mount_oregano

Saint Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid, and today is his day. In fact, the celebration will last until Sunday: concerts for all ages and tastes, dancing, parades, fireworks, theater, bullfights, and even people dressing up in the traditional local costume. [Full schedule here.]

People from Madrid are called "cats," and the cat in this year's festival logo is wearing the traditional cap, white ascot, and checked vest for men. Women wear a flounced polka-dot dress, carnations in their hair, and a white headscarf. A streetwise, brash, urban attitude is essential for both sexes.

A few years back, I celebrated the festival by reading Saint Isidro's hagiography. He was born in 1087 in Madrid, at the time a small farm village. He worked as a farm hand for local landlords, and is credited with 204 miracles, many of which he accomplished after his death at age 90. One that occurred during his lifetime shows his love for God's creatures, according to the hagiography:

He and some other farmer hands were carrying sacks of wheat to a mill in winter when they passed a flock of shivering, starving doves. Isidro stopped and spread grain from his sack on the ground until they had eaten their fill, then continued on with a half-full sack. His companions were astounded when they arrived at the mill, for his sack had become full to overflowing and produced twice as much flour as their own.

Thus we know that God approves of bird feeding. Go thou and do likewise.

¡Viva San Isidro!

jennreese

Originally published at jennreese.com. You can comment here or there.

Before I describe the new pushup torture I witnessed in class tonight, let me first say that I did none of them.*

Level 1: Pushup position, but with your feet flat against a wall. Move your feet about one foot up the wall, and do the pushups from that position.

Level 2: Body folded in at a 90-degree angle, feet against the wall, legs parallel to the ground. Torso and arms are parallel to the wall. Pushups are straight up and down.

Level 3: Body straight and leaning at a slight angle against the wall. Almost a fully vertical (and upside down) position.

It was amazing to see our instructors explain these pushups and then effortlessly pump them out. I felt as if I were watching an old-school kung fu movie. Most of the rest of us played the part of the bumbling class.

Fun, fun, fun!

pubrants

http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2008/05/danger-of-honesty.html

cristalia

cristalia

katallen

stillsostrange

stillsostrange

cristalia

Whose current book is more unsaleable?

Will you join our new subgenre, Unsaleable Monstrosities with Pretty Illustrations!

Most unsaleable book ever?

Trick question: what paranormal romance combo would be unsaleable?

swivetfeed

http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2008/05/announced-genre-acquisitions-for-may.html

Richard Knaak's DRAGONREALM series, FIREDRAKE, ICE DRAGON, and WOLFHELM, to be published in one omnibus volume, to Marco Palmieri at Pocket, in a nice deal, by Donald Maass of the Donald Maass Literary Agency (World English).

P.N. Elrod's DARK ROAD RISING, a new Vampire Files novel set in 1930s gangland Chicago, to Ginjer Buchanan of Ace, in a nice deal, by Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency. [La Gringa interjects: What a great idea!]

Lucy Snyder's SPELLBENT, the story of a young mage who must face angry wizard councils, demons, and hell itself to rescue her lover and mentor, to Liz Scheier at Del Rey, in a three-book deal, by Robert Fleck at Professional Media Services (World).

Richard Kadrey's SANDMAN SLIM, to Diana Gill at Eos, in a good deal, at auction, in a three-book deal, by Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown (NA).

D.D. Barant's BLOOD OF MONSTERS, featuring an FBI profiler, who's been yanked into an alternate universe where vampires, werewolves, and golems now comprise 99% of the population, to Monique Patterson of St. Martin's, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, by Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency (world).

Bride of Blackbeard author Brynn Chapman's PROJECT MENDEL, in which two genetic stem cell scientists must flee the war-torn U.S., after their genetic enhancement vaccines cause amazing and horrific side effects in the nation's military children, to Leanne Burroughs at Highland Press, by Lois Bennett.

Susan Krinard and Janet Mullany's BESPELLING JANE, a star-studded anthology featuring the paranormal and Jane Austin created by Susan Krinard and Janet Mullany, headlining Mary Balogh, to Tracy Farrell of HQN, in a good deal, at auction, by Lucienne Diver of Spectrum Literary Agency.

Laurie Notaro's SPOOKY LITTLE GIRL, about a woman who is hit and killed by a bus shortly after being dumped by her fiance, and who returns to wreak havoc on all who have wronged her; and a collection of essays, to Bruce Tracy at Villard, by Jenny Bent at Trident Media Group (world English).

