I have a shocking statement to make: I am vowing to not read any novels during the month of November.
I know. It's crazy talk. I mean, I'm Miss Tammy. I read at least a novel a week, and it's usually more like two or three.* It's not only my job, it's my passion. I love reading.
So, what would prompt me to go on a book diet?
NaNoWriMo. For those of you unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, here's the basic principle: During the month of November people from all over the world attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days.
And you thought going a month without a book was crazy.
But it's the good kind of crazy, right? Can't you see it - the late night writing marathons, endless cups of coffee**, falling asleep on your MacBook, glasses all askew***? It's the stuff montages are made of.
Of course, in order to reach 50,000 words (and still work full time)****, some things have to go. I'm not turning on the TV*****. I'm going to learn to say "no" when friends ask me to go to dinner or the movies. I'm going to let housework and laundry fall by the wayside.****** And, I'm not going to read any novels. I'm turning NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) into NaReNoNoMo (Nation Read No Novels Month).
Yeah, I'm not so sure I'll make it either. There's a good chance that I'll be cracking open a good book (or uploading one to my Kindle) by November 2. But, I'm going to try. Because, I figure it's like Charles O. Finley once said, "Sweat plus sacrifice equals success."******* And giving up reading? For me, that's the ultimate sacrifice.
* I remember one wonderful week last year when I read six novels in five days. It was awesome.
**Well, maybe not so much coffee as Mello Yello. Why can't coffee taste as good as it smells?
***Like Buffy, I wear glasses in my hard work montages.
****And do this all in the same month that houses Thanksgiving and begins the Christmas shopping season. Seriously, what were the people at NaNoWriMo thinking choosing November?
*****However, if the TV is magically on in the 8:00 hour on Wednesday nights then I won't be able to stop myself from watching Glee.
******To be quite honest, housework and laundry tend to always fall by the wayside.
*******Another confession: I found this quote via Google and had to look up who Charlie Finley was. But, hey, it worked really well there.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Zombie Week 2009
Nothing says "Teen Read Week" quite like zombies. *
OK, so maybe zombies aren't the first thing you think of when you think teens and reading. But, come on. Zombies are cool, and so is reading. See? Makes perfect sense.**
Now, without further rambling, the zombie-rific ways Marshall County teens*** can celebrate Teen Read Week **** :
Book Fine Forgiveness - Just ask and we'll make the computer zombies eat up any late book fees you have.***** (This would be an excellent time to return that summer reading book that is sitting on your dresser.)
Free Glow-In-The-Dark Mini-Zombie - They're zombies. They're little. They glow in the dark. And you get one just for checking out a book. (Glow-In-The-Dark Mini-Zombies come recommended by Forest of Hands and Teeth author Carrie Ryan, which increases their coolness factor.)
Learn The Thriller Dance - Join me at the Benton Library on Tuesday, Oct 20, at 3:30 to learn how to dance like a zombie! Bonus points to anyone that can moonwalk!
Zombie Survival Seminar - This could be the most important library event we've ever held. On Friday, Oct 23, we will be hosting a NAZFA****** certified seminar that explains what zombies are, where they come from, and how to protect yourself from them. The event will be held at the Calvert City branch of the library from 5:00 - 7:00 PM.
Join The Zombie Discussion - During Teen Read Week I'll be tweeting random zombie facts and thoughts. You can join the discussion by using the #trwzombiesurvival tag on Twitter. (Non-Twitter users can follow the discussion by clicking on the link.)
* I guess zombies wouldn't really say "Teen Read Week" quite as much as moan it.
** It makes perfect sense when you apply Miss Tammy logic, which rarely resembles real logic.
*** The Marshall County Public Library System defines "teen" as anyone in grades seven through twelve.
**** Teen Read Week is October 18 - 24. The real theme is "Read Beyond "Reality", but somehow that morphed into Zombie Week here in Marshall County.
***** Late book fees only. No DVD fees or lost materials. And yes, there really are zombies living in the library's computers. Would I just make that sort of thing up?
****** NAZFA is the National Association for a Zombie Free America
OK, so maybe zombies aren't the first thing you think of when you think teens and reading. But, come on. Zombies are cool, and so is reading. See? Makes perfect sense.**
Now, without further rambling, the zombie-rific ways Marshall County teens*** can celebrate Teen Read Week **** :
Book Fine Forgiveness - Just ask and we'll make the computer zombies eat up any late book fees you have.***** (This would be an excellent time to return that summer reading book that is sitting on your dresser.)
