Time to Regroup!
HelllllllOOOOOooooooooo!
I'm back from Ireland and getting ready for a busy couple of months. Here's a quick rundown; hopefully I'll be back to posting regularly next week (even if it's just trip photos, hah.)
Firstly, the Writers' Room of Boston spring party-slash-open-house is scheduled for this Thursday, March 10th, starting at 6pm. Details here. I don't know that any of you lovely blog readers are local enough to come out to this, but I figured I'd mention it just in case. I'll be test-baking cupcake flavor #4, which will definitely be something fruity.
What's that? You want to hear more about the cupcakes?!
Isn't it interesting how everybody says my books are delicious? BWAHAHAHAHA.
After the Immaculate Heart launch, I'll be preparing to give a presentation (Private Writing for Public Impact) and workshop (Mind Mapping for Self-Discovery) at #WhatIMake at the Aeronaut Brewery right here in Somerville on Saturday, April 16th. Details and Facebook RSVP here! (Tickets are $35 until April 1st, so if you're interested definitely buy them now. They're $45 at the door.)
Finally, registration is now open for our writing and yoga retreat at Bethel Farm! Email me to register or if you have any Qs. Anne will be leaving us Boston yogis soon after (*SOB!*) for the Big Apple, so we're going to make the weekend extra festive. $300 early bird price is good until April 15th.
Things I’m Doing Instead of Blogging
Re-revising the book of my heart.
Planning my research trip for Moon Ireland 2.0.
Champagne toasts (in plastic cups; I’m not that classy.) Because I won something!
Talking about monsters with my pals MarcyKate, Marika, and Mackenzi at the Writers' Loft.
"Writing monsters" with some fab ladies at the Writers Loft!
A photo posted by Sarah Jean Horwitz (@sunshinejh) on Jan 16, 2016 at 11:05am PST
Teaching my first sewing 101 class (yay!) at Craftwork.
Gearing up for the Immaculate Heart release: answering interview questions, gathering pictures for a photo essay, deciding on a cupcake menu and suchlike. (RSVP for the March 25th book launch here!)
I’m not sure how long it’ll be before I have the time and enthusiasm for blogging again, but I’ll be back eventually. :)
Life Without Envy, and Marvin the Time-Traveling Armchair
Happy New Year, everybody! May 2016 be your awesomest year yet.
Here's why I'm feeling pretty darn excited about 2016, myself:
Pub date is much sooner than I expected (and when does that ever happen?!): September 27th, 2016! I'm working on a proper book page now.
I don't have much to say (yet) apart from the cover reveal, but it did occur to me after posting my latest decluttering update that there's one corner of my room which is quite perfect: I found this armchair in an antiques shop in Providence last New Year's Eve, and fell instantly in love. His name is Marvin and he has the ability to zip anyone who sits in him through the fourth dimension to the destination of their choice.
Organizationally speaking, it's the DIY project bag rack (sewing instructions here) that is noteworthy. I'm also planning to recover that 1930s folding chair to Marvin's right with the vintage-inspired upholstery fabric you see folded on top. (I'm so sad Grey's Fabric is leaving Boston!!)
The Aspirational Lightness of Being, part 3
Truth be told, I kinda forgot I even had a blog for a few weeks there. I've been busy with Life Without Envy revisions (it's in the spring 2017 catalog! eeeeeeeeee! and we almost have a cover!), redecorating my room (after my landlord painted it while I was away in Ireland and Georgia), holiday prep, and various social outings (more than usual; that time of year, I guess!) And when I did think about the blog, I remembered all the projects I have temporarily abandoned—the indie bookstore appreciation, Hinduism 101, Vegan by the Seat of Your Pants, travel recaps, and a few more besides. Blogging is no fun when you start thinking in terms of shoulds.
Well, if every other year has started with resolutions about new projects, maybe this time I'll resolve to wrap up some projects that are already on the table. For now, because of all the room redecorating, I'm still a little bit obsessed with what I'm calling aspirational minimalism—so here's a post I started writing before I left.
* * *
Some of you lovely blog readers prefer to reply via email rather than commenting below. I received this response to a recent post about recycling my grade-school artwork:
But if you are photographing it, are you really tossing your artwork? Are you REALLY shedding that skin?
