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HARRY POTTER MANIA!

~ SarahLaPolla ~ 14 Comments

To those who saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 at midnight or are going today: “sshhhh!!!!!!” I’m not going until tomorrow.

HP fans are a rabid bunch. You hear about people lining up for the latest Star Wars movie, but the level of excitement for the final(ish) Potter film is extra special because the hype originated from BOOKS! I know there’s this other massively successful series called Sparkly Vampire Goes West or something, but I never experienced waiting on line for those books at midnight, nor have I had to endure a two-hour wait just to see one their movies. So, to me, HP still wins in the fan department.

In honor of Harry Potter weekend, I ask you: What does Harry Potter mean to you? Even if you’re not a fan of the series (to which I ask, what!?), you probably have an opinion on something that’s meant so much to so many for over a decade. Despite her billions, I wouldn’t call Ms. Rowling a sell-out or a Patterson-esque assembly line author. So what can we, as writers, learn from her success?

For those of you who have to wait A WHOLE DAY to see the new movie, here are some fun links to hold you over:

From @jezebel: Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco practice their American accents and look adorable doing it.

From @sjaejones: What’s your Hogwarts Astrology? I was very happy that my sign (Aries) complimented my favorite house (Ravenclaw) quite nicely!

Finally, in a complete slip of the keyboard, I had originally titled this blog post “Harry Pottery Mania,” which made me wonder if Harry Potter-themed pottery exists. What about Harry Potholders? Questions to ponder…

Have a good weekend, everyone! And whether you’re getting tired of waiting on line at the cinema or are still struggling through NaNo, remember – CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

Friday Fun

~ SarahLaPolla ~ 1 Comment

Some links to know and share this weekend:

My favorite publishing story of the week: I challenge anyone to come up with a better rap culture-inspired title than Justify My Thug.

For those of you doing NaNoWriMo this month, I applaud your dedication. But, listen to this piece by Laura Miller too – especially the bit about keeping NaNo out of your query. NaNo can be a great exercise in keeping your brain active and for sparking ideas, but your best work is not going to come through in such a rushing-to-meet-the-deadline approach to writing.

If you try to explain the Internet to a Dickens character, chances are you will both become frustrated, you will likely die from plague, and he will steal your wallet.

McSweeney’s brings us “Great Literature Retited to Boost Website Traffic” – my favorite: “7 Awesome Way Barnyard Animals Are Like Communism.”

While it’s not exactly literary or publishing related, but this blog post from Nerdy Apple Bottom is funny, moving, and important. As writers, we should be aware of the impact words have on others, and no matter what your politics are, I hope we can all agree that it’s wrong to make children feel worthless and ashamed of themselves.

Finally, courtesy of YA Highway, “Voldemort and Death Eaters Take Over Grand Central,” which is exactly what it sounds like.

Have a good weekend, and a treasonous Guy Fawkes Day!

Some Fun Stuff

~ SarahLaPolla ~ 12 Comments

It’s Friday. It’s summer. Here’s some fun stuff!

Friend-o’-blog, josheverettryan brought this site to my attention: I Write Like. It’s highly addicting and very fun, but I warn you NOT to take their word as bond. They told me my blog posts are in the style of Edgar Allen Poe. I’ve been told I have a dark sense of humor, but there are usually no beatings of hideous hearts on the blog. Usually.

Flavorpill judged us based on our favorite websites this week – here – and I have to say, their assessments of some of my faves, Jezebel, HuffPo, and Twitter are pretty accurate. (What’s TweetDeck???)

This is by no means something that just came up this week, but if you are not reading Slush Pile Hell, you are missing out on an hilarious education. And yes, these queries are real. I’ve even gotten some of them.

Speaking of the slush pile, The Awl offered a brief history of that term we’ve all come to know and hate.

And finally, to start your weekend off awesomely, please enjoy the funniest thing ever – an audio query to Janet Reid, from Batman – I’m Batman.

Have a good weekend everyone!