kami garcia

if you spill, i will

When I was a teenager, I wasn't the coolest girl in school, or the prettiest. I wasn't the best athlete, or the lead in the school play. I couldn't sing or play an instrument. But I also wasn't the least popular girl or the one everyone hassled, either. I was just me, which as far as I was concerned wasn't that exciting. My best friend was the one with the beautiful blue eyes, the one all the guys liked. My other best friend was the sweet one that everyone loved (and pretty too).

I was the one that didn't break five feet tall. The one who did well in school, and therefore nominated to write essays for my friend with the beautiful blue eyes. * It should be noted that these essays were not for school, so there was no cheating involved. Her dad assigned her essays to complete for him (a nightmarish idea). Her ticket to the weekend, to freedom. 

I was the one who said what she thought all the time (at least that's what everyone thought). I was the one who didn't care what anyone thought of me (but secretly wished I could be someone else). I was also the one who wrote poetry all the time. Poetry I only shared with my closest friends because letting someone read it was like turning my insides out. My poems revealed everything about me. The truth about all the things I felt and never said. All the things that hurt, but I never admitted. 

Outside of my friends and my notebooks, I could be anyone. Because the last thing I wanted anyone to see was me. Did you ever feel like that?

Do you ever feel like that? 

But that's the thing about keeping a journal. You can write anything. You can write the truth. Even if you never show it to anyone. (Especially if you never show it to anyone.)

Not everyone is meant to be a writer, and not everyone wants to be one. 

But everyone should write. 

Because words matter. 

Your words matter.

They have power and permanency. 

They leave a mark.

So find a place for your words. 

If you're in school, I would suggest a spiral notebook because: 

a) it looks like all your other notebooks

b) it will fit in your 3-ring binder for those occasions when you need to look like you're taking notes

If you've moved past school, a spiral notebook can still be disguised as work.

If you don't like notebooks and you need a little help "spilling open" try this:

From Amazon: "The True and the Questions, invites readers to allow themselves to "spill open" and create their own illustrated journal, and leaves plenty of space for them to do so. Sabrina's gorgeous art and moving text are interspersed with thought-provoking prompts to readers, encouraging them to draw, paint, collage, and journal."

whatever i become it will be me

in the moment i feel it

until i decide that moment ends

in the places you look

you won't find me

unless i want to be found

until i can find the me i want to become

- march 14, 1987

If you spill, I will.

 

spilling open

If you haven't read this book, it might change your life. I think everyone between the ages of 12 and 25 should be able to go to some kind of kiosk futuristic government and pick up a free copy. 

The book is artist Sabrina Ward Harrison's art journal, but it's also filled with photos, poetry, diary entries, quotes. The book is gorgeous. But more importantly, it's all about finding your way, figuring out who you are & making a place for yourself in the world. Some of the same things Margie and I find our characters grappling with, in our books. It's what I tried to do in my paintings.

Some pages are just snapshots of her life.

So I'm wondering . . .

Would any of you keep a journal? Full of drawings or photos, poems or lists? Documenting your thoughts and fears? Your life?

Would you ever let yourself spill open?

tacos por favor

This is what you eat if you are celebrating the arrival of the first copy, of your first book, with your writing partner, and your families. At least it's what you eat if you and Margie and me. Tacos por Favor, with all the sides and Diet Coke.

What more could two girls ask for?

marzipan, burata cheese & a bottomless starbucks latte

that's what I want to give my writing partner, Margie. 

To thank her for:

Believing we could do it.

Talking me down from the ledges.

Tolerating my tantrums.

Indulging my deadlines.

Powering through weeks of editing, in bed, while she was waiting for back surgery.

Talking me down from the ledges.

Powering through weeks of editing on the couch, on the landing, after back surgery.

Buying bags of ice for my Diet Coke.

Never letting me give up.

And talking me down from the ledges.

They aren't enough, but...

i was in the shower

when it arrived. The ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) for Beautiful Creatures. My husband, Alex, brought the package into the bathroom and I stuck my head out of the shower while he and my kids opened it.

And I swear, nothing could have prepared me for seeing it. Our actual book. Not our book on the computer, or our book printed out on copy paper from Staples, or even the first pass pages from Little, Brown. But an actual book,with an unbelievable looking cover and our names on the front (and the spine).

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I can't show you what it looks like because, at this point, we've been sworn to total secrecy, but I can show you this.

The package it came in.

I should go back to that earlier post, "what i believe in," and I should add: Anything is possible. Because even though it's cheesy, today it's true.

ellen hopkins is keeping me up

If you haven't read any of Ellen Hopkins' books, you should stop reading this right now and go to the bookstore or the library and get your hands on one. For anyone who doesn't already know, her books are written entirely in a series of interconnected poems. It's the craziest thing you've ever seen and, more importantly, totally brilliant.