Crocheted clown dolls our cousin Ann gave our mother at my baby shower. Ann agrees they are creepy and gave me her blessing to dispose of them.
Touché, my friend. Maybe someday I will be the kind of person who burns all her old journals and lives with little more than basic cooking utensils and a few sets of clothing, but I am not there yet. (HAAAAAAAA.) I know that if I had trashed all those drawings and paintings without taking some photographs, I would already be regretting it. The main thing for me right now is to get rid of all the old stuff that is taking up physical space. I believe that domestic clutter is always a reflection of emotional and psychic clutter; and if this new mantra sounds simplistic, it really doesn't matter, because each time I get rid of a bunch of stuff I feel noticeably better about myself, noticeably lighter. So if you are beginning to suspect that there may be many more installments of this "Aspirational Lightness" business, you are probably correct.
Because my landlord was painting while I was gone, I spent a few days before I left boxing everything up and hiding it in my closet and crawl space. Ideally I would have sorted through the paper piles—yes, those notes from my NYU days are still here—but I only managed to get rid of what was obviously a waste of space and could be recycled with little effort. At first I'd bristled at Marie Kondo's declaration that NO ONE needs to hold onto ANY PIECE OF PAPER, EVER. I am a writer, you know. I write on paper. I neeeeeeeeed it!
Well, I need some of it, but only for now. Notes for current and future projects? Yes. Drafts of books that have already been published? No.
Why am I saving this? It's not just writing, of course. I'd started a file ("file" as in another paper bag, haha) called "read and recycle." Then I realized I'd been collecting these articles to read since I moved to Boston two and a half years ago, and in those two and a half years I had not gotten around to reading any of them.
Life is short, my friends. I recycled the lot.
I also got rid of a bunch of Christmas, birthday, and thank-you cards. I'd strung these up in festoons from the ceiling, which made my space feel a little like a dorm room. I took them down and recycled most of them. As for non-paper clutter, last week I finally bought myself a dresser. I'd been stacking clean clothes on a shelf in my closet, but I have to push the hanging clothes aside and reach into the dark for what I need. Not at all ideal. I got an unfinished dresser from the Bookcase Factory Outlet (not far from Porter Square) and at some point I'll finish it myself. Thanks to all the sewing I've done this year, I've found it pretty easy to "edit" my wardrobe down to the things I actually wear—but I still need a convenient place to store them. I've sorted through my fabric scraps, so I have a big bag of stuff to Freecycle. The fabric I'm keeping is folded away in a set of plastic drawers under my work table, but as you can see, I still need neater and more attractive ways of storing my art supplies (and current sewing projects and stack of mending). I'm thinking I'll cover some cardboard boxes with pretty paper.
That box at the top left is full of old notes though. My new strategy is to bring all that stuff to the Writers' Room, parcel it into manageable chunks and go through one stack at the beginning or end of each writing session. We'll see how that goes...
* * *
And on a completely different note, I have some SUPER EXCITING NEWS...Two of my very favorite people in the whole universe are getting hitched! (Can you see the post-proposal glowiness in that picture?? I have never seen Elliot so excited!)
I actually want to write about how these two totally having their s**t together inspires me to follow suit. Yet another post to add to the 2016 to-do list. ;)
Chickens are People Too
One of the very shiniest highlights of 2015 was the Boston Book Festival on October 25th: I got to do a panel ("The Kids Are Not Alright") with Jennifer McMahon and Rupert Thomson and moderated by the lovely Rachel DeWoskin. I read everyone's most recent novels to prepare, and all of them were wonderful in very different ways. Rachel's novel, Blind, explores the rocky emotional terrain and evolving relationships of fifteen-year-old Emma, who loses her eyesight in a fireworks accident. It is beautifully written, and (surprise, surprise) I particularly appreciated Emma's reasoning for going vegetarian:
...I actually stopped eating meat three years ago, after my parents took us to a farm and I saw some chickens snuggling each other and realized that chickens are actually just people, except bumpier and smaller and covered with feathers. They snuggle their family members, is what I'm saying, and that was enough for me—I could never eat anybody's body again, not even a chicken's.