Free Glow-In-The-Dark Mini-Zombie - They're zombies. They're little. They glow in the dark. And you get one just for checking out a book. (Glow-In-The-Dark Mini-Zombies come recommended by Forest of Hands and Teeth author Carrie Ryan, which increases their coolness factor.)
Learn The Thriller Dance - Join me at the Benton Library on Tuesday, Oct 20, at 3:30 to learn how to dance like a zombie! Bonus points to anyone that can moonwalk!
Zombie Survival Seminar - This could be the most important library event we've ever held. On Friday, Oct 23, we will be hosting a NAZFA****** certified seminar that explains what zombies are, where they come from, and how to protect yourself from them. The event will be held at the Calvert City branch of the library from 5:00 - 7:00 PM.
Join The Zombie Discussion - During Teen Read Week I'll be tweeting random zombie facts and thoughts. You can join the discussion by using the #trwzombiesurvival tag on Twitter. (Non-Twitter users can follow the discussion by clicking on the link.)
* I guess zombies wouldn't really say "Teen Read Week" quite as much as moan it.
** It makes perfect sense when you apply Miss Tammy logic, which rarely resembles real logic.
*** The Marshall County Public Library System defines "teen" as anyone in grades seven through twelve.
**** Teen Read Week is October 18 - 24. The real theme is "Read Beyond "Reality", but somehow that morphed into Zombie Week here in Marshall County.
***** Late book fees only. No DVD fees or lost materials. And yes, there really are zombies living in the library's computers. Would I just make that sort of thing up?
****** NAZFA is the National Association for a Zombie Free America
Friday, September 25, 2009
Celebrate Banned Book Week
Banned Book Week is September 26 - October 3, 2009. If, like me, you believe in Intellectual Freedom, and specifically the Freedom to Read, please take the time to celebrate in one of the following ways
Declare yourself as a reader a banned books. Use your Facebook status or Twitter account to say, "My name is [insert your name here], and I read banned books."
Read one of the most frequently challenged books of 2008.
Show your support to an author who is facing a book challenge by letting them know how much their books mean to you.*
Read the Banned Books Week Manifesto by Ellen Hopkins and share it with others.**
Become a fan of Banned Books Week on Facebook.
Follow on the National Coalition Against Censorship on Twitter.
Buy Miss Tammy this shirt.
*Some recent YA authors who have faced book challenges: Jo Knowles and Laurie Halse Anderson in a Mt. Sterling, Kentucky school. Ellen Hopkins had some issues in Oklahoma. And, of course, there was that whole Ladies in Pink vs Maureen Johnson thing.
**I have been known to cry when reading this.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Nice Girls Don't Talk To Teenagers
As some of you may remember, a couple of months ago I read a book called Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs. Now, the fact that I was reading a book about vampires wasn't exactly noteworthy, but the fact that I used to eat lunch with the author (Molly Harper) was.*
So, since I'm in so tight with the author, she agreed to come and speak at the library on Thursday.** She was great! She talked about her path to publication, gave some advice to the aspiring writers in the room, answered a ton of curious questions, and even signed Katie's pants.***
I think the best thing about having Molly come to visit was that she proved that (1) writers are real people****; (2) you don't have to be from New York, LA, or Salt Lake City to be a successful writer;***** and (3) I didn't make up the fact that we used to work together.
I'm truly thankful that Mollly came to visit my teens. If given the opportunity, I highly recommend hearing her speak.****** And if you haven't read her books yet, what are you waiting for?
*By "eating together" I mean that we were the two lone employees eating in the smoke-free lunchroom. On opposite ends. Facing away from each other. Each with our noses buried in a book.
**I'm pretty sure I saw, "Oh, yeah. I remember you. You were strangely protective of your milk," flicker across her face upon seeing me.
***My YA programs tend to defy explanation, although Katie did attempt it once.
****Except for Maureen Johnson. She's a robot.
*****Can someone please explain to me why so many writers live in Salt Lake City?
******Molly is just as entertaining and funny in person as in print...and not just because she mentioned Buffy.
So, since I'm in so tight with the author, she agreed to come and speak at the library on Thursday.** She was great! She talked about her path to publication, gave some advice to the aspiring writers in the room, answered a ton of curious questions, and even signed Katie's pants.***
I think the best thing about having Molly come to visit was that she proved that (1) writers are real people****; (2) you don't have to be from New York, LA, or Salt Lake City to be a successful writer;***** and (3) I didn't make up the fact that we used to work together.
