DQC spoke 7 languages so she doesn't understand my prob.Drag-Queen Cleo (DQC) proudly presents what just came in the mail--my novel in Italian! Every time I read the title, I sigh: LA LUNA di CLEOPATRADoesn't it just sound so much better! Everything in Italian sounds great, I think. More robust. Sexier. Stronger.I'm not sure when it actually releases in Italy, but I'm … [Read more...] about Now in Italian!
Cleopatra's Moon
SCBWI Schmooze
Big thanks to Irene for arranging the schmooze.This past Friday, I drove to Birmingham for a Southern-Breeze schmooze hosted by the lovely and talented Irene Latham. I really enjoyed talking to the group of children's authors who stopped by. We ended the book talk and signing with a manuscript swap.Green eggs...not dyed!At Irene's, Patricia Weaver showed me the green eggs she'd … [Read more...] about SCBWI Schmooze
Drag Queen Cleo is NOT Happy…
"You DARE forget me???"See, it seems I have been forgetting to bring ‘her manliness’ with me on various jaunts. Even telling her that Cleopatra’s Moon, the story of her daughter, Selene, won a Crystal Kite award from our awesome Southern-Breeze SCBWI region did nothing to lift the cold steel of her rage.I mean, look at that face. Seriously, she is not happy.“But it’s the … [Read more...] about Drag Queen Cleo is NOT Happy…
Was it too Dark/Gross for YA? Another Deleted Scene
I can’t remember why my editor deleted this scene from my novel about Cleopatra’s (true life) daughter. Perhaps she cut it from Cleopatra’s Moon because Octavian/Augustus was already established as Selene’s nemesis. Or maybe it was just too creepy for YA. After all, the scene implies that Rome’s first emperor may have been a pedophile. I got the idea after reading … [Read more...] about Was it too Dark/Gross for YA? Another Deleted Scene
A Deleted Scene–And Why My Editor Killed One of My “Darlings”
People often ask me what it was like working with the great Cheryl Klein (delightful!) and how I responded when she suggested I cut or rewrite scenes (jump? How high?). Yet Cheryl encouraged me to stand my ground if I felt strongly about something. But claiming that you want to keep a scene just because you "liiiiiiiked it," wasn't good enough. Let me give you an example. … [Read more...] about A Deleted Scene–And Why My Editor Killed One of My “Darlings”