It's the eating-someone-else's-body thing that really clinches it for me—the "if I weren't already veg, I would be now" moment; and this also reminds me that I must write a post on the concept of non-human personhood.
Thank you to Rachel for letting me share this passage from her work!
Fall Events and the Bones & All audiobook
I have a fairly busy month ahead of me! This Friday I'll be doing a Q&A with my pal Mackenzi Lee at the launch of This Monstrous Thing at Porter Square Books at 7pm. (Facebook invite here.)
On Saturday, October 17th, I'm giving a talk called "Private Writing for Public Impact" (followed by a mind-mapping workshop) at the #WhatIMake Conference in New Bedford, MA. Tickets now on sale! If you would like a sneak peek at Ego Management you should definitely come. My friend Cameron—vegan caterer extraordinaire—is doing the most delicious bagged lunches!
Sunday, October 18th (3pm-4:30pm) is the SPOOKTAVAGANZA! at Tres Gatos in Jamaica Plain. I'll be telling ghost stories along with my friends Kendall Kulper, Marika McCoola, and Mackenzi Lee, all of whom have terrific new books out. You can show up early and enjoy brunch before the event (that's my plan!)
On Friday, October 23rd at 7pm, I'll be participating in a multimedia science fiction reading hosted by Joelle Renstrom at the Aeronaut Brewery in Somerville. FB invite here. (I haven't even written the thing I've promised to read, so I'd better hop to it...)
On Saturday, October 24th, I'm doing a panel ("The Kids Aren't Alright") at the Boston Book Festival with Jennifer McMahon and Rupert Thomson. (I think I'm supposed to hold off on specifics until the schedule is officially announced on September 1st.)
* * *
Oh, and one more thing (because I haven't adequately hooplah-ed this yet): the Bones & All audiobook is available for download!
Julia did an AMAZING job, right?
Big Announcement: Ego Management!
[Edit, 9/28/15: We have a new title! It's Life Without Envy: Ego Management for Creative People.]
I've been sitting on this top-secret project for awhile now, and I'm SO HAPPY I can finally tell you about it! Here's last week's announcement from Publishers' Marketplace:
This book started out as a guest post, "The Laughter of Sanity" (my favorite phrase from Eckhart Tolle), for Nova's blog back in February 2012. You can also see a glimmering here. The provisional subtitle is Tough Love for Creative People.
You know what they say about making lemonade out of the bitter fruit you've been handed (and a cliché is a cliché for a reason)? Going out of print turned out to be the biggest gift for me in terms of personal growth. I came out of that squirmy, frustrating-as-hell period with a firm grasp of what's truly important. Now I know I can be joyful and content with my life and work even if my novels never hit the bestseller list—that my happiness is entirely up to me. I no longer stake my sense of fulfillment and self worth on factors beyond my control.
Have I successfully managed my ego? Heck no! It's a daily process, and it will be a daily process for the rest of my life. Ego Management offers practical strategies for pulling yourself out of that mental and emotional quagmire of jealousy and frustration, not just once, but whenever you feel yourself sinking. We are only human, after all.
I feel so very blessed that I get to work on this book with my fiction editor, Sara Goodman. When you have an off-the-wall project like this you generally send the manuscript to your primary editor just as a courtesy, but in this case she really wanted to be able to publish it, so she made it happen. Again, thanks to that frustrating experience with Crown, I feel even more grateful for the enthusiasm and support I've received (and will continue to receive) from St. Martin's Press.
If you live in the Boston area and would love a sneak peek at Ego Management, get yourself a ticket for the #whatimake Conference in New Bedford on Saturday, October 17th! My presentation, "Private Writing for Public Impact," draws on several of the most crucial points I make in the book, and there'll be a complementary workshop afterward called "Mind Mapping for Self Discovery."
I can't WAIT to see this little book out into the world!
[Edit: I didn't mention a pub date because I don't have more than the roughest idea at this point—2017, realistically. I will know more after my first editorial phone call, which is hopefully happening next week.]
The Aspirational Lightness of Being, part 2
(The Aspirational Lightness of Being, part 1.)
