Advisory Board Elections
Today, May 22nd, marks the beginning of the Advisory Board Election process. Polls will be open through the 29th. Out of the following list, find the candidate you think is best-suited to provide the kind of input we at LiveJournal can use to better the site:

vichan
twirlandswirl
tango
squeaky19
sollitaire
rm
randomposting
qfemale
primitivepeople
mrflagg
lostcosmonaut
lordandrei
lizyd
legomymalfoy
jmaynard
jj_maccrimmon
jette
jameth
imc
fuzzface00
deathboy
daniidebrabant
cambler

This is for you guys, so cast your vote! The polls are waiting at lj_election_en.

New V-Gifts
Summer's finally here! The season brings warm weather, the spirit of apprecciation, and, naturally, a slew of new v-gifts. If you're looking to celebrate a special friendship, the spirit of theatre or a loved one's graduation, we've got perfect ornaments for the occasion. Take a gander at these fine options and get your celebration on.


L to R: daisy, theatre masks, tiara, diploma, graduation cap

TxtLJ
You can use LiveJournal's TxtLJ service to receive text notifications and make posts to your journal with your mobile phone. Give us some feedback on the experience at feedback. What would make TxtLJ more useful? How can we improve the service for you guys?

LJ Dashboard
We've cooked up a new utility at LJ Labs, where we're developing a whole host of LJ side projects.

Introducing LJ Dashboard, a portal to the most popular communities, journals and entries on LiveJournal. Now there's a mechanism to help you discover new content and keep track of what's happening out there. Login to the Dashboard using your Open ID, which is exampleusername.livejournal.com. After you're asked to grant identity validation to dashboard.livejournal.com, you'll be all set to poke around and play with some of the things we've come up with.

Since we're launching LJ Dashboard for the first time, we encourage you to post some feedback at lj_labs.

We're currently running some house ads on the Dashboard. Soon ads for external businesses will replace them. But right now all users see them because, for the time being, we don't have a way of distinguishing between paid and unpaid users on the Dashboard. Have no fear: soon as we've got that worked out, paid users will be spared. Thanks for your patience!

We're having a lot of fun with some great ideas right now so keep an eye out for new LJ Labs releases!

Tags: advisory, dashboard, elections, may, news, txtlj, v-gifts

The tiny pink bundle wrapped in my arms, so content to be held and look around the world with her sea blue eyes. Already she is so different than her brother, who was already swatting multi-colored octopus tentacles in his play gym at age nearly-two weeks, born to play, born to act. Our sweet, perceptive girl reminds me of a little lost princess sent down river, somehow too special to be born to us simple mortals, her destiny a secret only she knows.



Baby Alora Dannon from WILLOW

We own over 750 kids books!

I still want more.
 
There are so many great books I want to read.
I’m already planning to buy The Underneath by Kathi Appelt  (she is on the faculty at Vermont College) and The Magic Thief by sarah_prineas  my first week back in the states. Plus there are another 2-3 books I really want to read/buy. Once I enter a bookstore I'll find more and have to limit myself.

A daughter cataloged all our children’s books into a spreadsheet on a computer. I can now search and see what books we own.
For those who are interested these are the column headings: author, title, illustrator, format (picture book, early reader, YA, etc.), genre (fantasy, historical, etc.), subjects, imprint, publisher, translator. (Thank you, Sarah Miller for the idea.)  It is easy to search and sort through our books.

If we could only organize our bookshelves as nicely. Maybe in China. . .

We wouldn’t own as many books if we had access to a library with English books, but we need reading material. We have collected these books for years—22 years of marriage and 6 kids.  We have a major book addiction. None of us have much self control in a book store or in a library.

I’ve met a few people who never buy books. This is hard for me to comprehend. The best books and the books I love need to be read multiple times and I want them in my home. It is a delight to rediscover a story years after I first read and loved it. It is also fun to reread a book right after I finish the last page.
Home libraries are wonderful.
Do you have a home library?
 

Tags: author, books

I know Talking Books isn't a book. It's a website. But I'm still classifying this post as a book review and hope Cheryl Klein someday compiles all her wonderful talks into a book.

Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor at Arthur A. Levine books, an imprint of Scholastic Books, give writers a wonderful resource. It can be found HERE. (She also has a great blog.) I discovered 'Talking Books' when I needed to learn how to revise.