I'm truly thankful that Mollly came to visit my teens. If given the opportunity, I highly recommend hearing her speak.****** And if you haven't read her books yet, what are you waiting for?
*By "eating together" I mean that we were the two lone employees eating in the smoke-free lunchroom. On opposite ends. Facing away from each other. Each with our noses buried in a book.
**I'm pretty sure I saw, "Oh, yeah. I remember you. You were strangely protective of your milk," flicker across her face upon seeing me.
***My YA programs tend to defy explanation, although Katie did attempt it once.
****Except for Maureen Johnson. She's a robot.
*****Can someone please explain to me why so many writers live in Salt Lake City?
******Molly is just as entertaining and funny in person as in print...and not just because she mentioned Buffy.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
YAAP - The Real Story
The first Young Adult Advisory Panel meeting is less than two weeks away (Wednesday, September 9, to be exact). This would normally be where I talk about how awesome YAAP is and how much it means to me and how anyone reading this that qualifies (lives in or near Marshall County; in grades 8-12) should join. But then I got Lizard Lover's zine submission this summer and realized that my "Hey, it's fun!" doesn't quite convey the actual awesomeness that is YAAP. So, with the permission of the author, here is an insider's view of an actual YAAP meeting. (Please note: the footnotes are Miss Tammy's thoughts.)
I walk into YAAP early to get to the sugary snack of the day* before all the other ravaging teens devour it. As I fill myself a cup of gummy bears, Tori comes in waving a book. It reads backwards, has a funky name and the cover features a blue haired guy with big eyeballs. She is referred to as Little Sister. Or is it Big Sister…? Anyway, she is followed by Jake who is toting a fantasy book and a gym bag. Jake is Big Brother. They both fill up a cup of gummy bears and grab a Sam’s Cola. Jake shuffles through his bag, mutters something about tennis balls, and leaves.
Almost immediately thereafter, Emily bounces in with mysterious spheres in her sleeves. Emily’s nickname is Jorgé or George**, depending on everyone’s mood. Gummy bears and soda. She plops into her seat with a mischievous grin and pulls a tennis ball out of her jacket sleeves. Big Brother returns.
“You!” he blurts out.
“Me?” Jorgé asks innocently.
“You have my tennis balls, you…you block of wood!” Big Brother accuses.
George gasps; “I am hurt!”
Tori, who left during the Great Tennis Debate, returns with Kathryn, who I think is the other sister. I think.
Enter Miss Tammy, or… Miss Tammy. She is frowning. She gets on the phone; “Hi…Phil? I need help…I need an old priest a new priest and a-… how’d you know?”*** She continues on like this for a while. Meg, Rachel, and Madison sneak in, and Ray begins to rave about the Hunger Games. Sammy Jean and Cassidy have also come in. We start our meeting minus the projector because Miss Tammy’s Laptop has been possessed by disembodied Gossip Girl voices****. Jorgé and Big Brother are still fighting over Tennis Balls. Kathryn asks Big Brother about underwear and he turns the color of beet juice (which would be an excellent name for a band, Beet Juice would).
Miss Tammy sighs. “I have no control.”*****
About 20 minutes later, Telle arrives looking as if she has carpooled with wildebeests. Apparently, she rode in the back of a van between two caffeine crazed teenage boys. I feel her pain. One topic in the meeting is particularly interesting. A Ball. A Costume Ball. Sammy Jean and I sit up straight, look at each other and simultaneously say “We can go together!” You see, in a play YAAP put on, Sammy jean and I were “couple”, despite the fact we’re both girls. Since then it has been our joke. Miss Tammy comments that we are becoming quite the couple. No one seems to see quite the humor in the situation that Sam and I do.
The meeting is now over. Everyone, except for an unnamed 3, raves on about Twilight and Taylor Lautner And how New Moon is coming out soon. Soon it is time to part ways. Miss Tammy asks one burning question as we leave.
“Has anyone seen TooDee?”******
*Sometimes it is actually a salty snack, but I guess that is unimportant. The point is: there is always a snack.
**This is a result of Killer Bunnies insanity. Killer Bunnies always results in insanity. Also, I have a tendency to rename people for no good reason.
