MY TRIP TO CHINA

Ever have one of "those" days? My trip to China post will not come up on my blogroll and I've tried posting it as a new post twice. So I'm hoping this will post on your blogroll. You can find my post on my trip here. Hope you'll stop by and see my pictures.

MY TRIP TO CHINA

Hi Everyone! Today I'm going to share some pictures and a bit about my trip to China in December. For those of you that don't know, my daughter Anna Li is adopted from China. I took her on a heritage tour over the Christmas holidays to see where she's from. This was sponsored Chinese Children Adoption Agency, our fantastic adoption agency and by the China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption, the Chinese government agency that runs the Chinese adoption program. This Chinese agency really wants the adopted kids to come back and see their country and pay for the kids' part of the trip except for the flight there. So Anna Li was able to go for free.

We made a conscious decision not to go back to Hefei, the city she's from. Her orphanage has moved and she really didn't feel a strong desire to go there. It would have really added to the cost of the trip and I was nervous about going there alone with her, so was glad to skip it.

On our way to China, we had a 8 hour layover in Seattle. This was great because Anna Li has a cousin who's her age and was adopted from China the same year as her who lives in the Seattle area. They haven't seen each other since they were 6 (Anna Li is 15 now) so it was great to get to see her and her mom.

I'm not the greatest photographer and I had to pick pictures without kids/people for privacy concerns. But I hope you enjoy these.

Our first stop was Beijing.We of course saw Tian'an Men Square and the Forbidden City.

 

To be honest, this was not my favorite part of the trip, though I'm glad I saw this. It was very cold--18 degrees-and we were outside for over two hours. The buildings in the Forbidden City started to look alike. Luckily, there was a bit of wind so we didn't have all the terrible pollution in the news about a week after we got home.

 

We also took a rickshw ride in the Hutong district of Beijing. This is an older part of the city with small houses with courtyards. Mostly retired people live there and some offer to cook for tours. This was the kitchen area in the house where we went to eat. This was a lot of fun.

Then we went to The Great Wall.

This was amazing. It's hard to believe how it was built without any of the modern technology we rely on. In the summer, you can take a lift to the top, but not in the winter. Like many people, Anna Li and I did not get up too high. Some of the steps were so steep that my knees were up to my chest. We went as far as we could and then visited the tourist shops.

Next we went to Xi'an to see the Terra Cotta Soldiers. Xi'an is the major area for energy production for China and is very polluted. Our guide said that you can never see any stars at night. You can really see it in the picture of me on the Ancient City Wall that rings the city. People ride bikes, walk, and exercise on it.

 

The Terra Cotta Soldiers was another amazing place. It's mind boggling to think how they created the soldiers with the tools they would have had. And there are many pits still there with soldiers to assemble after 20 years of work on this.

Next we went to Chengdu to visit the Panda Reserve. Sorry that the pictures do not include Anna Li, but she had to wear green plastic when she held the baby panda. I don't think she'd speak to me if I showed you that. But I have some cute pictures.

 

This was one of the highlights of the trip. Because it was colder out (20s to 30s), the pandas were out and were pretty active. We also went to a beautiful park to see Chinese life. Even though it's cold to us, the Chinese are used to it and were out walking and playing cards and maj jong at the Tea House. I got a neck and back massage for $6.00. It was great!

 

We also went to an outside market area that sold lots of things for cheap. It was things like that and the park that I actually enjoyed the most.

Then we went to Guilin and left the next morning to take the Li River Cruise to Yangshou. 

 

This was a gorgeous 4 hour trip. You could stay in the cabin at tables or go on deck. The man in the picture on the top is on a 3 log "boat" and he came over to our window while we were in the cabin and sold us clementines and peanuts.

We took a 3 hour bus ride back to Guilin and stopped for a very fun Chinese cooking class. Here's some pictures.

 

The last day in Guilin Anna Li and I were alone and we went to an outside shopping mall.

