Tammar's Blog

NEW SITE, NEW BLOG!!

2011-11-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

Hello dear readers,

For any of you still checking this blogsite in vain, please join me at my new website which also hosts my blog: www.tammarstein.com

I won't be updating this blog anymore, so please come on over!

Best wishes,
Tammar

See you this Saturday!

2011-10-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'll be speaking in downtown St. Pete this Saturday as part of the St. Petersburg Time's Festival of Reading.

All you Tampa Bay folks, I hope to see you there!

More later,
Tammar

Florida life

2011-09-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

I got stuck in a traffic jam this morning: that's typical. It was caused by a man in scrubs escorting a gopher tortoise across the road: that's Florida!

More later,
Tammar

Fun stuff

2011-08-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

There are so many amazing people out there, blogging and sharing their talents with the rest of us. One of my new favs is here.

I mean, come on, who would have ever thought "vegan" could look so darn cute! And tasty.

I really like this and this as well. And if all that healthy stuff makes you crave a nice, buttery, cheesy something or other, this site will never let you down.

What are some of your favorite cooking blogs? And if you follow any great crafting blogs, let me know!

More later,
Tammar

Catching up

2011-08-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

No, I didn't fall of the face of the earth. I haven't even been living under a rock. (Except for a few desperate weekends, but that's another story.) But I do have news.

Kindred is getting a new cover! It's coming out in paperback in early 2012 with a gorgeous new cover that I think you'll love. Even more exciting is that I actually made my deadline for my latest novel! I turned it in a day early! (Am I an overachiever or what?) I know, I didn't think it would happen either. Folks, I actually wrote an entire novel in one year. It's a personal record that I don't ever plan to beat. And it means I'll have a new book coming out next summer, just one year after Kindred was released, which again, is some sort of astounding light-speed development that I'm really not used, nor should I get used to because I doubt it will ever happen again.

So I'll enjoy it while it lasts and I hope you will too!

More later,
Tammar
PS- Hello to everyone at the Florida Writers Foundation! I had such a nice time meeting all of you last week and I wish you all the best with your writings!

The Ted Hipple Special Collection

2011-07-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

Oh, what I morning I've had! I just spent it at the University of South Florida's Special Collections Library. This is a place where you're buzzed to get in and surveillance cameras monitor every room. This is where the precious, the rare, the prized are stored. And now, my books as well! (I know, seems like over-kill for my little novels, but they now sit among rare company.)

Here's what happened. I received an email from Prof. Joan Kaywell wondering if I'd donated some signed books. A fellow bookaholic, she took her devotion a step farther than anyone I know. To honor a dear mentor who passed away, she founded the Ted Hipple Special Collection of Autographed Young Adult Literature at USF. The collection now has more than 2,000 autographed books, and not just books, but advanced reading copies, out of print editions, foreign translations and even manuscripts, all signed by the authors. Suzanne Collin's signed Hunger Games ARC is there. Judy Bloom, Meg Cabot. It's a who's who in YA lit and I'm there too!

How cool is that?

More later,
Tammar

go!

2011-05-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

"Everyone who's ever taken a shower has had an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it who makes a difference." --Nolan Bushnell, American engineer and founding father of the video game industry.

I just love that quote! Doesn't it just make you want to get out and put those what-if's ideas to work? So go!

More later,
Tammar

Virginia Public Radio

2011-05-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

I was recently fortunate enough to record a short little essay I wrote for Virginia Public Radio. Their studio in Charlottesville, VA (one of my favorite towns in the whole world) is, not surprisingly, awesome (like much in Charlottesville is.) It was my first time in a state-of-the-art recording studio, and what can I say? I liked it!

You can listen to it here.

More later,

Tammar

News and Sentinel

2011-04-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

West Virginia's News and Sentinel recently published a lovely review of Kindred, saying "this book will leave you thinking after the last page is finished." I sure hope so! Read the full review here. http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/546428/Teen-books-thrill.html?nav=5055

More later,

Tammar

USF

2011-03-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

To the students of Prof. Ciresi's literature class, I had such a great time hanging out with you on Tuesday! Thanks for the awesome questions and I hope you all get A's in class.

More later,

Tammar

Awwww...

2011-03-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

I love this! Found it at the ever lovely Tulips and Flightsuits.

More later,

Tammar

Aw, Charlottesville

2011-03-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came to my talks during the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville! I had such a great time, as is always the case when I'm back in my old stomping grounds.

To the students at the Village School, I'm wearing the awesome ice-blue Village School hat I got after our talk, but sadly, it's already too hot for the hoodie. I'll keep it tucked away until next year. Thanks for all the great questions and the lovely afternoon.

To the parents, staff, and families of the Charlottesville Catholic School, thank you once again for hosting Sweet Reads, which was a fabulous evening for us authors. We all couldn't stop saying how grateful and touched we were by your thoughtfulness.

I hope you enjoy reading Kindred!

More later,
Tammar

For Japan with love

2011-03-18T14:44:00.001-07:00

Heros

2011-03-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

This article in the NYTimes: Last Defense at Troubled Reactors: 50 Japanese Workers brought tears to my eyes. Fifty people are sacrificing themselves at this moment in time to save their countrymen and women. They are working in darkness, crawling through the wreckage with only their flashlight for illumination, with explosions in the background, exposed to fatally high levels of radiation as they try to stop this slow moving nightmare of radiation leaks and nuclear catastrophe. This pretty much sums up my idea of what hell looks like.

I know there are times that call for the sacrifice of ourselves for the greater good and this certainly qualifies. But how would we react if placed in such a situation? Would we step up, or run and hide? Fifty people in Japan know the answer and it humbles me and amazes me; they are giving their lives as we speak to save their fellow man.

Read the article here.

More later,
Tammar

Just horrible

2011-03-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

I've been horrified by the situation in Japan, my heart aching for a country dealing with 3 major disasters in a row. I've been amazed by the calm and dignified behavior of people who are hurt, hungry and freezing, who have just lost loved ones as well as all of their possessions, as they continue to place the needs of others above their own.

Below is a link to satellite images of areas in Japan before and after the quake/tsunami/explosion.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html

It puts our little problems into sobering perspective.

More later,
Tammar

Books & Books

2011-03-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

I went for a book signing at the fabulous Books & Books in Miami a couple of weeks ago. You know it's going to be good when an independent book store has an international reputation. This is like the Natalie Portman of book stores - classy, successful, hip, and definitely someplace you want to hang out (and attend a book talk, which they have all the time!)

So after my little talk and after I signed the books, I wasn't in any hurry to leave. And good thing, too! The most interesting things in life always happen when you're not in a hurry to leave, don't you think? (And so why am I always in such a hurry again?) But anyway, there I am, hanging out with the events coordinator (hi, Debra!) and the children's book buyer (hi, Becky!) when I hear the story of Becky's tattoos. As you might have guessed from KINDRED, I have this slight fascination with tattoos.