***It's not until you see your own words in print that you realize how odd you must sound to others.
****I still have nightmares.
*****I say this at least once every meeting.
******For anyone concerned, TooDee is home safely.
I walk into YAAP early to get to the sugary snack of the day* before all the other ravaging teens devour it. As I fill myself a cup of gummy bears, Tori comes in waving a book. It reads backwards, has a funky name and the cover features a blue haired guy with big eyeballs. She is referred to as Little Sister. Or is it Big Sister…? Anyway, she is followed by Jake who is toting a fantasy book and a gym bag. Jake is Big Brother. They both fill up a cup of gummy bears and grab a Sam’s Cola. Jake shuffles through his bag, mutters something about tennis balls, and leaves.
Almost immediately thereafter, Emily bounces in with mysterious spheres in her sleeves. Emily’s nickname is Jorgé or George**, depending on everyone’s mood. Gummy bears and soda. She plops into her seat with a mischievous grin and pulls a tennis ball out of her jacket sleeves. Big Brother returns.
“You!” he blurts out.
“Me?” Jorgé asks innocently.
“You have my tennis balls, you…you block of wood!” Big Brother accuses.
George gasps; “I am hurt!”
Tori, who left during the Great Tennis Debate, returns with Kathryn, who I think is the other sister. I think.
Enter Miss Tammy, or… Miss Tammy. She is frowning. She gets on the phone; “Hi…Phil? I need help…I need an old priest a new priest and a-… how’d you know?”*** She continues on like this for a while. Meg, Rachel, and Madison sneak in, and Ray begins to rave about the Hunger Games. Sammy Jean and Cassidy have also come in. We start our meeting minus the projector because Miss Tammy’s Laptop has been possessed by disembodied Gossip Girl voices****. Jorgé and Big Brother are still fighting over Tennis Balls. Kathryn asks Big Brother about underwear and he turns the color of beet juice (which would be an excellent name for a band, Beet Juice would).
Miss Tammy sighs. “I have no control.”*****
About 20 minutes later, Telle arrives looking as if she has carpooled with wildebeests. Apparently, she rode in the back of a van between two caffeine crazed teenage boys. I feel her pain. One topic in the meeting is particularly interesting. A Ball. A Costume Ball. Sammy Jean and I sit up straight, look at each other and simultaneously say “We can go together!” You see, in a play YAAP put on, Sammy jean and I were “couple”, despite the fact we’re both girls. Since then it has been our joke. Miss Tammy comments that we are becoming quite the couple. No one seems to see quite the humor in the situation that Sam and I do.
The meeting is now over. Everyone, except for an unnamed 3, raves on about Twilight and Taylor Lautner And how New Moon is coming out soon. Soon it is time to part ways. Miss Tammy asks one burning question as we leave.
“Has anyone seen TooDee?”******
*Sometimes it is actually a salty snack, but I guess that is unimportant. The point is: there is always a snack.
**This is a result of Killer Bunnies insanity. Killer Bunnies always results in insanity. Also, I have a tendency to rename people for no good reason.
***It's not until you see your own words in print that you realize how odd you must sound to others.
****I still have nightmares.
*****I say this at least once every meeting.
******For anyone concerned, TooDee is home safely.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
A Pirate, a Faerie, and a Slayer walk into the Library
Twelve days after Express Yourself: The Costume Ball I am officially declaring it over. I've written my articles for various publications, put everything away*, uploaded all million bazillion pictures to Flickr and/or Facebook**, written my "Thank You" notes, and now I'm finally recapping it via blog. Go me.
So, remember how I said that the Costume Ball was going to be even better than the Twilight Carnival? Turns out, I wasn't just making that up. The Costume Ball was ah-mazing. First, the costumes were great. There were tons of different creatures and characters including some beautiful princesses, a Summer Girl from Wicked Lovely, Link from Legends of Zelda, Ron Weasley***, and the costume contest winners, Phantom and Christine from Phantom of the Opera (complete with their own musical accompaniment).
The live music was fan-freakin'-tastic. Abby, as always, was great. I need iTunes to get ahold of her Jane song so that I can put it on my iPod. Bree, who I had never had the privilege of hearing before, was also really talented. I loved, loved, loved her cover of the 3oh!3 song "Don't Trust Me"****. And the Engaging 6 and 7 boys? So. Much. Fun. How could you possibly not dance to "Take On Me" or "Under the Sea"?
