November 16, 2005

''Posted on the Squeetus Blog November 16, 2005 09:00 PM PST. ''

I've had readers apologizing to me lately for reading my book "all in one sitting" or "in just six hours, though I don't mean it as an insult!" Truly, I would consider that a huge compliment, never an insult. I suspect this is because of my statement in the author interview in the US Goose Girl paperback when I said, "One reader, intending to be complimentary, told me she read The Goose Girl in an hour and a half. That book consumed two years of my life, I agonized over every word, and she burned through its 383 pages in 90 minutes. Ouch!" I regret those words in that interview now. Too easily misunderstood. I guess it just felt like, you know, when you hand make someone a Christmas present and it takes you hours and hours and you lay awake anticipating their reaction, and then when they open it, they glance at it once and say, "Cute, thanks," and put it aside. Just the time put into it compared with the time spent enjoying it was off with that particular speed reader, I thought. But really, it's so not a big deal, I shouldn't have said it.

May I just give an unsolicited plug for Discovery Girls? They did a review of princess academy , so my publisher sent me a copy, and I flipped through it, and then found myself reading the entire thing. I was really impressed. This is a US magazine targeted at girls ages 7-13. It's down to earth, no celebs, no ridiculous fashion. The photos are only of REAL girls, and I think they do a very good job of not holding up impossible images of beauty. Also, some very honest and helpful articles without being "edgy." Compare to the likes of Tiger Beat and take a sigh of relief.

Original Post