Remember how I said that Books & Books is awesome? How they have signings practically every day? That's because every author who tours goes there (I'm really not exaggerating.) So when Eric Carle (he of The Very Hungry Caterpillar fame) came by for a signing, Becky was suddenly seized with daring inspiration. She handed him a Sharpie and asked him to draw the very hungry caterpillar and told him that she was going to get his sketch on her arm tattooed in place. He drew it. She ran over to a tattoo artist who tattooed over the sketch. Her first ever tattoo.

Eventually she had Mo Williams (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus) draw his pigeon, and Lane Smith (It's a Book) draw his monkey. She's mulling over who should be next. And one day, when she becomes a children's book illustrator, she'll draw her own character and have it tattooed.

I think that is one of the coolest things I've heard. It's like her arm should be in a museum for modern art and children's literature. She's a walking national treasure.

More later,

Tammar

St. Petersburg Times

2011-02-17T08:37:00.000-08:00

Check out this nice article that came out in the Sunday edition of the St. Petersburg Times!

More later,

Tammar

In new young adult novel 'Kindred' Tammar Stein's angel is no cuddly cherub

By Colette Bancroft, Times Book Editor
In Print: Sunday, February 13, 2011

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Entertainment

Bieber Fever Sweeps London

ShowBiz Minute: Wyclef, Franklin, Smith

Liam Neeson's 'Unknown' in L.A.

'Dancing' Star Burke Reveals Childhood Abuse

Matthew Perry Is 'Mr. Sunshine'

'Criminal Minds' Spins Off 'Suspect Behavior'

The Academy Pushes the Envelope

Computer Crushes the Humans on 'Jeopardy!'

ShowBiz Minute: BRITs, Rooney, Cyrus

Tempah and Bieber Backstage at the BRITs

Flavor Flav Wants to Go Back to School, on TV

BRITS Embrace Stars From Across the Pond

Hayden Panettiere's Controversial New Role

Chiklis: Expect More 'No Ordinary' Thrills

Sheen: Crack OK if You Can Manage It 'Socially'

Monica Potter Wants You to Be Heart Healthy

Depp Brings 'Rango' to LA

ShowBiz Minute: Aguilera, Beckham, Sheen

Damon and Blunt Tempt Fate in the 'Bureau'

Taco Bus opens in St. Petersburg

ShowBiz Minute: Grammys, Baftas, Taylor

Fashion Highlights From the Grammys Red Carpet

Bieber Hugs It Out With Spalding

Grammy Stars Share Laughs on Red Carpet

Performances, Upset Wins Dominate Grammys

Performances, Upsets Dominate Grammys

Grammy Stars Share Laughs on Red Carpet

Grammy Guests Catch Bieber Fever

Gaga's Egg and Other Stars Arrive at Grammys

Sandler, Aniston Beat Bieber at Box Office

Tammar Stein's first two young adult novels, Light Years and High Dive, were realistic stories of young women trying to find their places in the world.

Her new one, Kindred, is about another young woman trying to find her place. But here's how Miriam's story begins: "The first time I meet an angel, it is Raphael and I am eighteen." That's not a metaphor for a hot boy. The archangel Raphael crashes through the college student's dorm room wall in a commanding vision so terrifying it knocks her unconscious.

When she comes to, her whole life is changed. A girl who has never been committed to any faith (even though her father is a rabbi, her mother a former nun, and both are theology professors), Miriam finds herself grappling with baffling visions as well as a new job, disturbing physical symptoms and a crisis in the life of her twin brother, Mo.

What moved Stein, who lives in Clearwater with her family, to venture into the genre of supernatural fiction?

"I was driving one day, and on the radio I heard that Black Crowes song, You know she talks to angels/ Says they call her out by her name. And the only thing I could think of was, if the angels knew you by name, that would be a really bad thing."

The idea so intrigued her that she wrote a short story about a girl who meets an angel. Her husband read it and declared it her next novel. "I said, 'What? I don't write those kinds of books.' I think I wanted to prove him wrong. Next thing I knew I had 30 pages."

Angels are enjoying a surge of popularity in fiction — still running behind vampires, but doing well — but when Stein began her book four years ago, she says, "There were no angels around."

Kindred is not a typical angel book because its human characters don't fall in love with their celestial counterparts. "I couldn't imagine human beings falling in love with angels — they're terrifying," Stein says. "I know it's funny to say, but this is a realistic angel book."

She did extensive research on angels, studying Renaissance paintings and interviewing a religion professor and a rabbi about the beings' nature and history. Angels appear only rarely in the Bible; much of the information about them comes from apocryphal sources.

One thing became clear from her research. "These are not cozy, cuddly little cherubs. They are this other being." One of her interview subjects noted that in most biblical accounts of encounters with angels, the first thing the angel says is, "Do not be afraid."

Stein, 33, may not have written supernatural fiction before, but she has been writing for a long time. She grew up in the United States and Israel, and loved to read so much that she decided she wanted to be a writer while in high school. She earned a degree in English literature at the University of Virginia.

“Light Years started as a short story I wrote in college. The class loved it, the teacher loved it. I entered it in a contest and won $400. So that made me think writing fiction was a practical way to make a living. I didn't know it would be seven years before I made any more money from it."

While working part-time jobs and living in Italy, Germany and around the United States while her husband was in the military, Stein spent five years on Light Years, not trying in earnest to sell it until the book was "ripe."

"For a while I thought it wasn't going to happen for me," she says. "Then it was like a fairy tale."

She was approached by two agents on the same day; the one she chose soon had three publishers bidding for the book, and it was published in 2006. Light Years was named a Virginia Readers Choice book, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults and New York Public Library Pick for Teens.

While writing it, she says, it never occurred to her it was a YA novel. But her agent and editors at Alfred A. Knopf were enthusiastic about it as a book for young readers. "YA chose me," she says, calling it "a welcoming field, a very exciting field."

One reason young readers respond to her books, she says, is the age of her protagonists, who have all been about 19. (Miriam is just about to turn that age as Kindred begins.) YA readers are variously defined, but they're roughly ages 12 to 16. "YA readers like to read up about four years."

Stein is already at work on her next novel, which while "not exactly a sequel" will pick up some of the characters who appear in Kindred.

She also makes time for her first love, reading. "I like to say I self-medicate with books." Some books she returns to over and over, ranging from James Clavell's King Rat to Margaret Atwood'sThe Handmaid's Tale.

Her current favorite among YA novels is Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. "She's my YA hero, because she wrote this series for middle schoolers, about Gregor the Overlander, that are these great boys' books. Then she wrote a YA series with this great, strong, independent girl as a protagonist, for girls at the age when they can be so passive.

"Hunger Games is a perfect book. It's YA, but oh my gosh. It's a dangerous, wonderful book."