Most of the junk I have accumulated over the past thirty-four years is stored in towering stacks of Rubbermaid bins in my mother's basement. Understandably, my mumsy has been hinting for quite some time now that she would be extreeeeemely happy if I were to winnow my (90% aspirational) collections of books and kitchenware. So I put out fourteen (!) bins, boxes, and bags for Vietnam Vets, and there's still a lot left to go through.
You may have heard of this Japanese book about decluttering called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. It's a bestseller, and lots of journalists and bloggers are talking about it. Personal organizing is an industry unto itself, of course, but after reading Marie Kondo's book (on the plane home to New Jersey) I understand why people are so enthusiastic about it. Kondo's signature strategy is this: you're supposed to pick up the item in question (actually touch it) and ask yourself, "Does this spark joy?"
At first this seemed kind of corny. But I found that asking this simple question made the keep-or-toss conundrum incredibly easy—and the more I asked it, the more I realized that many of my possessions are still mine only because I either feel guilty about letting them go (unread books, unused gifts, my own handknit sweaters, etc.) or have just been too lazy or disorganized to dispose of them properly (like shoes I never wear anymore). Granted, the low-spark or no-spark factor is probably much higher on my possessions in New Jersey (I did leave them behind, after all), but I bet there are still a lot of things I'll want to let go of once I'm home again. (I'm still in New Jersey as I write this, so it'll be interesting to see how I view the objects in my bedroom when I get back to Boston.)
I shared The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up with my mom, and she laughed hysterically when I read the following passage aloud:
Now I realize that people who have a convenient place to send things, such as a parents' house, are actually quite unfortunate. Even if the house is large with rooms to spare, it is not some infinitely expanding fourth dimension...
(The mother of the client in question came to Marie afterward for help in dealing with her daughter's junk!)
Here are a few more tidbits that really resonated for me:
My basic principle for sorting papers is to throw them all away. Corollary: When you attend a seminar, do so with the resolve to part with every handout distributed. If you regret recycling it, take the same seminar again, and this time apply the learning. It's paradoxical, but I believe that precisely because we hang on to such materials, we fail to put what we learn into practice.
On demoting tired clothing to "loungewear": ...[I]t doesn't seem right to keep clothes we don't enjoy for relaxing around the house. This time at home is still a precious part of living. Its value should not change just because nobody sees us...What you wear in the house does impact your self-image.
When you come across something that you cannot part with, think carefully about its true purpose in your life. You'll be surprised at how many of the things you possess have already fulfilled their role.
On regretting throwing something out: Life becomes far easier once you know that things will still work out even if you are lacking something.
Human beings can only truly cherish a limited number of things at one time.
By handling each sentimental item and deciding what to discard, you process your past.
That last one is why I need to get rid of about 85% of my possessions: you gotta release everything that's over and done with to make space for all the exciting new stuff that's waiting to come into your life:
Mary Modern drafts? Destined for the recycling bin. (There are plenty more novels to write.)
Bulging portfolio of grade-school and high-school artwork? Recycled or trashed—ALL of it!—because I don't need proof that I could have been an artist. (What sort of artist would I like to grow into now?)
Pressed roses given to me by a very sweet young man on my 17th birthday? I scattered them in the woods behind the backyard fence. (Hello, love!)
As Marie Kondo writes, The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past. When you put it that way, I can actually get excited about cleaning out my closet.
#WhatIMake
I'm just home from a wonderful weekend of live music, vegan peach cobbler and sock-knitting on the lawn at Falcon Ridge Folk Fest. I'm going to blog about the festival again this year, but for now here's another really cool event I'm about to add to my calendar:
(Edit: this is the revised poster for the rescheduled event.)
I'll be one of those ten speakers! Hooray! I originally wanted to do a presentation on veganism and creativity, but one of my vegan friends may be speaking as well, so I'll probably do a talk and workshop on writing and intuition instead. It's going to be a delightfully busy weekend with our Halloween group reading (with Mackenzi, Kendall, and Marika) at Tres Gatos the next day!
Tickets for #WhatIMake will go on sale in September. There will only be 100 seats, so if you are interested do sign up for the Miranda's Hearth email list!
