjoy the moment while it's here, and to channel my nerves about the future into working hard now. The only thing that will keep me moving forward is to...move forward, in the now. But sometimes it's hard to be present, when there are so many questions and possibilities and dreams about what's ahead.

In yoga class, one of your goals is to be present. As one of my teachers reminds us every class, yoga isn't the time to be thinking over your plans for the day, making a mental list of everything you have to do, or worrying about something that happened at home or at work. Focusing on the movement of your body through space is its own kind of meditation. You breathe, and you move mindfully, and you clear your mind of the clutter, if only for an hour. Some days, this is easier than others, but when it works, it works.

But being in the moment and leaving everything else at the door isn't the only way to be present in yoga. Beyond that, you have to be present and attuned to where your body is TODAY. Not where it was last week. Not where you hope it will be in six months. Where you are now, in each pose. You have to be aware of your present abilities and circumstances, to avoid injury and maximize the benefits of the practice. In my case, I'm fairly flexible, thanks to my years as a dancer, but there are still days when my muscles are tight. Pushing to where I was a week ago in the same pose could be painful and dangerous. On the opposite end of the spectrum, injuries can also arise if I try to force my body into a position it isn't ready to do. (That's where patience comes in, as well!) Being present is about paying attention to your needs in the moment and respecting them.

How does all of this translate off the yoga mat?

As I mentioned up top, there's the idea of enjoying life as it comes, rather than fretting about what's next. But also, there's the fact that in our technology-glutted society, we always have multiple things vying for our attention. For instance, if I'm bouncing between email and Twitter and Facebook, am I getting my best writing done? The majority of the time, probably not. Maybe, by trying to focus my attention on the activity I'm doing, in the moment, I'll improve the quality of my work and the experience I'm having. Maybe I'll feel and be more productive by giving one thing at a time my best attention, instead of giving multiple things a fragment of my focus.

Beyond that, it's been vital for me to remind myself to think about how I'm feeling in the now — not how I was yesterday, or how I wish I was today. On those days when writing is like pulling teeth, for instance, instead of beating myself up about not being where I was or should be, I can be patient and present. I can work with what I am bringing to the table today, and enjoy the process more without yesterday or tomorrow looming over my shoulder.

This is hard. It's hard in yoga, it's hard in dance, and it's hard in writing. But it's so worth it.

Patience, stillness, and presence. Fellow yogis, did I miss any benefits that you get from yoga? (Aside from the physical perks, of course!)

~Kathryn