Virtual Tour Fun
Before my brain starts bleeding from the fun that is over 250 flash cards on Cognitive Neuroscience, I thought I would bring to everyone my contribution to Mindy Klasky's virtual tour for Magic and The Modern Girl. The book should be in stores now. These are refined, enhanced, and spoiler-free versions of the questions that I submitted. I have read the book, and it is awesome. My response to the answer for question one is that sure it is the case that I just wanted to spend more time with the cast of characters of the Jane Madison series. This is my third time participating and a few of the questions seem to have built upon questions from previous years. What can I say - I tend to get stuck in mini-ruts. Anyways, in case anyone wants to read the past two years worth of questions they can be found here and here (that is if anyone actually reads this...). With that, this years q&a shall begin.
1. The ending seemed a little rushed. This may be just me, but I would have liked to have seen the last few scenes last a little longer (in terms of the writing - not the temporal sense of the book). Without spoiling people who care about being spoiled, was there any specific reason for all of that action to happen within so few pages?
I'm sorry that you were disappointed by the ending - I'd like to think that you just didn't want to close the pages on the last (for now!) Jane Madison book.
The narrative pattern for MAGIC was essentially the same as for GIRL'S GUIDE and for SORCERY, with one minor exception. GIRL'S GUIDE and SORCERY come to their respective climaxes, and then there is a single chapter of denouement. MAGIC actually has two concluding chapters - one immediately after the action, and then a second one to tuck in various series loose ends. Therefore, while the writing seemed rushed to you, the wrap-up was actually was spread out over more pages than in the prior volumes.
2. I realized after writing this, that this question is a sort of follow up to a question from last year. In Sorcery, there was a recurring image of the peacock. Early in Magic, Jane's computer monitor is described as peacock blue. This is simply a descriptive term (Right?). Peacock blue, however, has a number of different shades that it can refer to. Could you specify what color peacock blue is for you?
I picture a color that is a deep blue - approximately hex #003399. It's interesting that you should ask about peacock blue. In conjunction with the release of MAGIC, I'm auctioning off a necklace-and-earrings glass bead set that was designed by a prominent reference librarian who just happens to be a jewelry artist. All proceeds from the auction will go to First Book, a charity with the mission of getting kids their first books to read and to own. Peacocks are the theme of the amazing set (I just might bid on them myself!) The auction will open October 1 and go through October 31 - details will be on my website - www.mindyklasky.com.
3. Does Jane ever get her highlights fixed?
Now, the answer to that question should be kept strictly between Jane, Neko, and Jacques!
4. Following the coffee/tea rut my questions have developed, have you ever tried Teavana's teas?
Alas, I haven't had the chance! Let me know your favorite, so that I can try it when I seek them out!
5. So, I'm currently in the process of trying to figure out what I want to do for grad school and as a result where I would like to go. Randomly enough I'm trying to decide between Public Health (okay, not exactly public policy, but its close enough to turn on the light bulbs in my head) and Library science. At least partially due to going to a school in the top 5% for grade depreciation (combined with the fact that I just spent the weekend before midterms sleeping and reading this book), there is no way I am going to be offered full scholarships to Harvard and Yale (are those the right schools? I don't have the book in front of me.). Now that I have written a tome, what would you tell someone considering going to library school? Along those same lines, what was your experience like starting out within the world of library science? A more interesting question might be what were Jane's first experiences like?
First, thank you for letting MAGIC be part of the determination process for your school choice :-) (Ah, the number of nights I stayed up reading, far too late, when I should have been preparing for little things like the LSAT!)
Second, I don't know anything about Public Health schools, except for the fact that a close friend from law school teaches in the program at Johns Hopkins. I can't give you any advice about which programs are strongest, which best combine your specific policy interests with general public health education, etc.
Third, I enjoyed library school, but it was very much a means to an end. I attended Catholic University, which allowed me credit for two courses because I had a J.D. Therefore, I only needed to take ten courses, which I chose to stack five in one semester, and five in the next. (This was mostly do to the way tuition was calculated - I paid by the course for up to three courses; all others taken that semester were free.) I found library school to be very interesting, in terms of specific coursework, the history of librarianship, learning unique reference resources, etc. I didn't find it to be particularly intellectually rigorous, but it required a lot of time management skills to complete all of my courses on my expedited schedule. Finally, there were numerous group projects, which I disliked, because I've always been something of an academic loner. My overall advice: Figure out what you want to do after library school, then construct a course schedule that will best prepare you for that practice. Don't just drift into library school, assuming that you'll figure out what you want to be "when you grow up" at the end of the process. (There isn't a lot of financial aid for library school; it's not the type of graduate program where students typically get "free rides" for all of their course work. On the brighter side, employers generally don't care strongly where you got your degree (unlike, say, law firms, which care very much about where their associates went to law school.))