As I said, the Chinese have a different idea of heat. Our hotels were heated, but many of the buildings we were in, including restaurants and a theater, barely had heat. One theater was so cold even with our coats on that as soon as the awesome show was over we ran to the bus to get warm. Most people wear their coats all day, even when they're working. So when we went shopping, we found mostly coats for sale. Seriously, there were racks of them and piles of them on tables. But Anna Li found a shirt and a dress and we had pizza for lunch.

For me, the trip brought back many happy memories of my trip to adopt Anna Li and some sad feelings of thinking of Anna Li's birth mother in China wondering about her and me not being able to tell her that Anna Li is doing great.

I also found that I'm not as adventuresome as I used to be. Some of the challenges, like my cell phone not working in China (this was how I planned to communicate with my husband but ended up using a friend's I-Pad and my phone when we had good Wi-Fi to e-mail him) and figuring out how to get to the international terminal from a small, distant terminal in Beijing airport at 1:30 am on our way home with mostly people who did not speak English were pretty stressful. But I figured them all out. I'm just not so anxious to do it alone again. We were both very ready to get home and when we felt the plane leave Beijing and then land in Detroit, we were very happy.

So I hope you enjoyed hearing about this. What interesting trips have you all taken?

Here's what's coming up:

Next Monday I'm interviewing debut author Elsie Chapman about her dystopian novel, DUALED and giving away an ARC of her book. It's about a world where everyone has a genetic alternate that you must battle at some point in your teenage years to the death. It is a fascinating concept.

Next Wednesday I have a fascinating interview with Chuck Sambuchino of Guide to Literary Agents about his new book, CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM: THE KEYS TO BUILDING AN AUDIENCE, SELLING MORE BOOKS, AND FINDING SUCCESS AS AN AUTHOR, with a giveaway of his book. His book really got me thinking about how I can improve my platform and social networking. I'm really excited to share Chuck's advice and his book with you. Chuck's interview is filled with awesome advice whether you're an author or book review blogger. I can't encourage you enough to read his interview.


The following Monday, I have an interview with a high school teen for my ASK THE EXPERT series and will be sharing and giving away THE CADET OF TILDOR, a fantastic debut fantasy, and OBSIDIAN MIRROR, another fantastic fantasy by Catherine Fisher, one of my favorite authors. Even if you're not a fantasy lover, I think you'd enjoy both of these books..

Tuesday that week, Ari Magnusson is going to share an awesome tip and give away a copy of BITOPIA, a fantasy that also deals with bullying issues.

And Wednesday that week, Casey and I have a super awesome 3000 follower mega giveaway. You won't want to miss it. 


And don't forget our Tuesday Tips and Casey's Thursday agent spotlights.

Hope to see you on Monday!

Yes...

There's another interview with me up on the webs! This one is at Kay Em Evans's blog. She asked some great questions about the Agent Spotlights that you might find interesting. Please stop by and consider following Kay, even if you don't want to read anymore about me. : p

(If you want to follow her, you'll have to click off the interview post and onto the main blog.)

Today, I have some school work to do and a spotlight to finish. What are your Wednesday plans? Feel free to plug your latest blog post in the comments today!

Interview with Me + Fab Giveaway

Just a quick note. There's an interview with me up on Writer's Ally. If you have any questions for me, that'd be a great place to ask. I'll be stopping by on and off today and tomorrow.

Sheri is also doing an awesome giveaway. She's giving away ten books (some signed!) as well as some awesome critiques. Check it out!!

If you missed today's tip, make sure you stop by. Thanks!

Interview with Me at Dark Angel

Hey all -

I've been super busy and will be swamped with school work all weekend, but I wanted to share an interview I did for Sherry at Dark Angel's Blog.

Please check it out. I'll be stopping by for comments and questions, so if you have any feel free to ask there!

Have a great weekend!

Vacation + Books

We're heading out to AZ to visit my mom really early tomorrow morning and will be there through the week.  I should have a post up on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, at least.  The normal stuff.  Not sure if I'll fit anything else in blog-wise.   

But I will fit some of this in...

And if you're looking for a book recommendation, this is my new favorite. 