Women of Every Species
Last week Book Riot included Bones & All on a feminist YA round-up. Awesome, right?...And also very disappointing.
Still delighted to be on @bookriot's list of feminist YA today, but I'm bummed there's no mention of the #vegan angle. Veganism IS feminism.
— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) July 22, 2015
I also tweeted this:
The consumption of dairy products is an anti-feminist act. I know, I know. You don't want to see it because cheese tastes good. #vegan— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) July 22, 2015
I wound up getting into a bit of a Twitter argument with the author of the piece. The subtext of her tweets was, of course, HOW DARE YOU CALL ME ANTI-FEMINIST?
Here's why: because when you consume a dairy product, you are stealing another mother's milk. It belongs to her babies. You want to call yourself a feminist-for-humans-only? Yeah, you could do that. But it doesn't sit well, does it? Someday—maybe not someday soon, but someday—our society will recognize this theft, exploitation, and murder for what it is. How could I possibly "agree to disagree" on this?
I will write more soon about the underlying dynamic of this type of debate, because if we're not careful it can echo the original problem. We have to other-ize the animals in order to eat them, and I'm not helping if I'm other-izing the people doing the other-izing. I have to remember that we're all the same—ALL of us—not just the animals and those who truly sympathize with them.
I hope that makes sense, and if not, I shall elaborate anon. For now, just remember that I'm not judging you. I ate dairy products for the first thirty years of my life.
So in Love
In case you didn't see it on Twitter or Facebook, here it is: the Immaculate Heart cover!
(What do you think of a Virgin Mary nightlight, Ma? Is it sacrilegious? If not, I am getting you one for your birthday!)
Retreat Update
Lovely people! Just wanted to let you know that Anne and I have rejigged our retreat plans to make it as affordable and convenient as possible. The retreat now runs from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon and the price is only $300 if you register by August 1st ($350 thereafter).
I'm sad we can't do a longer retreat, but a weekend session makes more sense logistically, and we can always do a longer one next year (maybe over Labor Day?) There will be a sweet little consolation though—we're putting together a workbook that will contain way more exercises and inspirational material than we could hope to cover in two days together, which means you can keep doing the deep and juicy work on your own afterward!
Interested? Get in touch!
Dead Boys at Porter Square Books
[This post has been revised to reflect Gabby Squailia as she is.]
"I thought it would end with death," he said to the earth below. "The boy thought so, anyway...the boy who tried to fashion a man out of lace and bluster. But that boy never left the man's bones: he's still here, still as broken as he was at birth, making the same noises, the same messes, only now through time eternal. That cycle of degradation is what I saw so well when I fit the belt around my neck. I see now how ludicrous it was to believe I could escape, but a good joke never really ends, does it? Just keeps on punching."
I'm excited to tell you that I'll be introducing Gabby Squailia at Porter Square Books next Thursday, July 9th, at 7pm! I will paint my face like it's Halloween and go on dropping those puns 'til your groans are audible. The Facebook RSVP is here.
This is how I "met" Gabby:
My #SFF Must Read list includes books by @ferretthimself@gabrielsquailia@s_g_browne@darylwriterguy@cometparty: http://t.co/s23yaMBmu8
— MyBookishWays (@mybookishways) February 12, 2015
I appreciate it when people are kind and responsive on Twitter. Gabby does too, apparently, because now we are friends-who-have-yet-to-meet-in-person. I asked Sarah at PSB if they'd like to host her and that's why I get to make the introduction!
@cometparty This is a bone necklace I bought in Argentina. But I can't wear it. People always see...something else. pic.twitter.com/m9xzhve5Y6 — Gabriel Squailia (@gabrielsquailia) June 12, 2015
More fun news regarding my favorite local independent bookstore: you'll soon be able to order autographed copies of Bones & All and Mary Modern! (Someone from PSB emails me, I come in and sign them. Easy.) I'm working on a design for a B&A postcard to include with the book(s) for extra specialness. Stay tuned, and in the meantime, if you're local, come to Gabby’s reading!
p.p.s.—The Immaculate Heart info page is up!
Comet Party Writing + Yoga Retreat, take 2!