::: young adult :::

Penny Blubaugh's WHEN PUPPETS ARE OUTLAWED, ONLY OUTLAWS WILL HAVE PUPPETS, in which a troupe of puppeteers, including a member of a royal Faerie family and a teenaged runaway, stage elaborate illegal shows blending magic and social commentary, to Jill Santopolo at Laura Geringer Books, by Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency (world). [La Gringa interjects: I think this may be the best title I've ever heard!]

Dan Elconin's NEVERLAND, a modern and gritty retelling of the story of Peter Pan, where Peter is the antagonist and Hook is a friend to Ricky, to Anica Rissi at Simon Pulse, with Michael del Rosario editing, in a nice deal, for publication in Fall 2009, by Gretchen Stelter at Baker's Mark Literary Agency (World).

Author of Evil Genius and Genius Squad Catherine Jinks's THE REFORMED VAMPRIE SUPPORT GROUP, an irreverent look at the blood-sucking life through the eyes of 15-year-old vampire, Nina Harrison, who's been stuck for 51 years in a support group of hemo-addicts that has never had anything exciting happen to them -- until one of them is murdered with a silver bullet, to Kathy Dawson at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's, for publication in April 2009, followed by The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group in 2010, by Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management. Film rights are with Jerry Kalajian at IPG.

John Dickinson's THE FATAL CHILD, the final book in the trilogy begun in THE CUP OF THE WORLD, to David Fickling at David Fickling Books, in a very nice deal, by Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown (World English).

Co-author of Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire Christopher Golden's POISON INK, about five very different girls who decide to all get the same unique tattoo to honor their friendship, unaware that there's dark magic in the ink, and dark intentions on the part of the tattoo artist, to Stephanie Lane at Delacorte.

NYT bestselling author of Frostbite Richelle Mead's untitled fourth and fifth novels in the VAMPIRE ACADEMY series, about two best friends at a secret boarding school for vampire royalty, to Jessica Rothenberg at Razorbill, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World English).

thesaucernews

The border of Little
Rivendell was marked on an overpass by urban magick -- the sigil of the
McDonald's arches surrounded with arcane script and machine-generated gibberish
in impressive paint and blood spirals. The yellow sign burned with an uncanny
light behind the shimmering and silent hologram that spread across the road and
the rabbit-hole like a banner. A woman who had the creased cheeks and
weatherbeaten eyes of a porn star was selling diet pills projected to the size
of watermelons.

In the tunnel-dark outside the cab, a troll shook its
shaggy bulk dry after a monster piss in the middle of the road. The troll
answered John's horn-honking with a rude gesture involving its free hand and
its profoundly disgusting genitals, dragging what might have been a dead goat
behind it with the free hand to the embankment. Its lunch painted a dark
calligraphic semicolon mark on the concrete with its entrails.

John
glanced into the rearview mirror, 
catching the light pollution change the color of Curtis Strand's nearly
bald head. Curt brushed the wispy remnants of his hair with a careless, bony
hand but didn't look up. The silver ring on his middle finger was gaudy and
consecrated against the venomous breath of a demon asphyx. John knew this
because he had given it to him when they met, a quick cure for his athsma. The
ring was useless here, an example of how ineptly engineered magitech could get
in the pre Burn heyday of the Tri-State. 
One of Curt's androids probably pulled down less juice than that ring
did, for all the benefits of an antihistamine inhaler.

swivetfeed

http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2008/05/announced-genre-acquisitions-for-april.html

Warren Fahy's FRAGMENT, about a reality TV show that lands on an unexplored island only to discover the first cataclysmic invasion of Earth may not come from outside our planet, but from within, to Kate Miciak at Bantam Dell, in a major deal, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Peter McGuigan of Foundry Literary + Media.

Ann Aguirre's two next installments in the Sirantha Jax series, again to Anne Sowards at Ace, in a nice deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Diana Rowland's MARK OF THE DEMON, about cops, demons, and a homicide detective whose supernatural powers get her caught between them, to Anne Groell at Bantam Dell, in a two-book deal, by Matt Bialer at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (World).

Retrievers series author Laura Anne Gilman's VINESPELL, the first in the Vineart Wars, in which magic is the province of winemakers and a young apprentice must save the world, to Jennifer Heddle at Pocket, in a very nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in Fall 2009, by Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency (World English).