What are you reading? What is your latest book recommendation? Any exciting plans for the week? Blog posts you need to plug?

The comment box is all yours!

In Which I Talk About Myself and Fear

Recently, two of my favorite bloggers talked about fear. Elana Johnson confessed one her paralyzing fears in a Friday Night Confessions post and tons of people chimed in with their own fears. What a sense of community! Then, Beth Revis posted on Fear this weekend, fear of failure and fear of success, and it definitely resonated with me. I think fear as it relates to writing is something we all deal with, and I love that we're embracing that and sharing our feelings.

So what do I fear? Too many things to name. But I've been trying to figure out what I fear most. Something's holding me back. Well, I'm holding me back, but why? Why would I do that when I have every reason to be encouraged (and I do). I really don't know. But whatever that deep-rooted, paralyzing fear is, it's creating compound fears. I'm now frightened that it's not fear but maybe I just don't have what it takes to be a published author.

Amusing, since I've never even been in the trenches....

But that's sort of the problem. If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know I used to have trouble just finishing a manuscript. I'd fall out of love with an MS when I'd meet The Middle and allow myself to be seduced by a Shiny New Idea. I feel like I've gotten past that, but now I'm struggling with revision.

Every time I get deep into revision, I find I can't stand what I've written and want to rewrite the manuscript entirely. To the point that it makes me sick to keep working on it the way it is. Do you see the problem? I'm forever starting over. And if I keep doing this, I'll never have something to query. I'll never be the kind of writer an agent will want to represent. And I'll never have the writing career I dream of.

But there's no way in heck I'm going to query an agent with something I don't absolutely love and feel confident in. How can I expect them to get behind me and my work 100% when I'm not? I can't and I won't. So what's wrong with me? Why don't I love my writing like so many of you seem to? Where's my motivation to finish. What do I fear that paralyzes me this much?

I don't know, exactly, but I do know I'm afraid I won't live up to your expectations. I'm afraid I'll let you all down while I continue to let myself down. And I'm afraid I just don't have what it takes.

Some of you have noticed that I've sort of disappeared behind my blog features. I think this has a lot to do with that. I haven't wanted you to see that I'm not making as much progress as I'd like. That, as much as I've been revising, I'm no where near querying. That I could be a failure. But now that it's out there, I hope I can come back out a little.

Is there anyone else that has or has had the same problem as me? Everyone I know seems to have the problem of rejection and/or waiting and wondering, but I can't seem to even get that far. I'm feeling a little alienated by myself.

But it helps having you all here, around me, sharing your fears, and it especially helps when I see you succeeding.

What do you fear?

Revision, Changing the Way You Write

If you didn't already know, I'm revising. It's what's on the brain. A couple days ago, I tweeted this, "Now that I know what revision is REALLY like, I suspect I'll be first drafting differently. Did anyone discover/do the same?"

Everyone who replied said they they did, and I felt like I'd reached an unexpected milestone. 

I'm learning a lot from revision. If you've been running from it like I have (I'll admit it, I have), I encourage you to dig in and push yourself to do it.  Even if it's a manuscript you don't expect to pursue publication with.  Why?  Because this tearing apart, restructuring, rewriting, tightening, tweaking, etc. I'm doing on my MS is informing my writing more than all the first-drafting I've ever done. 

I'm astounded. 

So, all you veterans out there.  Did this happen for you as well?  What have you learned from revision?  Any words of wisdom?  Please share! If you're busy revising like I am, what are you learning?  What has the experience been like for you?

Featured Sweetheart! Who Me?

Just wanted to point you all to the Texas Sweethearts blog run by authors Jo Whittemore, P.J. Hoover, and Jessica Lee Anderson. I was interviewed as their newest Featured Sweetheart! If you're interested in reading more about me, you should definitely check it out. Don't you want to know how my life is like the game Jenga?

While you're there, please consider e-mailing the Texas Sweethearts a Sweetheart nomination. Oh, and you have until Sunday, January 17th to enter their contest for a chance to win a query and ten-page critique.

Enjoy and good luck!

Suggestions, Please!