[Edit: This retreat has been rescheduled for May 20th-22nd, 2016. Updated details here.]
Remember how I'm offering my first retreat this September at lovely Bethel Farm? Alas (for me, anyway, haha), Stephen's son is getting married that week, so I needed to find a new partner. I have two very dear Jivamukti yoga teachers at Karma here in Boston—Fiona McQuade and Anne Wichmann—and Anne is going to co-teach the retreat. We are so excited we can't even tell you! Friday Thursday, September 10th 11th through Sunday, September 13th!
Here is the new flyer, which we'll be posting alllllll over Boston very soon:
Cost is $350 $415, inclusive of all but travel ($300 early bird!) Visit the Bethel Farm website to get a feel for the atmosphere! Please note that accommodation is dorm style. If you're without wheels, we'll most likely be able to hook you up with a ride share, so no worries on that account.
I should also clarify that while the yoga classes will be suitable for beginners, I'd say adventurous beginners will be most comfortable. I define "adventurous beginner" as someone who is determined to feel good about what their body can do for them in the present moment. (So you see, absolutely anyone qualifies with a bit of positive mental prep!)
I'll post the retreat schedule in a couple weeks to give you a sense of the rhythm of our days, how the intuitive writing modules will work, and how Anne's yoga classes will complement and deepen the work we're doing in our notebooks and mind maps.
Please feel free to leave a comment below or email me with any questions or to register. Space is limited to 12, so definitely get in touch soon!
Transformational Writing + Yoga Retreat!
[Update: This retreat has been rescheduled for May 20th-22nd, 2016. Details here.]I am over-the-moon excited to announce my first-ever writing and yoga retreat! Squam has been a catalyst for me in so many ways, and I've been dreaming about leading a writing retreat to help other people enjoy the same sort of life-changing experience. When I attended a yoga weekend at Bethel Farm in February and met Stephen Bethel, I knew this was the perfect place and the ideal teacher with whom to partner. Stephen is so open and loving and kind, and gives the juiciest dharma talks!
The First-Ever Comet Party Transformational Writing + Yoga Retreat
Thursday, September 10th through Sunday, September 13th, 2015 Bethel Farm, Hillsborough, New HampshireA transformative experience requires three simple factors: time in nature, a diversion from routine, and the intention to surprise yourself. If you've been feeling anxious about growing in a new direction, this is the ideal set up in which to work through your fears and become the person you know you're meant to be. Through a magical combination of writing, yoga, and meditation in a safe and supportive environment, you'll be able to delve deep into unprocessed emotions and ultimately create your own epiphany (or maybe more than one!)We'll begin each day with a Jivamukti yoga class taught by Stephen Bethel. Workshop sessions will include intuitive mind mapping, ego management, and using symbols and archetypes to reframe our challenges, all of which are flexibly designed to make skill and experience levels (happily) irrelevant. You can be someone who doesn't write at all, or you can be an aspiring or published author. You can be an experienced yogi, or you can be making your way to the mat for the very first time. We'll spend time outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine, sweat out what no longer serves us in the pond-side sauna, and savor gorgeous vegan meals from the Bethel Farm kitchen. 
Camille is a Boston-based novelist, travel writer, and certified vegan lifestyle coach and educator. She has experienced greatly enhanced creativity and emotional and spiritual well being through her asana and intuitive writing practices, and wants to share that joy with as many people as she can.
About Stephen Bethel
Stephen Bethel is an advanced certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher, who honors his teachers Sharon Gannon and David Life through every class he leads. Ten years ago, he began teaching yoga classes at Bethel Farm, and soon after offered the first day long retreat. Since then, he has overseen the development of a complete yoga farm and retreat center on 50 secluded acres in acres in rural New Hampshire. In addition to hosting the top talent in yoga and the living arts, Bethel leads yoga classes, workshops, and teacher trainings at the Farm, and internationally.
Price, Registration, and More Info
Cost is $415, inclusive of all but travel. I'm really psyched to be able to offer a four-day (three-night) retreat at such an affordable price. Visit the Bethel Farm website to get a feel for the atmosphere!An intimate group is best given the work we'll be doing here, so registration is limited to about 12. Registration link coming soon. In the meantime, you can email me at cometpartyATgmailDOTcom or leave a comment below to let me know you're interested or to ask any questions you might have!
