HOW-TO: Shop for your character without spending a penny.

This set belongs to Star Esteban from my novel, Waking Up in the Land of Glitter.

Have you heard of Polyvore.com? It's a fashion site where you can do some virtual window shopping by selecting clothing and accessories and then creating a group picture. I was playing around on it tonight and pulled together some sparkle-themed items. Now that I have the hang of it, I'll use Polyvore to build wardrobe collections for my fictional characters!
Felicidades,
Kathy :-)

Author interview: Melinda Palacio

I worked with Melinda Palacio years ago at The Arizona Republic when we were both features clerks. I hadn't seen her in years, but we recently connected on Facebook and discovered we have a lot in common these days! Writing! Melinda is an award-winning poet and writer, and her first novel, Ocotillo Dreams, debuts out next year. Visit her web site to read her blog, and even hear her read her work out loud!

I asked Melinda if she would contribute one of her poems for Inspiration Friday and I'm so flattered she agreed! OK, here goes:

**
Written by Melinda Palacio

I've always received my inspiration from the women who raised me, my grandmother and mother. My mother Blanca was a young mother who treated me like a sister. One of my favorite things to do as a child was accompany my mother to her college classes at Cal State Los Angeles. She was an Art History major and she took me to every art museum in Los Angeles.

When my mother passed away fifteen years ago, I experienced profound grief and didn't think I would ever recover. The old saying Time Heals All Wounds turns out to be true. Although I spent several months, and years in mourning, at one point, I decided to live my life to the fullest and to honor my mother by remembering her tremendous optimism, resourcefulness, and love for life's adventures.

I wrote the poem "Laughter" when I was coming to terms with leaving behind my pain and celebrating all the joy I was bathed in since my birth. My mother instilled so much positive qualities in me and my grandmother reinforced her love by telling me stories, both happy and sad ones. In this poem, there is a muddying of sadness and joy and of my mother, grandmother and myself, a mixture of all the voices who have carried me along during darker times.

"Laughter" was published last year in Black Renaissance Noire.

Laughter
by Melinda Palacio

The story of my mother touches the wind and rattles me off balance, raises the small hairs on my forearms, my skin no longer feels my own. I long to be cradled by a cloud, suspended and sheltered. I listen to the words of the Grandmother Spirit. My elder says look beneath your skin and you’ll the see the loneliness in your veins. I hear drumming, a familiar wail of pain. The drums stop. The story of my mother is as ordinary as once upon a time there was a happy woman who lived a short life before dying, leaving behind a daughter. The pages between the beginning and the end are filled with laughter. A girl with wild hair the color of the Río Grande sinks her feet into the muddy river and says, you laugh like my grandmother. I laugh harder because the wild woman is my mother.

melindapalacio@gmail.com
www.melindapalacio.com

Felicidades,
Kathy :-)

A beginning, a middle - and an end.

The doorbell rang during dinner time last night. Patrick, the kids and even the dogs tilted their heads as if to say "Who could that be?"

Not me. I knew who it was: The UPS man serving up three fresh boxes of my novel galleys!

Galleys are early book proofs. They aren't the copies that go on sale to the public, they are for advanced reviews, press mailings, etc. But they are real enough for me.

After hugging Patrick, DeAngelo and Maya, and then taking a picture, I scooped up a couple copies to take to my parents house. They live five minutes away and I cried the entire way. A lot of visual manifestation went into the journey of this book and part of that was imagining the moment when I would present my dad and mom a copy. I came pretty darn close (my dad passed away in July). Don't get me wrong, I'm not sad. It just hit me that it wasn't the way I originally envisioned the moment. But I feel that he is right here, nodding at the cover and telling me "Very good, Kathy. You did it!" I know he is aware of everything and will still read it, some how, some way!

My book doesn't go on sale until March 1st, so we still have a while to wait for the real hoopla. But every step of the process is so dang exciting. I wrote my first draft in November of 2004 for National Novel Writing Month and here we are five years later!

Get this: During the summer of 2004, my agent met with me here in Phoenix. We had interest from editors for me to write a novel based on this very blog. He asked me, "Do you think you can do it? A novel is very different from your newspaper stories and craft books."

I had no idea in the world how to even start a fiction book, but I replied, "Yes! I am totally going to do it!" And he laughed and said, "You know, I believe you will! Just remember - a novel has to have a beginning, a middle, and an end."

