I'm happy to share my
blog with my good friend, Jennifer Allis Provost, as she shares one of her adventures that led to her awesome book, COPPER
GIRL.
So here’s what happened:
It was 2010, and Neil Gaiman was touring for the tenth
anniversary edition of American Gods.
Being a huge fan of all things Neil, I had to go. Unfortunately, the closest
stop was Portsmouth, NH,
which is about two hours away. Which means, I needed to enlist a
co-conspirator.
Enter Trisha Wooldridge, owner of the blog you are now
reading. Being that she’s also a die-hard Neil fan, she was game. So I picked
her up, enjoyed some of the best Mexican I’ve ever had (in Worcester,
MA, of all places) and headed north. During
the drive, I fished a bracelet out of the center console; it was green marble
with a copper clasp. I gave it to Trisha (hey, she paid for lunch) and
commented that copper was my favorite metal.
Once we reached Portsmouth
we met up with another writer friend, one Justine Graykin. After dinner at a
British-themed pub, we trekked over to the Music Hall, listed to Neil speak,
read from American Gods, and be
interviewed by the local NPR affiliate, and scored some signed hardbacks.
Right now, you’re wondering why I’m telling you all of this,
and what this possibly has to do with Copper
Girl. Patience. It’s coming.
After the event at the Music Hall was over, Trisha, Justine
and I went to a local restaurant (for the life of me, I can’t remember the name
of it – Portsmouth Brewery, maybe?) for drinks and dessert. (Side note: the
common theme to all of my and Trish’s adventures seem to be drinks and
dessert.) We hit the bathroom before we left, and let me tell you, that was one
of the nicest ladies’ rooms I’d ever seen. It had granite counters, a terra
cotta tile floor, and the most gorgeous copper sinks and faucets. While washing
my hands, I remarked again that copper was my favorite metal.
“You keep saying that,” said Trisha. “Maybe you should write
a copper story.”
And, I did.
The point behind my ramble is this: I was lucky enough to be
with two creative individuals, talking and laughing and generally going on
about the sorts of things I don’t normally get to talk about, like my love of
Charles Dickens, and literary tropes,
and why libraries don’t have more funding than the defense department. I had
the opportunity to be exposed to Trisha and Justine’s creativity, and I
borrowed a bit of it.
Take away lessons:
Creativity does not
exist in a vacuum – if you isolate yourself, you will never open yourself
to new ideas. Place yourself with other creative individuals, and soak up their
brilliance.
Inspiration is
everywhere – even in a bathroom sink.
Have drinks and
desserts with friends often – you never know where it will lead you. And,
um, chocolate.
Want to win a Token
replica from Copper Girl? What about
a gorgeous Copper Girl T-Shirt based
on the beautiful cover by Lisa Amowitz?
How about a $10 Barnes & Noble Gift Certificate? Check out the raffle
below!
Back cover matter:
Sara had always been careful.
She never spoke of magic, never
associated with those suspected of handling magic, never thought of magic, and
never, ever, let anyone see her mark. After all, the last thing she wanted was
to end up missing, like her father and brother.
Then, a silver elf pushed his way
into Sara's dream, and her life became anything but ordinary.
Rafflecopter link:
Author bio:
Jennifer Allis Provost is a native
New Englander who lives in a sprawling colonial along with her beautiful and
precocious twins, a dog, a parrot (maroon bellied conure, to be exact), two
cats, and a wonderful husband who never forgets to buy ice cream. As a child, she
read anything and everything she could get her hands on, including a set of
encyclopedias, but fantasy was always her favorite. She spends her days
drinking vast amounts of coffee, arguing with her computer, and avoiding any
and all domestic behavior.
Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jennallis
Follow me on Twitter: @parthalan
Posts
2 comments:
So now I know. It can all begin with something as small as a throwaway remark. I like copper too. Copper roofs with their green patinas remind me a lot of my time in Oxford as an anatomy demonstrator a very long time ago.
:) I've had a lot of fun with throwaway remarks growing into something bigger. And also a fan of copper...and copper with the green patina. Anatomy demonstrator? What is that? :) - T.
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