Upcoming Events
I'm updating my events page regularly. Here's the next awesome thing on my calendar: a panel discussion at the Derry Author Fest in New Hampshire on Saturday, May 2nd!
Followed a few days later (May 6th) by my event with Nova Ren Suma and Maria Dahvana Headley at McNally Jackson in SoHo, NYC. This is going to be AMAZING.
I'm also thrilled to announce that I've been invited to participate on a YA panel at the Boston Book Festival! More details coming over the summer. (But the event I'm MOST excited for will have to wait until tomorrow...)
The Vegan-Cannibal Conundrum
Maren keeps a diary with stories and images in an attempt to make sense of who she is.
The first question on everyone's lips when they hear about Bones & All is,
WHY WOULD A VEGAN WRITE A NOVEL ABOUT A BUNCH OF CANNIBALS???
Fortunately, I've had the opportunity to answer this question at every Q&A (in person and online) I've done so far. But I'd like to answer it here in case you're hearing about the novel for the first time and are having a (totally understandable) WTF moment.
When you first start writing a story, you're not thinking about how or why you came up with the idea or what the underlying point of it all is. If I set out to write a novel about something, then it isn't really a piece of art anymore, is it? It's a vehicle for a particular agenda.
But I didn't have an agenda when I started writing Bones & All. In the beginning I was only teasing out a scenario that made me laugh— "cannibals in love!" —which in turn grew into an equally hilarious situation: a vegan writing a story about people who eat other people the way a giant or an ogre or an evil witch does in a fairy tale.
It will surprise no one to hear that unlike my first two published novels, I did not particularly enjoy writing this book. It felt like a story I needed to exorcise more than anything else. I had to write it just so I could move on to happier projects, and it was only during the revision process that my subconscious intention became clear. I was perusing an 18th-century Scottish cookbook with a mind toward veganizing some of the more accessible recipes, when one of the headings in the table of contents stopped me cold:
FLESH.
It hit me then: I used to be a flesh eater. And then: I used to be a predator. A predator by proxy, I suppose, having never hunted or slaughtered with my own hands—but a predator nonetheless.
I can't get used to this idea. It never stops making me shudder. And maybe that's the way it should be, if I want to be an agent for peace in this chaotic world.
Here's the thing about Maren, my anti-heroine: she "does the bad thing" despite her very best intentions. She wants real friends, a real home, real love, but this horrible compulsion traps her in an endless cycle of devouring and remorse. It's our best intention to nourish our families when we sit down to a meal together, and yet we prepare and serve the food with little if any thought given to who that food used to be, whom it was taken from, how many beings had to suffer for your steak, your wings, your macaroni and cheese. You just want to feed your children, right? Well, so do they.
Many reviewers and readers have praised this novel for its metaphorical take on feminine sexuality. I'd be pleased if you wanted to read Bones & All through a feminist lens, although the more you learn about the way animals are treated in the dairy and livestock industries, the more you'll come to understand why we need to develop our consciousness of female oppression regardless of species.
Of course, you can read the novel with no attention to or interest in "the vegan angle." You are perfectly free to read Bones & All like a straight-up horror story, a deliciously perverted coming of age. But folks keep asking, and this is my answer.
EAT ME! (or, Vegan Cupcakes, part 2)
(Vegan cupcakes, part 1. This post also continued from The Way Your Words Find Each Other.)
Here's the cupcake menu I forgot at home:
Recipe links: lavender chocolate, gingerbread, strawberry, chocolate stout. I also wanted to tell you about the tote bags I screenprinted for the raffle, and the prizes inside. I ordered the bags from Enviro-tote, a wonderful company based in New Hampshire with excellent customer service. (Elizabeth orders her Squam tote bags from Enviro-tote, which is how I found them.) Made in the USA FTW! I wish I had gotten a pic of one of the bags during the event, but we'll have to make do with this one:
(As I mentioned at the launch, I realized after I'd started transferring the design that it looks a lot like the Grub Street logo, but I figure it's okay to use it for inspiration given that I'm not selling these bags. Also, I am pretty sure the red splotch on the Grub Street logo isn't intended to remind you of a blood spatter!)