Lisa Renee Jones's BLACK TIGER RISING, about a chosen Guardian against evil and a lethally charming shape-shifter who is heir to the Black Tiger throne, to Paula Guran at Juno, for publication in October 2009 (World).

Lori Devoti's next three books, continuing her "Unbound" series of witches, hellhounds, and Norse mythology, to Tara Gavin at Silhouette Nocturne, by Holly Root at Waxman Literary Agency (World).

HALTING STATE author Charles Stross's 419, in which the Scottish police investigation of a serial killer who targets spammers uncovers a massive international "blacknet" conspiracy; ROGUE FARM, a short story collection; and THE FULLER MEMORANDUM, the third book in the Laundry supernatural thriller series, to Ginjer Buchanan at Ace, in a good deal, for publication in July 2010, by Caitlin Blasdell at Liza Dawson Associates (NA).

NYT bestselling author Allison Brennan's new paranormal series based on the Seven Deadly Sins, to Kate Collins at Ballantine, in a major deal, in a three-book deal, by Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group (NA).

M. M. Buckner's GRAVITY PILOT, in which an extreme skydiver becomes the new Orpheus when he descends into a dark addictive wikiverse to rescue his entranced girlfriend, to David Hartwell of Tor, by Richard Curtis of Richard Curtis Associates (NA).

Demonkeeper and Goblins author Royce Buckingham's SCARY MONSTERS, to John Rudolph at Putnam, by Ken Atchity at AEI Literary Management.

Michael Flynn's UP JIM RIVER, two more novels in Michael Flynn's new science fiction series that began with THE JANUARY DANCER, to David Hartwell at Tor, in a two-book deal, by Eleanor Wood at Spectrum Literary Agency (NA).

Kristin Landon's sequel to The Cold Minds and The Hidden Worlds, in which two people return to Earth's solar system to find the remnants of humanity -- and the secrets behind the power of the Cold Minds, to Anne Sowards at Ace, in a nice deal, by Donald Maass of the Donald Maass Literary Agency (NA).

John Grant's LEAVING FORTUSA, to Vera Nazarian at Norilana Books, for publication in October 2008, by Pamela Scoville at Pamela D. Scoville Literary Agency.

Linda Robertson's VICIOUS CIRCLE, about a modern-day witch who takes on a contract to assassinate a murderous vampire while dealing with a budding romance with a rock'n'roll musician werewolf, to Paula Guran at Juno, in a nice deal, for publication in March 2009 (World).

Karl Alexander's JACLYN THE RIPPER, a sequel to the author's Time After Time, and the reprint of TIME AFTER TIME, to Jim Frenkel at Tor, in a very nice deal, for publication in January 2009, by John Bennett at Indiscretion Films (NA).

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's JESSICA OF DUNE, IRULAN OF DUNE, and LETO OF DUNE, three sequels to Frank Herbert's DUNE, on behalf of the Frank Herbert Estate, to Tom Doherty and Pat LoBrutto at Tor, in a major deal, by John Silbersack at Trident Media Group (NA). Additionally, the authors' HELLHOLE trilogy, to Tom Doherty at Tor, in a major deal, by John Silbersack at Trident Media Group (NA).

Margaret Leroy's COLDHARBOUR, a paranormal murder mystery about a single mother and her troubled four-year-old daughter, to Sarah Crichton at Farrar, Straus, for publication in 2009, by Kathleen Anderson at Anderson Literary Management (NA).

Michele Lang's LADY LAZARUS, the first book in a historical fantasy trilogy set on the eve of World War II, in which a hereditary witch with the power to call souls fights to avert the horrors of her sister's visions; pitted against her are SS werewolves, wizards, and demons, including the one who has possessed a willing Adolf Hitler, to James Frenkel of Tor, in a very nice deal, by Lucienne Diver of Spectrum Literary Agency (world).

William Sanders's EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF FORT SMITH, a short fiction collection which combines in one volume all of the author's previously collected short work in addition to several previously unseen originals, to Vera Nazarian at Norilana Books, for publication in September 2008.

Mark Kneece's ROD SERLING'S THE TWILIGHT ZONE, graphic novel series, an 8-book series of graphic novels based on the original television scripts, to Emily Easton at Walker, in a good deal, for publication in 2008, 2009, by Anna Marlis Burgard at Savannah College of Art and Design (World).