Colette Bancroft can be reached at cbancroft@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8435. She blogs on Critics Circle at blogs.tampabay.com/critics.

Kindred

By Tammar Stein

Alfred A. Knopf Books
for Young Readers,
266 pages,
$16.99

Meet the author

Tammar Stein will discuss and sign her book at 2 p.m. Saturday at Inkwood Books, 216 S Armenia Ave., Tampa.

Happy Book Day

2011-02-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Book Day, Kindred!!!

Already one day old, how quickly time flies. (I did mean to wish you a happy book day on your actual pub date...but I didn't. Sorry.)

I'll be in Miami this weekend, first at the Miami Arts Charter School on Friday and then at the incomparable Books and Books of Coral Gables on Saturday at 7pm. Hope to see you there!

More later,
Tammar

A compelling read

2011-02-04T06:51:00.000-08:00

Check out the review from Kirkus!

KINDRED
Author: Stein, Tammar

For the Abbott-Levy siblings, good versus evil is a family affair. The archangel Raphael descends on Miriam, a college freshman, and issues a cryptic command that she botches. Guilt-ridden, Miriam confides in Moses, her twin brother. Mo’s had a similar visitation, only his was demonic. Miriam abruptly leaves school and lands a reporting job at a rural Tennessee newspaper while coping with a sudden, severe gastrointestinal illness of possibly supernatural origins. Supported by her boss, two friendly organic farmers and, especially, Emmett, an appealing tattoo artist, she struggles to understand what’s happening and to accomplish her next task. Then Mo shows up with an agenda of his own. There’s much to like in this series opener: Miriam is engaging, her interfaith roots (Roman Catholic mother, Jewish father) interesting and the heavenly visitations credibly devastating. Less believable are her blind affection for selfish Mo and her circumstances (the job and the world’s best medical benefits). Despite uneven pacing and loose plotting, this intriguing exploration of divine intervention and cast of complex characters add up to a compelling read. (Fantasy. 12 & up)

KINDRED comes out in less than a week! (4 days, actually, but who's counting?)

More later,

Tammar

Books, Books, Books!

2011-01-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

It's drawing closer...Kindred's pub date is almost here. And I know because the UPS man just brought me boxes and boxes of my author copies! Hurray! These deliveries mark some of the best moments to be an author. My books are here, the cover is gorgeous, and I cannot wait to share these bad boys with you.

More later,

Tammar

and the critics say...

2010-12-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

Check it out, Publisher's Weekly just gave KINDRED a starred review!

Kindred
Tammar Stein, Knopf, $16.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-375-85871-0
In this refreshing twist on a traditional call narrative, theological musings transform into urgent moral questions requiring decisive action as well as literal and metaphorical leaps of faith. Skillfully intertwining family, medical, and supernatural dramas with a sweet romantic subplot, Stein (High Dive) unleashes cosmic battles to play out among the inhabitants of smalltown Hamilton, Tenn., a setting replete with Civil War history. Narrator Miriam, a college freshman and budding journalist, responds with a persuasive blend of faith and doubt to archangel Raphael's terrifying appearance, dropping out of college after her only partly successful attempt at obeying his command to "evacuate Tabitha before the Sabbath." Thus launched on an unexpected path, Miriam confronts a serious illness and the growing awareness that her spiritual quest pits her against her twin, Moses, a recruit of demonic forces. Additional parallels add intriguing nuance, such as the Christian and Jewish faith perspectives offered by the twins' divorced parents. Miriam's initial interpretation of her illness as divine punishment gives way to more complex theological reflections in this riveting tale, an angel book that stands out from the chorus. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)

What a lovely way to end 2010. Thank you PW for that awesome review!!

More later,

Tammar

Committment

2010-12-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big sports fan. And of all the professional sports out there, I care about football the least. I couldn't care less about football. And I think making heros out of successful athletes is just asking for trouble. But I always read Sport's Illustrated's profile of their Sportsman of the Year, and this year it was Saints' quarterback Drew Brees. (I had to look at the cover to type this, I am that clueless about football.)

It was a very long article and as you might expect, down right worshipful of him. He's a dedicated team player, a caring father and husband, and has given a lot back to the New Orleans community, in addition to winning the Superbowl.

The part of the article that really struck me was a quote from his memoir Coming Back Stronger about when he proposed to his wife, Bethany.

"...when I put the ring on Bethany's finger, I said 'For better or for worse, till death do us part.' Period. No matter how bad it could possibly get, I am committed. It's not about happiness. It's not about a feeling. I committed myself for the rest of my life, and I promised never to walk away."

What an emphatic, beautiful explanation of what it means to commit. In one way, he's saying it's not about the romance, it's not about those giddy, lovely moments that make you fall in love. Yet just saying that, it's incredibly romantic. He's pledging to stand by his wife through thick and thin, through ups and downs, external and internal to their relationship.

It's beautiful.

I wish them a long, happy marriage and a successful football career. Here's one athlete that makes a good hero.

More later,

Tammar

Kindred trailer

2010-12-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

Check out the trailer for my new book, Kindred, coming out February 8!!

Kindred by Tammar Stein

If you're wondering about that awesome song, it's Cassandra by Tiger Weather, obviously a very talented group on their way to big things! (And who kindly let me use their song in the trailer...thanks again!)

More later,

Tammar

My favorite quote

2010-11-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

There is neither a proportional relationship, nor an inverse one, between a writer's estimation of a work in progress and its actual quality. The feeling that it is magnificent, and the feeling that it is abominable, are both mosquitoes to be repelled, ignored, or killed but not indulged.
--Annie Dillard

I've been telling a lot of people lately about the quote I keep pinned up on the board above my desk in my office. It's a long one to declaim, so here it is, for those of you who wanted to read it.

More later,

Tammar

Dear Money

2010-11-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

As a novelist, one of the most common questions one gets is "How are your sales?" And as novelist Martha McPhee says, that's just another way of asking "how much money do you make?" It's irritating because I'm pretty sure no one asks computer programmers how much they make. (Or maybe they do.)

But it got Martha McPhee thinking about art and money and then a legendary Wall Street trader propositioned her. He said if she gave him 18 months he'd turn her into a (multi-million dollar making) Wall Street trader. As a literary novelist, this must have been tempting. Money. So much money. Instead, she wrote a novel about a literary novelist, tight on money, who is propositioned by a legendary Wall Street trader who says he can turn her into a (multi-million dollar earning) bond trader. And she says yes.

Dear Money is such a wonderful read. Entertaining, lyrical, (and at one point, laugh out loud funny) and at the same time thought-provoking and disturbing. I loved it.

More later,

Tammar

Beautiful Possibilities

2010-10-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

I think life harbors the possibility that we can push forward and come out better on the other end. In this country, one thing that's certain is that not far around the corner from every ugly thing there's something really beautiful. And if you stop at every bitter comment, you will never reach your destination. --Soledad O'Brien

What a lovely way to start Monday.