I took notes as if it were a grocery list...a beginning, a middle, and an end! "OK, I'll remember that!" I said. I then went back to my desk in the Features newsroom and Googled: "How to write a novel."
Yup, I actually did that. That was a well-kept secret, but now I can laugh about it!
SPECIAL THANKS TO KATE JACOBS (Friday Night Knitting Club), for the wonderful book blurb that went on the cover! I am forever grateful!

P.S. Special thanks to Gina Gwen for featuring me on her blog today!

Felicidades,
Kathy :-)

HOW-TO: Write a book proposal

How to write a non-fiction book proposal
By Kathy Cano-Murillo
Everyone has a book to write based on his or her experiences. Think of all we go through, people we meet, the adventures we live to tell about. We should take the time to document all those memories.
Sometimes, we want to take it to the next level and write a book.

My three current book projects

Here are some updates of what is going on in my writing world!

- WAKING UP IN THE LAND OF GLITTER has been sent to the printer for a batch of advance reader copies! Get this - right before the machine switch was flipped, the most AWESOME book blurb came in from one of my all-time favorite authors (who happens to be a regular on the NYT Best Seller List)! My editor was able to get the quote printed on my cover just in time. Knock me over with a hand-dyed feather! Triple thanks to all the authors who have sent me book blurbs so far, I am blown away by your kindness and support!

- I'm starting on my second novel. It already has a title and even a cover concept, but I don't think I'm allowed to blog it yet. That is the hard part about going to "the next level". You can't share updates as freely as you'd like. If you follow my Diary of a Crafty Chica blog, you might remember an idea I had for a book called Band Wives, about women who are forced together every week at a night club's tiny cocktail table when their significant others form a band. Well - that idea didn't fly.
I'm glad it didn't. It forced me to come up with a different story, which I loved. While in Fresno recently, I bounced the new synopsis off my friend, Alexa, and she loved it too. The next day I went to a coffeehouse with my laptop and pounded out the storyline. It flowed like water through my hands, easy and cool. I went to bed proud that night. The next day I woke up, went into work and thought and thought. It didn't seem "big" enough anymore. I scrapped it - except one kernel of the idea. I sprinkled it with a recent experience from one of my sewing workshops and came up with something that I feel is innovative. I came home from California and spent the weekend fleshing it out. I pitched it to Patrick and the kids and they all nodded YES simultaneously. I know it is a good idea, because now they tell me things like "and then you can do this!" or "you should have them go here!"
I'm delighted to share that both my agent and editor gave it two thumbs up. Hint: Let's just say I will be shadowing some fashion designers this fall!

- My next craft book. I turned in a proposal to my agent. It was a hard book to tackle in a proposal, so much was involved. It took me months. Erin (my guardian angel agent) sent me back an arsenal of vital notes. I'm using them to "craft" my proposal into something sleek and presentable. See? Even though I have seven books, it's not always cake. Eggshells get in the batter all the time. But instead of throwing the whole thing out and going on a bender at Sprinkles, I roll up my sleeves and fix the problem. Sometimes it is just picking out the eggshells, other times it is starting all over from scratch. The goal is to make it ROCK. And that takes a lot of effort, sacrifice and dedication. So if you have something you are working on and are passionate about, stick with it, do not give up! You have to start somewhere.
Oh, great. now I want a cupcake.

Felicidades,
Kathy :-)

Today's inspiration

Today I rummaged through my art supplies in search of a purple marker. Instead I came across this glorious bag of rhinestones! I immediately grabbed my camera. Right as the shutter went off, I thought of a title for a short story: CHOKING ON RHINESTONES. I don't know what the plot will be about, maybe an all-girl teenage punk band that makes their own outfits? I have no idea! But I do know that a title this sparkly can work literally or as a metaphor.

Here is my challenge to you! Inspired by my previous post, I dare you to work rhinestones into your next idea, story, or book! Have fun with it!

Felicidades,
Kathy :-)

Micro muses are all around us

Fiction writing (making art too!) opens the world to endless possibilities. There is so much to draw from, where do you start? Here is what I do when I'm working on my stories, books and art collages. I look for what I call micro muses. I take pictures of random things I come across throughout the day. (Another thing I owe to my lovely iPhone) These work excellent for character development, a MacGuffin, and/or plot devices.