It's like reading someone's journal, without having to decipher any cryptic handwriting. Reading her books makes me want to become a poet, or a guidance counselor. It's a tough call. 

Why can't they read this kind of stuff in high school English classes?

I'm also a sucker for a great book cover. Hers always make me do a double-take. Right now I'm reading Burned. Get a copy. I bet it will keep you up.

where beautiful creatures was born

Tomorrow the ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) of Beautiful Creatures will be shipped from the warehouse to LBC. 

1 day

24 hours

1440 minutes

86,400 seconds

So it only seems fair to pay tribute to the place where BC was born. I've said it before, it all started with a few tacos and a napkin.

El Cholo, Santa Monica

 

talented genius

If writing teen dialogue isn't that hard for me, does that mean I'm immature or a talented genius? 

Don't answer that. 

If you know me, we both know the answer.

If you don't, I'd like you to live under the misguided notion that I'm a talented genius.

But seriously, if I read primarily teen novels, write exclusively teen novels, paint my toenails blue, and wish I could wear striped tights like Margie's daughters and eat ice cream for lunch every day, what does that mean?

I think I'll keep writing dialogue. It's easier to be L, today.

what i believe

(In no particular order):

Say what you mean and mean what you say.
 
As far as I'm concerned, there are two kinds of people. People who say whatever they think you want to hear and forget about it two seconds later, and everyone else. I try to be part of the later.

Never break your word.

I don't break my promises. Period. It's the same reason I don't cheat (on tests or on people). Your word is the only thing no one can take from you. Your pride, your strength, your conviction - trust me, you can lose those. But when it comes to your word, you're the only one who can give it away. I don't give mine away.

The right thing and the easy thing are never the same.

It's hard to do the right thing. To tell the truth when you screw up, to stand up for someone when you're standing alone, to go against your friends or the powers that be when you know they're doing the wrong thing. It's easier to go with the flow, conform, and get with the program. Going with the flow is overrated. It's the battle cry of people who are afraid to make waves.

Swim upstream. Do the right thing. Even when it costs you.

What goes around comes around.

It may seem like disgusting people are always getting away with their wretched behavior. But I don't believe they get away with it for long. It always comes back to them.

So next time the woman or girl with everything - the big house, the perfect husband who worships her (at least according to her), and the perfect hair or the cool car, the prefect boyfriend (see above), and the perfect hair - talks behind your back, steals your boyfriend, your seat on the Board, or your role in the play . . . think about this.

Her husband or boyfriend is probably cheating. Her hair is so processed she's a couple of months away from extensions. And if none of that has happened yet, it will.

Don't waste your time trying to get back at those people. Life will do it for you.

Don't make excuses.

No one wants to hear them and no one believes them. Trust me, your friends notice if you're "sick" every time you make plans with them. And your boss or teacher notices if you always have an incredibly compelling reason why you can't turn in your work or essay on time. Just save it. You aren't fooling anyone.

Be loyal to your friends.

Be there for your friends. Don't be petty or jealous, and if you are once in a while, admit it. Don't let anyone talk about your friends in front of you. And if someone hurts one of your friends, cross them off your list. The flip side is, don't be friends with people who don't have empathy. This means, if you're crying, your friend is hurting with you. If you're angry, they are hurling the insults along side you. If you're scared, they get it. The only people who don't have empathy are serial killers. Do you want to be friends with a serial killer? I don't.

If your friends can't manage any of this, I would cross them off your list.

Disclaimer: These views and opinions are those of the author. They do not reflect the views and opinions of typepad, writers in general, brunettes, women under 5"3', or people who drink a lot of Diet Coke.

dirty little secrets

Here are a few of mine...

1. I can't type and wrote Beautiful Creatures with 4 fingers (three on my right hand & one on my left to press shift). 

2. I don't know how to ride a bike.

3. I love disaster movies - Twister, Volcano, Dante's Peak, Armageddon - I've see them all. In fact, if The Day After Tomorrow is on, I can't turn it off. I've probably seen it 30 times.   

4. I can't drink Diet Coke, or any kind of soda, without ice. But really, what other kind of soda is there?

5. I'm really superstitious (a source of great amusement for my friends and family) and I'd never get on a plane without my medals and charms.

6. I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the show, not the movie).

7. I don't like birds. Kind of like Indiana Jones and snakes, except I'm way less cool and don't look good in a hat. Although, I did touch a gigantic white owl in Spain because someone told me it would bring me good luck. Superstition again.

But I'm not afraid of monkeys . . .

8. There are a few more that are too embarrassing to divulge at this point, but we'll see what happens.