Miss Peregrine and art in marketing?

So, I'm not usually impressed with book trailers. Too often they're not well done, low-budget and cheesy. But this one, possibly in part because it's for a book I already know is fantastic, struck me as unusually good. I think it takes advantage of the movie-trailer shtick (as well it should, as it seems like everyone's interest is automatically caught when you play a movie trailer, even if the movie is awful) without sacrificing its general bookishness, if that makes any sense.




More and more these days, I'm realizing there's a real art to marketing. It's not just about targeting potential buyers and coming up with hokey catchphrases and doing a lot of boring paperwork. Years ago, a professor of mine suggested I look into learning it, and I thought she was joking at the time, but now? I may just. If nothing else, I bet it's lucrative.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on that. Happy Tuesday, and thanks for reading!

Monday smarts - "How to Talk to Girls"

Good morning! Ready or not, it's Monday. Here are a few pearls of wisdom to get you started off right. We should all be this smart someday.

Tuesday tunes

This song has been running through my head all morning and makes me want to dance, even though I'm still too tired to get my eyes all the way open. (Who stays up until 2AM for no good reason on a Monday night? Yep. This girl.) Yesterday was a good day, though. Hopefully today will be another.
Enjoy!

P + E (part 2)

So, this is the second "page" (for lack of a better term) of a little storytelling experiment I've been working on, in fits and starts, in between other things (like reading The Tiger's Wife, which is delicious and slow in a way much like honey-flavored whiskey, right down to the way it makes your eyes water when taken in gulps).
If you have a minute to read it, please let me know what you think - are these people interesting? Should I keep writing them? Does the format make it weird to read? That last is probably my most immediate concern, really.
Oh, and the first bit's back here.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy.

Cirque du Soleil

Source: google.com via Laure on Pinterest

7 things

...that have been awesome about today.

Source: smleggett.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

an experiment

So, a couple of posts ago, I talked about how I'm writing short stories this year. Well, right now I'm working on something that shows all the signs of turning into a novella (much against my will, mind you), and a couple of experimental things that, for lack of a better term, I'm calling text message stories.

Here's the first section of one. At the moment, it's called "P + E: A Love Story In Text Messages." If you read it, please let me know what you think! I haven't decided whether I'll finish it, but so far it's been fun and easy to write.
Thanks for reading, friends.

so, ballet is cool.

Guess what, you guys???

Last night, I saw my very first ballet - the Moscow Ballet came to campus and performed the 'American' (read: shortened) version of Sleeping Beauty for us, and it was beautiful. Even if it was three hours long. 

your hips, ma'am; they do not lie

[so, I actually wrote this some time ago - back when JH's size was a new thing - but I only half-drafted it and left it in a folder and forgot about it. Cleaning out the drafts now, so here you go.]
*
Is it bad to say that I liked Jennifer Hudson more when she was less skinny?

And what the heck is up with those boots?

'Twas my thought to myself when I ran across a photo of that talented lady on the internet today. Apparently she's been seriously rocking her Weight Watchers program, because she showed up to some awards ceremony looking like Blake Lively, minidress and all (well, technically it's probably more of a Mary J. Blige look she's got going on, but you get my point).

on faith / sex

***Warning: this post has content that some of you may find offensive. Please realize that it's written with the intent to amuse, and is in no way intended to be insulting, dirty, or vaguely blasphemous. (Boy, I bet you're interested now.) See this? This is my tongue in my cheek. Note it. Thanks!***


"You'll just have to have faith about it..."
"I'm really struggling with my faith right now..."
"We just need to walk in faith..."

Question: What do all these phrases have in common?
Answer: They're CLICHES. They're BORING. Most of all, they're so often said in a way that is trite, insincere, and incredibly, drippingly PIOUS.

updates on various endeavors

This is my mantra for the year, and not just at the gym, although it does run though my head while I'm trying to work off those delicious Christmas cookies that I once consumed with gleeful abandon and now regret with every particle of my soul. No, no. This sentiment - that doing something towards your goals is always better than not trying at all, even if you're not accomplishing a whole lot - can be applied to a couple of other things I'm attempting right now.

that time

It's that time again, boys and girls.
Last year, I made (and shared) some New Year's resolutions for the first time in my life. Most years, I haven't bothered, because a) my goals and desires fluctuate a lot, and b) I can't fail at something I haven't admitted to trying - right?

(One's at least an understandable excuse, but the other is just really lame. So I'm going to try not to use it anymore.)

Last post, I told you a bit about my 2011, so I won't bore you with any drawn-out reflections. But I will say that it was a pleasant surprise to look back at the resolutions I made, and realize that I may have actually sort of indirectly and occasionally succeeded in them. Here, have a look and tell me what you think.