So, I'm doing a study on voice in young adult literature for school and I'm trying to finish up my bibliography for it today. I'm mainly using novels told in first person but also need some in third, and maybe even second.

I've already got a long list of options, especially in first, but I'd love to know what YOUR recommendations are for YA authors/novels with exceptional voice. One thing I'm looking for is novels in third person that aren't fantasy. I'm trying for a variety of subgenres and it seems like every book I can think of in third is a fantasy novel.

So, what do you suggest? Who/what are your favorites?

Thank you!

Thoughts on 2009 & 2010

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking abut 2009 and 2010. What happened? What have I learned? What do I want out of this next year?

The answers have been somewhat surprising.

This time last year I was eight months pregnant and anxiously (miserably) awaiting the arrival of my second baby, Dresden, wondering how it was going to affect my life, my family, and my writing.

My goals for 2009 were centered on the desire to get something ready for submission, to overcome weaknesses, improve my blog, and generally just survive as a mother of two.

I feel like I failed in my writing goals, for the most part. I didn’t write anything I was comfortable querying, nothing I loved enough to polish, and rewrote the first half of one novel so many times it would make you puke.

But some wonderful things did occur this past year. I started Agent Spotlight and my blog sort of blew up. I joined SCBWI, Publisher’s Marketplace, spoke with agents who loved what I was doing, had people interview me (1, 2, 3), and became thoroughly ensconced in the writing and kidlit community. Not to mention had that baby (late!), got married, became a reader for a lit agent, and yes! survived as a mother of two, and managed all that I wanted to manage and more.

Despite not achieving my main writing goals for the year, there’s a lot to celebrate there, so I’m dubbing 2009 “The Year of the Blog.” Lit Rambles has been a vehicle for much love and success, and 2009 has been absolutely amazing if I stop and try to count all of its blessings.

And all of you are among those blessings! That’s a lot!

For this next year, one would probably expect me to keep on trucking towards the goals I didn’t achieve in 2009, and in some ways I will, but there is something that is going to set the pace of 2010, and there are some things I’ve realized that will really affect my goals.

Things, things, things.

This year I find myself anxiously awaiting something come January again. Not a baby, thank goodness, but school.

Yes. I’m going back to school, continuing my education. And I find myself pondering the same questions. How is school going to affect everything? Can I manage? What will suffer?

Family, House, Work, School, Interning, Writing, Blogging, Spotlights, Reading, Critiquing, Networking, Socializing, and so on and so forth, and all those other things that happen in a natural year.

That’s what I’m looking at having to manage in 2010.

I have a feeling something is going to fall to the wayside or have to go away completely, if not more than one thing, and it’s not going to be my family or house, of course! But what? I can’t imagine letting any of that go.

So I’m not going to just yet. I’m going to remain optimistic and see how I handle it all, but there are some things that do need to change slightly. Namely, my attitude, my main goals, and one of my blog features.

See, in all this thinking I’ve been doing, I realized something big. I went about my writing goals all wrong in 2009. I was focused on word counts and finishing and submitting and succeeding. It was all hurry, hurry, more, more, now, now and I lost sight of the goals that really matter to me.

I honestly don’t want to publish just to publish. If I’m going to do this, I want to publish novels that I love absolutely and can get behind 100%, novels that mean something to people, that matter. If I can’t do that, consider me out of the running. I don’t think I could handle the pressures of being a published author under any other circumstances. And as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think I can write those kinds of novels yet, YET, but I AM happy to know this about myself.

Which brings us back to goals.

I have to stop focusing on word counts and getting to the finish line and get back to focusing on craft and quality. I have to stop all this hurry, hurry, more, more, now, now and go back to being satisfied with the slow, steady climb to my cloud of dreams.

So, my friends, I won’t be focusing on word counts this year, I won’t be doing writing challenges, and I won’t be doing NaNoWriMo. Yes, that means I won’t be doing Wednesday’s Words either. It’s been an amazing tool this past year, and I appreciate every one of you that has participated and encouraged me, but I’ve decided it's not what I need anymore. However, if you'd like me to keep posting WW for you, I’d love to do that, and I’d love to keep encouraging everyone that has been a part of WW in the past. Just let me know in the comments. I might put it up occasionally, anyway, to keep you updated on my writing.  I just won't be keeping track like I was.