More later,

Tammar

Bookaholic Blog

2010-10-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

I recently guest-blogged for the wonderful Bookaholic blog. If I were a certain kind of blogger I would post a link. But since I'm not (able) I've just cut and pasted. Here's the short (true) story I wrote:

The first time, the only time, I ever saw an angel I was five years old. I know that sounds amazing but it wasn’t some big, miraculous event. It was actually pretty ordinary. We were living in Israel at the time, in a tall apartment building. It had just finished storming and as the rain eased, I saw a rainbow. I had a perfect view of it from my window and I remember resting my elbows on the windowsill, watching it and the dark gray clouds.

There was a particularly odd shaped cloud drifting closer to the rainbow and I watched, curious, wondering why it seemed to be moving with purpose. So I had a perfect view of a hand emerging from that oddly shaped cloud. It reached over, touched the rainbow and just like that, the rainbow and the hand dissipated like mist and the cloud drifted off, all innocent and normal.

I jumped up and raced to my mother. I had seen an angel! It made such sense. I’d read the story of Noah’s ark. I knew the rainbow was a sign from God. It made sense angels kept track of them. Yet my mother, smiling fondly, insisted that all rainbows fade and that clouds often have shapes. Even five-year-olds know condescension when they hear it. I returned to my window, scanning the clouds, looking for proof. There was nothing to show, of course, nothing to point out. But I knew. And to this day, I can still see that hand, can still remember the unnatural way the rainbow simply vanished.

I used to feel disappointed that my one experience with the supernatural was so mundane. There were no fireworks , no goosebumps, no lasting repercussions that I know of. Just a little girl catching a glimpse of something amazing. As I grow older, though, I don’t mind the lack of fireworks, or the unexciting nature of my sighting. It’s kind of nice to think there might be wonders happening all around our oblivious selves. That miracles and marvels don’t need a drum roll to precede them, don’t need life altering meaning to follow. They’re just there, on a rainy afternoon, keeping us company.

More later,

Tammar

Alligator!

2010-09-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

I saw an alligator on my morning walk today! There used to be a large seven foot 'gator that lived in the pond across the street from our house, until one day it wasn't there anymore. Had it moved to a different location? Did neighbors complain and had it "relocated"? Was it lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce? I'll never know.

The alligator I saw this morning was only about three feet long. Down right cute. Its eyes and snout were just above the waterline and let me tell you, living in Florida your eyes quickly learn to search and recognize that sight.

What a cool way to start the day.

More later,

Tammar

The Journal Keeper

2010-07-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

You know that when Elizabeth Gilbert and Naomi Shihab Nye positively gush over a book, that it's going to be good. And so far, The Journal Keeper, by Phyllis Theroux is wonderful.

Here's a quote I just had to share with you:

When people say something changed their life, I think they usually mean, upon deeper examination, that something had revived their imagination. A door we didn't know existed, or always thought was locked, suddenly swings open. Old ambitions, which we were too timid or thought we were too unqualified to realize, are gathered up and reconsidered. A talent judged too small is reevaluated.

Lovely, isn't it?

More later,
Tammar

Hello little pineapple

2010-07-15T07:21:00.001-07:00

Look at it! Just look at it. Isn't it the cutest little thing? It's about the size of a softball, and it won't get much bigger. We'll know it's ripe when it turns a bit golden and then, we'll eat homegrown pineapple! And here's the really cool part. Each pineapple plant only produces one pineapple during its lifetime. But to get more pineapples, all you have to do is take that leafy top and stick it in the ground. A new pineapple plant will grow from it, along with a new pineapple. Just like that, simple as pie. Ah, the circle of life. Although this is more of a line, isn't it?

More later,
Tammar

Kindred!

2010-06-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

I know I've been pretty closed-mouth about my up-coming novel, Kindred. I've learned the hard way is baaaaad ju-ju to talk about a work in progress and then, even when it was all finished, it was just easier to smile mysteriously and promise that good things come to those who wait. (Read: I really hate talking about what my books are about. I could made JR Ward's Brotherhood series seem dull, it's a curse.)

But now, I don't have to mumble and bumble, Kindred is available for pre-order on Amazon and comes with a nice, concise description, all ready to go.

Here's what it says:

The first time I meet an angel, it is Raphael and I am eighteen.

Miriam is an unassuming college freshman stuck on campus after her spring break plans fall through. She's not a religious girl—when pressed she admits reluctantly to believing in a higher power. Truth be told, she's about as comfortable speaking about her faith as she is about her sex life, which is to say, not at all. And then the archangel Raphael pays her a visit, and Miriam's life will never be the same. Chosen to save two of her contemporaries, Miriam begins a desperate race to fulfill her mission. But why has she been chosen? And what is the real purpose behind her mission?

Pretty cool, huh? And that first paragraph, that's my opening line. I am so proud of that line! I can't wait to share Kindred with you.

More later,
Tammar

High Dive on New Hampshire Public Radio

2010-05-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

High Dive was mentioned on New Hampshire public radio last week. A nice blog (and radio) shout-out for High Dive for its portrayal of the Iraq War, below:

http://www.nhpr.org/node/32400

In other news, I've been plagued by technical difficulties the past month. Intermittent internet service, a busted power drive, and just in general twitchy-ness among my mechanical devices. It might be heat (regularly in the 90's), perhaps the humidity? Plus we have this creepy new type of mosquito, as thick as a fly, black with a red bump on it's back, kind of where it's shoulders would be, if a mosquito had shoulders. That thing looks like it would make you anemic if it bit you. Oh, and someone's been feeding the alligator that lives in our pond, so now it comes when it sees us on the dock. This is cute when a duck or a squirrel does it. It's bad news when an alligator does it since it means they've come associate people with food. Which means they come to believe that people=food. Which means we have to call the county and they'll send someone to deal with it. And deal with it means killing it. All because some stupid neighbor thought it would be fun to feed the local 'gator.

So please, if you live in Florida or Louisiana, please DON'T feed the alligators. They're really not that dangerous as long as it isn't mating season and as long as people haven't fed them. It's not fair to them. Or to those of us who want to stay as respectful neighbors.

More later,
Tammar

Stories

2010-04-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

I recently judged a short-story competition for the National Society of Arts and Letters. The NSAL, by the way, is this amazing organization whose sole mission is to support young artists as they begin their careers. To that end, they hold several competition throughout the year with very generous cash prizes to help support young talent. I was really proud and happy to be part of this literary contest. And the winners, whom I met at the award luncheon on Saturday, were wonderful and very deserving of their prize.

I have been a contestant of literary competitions many times but this was my first stint as judge and it was really an eye opening experience. Some of the stories were wonderful, really unique and well written and beautiful. And some...hmm. Some were not.