Lori Devoti's AMAZON INK, about a modern-day family of Amazon women who've left their tribe to live among normal humans and run a tattoo parlor, until a murdered teenage Amazon left on their doorstep forces them to once again make contact with the Amazon tribe they left behind, to Paula Guran at Juno, by Holly Root at Waxman Literary Agency (World English).

Two novels by longtime fantasy novelist Richard Knaak, a new title tying into the electronic game WarCraft, plus a second novel tying into the game Diablo, to Marco Palmieri at Pocket, in a nice deal, by Donald Maass at the Donald Maass Literary Agency (world).

Jeff Carlson's third novel, MIND PLAGUE, a sequel to his first two science fiction thrillers, PLAGUE YEAR and PLAGUE WAR, to Anne Sowards at Ace, in a nice deal, for North American rights, by Donald Maass at the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

Cynthia Eden's next three paranormal suspense novels, again to Megan Records at Kensington Brava, in a nice deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Anne Bishop's untitled sequel to the forthcoming Shadow Queen, in the same setting as the author's Black Jewels trilogy, plus an untitled collection of Black Jewels stories and a fantasy novel, to Anne Sowards at Roc, in a good deal, for publication in March 2010, by Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency (World English)

::: young adult :::

THE WARRIOR HEIR author Cinda Williams Chima's DEMON KING trilogy, following the intertwining fates of a peasant boy and a princess as they uncover secrets of their pasts and fates in a kingdom at war, to Arianne Lewin at Hyperion, in a significant deal, for publication in Fall 2009, by Christopher Schelling at Ralph M. Vicinanza (World English).

Maggie Steifvater's BALLAD, the sequel to Lament, in which a gifted teen at a music boarding school draws the attention of a dark faerie muse who strikes a Faustian bargain with her victims, and, when Halloween descends, he must choose between his long time friend/crush and the dark faerie herself, to Andrew Karre at Flux, by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (World).

Author of Airball, Lisa Harkrader's AFTERLIFE, about a seventeen-year-old whose psychic flashes lead her to investigate a mystery that could destroy her dreams of a future as a crime scene investigator, to Nina Hess at Mirrorstone, in a nice deal, for publication in May 2009 (World English).

NYU creative writing MFA student Lauren Oliver's YA debut, IF I SHOULD FALL, about a girl who relives the day of her death seven times until she discovers that the life she needed to save was not her own, to Brenda Bowen at Bowen Press/Harper, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, for two books, by Stephen Barbara at the Donald Maass Literary Agency (NA).

Carolyn MacCullough's ONCE A WITCH, about a teenage girl who feels alienated from her family of witches since she herself has no power, or so she thinks, until a handsome stranger, a dangerous love spell, and a treasure hunt through time prove otherwise, to Jennifer Wingertzahn at Clarion, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in Fall 2009, by Alyssa Eisner Henkin at Trident Media Group (NA).

Temple Matthews's THE NEW KID, the first title in The New Kid series, pitched as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Supernatural, to Glenn Yeffeth at BenBella Books, for publication in January 2009, by Patrick Hughes at Hughes Capital Entertainment (World).

Mother-Daughter team Shirley Jump and Amanda Jump, writing as AJ Whitten's THE WELL, a Shakespearean-based horror series, the first about a teen-aged boy who must find a way to survive as his mother repeatedly tries to kill him, to Julie Tibbett at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in a nice deal, in two-book deal, by Pamela Harty at The Knight Agency.

Linda Gerber's CHARLATANS, the story of two sisters' journey as they discover their sideshow trance-writing act has deadly consequences, especially when the premonitions start to come true, to Angelle Pilkington at Puffin, in a nice deal, by Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency.

LIGHT YEARS author Tammar Stein's KINDRED, the story of an agnostic, irreligious college student and the visiting angel that overturns her life and divides her family, staying with Erin Clarke at Knopf, by Stephen Barbara of the Donald Maass Literary Agency (NA).

Rachel Vincent's MY SOUL TO TAKE, featuring cute boys, dead girls, and the urge to scream, as a high school junior is sure she's losing her mind until she discovers she's a perfectly sane teenage banshee, now she just has to figure out who's killing the girls, to Mary-Theresa Hussey at Mira, plus two sequels, in a good deal, for publication in late 2009, by Miriam Kriss at Irene Goodman Agency (world).