For example, I came across this flocked Mary and Jesus set of banks. My first thought was to buy them and further embellish their holy-yet-fuzzy bodies. Aw, too predictable!

Instead I decided to find a way to adapt them in a story. There are so many possibilities! Maybe there is a character who buys one, takes it home, drops it and finds a mysterious "help me! I've just been kidnapped!" note that someone slipped inside. Maybe she is an uptight Pottery Barn slave and her best friend/maid of honor chooses these as bridal shower centerpieces - thus creating a rift in their friendship. Maybe a girl plans to tell her boyfriend she is cheating on him, but then looks up, sees Mary and Joseph watching her, so she decides to give the relationship a serious second chance.
Sure Mary and Jesus flocked banks make for an easy spin-off, but this exercise works with just about ANYTHING.

Open your mind and take a second look at the things you normally don't notice. Street signs, window displays, the backpack of the person standing in front of you at the coffeehouse, a sugar packet, a car broken down on the side of the road, a velvet bow on on a little girl's head, etc.
Pull out that camera and snap away! And save the picture because you can use it in an art collage downthe road ;-)

Remember - creativity is in the eye of the beholder!

Felicidades,
Kathy :-)

Agents seeking submissions

Marcela Landres is one of my writing career heroes! As a former book editor-turned-consultant, she knows every corner of the publishing industry and is excited to share her knowledge. Each month she releases Latinidad, a newsletter. In it, she lists opportunities for writers, as well as an interview of someone in the business.
This month she profiles agent Adriana Dominguez. I know Adriana from my days working with HarperCollins, where she held the position of Executive Editor of children's books. Currently she is the East Coast representative for Full Circle Literary.
Check out Marcela's newsletter here! Don't forget to sign up for her mailing list so you can recieve it every month. If you have a manuscript to present to Adriana, make sure to read the interview thoroughly to know what she is seeking and her guidelines for submitting.
By the way - Adriana also has a blog called Voces. http://adrianadominguez.blogspot.com/

Felicidades,
Kathy :-)

I made my own banner!

Blog banners are so hard to nail. I wanted something bright to match the spirit of the site. I searched all the line drawings we made for the Crafty Chica product line and mixed and matched. The typewriter inside the heart came by accident, and I love it. It just goes to show, it's OK to take a wrong turn now and then, you'll discover new things you wouldn't have thought of otherwise.
I've never been formally trained on Photoshop, but I didn't let that stop me from experimenting. My little banner is nothing fancy, but I'm happy with it and it gets the job done so I can move on to my next challenge!
I decided to mirror the "crafts, drama, glitter" from my Crafty Chica mission statement. After a lot of list making (and crossing off) I chose "verbs, stories, exclamation points!" That is what this site is about - using lots of verbs, storytelling - and ending it all in a memorable fashion!

Felicidades,

I'm totally buying this poster!

Here is where you can buy it too! AllPosters.com
But I don't plan to just hang it on the wall. That is too easy. I think I want to make art cards with all 12-1/2 steps and then post them in my art room and around my writing area. On the fridge, in my car, on the bathroom mirror. That way I can see them everyday and stay inspired to write and be creative!

Welcome to my new writing and book blog!

Hi! My name is Kathy Cano-Murillo and I have a crafting web site called CraftyChica.com. I have a LOT going on over there: Crafts, ideas, books, inspirations, videos, all kinds of fun posts about anything and everything.

Writing has always been a big part of my life, and I decided to create a home that is 100% dedicated to it.

I have seven published craft books that I am very proud of. They all are centered around do-it-yourself projects to add sparkle to your world. Well, now I'm venturing into a territory. My debut novel publishes on March 1st, 2010. It's called WAKING UP  IN THE LAND OF GLITTER and I'm muy excited! It's about three women (Star, Ofie and Chloe) who come together to make 200 glittery centerpieces for the upcoming CraftOlympics. Think Waiting to Exhale-meets-Ugly Betty-meets-Martha!

I plan to post different pieces I've written, updates about the Crafty Chica novel series, my favorite essays - and helpful tips for other wannabe wordsmiths. I'm a very busy chica, so this will be a work in progress. I hope you'll stick around!

NOTE: All posts dated before today are blog posts I pulled from my main Crafty Chica blog. I wanted all my book-related content to be in one place!

Felicidades,
Kathy :-)