It got me thinking about what is important in a literary piece. So here are some tips that I've compiled to all future contestants:

Grammar: I'm not a stickler for grammatical rules. I think that as a writer you use whatever you need to make your story and if that means tinkering around with sounds, with tenses, with dangling participles, fine. But don't be sloppy and don't be lazy. So that if your story is in present tense, make sure you don't forget half way through the paragraph and switch to past tense. You would be amazed how often that can happen.

Story: as in, please tell one. Even short stories are still stories. So make sure you're actually writing one, not a scene or a journal entry.

Unlikeable protagonists: Not everything needs to be sugar, spice and everything nice. Not every story needs a happy ending. But be careful that you're not writing a story about a total jerk. There needs to be growth, or change, or insight about what created such a creature and not just that they're mean and rude for the sake of it. You really need to think about your readers when you write.

And last but not least: Keep writing. We all need to keep writing, to keep practicing, to try new things, and yes, to fail sometimes. So if you didn't win this competition or any other, pick yourself up and try again. Write another story, try to make it better, and find another contest, a magazine, a school paper. Every one of us fails about a hundred times before we succeed. Success is the difference between those who gave up and those to stuck with it.

More later,
Tammar

Superwomen

2010-03-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

After a seven months deployment in the Middle East and Far East, my badass sister-in-law of eight-months is in American waters and steaming to her home port of San Diego. On her way home, however, she stopped in Seattle to pick up a couple of guests. That's right. The famous Nimitz aircraft carrier is now carrying a few extra passengers, my mom being one of them (the one on the left). Molly's mom is the other intrepid guest on the right. I should mention here that they are not the ONLY guests on board. They are Tigers, guests of service members, who join them on the last few days of their cruise at the end of deployment.

I mean, really, is that not the coolest thing ever??

I'm so excited for my mom and even more for Molly and Dan's reunion. A million thank yous are not enough for all the sacrifices and dedication of our supermen and superwomen of the military.

You guys rock.

Mom, I hope you're having a great time.

And Molly, me next. Okay?

More later,
Tammar

Predictable

2010-03-01T07:44:00.000-08:00

There was a study done recently about just how predictable people's days are. Participants agreed to have their location tracked at all times through their cellphones and within a few weeks, researchers could predict their location 93% of the time. The most unpredictable subjects, those who labeled themselves without a regular routine, were predictable 83% of the time.

I found this study amazing, and yet unsurprising at the same time. I guess I always knew that I was boring and predictable, I just didn't realize everyone else was too.

More later,

Tammar

Mental Relief

2010-02-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

I've hardly slept the past two weeks, so I'm stumbling around with a low grade headache, scratchy eyes, and a very low tolerance for bad drivers and sad books. I don't want to know about the pesticides in my lettuce or just what the "broth" that my chicken comes pre-soaked in contains. I don't want a tragic love story or a gritty tale set in the slums.

In a mood like this, there's only one kind of book to read: a romance. And of all romance writers, the best of them all is Lisa Kleypas. After years and years of writing Regency romances, she recently started writing some contemporary fiction set in Houston, Texas. Now I lived in Texas for three years. It has a very fond place in my heart and I have to admit that it makes a fine setting for a romance novel. There's just this feeling that hangs in the air there that anything, anything at all is possible. And in the hands of a talented writer like Kleypas, this setting just enhances every interaction her charming, funny, and sexy as hell characters have.

The book I just read is Smooth Talking Stranger. I'm not even going to tell you what it's about because that's besides the point. The dialogue just zings, the descriptions of high society are vibrate and original, and reading the book helped me forget the cranky tiredness and kept the headache at bay. That's a lot of powerful good from one little novel.

More later,
Tammar

More Food

2010-02-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

I tried reading Thomas Pycheron's Inherent Vice but it didn't work out. Pynchon's one of those quality writers and so I felt obligated to give his book a try. And Colette Bancroft, the book editor at the St. Pete Times said this was his most accessible book and one of her favorite books of 2009. But sadly, I just couldn't get into it. It's kind of a cross between a classic detective mystery and a stony-beach culture, 1960's sort of scene. Cool enough concept but it didn't work for me.

So I moved on to Novella Carpenter's City Farm-The Education of an Urban Farmer thereby continuing my trend of reading food-based non-fiction, which is a very strange trend for me. And oh man, what a book, what a woman. Carpenter lives in the ghetto of Oakland. Drive by shootings, prostitutes on the corner, homeless men as "neighbors". She has to deal with a 13 year-old who pulls a gun on her to steal her bike, with police raids across the street, the highway visible and audible just a few yards away. In the middle of all this, she takes the vacant, weed-chocked lot next to her apartment and turns it first into a huge vegetable garden. Then she adds a small flock of chickens. Then a bee hive. And then finally in a burst of madness, she raises two pigs to slaughter and turn into bacon, salami, prosciutto, and ham.

She also raises and slaughters a turkey for Thanksgiving and sweet little bunny rabbits for stew. I have some major respect for this woman.

More later,
Tammar

Not pretty

2010-02-03T09:55:00.000-08:00

I'm really struggling in the aftermaths of reading Jonathan Safran Foer's book about the meat industry. Eating Animals, you can tell from the title, has a slate to the information presented, but even so, the conditions he describes in chicken, turkey, pig, and cow farms are horrifying. Even fishing isn't off the hook.(Come on, how could I resist that pun?)

The sad thing, and Foer writes this, is that we all know that something's not right with our meat industry, but none of us really want to know the specifics. And it's true. I want my shredded beef burrito, my sushi, my chicken soup, and I don't want to think about tiny chick getting pitched in a grinder, or live cows hung by one leg, conscious seven minutes into their "processing". It's horrifying (see there's that word again.) He describes much worse in his book (don't get me started on the things they're fed) and then attempts to grapple with the moral turpitude that we must all suffer from--how else can you account for the massive cruelty and disgusting evolution of factory farming?

I don't know that this book turned me into a vegetarian. But I know I'll never look at a $4.99 rotisserie chicken from Costco the same ever again.

More later,

Tammar

Not cool

2010-01-31T10:14:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading the mega bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love. As you may have noticed, I don't like reading mega-bestsellers, kind of the same way I refused to have a crush on the same red-headed 7th grader all the other girls had a crush on in Junior High. And yes, in Junior High you can decide who you have a crush on.

With EPL, though, I'd read about it when it first came out and before everyone went ga-ga over it and thought it sounded really cool. But then everyone else thought so too and I cooled off on it. Who wants to go out and be friends with the most popular girl in school?

But that was a couple of years ago and Elizabeth Gilbert just came out with another book picking up where she left off and my curiosity got the better of me.