So… after all that, what are my goals for 2010?

1) Manage school with everything else.

2) Learn to prioritize better.

3) Focus on craft and quality.

4) Be a source of support and encouragement for all of you.

5) Allow this writing thing to take as long as it needs to.

Now, how about you? Have you given much thought to the past, present, and future? Have you considered that you might be focusing on the wrong things, and letting the rush, rush get to you? What did you learn in 2009? What are your plans for 2010?

Please answer one or all these questions or tell me something else entirely. After reading my (long) ramblings, I’d love to know what’s on your mind!

An Interview... with Me!

I've had the pleasure of being interviewed twice as a blogger (links in the right sidebar, if you missed them), but now I can share with you my first ever interview as a writer!

Please stop by Heather Lane's fabulous blog, Edited to Within an Inch of my Life, and check it out! I'll be popping in all day to answer questions and reply to comments, if you're compelled to leave me some.

While you're there, make sure to take the time to follow or subscribe to Heather's blog. It's blossomed into a great, inspiring place for writers to be, and Heather has a new feature where she interviews aspiring authors journeying towards publication! Isn't that amazing? I love learning about fellow aspirees, their triumphs and tribulations, and it'd be great to see this feature continue.

See you over there!

Ahhhh!

Please tell me I need this. I need this, right? RIGHT?!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35758433&ref=cat1_gallery_9

Oh good, cause I bought it. ; )

For Those That Have Been Asking...

...here are a few wedding photos!  They were taken by my best friend and her boyfriend who are just starting their photography business, DarkLight Pictures.  I think they turned out really good!

 

The Post In Which I Become Scarce

Hey all -

I'm about to become scarce around these here blog parts for a week or two. I'm finally getting married this coming Thursday, and my mom arrived yesterday to help with all the last minute details I er... put off (me = wedding planner fail). After the wedding, we'll be taking two short trips and I'll probably be torn from my computer for most of that week as well.

Things are and will continue to be, in simpler words, busy.

The good news for you is that I'll still be posting my regular features (except maybe Wed), thanks to post scheduling (providing I don't have a schedule fail), and there might be some downtimes I can take advantage of while all this is going on. Though, I should use those to write since I have my new deadline and all.

I have some great posts planned for when I come back, and I'll be a busy blogger bug updating the Agent Spotlights. Some of them are becoming dated, it seems. If you've noticed anything of that sort or have any suggestions, please leave a comment or e-mail.

While I'm away, I'd love it if you wrote a guest post for the blog, submitted a tip for Research Tip Tuesday, requested an interview, or sent in a question by e-mailing me at agentspotlight(at)gmail(dot)com. Just don't expect an immediate response as I probably won't be responding to much e-mail until things settle down around here.

It seems I'll be away from my computer more in the next two weeks than I have been in the last couple years. What does it say about me that I'm more panicked about that than getting married? I probably shouldn't ask. ; )

I'll miss you much! Please keep me updated in the comments on the happenings of our fabulous blog community. I don't want to miss anything great.

September Blog of the Month!

Look! Isn't it purdy?

Beth Revis over at writing it out awarded me her Blog of the Month Award for September, and wrote the nicest post about me, too. 

Please go check it out, and consider following her blog if you're not already doing so.  Beth posts a fabulous variety of content from hilarious conversations in her class (love those!) to great writing-related articles (okay, so I love those too!). 

I'm honored to be the second recipient of her lovely award, and incredibly happy that Agent Spotlight is helping her in her preparation and search for representation. 

You can look forward to an awesome guest post by Beth on Lit Rambles next Monday, as well as an interview with yours truly on her blog that day too.  Cool, huh?  I'm so excited!