Klein gives logical and helpful articles (talks she has given) from an editor’s viewpoint. Worksheets are included. The worksheets are insightful and a good place to start when a writer is ready to begin revising. (I read the worksheets, but admit I did not fill them in.) Klein’s site is the best place for information about revision I’ve ever seen.

My favorites talks are ‘The Art of Detection’ and ‘The Essentials of Plot.’
You’ll need to read the articles to learn about Cheryl’s TRUCKS.  (This is a hint—go visit her site. Now.)

I check her site every few months. Sometimes I find she added a new talk.
I’d love to have a revision book written by Cheryl Klein. And I am envious of every writer who has Cheryl for her editor. 
I strongly suggest this site for all writers. If I gave stars, I’d give her 12 out of 10.

Tags: book review

This is THE classic book about writing for writers and students. 

An entertaining read as well as a source of solid advice, this book should be in every writer’s library. Actually, this book should be within every writer’s reach. This book has been released several times and 2009 will be the 50th anniversary of the first edition by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. The chapters are Elementary Rules of Usage, Elementary Principles of Composition, A Few Matters of Form, Words and Expressions Commonly Misused, and An Approach to Style.

I first read this years ago and this is the book I reached for when I began writing. It helped me rediscover the basics. I still use this book, even though I own and use a more detailed grammar book. I feel this is a must-read book for everyone—writers and readers.

Tags: book review

Bradbury discusses the joys of writing in this collection of essays that he wrote between 1939 and 1986.

This book was assigned reading for the CLNE colloquy that I attended earlier this month.

A few points I enjoyed:

• Writers should listen to their subconscious and let their characters run ahead.
• Writing every day for years will help one learn to write well. Bradbury tells how long it took for him to learn to write well and find his voice and muse.  The phrase “ten years” appeared in more than one essay—ten years is often the time it takes for a writer to develop their skills.
• The writer needs the following: "work," "relaxation," and "don't think."
• The writer needs to "convince your reader that he is there" and this should be done by using all the senses.

I enjoyed the essay format of this book. It intrigued me that these essays were written during different stages of Ray Bradbury's writing career. I plan to reread some of these essays within the next year.

I’d suggest this book for all writers.

 

 

Tags: book review

It's grand to live in Kansas City today. Hometown hero David Cook IS the American Idol, and during his homecoming, he came to the TV station where I work. If you like behind the scenes kind of stuff, go to http://bobbyhess.blogspot.com 

Bobby Hess is the rockin' photographer I get to work with everyday.

Today I'm feeling grateful for all the wonderful things in my life. Particularly friends and family - particularly you. Thank you for all your years/months/weeks/days of support and friendship, of listening to me whine and cheer, of being here. Thank you for sharing your ups and downs, for making me laugh, for making me feel. I'm so blessed to have this wonderful community of writers and friends! I'm grateful to be back in California - Home. And I feel lucky that there are so many opportunities to see and hear authors at the fabulous independent bookstores in my area!

Last night I drove to Books Inc. (Opera Plaza) and it was great to see literaticat (who put great books in my hands, once again) and Shannon of NYMBC fame. The How To Be Bad touring authors (see below) spoke to a packed room of adoring fans and read from How To Be Bad. It was also fantastic to finally meet E. Lockhart face-to-face after corresponding with and interviewing her. I blathered incoherently to all three authors when they signed their books for me though. I was a little out of it. Ah well! It was a fun night!

How To Be Bad Tour at NYMBC Sarah Mlynowski, E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, and me

Hicklebee's Impromptu Gathering Linda Sue Park, Debbie Duncan, Valerie (co-owner of Hicklebee's), me, Susan Taylor Brown

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! You are SO sweet! I'll be out most of the day - Lynn is taking me out for coffee, food, and shopping (and laughing). Our favorite things!

EDITED TO ADD:

Surprise! Bob surprised me with this gem - a boulder opal that almost exactly matches the black opal ring he bought me when we went to Australia a couple of years ago! *Kisses* to my romantic hubby!

Tags: author event

You may have heard biscuits and bacon mentioned a time or two on this LJ. In today's 2K8 blog you can find out why the subject comes up so often:

http://classof2k8.blogspot.com/

Click this link for a hometown interview on the local Fox station with David Cook right after last night's win!!! Kansas City is rockin' today! On that page, you'll also find info on how to buy DC t-shirts that support the American Cancer Society.