The general gist of her tale is that she had a horrible divorce followed by a horrible affair that just about destroyed her. So she sets off on this Marco Polo-esq adventure going to Italy to eat, India to pray and Bali to learn how to put the two together (I know, I know, Bali?). The thing that is so cool about Elizabeth Gilbert is her amazing ability to meet people and make friends where ever she goes. I'm flat out in awe of that. She meets awesome people in Italy, makes friends in India, and pretty much picks up a new family in Bali. For anyone who's ever been shy, tongue-tied, lonely, and full of wishful thinking about how great it would be to have awesome friends all over the world, well, this lady is like some kind of guru.

But I tell you, it takes one heck of a silver tongue to turn a situation where you instigate a divorce pretty much because you changed your mind about being married to this person, rush off to have this hot and steamy affair while said divorce is happening, and then have the gall to say "woe, woe, woe is me and the pitiful situation I find myself in." Gilbert does just that and as a reader I don't hate her for it. Should this woman go into politics, she'd be unstoppable.

Overall, it was a good read. She's engaging and so well traveled she's got great tales to tell. But she does fall into ruts and starts ruminating on the same few pieces of cud she's already chewed through a few times. Read it to be an armchair traveler (I sooo want to go to Bali now!) and for some interesting thought on G-d. But don't go looking for your new best friend. Elizabeth Gilbert already has too many.

More later,

Tammar

Mandatory Reading

2010-01-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

There are books we read for escape, books we read for mental stimulation, and there are books we read to be better people. Under this last category falls: America, the owner's manual by Senator (and former FL governor) Bob Graham.

The basic point of the book is that we Americans treat civics as a spectator sport. We sit back and watch our politicians enact inane laws, ignore abuses that should be curbed, and lead us with something less than the basic common sense we all hope for. When we have a problem, from something as small as parking issues, to as a large as drunk driving, most of us vent to our friends and family and then shrug it off as something we have to live with, like mosquitoes in the summer.

What Senator Graham does in his book is show how if you have a certain grievance how to figure out which level of government's management it falls under (local, state, Federal) and then takes you step by step on how to air your grievance before the right people and convince them it needs to change.

It was such an inspiring book to read. Immigrants have to take a citizenship test before they can become naturalized American citizens. The rest of us, fortunate to be born into American citizenship, should read this wonderful manual about our amazing, cumbersome, Byzantine government.

More later,

Tammar

Life List

2010-01-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

It's funny how some books seem to stalk you.

I first bumped into Life List, a biography of Phoebe Snetsinger about six months ago. My local paper ran a review and when I read it I thought, "here's about book about bird watching, which I really don't know anything about, or care that much about, but it sounds really interesting." Which was about as far as it went. I didn't go seek it out or read more about it, or even really think about it again.

A few months later, the St. Pete Reading Festival featured the book's author, Olivia Gentile, as one of its speakers. I read her impressive biography (Harvard undergrad, Columbia MFA). Saw her beautiful author photo. And thought, wow, what an interesting story. And I didn't go.

And then, I'm not really sure how, but I heard about it AGAIN, and this time I found out she's pregnant and married to Andy Borowtiz, who has a really funny column that I follow, and I thought, why haven't I picked up her book already? So I did.

And it's fascinating, although to be honest, why in the world Olivia Gentile chose such an obscure figure to chronicle for her first book or spend so long doing it (7 years) is as compelling as Phoebe Snetsinger herself, who was the first person to see 8,000 species of birds (which is almost all the species in the world, and is very, very, very hard to do.) She got herself killed doing it. At least, I think that's what happens. There have been all sorts of crypic allusions to the way she died in 1997, that I feel fairly confident that birdwatching killed her. Birding got her raped, at any rate, by 5 thugs in New Guinea when she was 55 years old.

It's hard to mesh my view of bird watching with extreem danger and obsessive behavior, but that's a common misconception, apparently. The closer one is to the tropics, the birdier it gets, leading dedicated birders into some very sketchy countries and areas. Also, keeping a list of all the species one has seen seems to lend itself to stiff compition with fellow birders and with one's own number goals.

Reading the book has made me much more aware of the birds in my area. And living on the gulf coast of Florida, there are some amazing birds in my backyard, raptors, pink sponbills, herons and egrets.

That's what hooked Phoebe Snetsigner in the first place. A neighbor took her bird watching in St. Louis and showed her birds she'd never seen before. The fact that these amazing creatures had been in her backyard her whole life and she never noticed them stunned her and started her down a new path.

So what have we been blind to in our backyard?

More later,

Tammar

Grateful

2009-11-24T15:42:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed Jonathan Safer Foer's Thanksgiving essay in Parade Magazine (yes, I read Parade Magazine). His family has this great tradition of placing a small pile of unpopped corn kernels at each place setting. Over the course of dinner, everyone, at the their own pace, moves the kernels to the middle of the table one by one, symbolizing all the different things large and small they have to be grateful for.

It's easy to forget sometimes.

More later,

Tammar

Deadlines

2009-11-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

I love deadlines, I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. I can't remember who said that, but it's so true!

I didn't have a deadline with Light Years, so that fact that I took 5 years to write it is no big deal. But High Dive, well, I missed my deadline on that one. By a year. Twice.

So it's a very big deal that I turned in my new manuscript not just on time, but early! Yes folks, Kindred is in my editor's hot little hands and you'll be able to read it yourselves Spring, 2011.

I know, I know, it sounds crazy. The book's all written, the hard part's done. But there's cover design, layout, advance reader galleys to print and send out, there's a ton of out of sight work that has to be done, so there's nothing to do but be patient. Those who know me know that I am not a patient person, but in the meantime, I'll be hard at work on another novel and if there's anything juicy, like a cover, to share, I promise I will.

More later,
Tammar

Cindy Hudson--guest blogger

2009-11-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

I'm doing something a bit differently today, delegating blogging to another author. (Does that mean I'm in management now?) Cindy Hudson wrote a book on how to start mother-daughter book clubs. I love this idea. My mom and I are always sharing books and we usually have very different thoughts on them. It's interesting how someone I'm so close to can see the same book in such a different light.

Cindy offered to tell you guys a bit about what inspired her to write a book on mother-daughter book clubs and maybe, inspire you to start one of your own. So, without further ado, here's she is.

More later,
Tammar

There’s no shortage of advice to moms on how to stay close to their daughters as they grow. You can find it in popular magazines, books on parenting and through multiple online resources. Yet, with all the suggestions you’ll find, none may be simpler than discussing books you read together.

How can reading books together bring you closer to each other? Books open up worlds of thought and information you may not be exposed to in your daily life. Books let you broach topics that may otherwise be too embarrassing to bring up on your own. They also lay out the whole of human experience—what it means to be a friend, part of a family, or even a citizen of a country.

Some of the best discussions I’ve had with my daughters, who are now 18 and 15, have been while we were reading books for our mother-daughter book clubs. Often we read aloud to each other, so we talk about what’s happening on the page while we read. We talk about it again at our book group meetings, where we get to hear other moms and other daughters weigh in with their opinions.