While I wasn't involved with the scoring of any of the book trivia games, no one has threatened to murder me over their impossibility or claimed they were too easy, so I'm declaring them a success also. The Scavenger Hunt also went really well, with everyone running around the empty, after-hours library looking for clues. And, I think it goes without saying that the prizes were very much loved by all who won them (and envied by those who did not).*****
Once again, thanks to everyone who helped (especially anyone that carried pieces of that stage) and participated. It was great! Now, time to start planning our mega-event for August 2010...
*OK, so there is still one box tucked away in the storage room that needs unpacking. I plan on getting to that...soon-ish.
**More pictures on Facebook than Flickr because of Flickr limits.
***My favorite story of the night: Naturally red-headed boy walks into the library in jeans and a T-shirt. I glower. "If anyone asks, you're a Weasley." He reaches into his back pocket and produces a wand. "I'm Ron, of course."
****I also loved that she prefaced it with, "This song is not normally done acoustic, but I want to do it because I believe it has a really strong message."
*****I'm still not understanding why the fish were the most popular prizes of the night. Or why some people are still sad that I wouldn't get a goat.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
End of Summer Extravaganza, Year Two
I can't believe it's the end of Summer Vacation. How did that happen? I feel like we just got started.*
The YA Summer Reading Program this year has rocked. Nearly 100 teens signed up to participate, which is beyond awesome. I not only survived doing two programs a week all summer long, I enjoyed it! We made some wicked cool crafts, and I got a chance to know some really great teens. I've even got a huge folder full of zines and zine contributions to go through. Excellent!
But, on Friday, the YA Summer Reading Program for 2009 will be over. Next week Marshall County students head back to the organized learning thing, leaving me all alone every single day. *tear* But before that happens, we're going to have one last hurrah. Are you excited?
Last year's End of Summer Extravaganza, the Twilight Carnival, was good. We had fun. This year? This Costume Ball thing? It's going to be so much better! We've got three live acts performing (Abby, Bree, and Engaging 6 and 7), some yummy food (including a chocolate fountain**), fun games (including our annual scavenger hunt), and awesome prizes (including exclusive Twilight merchandise)!
And the best part? Everyone gets to dress up! I love dressing up***! It's so much fun. You can come as anything - a book character, a superhero, a zombified alien, anything! I can't wait to see all of the costumes!
Just in case this is the first time you're hearing about this, please note that the event is open to anyone going into grades 7-12 and will be held at the Benton branch of the Marshall County Public Library System this Saturday, August 1, from 5:30 to 8:30. For more information you can call Miss Tammy at 270-395-5745.
I hope to see you all there!
*Technically, summer did just get started on June 21. It's not over until September. I guess we're going by the school system's definition of "summer".
**If I can get the chocolate fountain to work. I'm scared I won't be able to figure it out. It looks complicated.
***My Zoey Redbird costume is assembled and ready to go!
The YA Summer Reading Program this year has rocked. Nearly 100 teens signed up to participate, which is beyond awesome. I not only survived doing two programs a week all summer long, I enjoyed it! We made some wicked cool crafts, and I got a chance to know some really great teens. I've even got a huge folder full of zines and zine contributions to go through. Excellent!
But, on Friday, the YA Summer Reading Program for 2009 will be over. Next week Marshall County students head back to the organized learning thing, leaving me all alone every single day. *tear* But before that happens, we're going to have one last hurrah. Are you excited?
Last year's End of Summer Extravaganza, the Twilight Carnival, was good. We had fun. This year? This Costume Ball thing? It's going to be so much better! We've got three live acts performing (Abby, Bree, and Engaging 6 and 7), some yummy food (including a chocolate fountain**), fun games (including our annual scavenger hunt), and awesome prizes (including exclusive Twilight merchandise)!
And the best part? Everyone gets to dress up! I love dressing up***! It's so much fun. You can come as anything - a book character, a superhero, a zombified alien, anything! I can't wait to see all of the costumes!
Just in case this is the first time you're hearing about this, please note that the event is open to anyone going into grades 7-12 and will be held at the Benton branch of the Marshall County Public Library System this Saturday, August 1, from 5:30 to 8:30. For more information you can call Miss Tammy at 270-395-5745.
I hope to see you all there!
*Technically, summer did just get started on June 21. It's not over until September. I guess we're going by the school system's definition of "summer".
**If I can get the chocolate fountain to work. I'm scared I won't be able to figure it out. It looks complicated.
***My Zoey Redbird costume is assembled and ready to go!
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