Friday Teen Files

Jr. high was easily one of the worst periods of my life.  I didn't have an easy time of it.  At all.  But what's that saying?  Something good always comes out of something bad?  That's true in this case.  Jr. high was when my love of books began.  Mrs. Robbins, the librarian, took me in.  She made me her TA, gave me a sanctuary, and encouraged me to find solace in other worlds.  I lost my troubles in the fantasy section of that library.  

She was such a wonderful woman.  Frequently, she would excuse me from PE (which I was having trouble with due to a yet-undiscovered medical problem) on the basis that she needed more "help" for the extra hour.  Sometimes she excused me because I came to her crying.  I would shelve books or run around passing out overdue notices, other times, we would just sit and talk.  She meant more to me than she probably ever knew. 

Anyway, as I was looking through my jr. high year books, she was the person that stood out to me the most.  Forget all those teachers I hardly remember.  Forget all my peers (except my still-bff, Tiffany).  Forget that poor kid I stalked for two years (sorry, Ace!).  My time with Mrs. Robbins in that school library now defines my middle school years. 

Things would improve infinitesimally for me in 9th grade, and I'd like to think her support and encouragement played into that.  Not to mention the role she's played in my love of books and writing.

Have you had a librarian touch your life?

Friday Teen Files

When I wasn't dashing off crazy bubble charts about myself, I was doodling in class. Extensively. 

Why yes, that does say "Bubble Under Fire."  No, I wasn't on drugs.  Thanks for asking.

Friday Teen Files

Before you break the news to me that it's Sunday, let me tell you... I know it's Sunday.  But, I discovered a box full of notes and various stuffs from my teen years and have decided to start a new weekly feature:  Friday Teen Files. 

Yes.  I'm going to embarrass myself for our mutual entertainment - all in the name of research, right??  And since I didn't post on Friday, I've decided to jump in and get it going.  I have no idea where to start, so I grabbed the first amusing thing I saw.

I present to you:  A bubble chart + notes of (I think) fourteen-year-old me.  I can only assume, as I do not recall, that I was trying to 1) understand my life 2) understand why I am was such a geek.  Clearly I did not realize making a bubble chart of this nature only supported the latter.  I do recall jotting this down quickly because I was really frustrated about something.  Hmmm...

 

(I apologize for the quality of the picture.  I need to buy a scanner.)

Bubble Highlights: 

• Baby me:  Healthy.  Misshapen head for awhile.  Moved.  Good family.  Good home life. 
• Child me:  Public school.  Very immature.  Still playing animals in 6th grade.  Loved magic and animals more than anything. Unicorn visit.  
• Teen me:  Matured quickly.  Started period.  Breasts grew.  Got a crush.  Bugged him.  Asked him out.  Jokes.  Many, many problems.  Always wanted to run away.  Depression.  Confused.  Decorated room fantasy-like.
• To-be adult me: Want a job.  I want love - scared of it.  I want a kid a lot.  Have a dream of running away and taking some horses to search for anything out of norm.  Very odd.  Not ready to commit.

Note Highlights:

• I watch all these movies.  I read all these books.  I love them yet they are teasing me.  I ponder around and around.  Ever wondering, ever silent.  Sometimes I try to tell people but they just nod and smile, act like they care.
• I had a visit with a uni.  It was white and pure.  It talked to me.  I talked to him.  He told me something of my future to which I don't remember.
• Passion to be different, to be something magic.  Maybe swept away.
• I watched a mythical movie and started to wonder if things could be like that.  I walked out into the garage and noticed a card on the wall.  It said: Follow your dreams and see where they will take you.
• 7th grade depression.  Tried to run away.  My friend bailed on me - sad but true - we had maps and plans to go to Alaska.   

And these are only the highlights.  No joke.  Are you starting to become concerned for me?  Cause...I am.  And I have to ask, is this...normal?  More next week. 

Time's A Wastin'

Jesse is giving me some solid, child-free time right now for revising. This is my first act of procrastination - telling you this. But, BUT, I'm going - right now - and I'm going to make awesome progress (please tell me I'm going to make awesome progress).

(See you on Twitter and Facebook.)

*Poof*