Over the years we’ve broached many topics that we may not have otherwise. Some of them have been historical, as when we read Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang on the Chinese Cultural Revolution and Zlata’s Diary about a young girl’s life in war-torn Sarajevo. We’ve talked about friendships and blossoming romance, such as that in Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen, and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. We discussed living with personal tragedy when we read Light Years by Tammar Stein and Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Together we have laughed and cried and puzzled over hatred, racism, sexism, and the ethics of cloning humans. We learned about our country’s history, and political as well as historical situations in other countries around the world. We talked about what these things mean to us, and every time we did we revealed ourselves to each other, something that’s often difficult to do in parent-child relationships.

Yes, staying close to your daughter through the years is more a combination of actions as opposed to just one thing alone. But you’ll never be sorry you spent time searching for common ground within the pages of a book.

Cindy Hudson is the author of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs (Seal Press, October 2009). She is a mother-daughter book club consultant, journalist, and editor. Hudson has more than twenty years of experience as a marketing and public relations professional. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two daughters. Visit her online at www.motherdaughterbookclub.com and www.motherdaughterbookclub.wordpress.com.

Great Minds

2009-10-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend I attended the St. Petersburg Reading Festival for the first time as an attendee instead of a speaker. It was great to listen to fellow novelists speak about their work and never stress out that no one would show up to my event. Which is usually how I spend the time leading up to a talk. So far that only happened once. Okay, three people showed up. But two of them were friends of mine, so they don't count. And the other person just wanted to know what my agent's name was and didn't care about my book. So he doesn't count either.

But I digress. During the question/answer session with Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet) the woman behind me stands up and asks: I'm an English teacher. I teach seniors. How can I get them interested in writing?

Good question.

Jamie Ford answers: You have to get them reading. I know you don't have a lot of leeway in your curriculum, but having everyone read the Scarlett Letter (great novel, by the way) won't get them excited. Have them read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and you'll have a reader for life.

How cool is that? I was just thinking that it was the greatest book ever and here, Jamie Ford agreed! I was so excited. This English teacher had never heard of it, so I wrote it down on a piece of paper and gave it to her. I never told her that I write for young adults too, 'cause I like to stay undercover when out in the civilian population. But my estimation of Jamie Ford just jumped through the roof. Clearly, he's a fine writer and an excellent judge of books.

More later,

Tammar

Best Book of the Year!

2009-10-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading the best book of the year. You should know that I read a lot of books. A LOT. I review some for the St. Pete Times, but most I just devour in privacy, kind of like binging on chocolate, except I've been doing it since I could read. (And it's a big reason I'm a writer, but I digress.)

Some books I read and I can't figure out what the fuss is about. I mean, really, are people blind?

Some books I read and I can't figure out why no one else seems to be reading it? I mean, really, are people blind?

And then, in rare cases (such as this one) I read a book that everyone has been gushing over and I am blown away. Seriously, I felt like the top of my head exploded, it's that good. I read it in one day. Couldn't sleep that night thinking about it. And the next morning, I picked it up to read it again. It's the holy grail of books. It's why I read. To find treasures like this to savor...okay, to stuff my face in but then start over again, slowly this time--which is why books are way better than cake, because you CAN have them and eat them too, whatever that means.

So now I have you on tether hooks...Drum roll please! The best book of the year is:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

I will not tell you what it is about. I just want you to run out, buy a copy, and without reading the back flap, without knowing what it's about, just jump in and read it. Make sure you've got a few spare hours, though. Because you will be useless to the world. Senseless. Lost in the this other world, in Katniss's fight to survive, to know who to trust, to try and live so she came return her beloved sister, Prim and her sexy, tough hunting partner Gale (who might be more than that). But first she has to live through the diabolical Hunger Games. There are 24 contestants. Only one will live.

(See, I TOLD you it was good.)

Happy reading,

Tammar

Congratulations!!

2009-09-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my little brother (he's 6'2'' and 25 years old, but still, always my little brother).

He and Molly were married on Saturday September 12 at a stunning vineyard in Virginia. They're on their honeymoon now and when they return Molly will deploy to Iraq.

My love to both of them, may they have health and happiness and lots of children!

love,
Tammar

Southern speak

2009-07-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hurrican season and current projects

2009-06-14T16:06:00.001-07:00

First of all, happy hurricane season to you all! Even before the official June 1 start, we had a little bugger jump the gun: a tropical storm in the Atlantic that didn't make landfall. It's been quiet so far, nothing like two years ago when Hurricane Barry arrived in Florida June 2, as if it could read the freakin' calendar and didn't want to miss out on the party. But still, the weather report gets an extra special listen from now until November.

This is my third hurricane season in Florida. The first two have been relatively quiet, but there's something unnerving to that yearly ritual of going to Costco to buy supplies. Water, instant oatmeal, energy bars, canned goods, all sorts of electricity-free goodies to keep us alive should a Big One hit. It makes me realize how much we take for granted. Laundry machines for clothes. Clean safe water--hot when want it hot, cold when we want it cold. And of course, the biggie: a house to keep you safe from the big, bad world. I guess it's good to think about these things once a year.

In other, slightly less grim news, I am hard at work on the edits for my third novel. I don't like to talk about works in progress, it's very bad luck. So I'll post more about it when the pub date gets closer and my part of it is finished. But I will say this, I think it's got the best opening line of any of my books...

More later,

Tammar

I love Borders

2009-03-12T07:18:00.000-07:00

So there I was, strolling through my local Border's, when what do I see??? Light Years on the top shelf of Best Books of 2008! How cool is that? I was totally blown away and yes, I'm a dork for taking a picture, but still. It was so exciting to see my little book up there I just couldn't resist.

More later,
Tammar

Happy New Years!

2008-12-29T13:42:00.000-08:00

May 2009 bring you good health, good friends, and much joy. Happy New Year everyone!

Tammar

Holiday Gifts

2008-11-29T12:03:00.000-08:00

In the shameless self-promotion department, which I really stink at--most people who know me don't even know that I write books--I thought I should mention that if you are giving (or end up receiving) one of my books as gift this holiday season and would like it signed, it easy! Just send me an email at tammarstein@hotmail.com and ask for a bookplate.

A bookplate is a little square sticker (mine is from Random House) that you can paste inside your book. Just send your address, who it should be made out to, and how many you'd like. Then presto, a signed book.

Happy shopping everyone!

More later,
Tammar

VOTE!!

2008-11-04T07:53:00.001-08:00

I voted...how about you??? The lines weren't long and everything was run very efficiently. Thank you to all the poll workers putting in long hours to make sure democracy works.

I hardly slept last night thinking about the election. This one feels so important, we are on the cusp of a lot of major events. I hope, as a nation, we steer ourselves in the right direction. So don't get left out, make your rights as a thinking, caring American count. Vote.