Fourth, as for Jane - *she* enjoyed the group projects far more than I did :-) She wasn't transitioning careers, so it took her a bit longer to figure out what she wanted to do. At first, she thought that she'd be a children's librarian - before she realized that she really didn't have the temperament (as demonstrated in MAGIC!)
6. I have asked before about your progression of study and jobs. There has recently been a new twist as readers of your lj would know. Are you happy with all of the changes on the way? If you could go back and change anything, would you, and if yes, then what?
(For those who don't know, I recently left my full-time librarian management job for a national law firm, so that I can write full time.) I am absolutely thrilled with my current job - I am able to correspond with readers, to create new book proposals, to editing existing manuscripts, and to draft new novels, giving more attention to each piece of the puzzle than I ever was able to do before. I've made each career transition at what seemed to be the perfect time - I left lawyering to become a librarian just as I was set to begin the major push toward making partner (a "reward" that I found potentially substantially dissatisfying). I left librarianing just as I developed a plethora of new writing ideas. The only change that I would make would be to smooth the current economic environment - it's more than a little scary to be writing books in a world where every headline screams at people that they don't have the money to buy books or the time to step away from their frantic jobs to read them.
7. I recently found a book that had been signed to a particular individual on the book swap rack at the library where I work. As an author, how would you feel if this was one of your books?
My initial reaction would be one of sadness, likely tinged with a bit of frustration ("I took the time to sign that book, and s/he didn't care enough to keep it?!?") Realism would probably win out in the long run, though. We all have numerous books and limited shelf space. I give books to my local library all the time (but I keep the ones signed to me!)
8. Did you know how everything was going to end when you started Magic or did the plot evolve along the way?
When I started the entire Jane Madison Series, I knew how some things would turn out (essentially, I knew what would happen in the last, last chapter of MAGIC.) I didn't know, though, what would happen in all the other chapters of MAGIC until I started outlining that novel. (I sell each of my novels to my publisher, based on a synopsis that is a few pages long. After they accept the synopsis, I break the action down into a pretty specific outline, stating what will happen in each individual chapter of the book. That outline lets me massage the pace of the story, work in the details of actions, etc.)
9. What happens to the characters who aren't in the last, last chapter of MAGIC?
I have more Jane Madison ideas in my head, ways to continue Jane's story and the the stories of her friends, relatives, and other witchy denizens. At the moment, I don't have any other Jane Madison novels under contract, but if MAGIC sells well enough, and if enough people let my publishers know they care.... ::grin::
10. How would Jane describe the perfect mojito for mojito therapy?
It's icy cold, served in a tall glass, and very, very, very lime-y. (Jane prefers her mojitos with about twice the amount of lime juice as is typical for the cocktail!) This autumn, I am preparing a Recipe Calendar, featuring some of the key recipes from Cake Walk, including mojitos. (I am contributing recipes for Almond Lust and Lust After Dark; other prominent urban fantasy, science fiction, and mystery authors are contributing their favorite recipes.) All proceeds from the calendar will go to First Book. Check my website for details - I hope to have them up very soon!
11. Do you have The Tempest memorized, or did you have to look up the Shakespeare? Also, why the Tempest in particular?
Prospero, the magician in THE TEMPEST, is famous for his library of magical books - he seemed to be a logical Shakespearean link to Jane. Also, Miranda in that play discovers a broad new world when she moves beyond her father's familial protection and into the world of romance and intrigue. While I don't have the play memorized, I've read it a few times before, and I've seen two staged productions. (Generally, I like parts of the play, but it has some strange interludes where Shakespeare worked hard to show the exoticness of island life - interludes that I think harm the general storytelling.) I rely on electronic versions of all of Shakespeare's plays to double-check the quotations that Jane and Melissa exchange.
12. . I'll probably think of something else latter, but this will serve I think. You said you like to end on this note, so to quote Jed Bartlett, "What's next?"
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Oh. Wait. You weren't asking about what's next for Josh Lyman.
I have already turned in the first volume of a new series, the As You Wish Series. THERE'S THE RUB will be published by Mira, appearing in October 2009. It's the story of a stage manager who discovers a magic lantern that contains a wish-granting genie. Alas, her wishes don't quite go as she thinks they will...
Now that you have read the questions and responses, you should go buy the book. It is out as of today.
Note: After I have regained my senses (aka once I get through with the two exams I have today, all text except q&a is subject to change).