Dirty Laundry

Los Angeles Times Book Festival

Hey all. Just wanted to let everyone in the whole world know (because, let’s face it, everyone in the whole world is reading this blog) that I will be appearing (out of the mist) at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival on Sunday April 26th at 11:00am in Moore Hall to do a panel with Meg Cabot, Robin Benway, and Rosalind Wiseman.

Come on down and have a listen. I expect this discussion to get very heated and perhaps even break out into a donnybrook amongst us panelists. Donuts may be hurled, water spilled, and computers toppled. 

The panel is called “The Kids Are Alright.”  If they are referring to the kids in my book, well, then perhaps they haven’t read it. If, however, they are referring to The Who song, well, then I’m the right guy to have on the panel because I happen to be a certified expert on everything Who.

Posted by Don Calame on 4.7.10 at 02:30 pm in Prattlings. (0) Comments

Home Sweet Home

So much to write about and such a foggy head. Took home a nice souvenir from London, England. A great big United Kingdom Cold! This isn’t your ordinary sneezing and feeling rotten for a couple of days cold, either. It’s the cough-until-you-want-to-puke-feeling-dizzy-exhausted-use-up-boxes-and-boxes-of-tissues-going-on-ten-days-now kind of cold. And I don’t even have the worst of it. My wife has it three times as bad as me and I feel very sorry for her.

And so, I’m not going to go on at length today but just give you the highlights of the past couple of weeks followed by some caption-less (if I can help myself) photos.

So, here we go:

* London was tons of fun. We saw shows. We saw palaces. We saw crown jewels. We ate some amazing food (and some not so amazing food). I worked on the copy edits for BEAT THE BAND. I wrote a blog for Teenreads. And I took pictures (see below).

* Back home I have been answering questions as a virtual guest author at the University of British Columbia. It’s been a lot of fun. Most of the students of the Young Adult Materials course laughed out loud at Swim the Fly and loved it but one of them absolutely hated it. That seems to be the way with this book. Most people really enjoy it and then there are the ones who just plain don’t.

* Taxes, taxes, taxes. Yes, it’s that time of year again. Had to tally up all of my fading book and movie receipts so that I can hopefully save myself a few pennies in taxes.

* Came up with an idea for a third book in the trilogy and now I need to write some sample chapters and an outline to show Candlewick Press. I’ve been turning it over in my dizzy head but haven’t had the energy to commit anything to paper yet. Looking forward to getting to work on it though.

* Preparing for next week’s mini-library tour of British Columbia. Always nice to go out and read for a live audience. Just hope this darn cold lifts completely by then.

* Did a podcast with some friends and fellow authors (James McCann and Lee Edward Fodi) who have started a site called “Authors Like Us.” It’s a cool idea where they chat with various authors and post that chat online. Here’s a link to the podcast. Take a listen if you have some time: Authors Like Us

And now for a photographic interlude:

There. I managed to get through all of those pics without writing anything like: King Henry’s chubby or Bratz: The Xtreme Torture Playset. Better that you interpret each photo for yourself.

And so, I will leave you. But don’t forget to pick up your supercool paperback edition of Swim the Fly that goes on sale April 13th. It’s the same great story with a brand new eye-popping cover that you will not want to be without.

Posted by Don Calame on 4.5.10 at 11:18 am in Prattlings. (1) Comments

Teenreads.com

I was very pleased when my super-cool publicist Tracy Miracle put me in touch with the super-cool people at Teenreads.com and arranged for me to be a guest blogger. The result can be read here: Teenreads.com

It’s a very different type of blog for me. Much more “serious writerly advice” than I dole out here. Well, okay, perhaps not totally serious—there are several mentions of vomiting involved—but I really got into the spirit of things and had a great time writing this little article. They are having me back again for another guest blog in September so be on the lookout for that. Or, just check back here and I’ll be sure to remind you.

And stay tuned for more incredibly brilliant pictures from London (including a shot of a man who I am absolutely convinced is related to Albert Einstein!)

Posted by Don Calame on 3.24.10 at 03:00 pm in Prattlings. (0) Comments

London: A Love Story

So, here I am with the family hanging out in London for a few weeks. My editor didn’t want me to get bored so she sent the copyedits for Beat the Band so I’d have something to do in between seeing priceless works of art and having tea with the queen. I have to say, it was fun rereading the manuscript. It’d been a couple of months since I’d sent it along and I was pleasantly pleased to visit with Matt, Coop, and Sean again. Plus, I got to add a few more funny jokes which I’m sure you’ll appreciate when you read it in September.

And now, onto the first of what promises to be many photo essays from this trip. Don’t worry. This is not your typical “Here’s what I saw on my vacation” photo show. No. It’s more of a glimpse inside my mind. Which can be scary at times. Also, I’m still trying to figure out this new camera (which I love, by the way) and so you will be treated to several photo studies that I have been conducting.

Enjoy!

Okay, so this one really is a “Here’s what I did on my vacation” shot, but I’m including it only to show you the beautiful interior of the Natural History Museum and to set the stage for where we are. Also, apparently you’re not supposed to caption your photos as they are supposed to speak for themselves. But I’m a writer first and I can’t help myself.

I’ve entitled this one “Speaks For Itself.”

Robert De Niro playing a dinosaur

Robert De Niro playing a big hunk of gold

Here I am practicing my isolation technique on an unsuspecting toy Brontosaurus.

This beautiful black and white image of the Prince Albert Monument requires no caption and so I’m not going to sully the experience of viewing it’s grandeur by trying to come up with some silly little comment like “Do you have Prince Albert in a can?” or something. Just relax. Breathe deep. And experience…

And now, a bald man framed in an arch.

All right, seriously, I’m going to be quiet now because, really, this is too awesome for words. (Actually, now that I look at this one I realize it doesn’t translate so well to a website. Perhaps a caption would help it. If you come up with one, please email me or comment below).

Further isolation study, this one to do with a lion at Hampton Court -  (you see, the background is out of focus which is something you just can’t do with your standard point and shoot cameras—I have to justify the expense of this camera somehow. Oh. Oh. Maybe I’ll write a book about a photographer… Or put some of my photographs in a book… then I can write the camera off… I think… I’ll have to check with my accountant…)

Depth of field! (That’s a little photography humor for you, there. Okay, let me explain. Depth of field means your photograph is in focus from foreground to background AND this is a field, sort of, so… let me try that one again.) Depth of field!

Me trying to make you sick.

Robert De Niro as a tray of eyeballs (and we see, this has become my fallback joke and another reason why pictures shouldn’t have captions)

Got to meet up with my brother and sister-in-law at the wax museum

Me and jolly King Henry VIII who, according to the people at Hampton Court - aside from having several of his wives killed, was also quite the tennis player and more of a misunderstood cuddly teddy than a tyrant. As you can tell by the picture, he’s got a great sense of humor, too.

P.S. I believe Emily in the comments below was trying to post this very funny video:

Posted by Don Calame on 3.20.10 at 01:22 pm in Prattlings. (1) Comments