Along with Taza chocolate and a $25 gift card to Porter Square Books, each tote bag prize had its own theme. You got a ticket and dropped it in the tin of your choice.
The Frankenstein theme: a Penguin hardcover edition of the original novel, a signed copy of MarcyKate Connolly's Monstrous, and a coupon good for a signed pre-order of Mackenzi Lee's This Monstrous Thing.
The vegan theme: signed copies of Victoria Moran's Main Street Vegan, Will Tuttle's The World Peace Diet, and Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's Color Me Vegan.
The Jim Henson theme: Imagination Illustrated and a signed copy of Elizabeth Hyde Stevens's Make Art Make Money.
I have two more totes, so I might do another giveaway for all of you lovely people who couldn't make it to the launch. Stay tuned!
p.s.—Jenny of Supernatural Snark "picked my brain in a non-cannibalistic way," and the Q&A is up today.
A friend says, "There were a lot of hot guys at your launch!" Pass this along to your husbands, ladies. #bonesandall#ladycannibals
— Camille DeAngelis (@cometparty) March 18, 2015
The Way Your Words Find Each Other
With Joetta and Amy Lou.
Looking up cannibal jokes in preparation for @cometparty's launch tonight. They're pretty killer.— Porter Square Books (@PorterSqBooks) March 14, 2015
“Happy Book Day!” (dinner at Veggie Galaxy, my mom’s treat)
On Saturday night people gave me cake and flowers and chocolate and Vermont maple syrup and hugs and some of the sweetest compliments I have ever heard. It was a beautiful night and I'm so grateful to Mackenzi, Porter Square Books, my awesome family who traveled for hours to be with me, and all the rest of you lovely souls who came out to celebrate the new novel!
Everything went smoothly—the only thing I forgot was the cupcake menu, so I just clarified which ones were gluten free and told everyone that if they didn't finish every single morsel on the table (cupcakes and lollipops) I would be extremely disappointed in them.
They did not disappoint.
Photo by Aram Comjean.
The raffle was really fun too. There were three themed tote bags with Taza chocolate and Porter Square Books gift cards: Frankenstein, Jim Henson, and veganism. (I'll tell you more about the tote bags in my cupcake post.) In a supreme stroke of irony, the girl who won the vegan tote bag is named Maren, and she is already a vegetarian. Sometimes life is just too hilarious for words.
A friend of a friend came to the event, and at the afters at Five Horses we got to chat a little. He said something to the effect of "I know I don't know you, but hearing you speak about yourself and your work, I felt like I did. I really appreciated the way your words find each other." That was a powerful moment of self actualization for me—having someone I don't really know yet tell me that they see me exactly the way I want to be seen, as someone kind and approachable and enthusiastic about life.
(Of course, having the launch dress and sweater come out TOTALLY AWESOME helped my confidence quite a bit too, haha.)
The other thing I should note: this launch event transpired nine years to the day my lovely agent called me long distance to tell me the good news about Mary Modern. March 14, 2006! I feel so good about what I've written, what I'm writing and all that I have yet to write.
@PorterSqBooks@writersofboston@debkacolson@cometparty book launch Bones and All http://t.co/60iQoMye8Hpic.twitter.com/X9HkXRym8i— Mary Bonina (@reebonina) March 15, 2015
@cometparty holding court. Looking forward to reading "Bones & All" #bookspic.twitter.com/ERxIRyM10q — SpatialH (@SpatialH) March 14, 2015
TONIGHT the incomparable @cometparty is launching her exquisite book BONES & ALL at @PorterSqBooks & if you aren't there we can't be friends — Mackenzi Lee (@themackenzilee) March 14, 2015
After Five Horses we all walked back to the apartment my family had rented and I, too happily exhausted to walk home again in the cold, laid down a bunch of sofa cushions and fell into a blissful sleep under the dining room table. (We did talk about my being quirky during the Q&A. I don't have to try, I just do things and only notice afterward how weird they are.)
More photos coming soon in cupcake, launch dress, and cute lacy cardigan posts!
