my first dress fitting...

Writing about three wealthy girls from titled families in Regency London, it's pretty impossible to avoid writing about dress fittings. not only are they fantastic settings for scenes centered around the girls in my novel, they're also filled with one of my favorite topics--fashion. specifically, formal fashion.

let me be clear. i bemoan the fact that in the 21st century, there's not a whole lot of need for people to be fitted for ballgowns--the whole idea of having a skilled modiste wield her pins and needles and thread to make you the perfect gown that turns you into the perfect, most beautiful woman on Earth is simply too decadent to pass up...which is one of the reasons why I write about a time when ballgowns were as common as babydolls, and dukes and earls spun ladies in gorgeous satin concoctions across ballrooms lit with thousands of flickering candles. *sigh* (she pauses, imagining what that must have been like.) :)

in the book i'm working on, The Season, the girls wear some seriously gorgeous dresses. and they wouldn't be so gorgeous if it wasn't for the skilled needlework of a French modiste who takes her art very seriously. in my head, dressmakers have accents. thick ones. in my head, accents make for great fashion. who knows why. but that's the way it is.

so...flash forward to today when, in a very different part of my life, the part where i'm getting married and not writing a book, i had my first fitting for my wedding dress. there i was, stepping into a beautiful ivory gown, my best friend sitting behind me, and i realized that what they say is true...life does imitate art. you see--the dressmaker, maria, is italian. and she has an accent.

so there i stood, being pinned and tucked and turned and bustled, and i couldn't shake the fact that this was my first dress fitting, i was wrapped in satin and lace and crinoline and, while the bride in me was sort of freaking out because this was it...the dress...THE dress, the author in me was just a little bit thrilled that i got to experience a small piece of the world i'm so happy to be writing about.

live every week like it's shark week!

eric's in california visiting family, which leaves me home alone with the dog and a captive audience for our viciously distracting TV.  It doesn't help that it's shark week on the discovery channel...which makes the TV even more distracting, because I'm such a sucker for nature documentaries in HD!  Fun Fact:  It's the 20th anniversary of Shark Week! 

of course, last night, I watched Ocean of Fear (I think that's what it's called)--a half-documentary, half-recreation of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in the Philippine Sea.  900 seamen jumped the sinking ship during WWII, and only 317 were rescued days later--because of what Discovery calls "the worst shark attack in history."  Wow.  

something about me...I'm terrified of cruise ships.  Have been since I was little--which I attribute to my dad allowing me to watch the Poiseidon Adventure one too many times as a kid. Now, when I see them docked at the Brooklyn Pier, I can feel my heart race.  I just hate the idea of being on them--because I'm terrified of them sinking.  "Do I feel about this about all sea vessels?" you ask?  Nope.  In fact, I love boats.  

but this shark week report has succeeded in giving me one more (and very good) reason to stay off large boats in warm waters.  If it's not enough that it might flip over and I might have to climb a Christmas Tree with Gene Hackman (watch the movie--so scary!), I might get eaten by sharks!  forget it.  no cruises for me.     

things that suck...

here's something that really sucks. tobias funke's 100% good time family band kind of sucking.

when someone you don't trust lulls you into a false sense of security, and then reminds you that you're entirely too trusting in the first place. also, when other people in your life fail to see that behavior like this is real and unacceptable and thoroughly destructive. that sucks too. also, 97% heat and 80% humidity when the dog needs to go for a walk. that really sucks.

i just need to channel this into writing. take life and make it art. that's what they say, right? oooh...do i have fuel for this fire tonight!

Words from the page...

I'm going to start peppering some of the blog with one or two lines from my manuscript...I'll try to do it once a week...I'd love to hear your thoughts as you see them! I'm not going to give you any context, so you'll just have to draw your own conclusions!

Before she could find words to respond, he had led her onto the dance floor and wrapped her up in his arms for her first waltz of the evening. Her first waltz with a man who was not her brother.

As a test, I'm also going to put the line into Google Image Search and see what happens...which probably won't be much!

Not so! The result is at right!

it's got a title!

so, it's been a while since i've written...well, here at least.  I've been working on the book almost every day--it's due December 1st to my fabulous editor, Lisa, but I'm trying to get it done before the wedding.  

Did I mention I'm getting married?  I am...October 6th.  Which is super exciting, super stressful, and super time consuming...but the end result is a good one--i get my very own hero, forever. (gag--i know--but he is pretty great) 

Anyway...in between finalizing the menu, addressing invitations and planning our honeymoon (to Greece), I've been working on the book, hoping to get it done two months early.  It will be a miracle if it happens...but either way, I'm having a blast with the characters--watching them come to be before my very eyes! 

And last week, my fabulous editor took me to lunch to welcome me, officially, to the Scholastic author list and there, over thyme lemonade at Mercer Kitchen, we titled the book!  So look for The Season at your local bookstore in Spring 2009!  After mulling over the title for the weekend, I really love it, and I'm super psyched that we're one step closer to the real deal! 

Next post...I can't talk much about the plot...but suffice to say that it should be juicy and fun with lots of gorgeous dresses, handsome boys, and exciting smooching!