More later,

Tammar

St. Pete Reading Festival part II.

2008-10-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks for everyone who came to my talk on Saturday, it was a beautiful day in St. Pete, the kind that makes up for suffering through the horrible summer heat. Fall is like the rebate we get in the mail for sweating too much in the summer.

I had a great time talking about High Dive and answering questions. It was especially great to meet Allison who wore this awesome T-shirt she made for a class project. Pretty cool, huh? She got on A on it...

Tammar

St. Petersburg Times Reading Festival

2008-10-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to mention for a while now that I'll be speaking on Saturday October 25th at the St. Petersburg Reading Festival in downtown St. Petersburg. It's an awesome event, even if you can't come see me. My good buddy David Liss will be there, so you know it's going to be a classy event.

Hope to see you there!

Tammar

No fear

2008-07-25T12:33:00.001-07:00

For all of you who came to my signings in Maine, Florida, and Virginia, thank you!! It's always scary for writers to have signings because what if no one shows up? It's like throwing a party with no RSVPs, you just don't know if anyone will come. So it was awesome to meet so many friendly people who were excited about High Dive and came to the signings. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And now you can really feel like glittering literati because check out this review of High Dive in the St. Petersburg Times! (Reviews are also something writers are often scared of. It's like a slam book that gets published in the Sunday paper...) But this one was nice.

Review: Tammar Stein's 'High Dive' a diamond in the fluff for teens

By Vikas Turakhia, Special to the Times
In print: Sunday, July 13, 2008

Fifteen years ago, I occasionally found a book that connected with me hidden among the Francine Pascal and Christopher Pike novels that dominated the library's teen shelves. Some of these stories resonated so strongly that I remember more about
them now than I do much of what I slogged through as
an English major.

Teens who come across High Dive, by Florida writer Tammar Stein, might experience a similar rush. Stein's narrator, 19-year-old Arden Vogel, grew up an Army brat, moving frequently. The only place that feels like home is her family's vacation house in Sardinia, but now, three years after Arden's father died, her mother, an Army nurse serving in Iraq, has sold it. During a flight to Sardinia, Arden befriends four seemingly carefree girls beginning a vacation. They invite her to join them in Paris and Florence, and Arden agrees, seeing an opportunity to delay something she dreads.

Arden's lingering grief over her father and the girls' inevitable conflicts give the story drama, and the descriptions of European sights will make readers consider booking a trip. Where High Dive scores highest, however, is in the voice it gives to families of deployed soldiers.

Arden provides a perspective few teens will find anywhere else. She notes, for example, the way people react to news of her mom's deployment "like something awful had already happened," conveying their "concern, pity, and that slight hint of distaste." Arden can't escape her anxiety. Even when she's transfixed by Michelangelo's David, her mind drifts to her mother's e-mails about the trauma she has witnessed, and Arden has to remind herself, "Be present in the moment."

I worry that a book like this will get lost behind the manufactured series about It Girls and A-listers that have replaced the Pascal and Pike of my time. With High Dive, Stein tackles weighty issues without being patronizing but, more important, she offers a timely story that will ripple for readers long after they jump in.

Vikas Turakhia is an English teacher in Ohio.

Names

2008-06-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

So hurricane season started on Sunday and so far so good. We did have the precocious Arthur forming before the season officially started, but he never got close to us. Still, I have cause for concern. You see, I've just read the storm names for the 2008 season and it's doesn't look good.

Last year, the B storm was named Barry. I knew I didn't have anything to worry about. Even when it arrived at Florida on June 2, one day after the start of the season, I didn't even flinch. How can you fear a storm named Barry? Puleaze. But this year, I'm scared. This year, the B storm is Bertha. Bertha! What the hell were they thinking? Bertha can do major damage. Cristobal could be bad. Dolly...I don't know. I just don't know. Edouard. Fay. Gustav. Hanna. Ike. Josephine. Kyle. Laura. Marco. Nana...

The experts are calling for an active storm season, so there's a good chance we make it O. If we do, we're all doomed. The O storm this year is...Omar.

Assuming we survive Omar, which I'm not counting on, we still have Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, and Wilfred.

Buy lots of bottled water. Keep your gas tank 3/4 full. And head for the hills when Big Bertha comes to town.

More later,

Tammar

Locational Worries

2008-05-27T11:21:00.001-07:00

June first is the start of hurricane season, something we keep a close eye on here in Florida. The local paper published a special section with a color photo of a satellite image of Florida completely covered by a gigantic hurricane. The headline in huge letters announced: It Only Takes One. It was full of nice little stories of how babies get sucked out of their mother's arms and that we shouldn't count on any assistance for up to a week after a major storm. I love it how they're not trying to scare us or anything. But it got me thinking, I've lived in a bunch of places and each place had it own special disaster, just waiting to happen. So here are the things that have kept me up at night, in chronological order.

Germany: My husband and I lived in military housing in Germany right after 9/11. In the aftermath of our invasion of Afghanistan, we started getting regular protesters marching and waving signs at the entrance to the base. They were peaceful for the most part, though we'd get emails from the public affairs officer advising us to stay the hell away from them. As a Jew, with a grandfather who survived the holocaust and a 3 year aunt who didn't, I found these profoundly pacifist protesters highly ironic. But for the most part, I just worried they'd block the drive and I wouldn't be able to get to my apartment. My car was searched every time I entered the post, so I suppose that I worried about being a terrorist target. In helpful public service announcements, we were advised to try not to look "American" when we went out in the general public, because heaven knows what evil-doer is out there, waiting for a tender little American target to walk by.

Texas: Mostly I worried about floods, snakes, scorpions, and not drinking enough horchata.

Tennessee: Tornadoes. First time in my life I was glued to the television watching StormTracker keep tabs on all the tornadoes touching down in my county. Then the power went out and I was left in a house with no basement (bad) and no rooms without windows (very bad) in the middle of a tornado warning, trying to decide if spending the night crouched in the closet was a good idea or not. I decided to take my chances sleeping in bed.

Florida: Hurricanes I obviously knew about before I came here. But once here, I've discovered a whole host of things to worry about. Alligators (especially during mating season), snakes (especially the highly poisonous coral snake, remarkable common in my neck of the woods), poisonous toads, cement eating termites, tornadoes, forest fires, global warming (a serious problem when a house at 20 feet above sea-level is considered a mountain top home), fleas and ticks so strong and immune to repellent that my area is the testing ground for pet medicine, sink holes that can swallow up entire houses, sun stroke, old drivers (probably the most dangerous of all mentioned threats), shark attacks, and lightening strikes--which kill more people in Florida than any other state.

After exclaiming in horror over the poor woman who found an 8 and a half food alligator in her kitchen, the trainer at my gym said, "New York City has nothing on us. The worst someone might do to you there is shoot you. Here you might get eaten!"

More later,

Tammar