“The Night Circus made me happy. Playful and intensely imaginative, Erin Morgenstern has created the circus I have always longed for and she has populated it with dueling love-struck magicians, precocious kittens, hyper-elegant displays of beauty and complicated clocks. This is a marvelous book.”
– Audrey Niffenegger
miscellany
previous incarnations
I am cleaning my studio today, and amongst all the other questionable artifacts tucked into dust-covered corners (spools of fishing line? a Ouija board? a May 1999 NYC subway map?) I found a pile of old photos & I thought I’d scan a couple to share.
So this is me in New Hampshire circa 2004, with an apple and far too much hair:
And this is me in South Boston circa 1980, with a fabulous hat:
flax-golden
flax-golden tales: a small, solar quest
a small, solar quest
We went looking for the sun today.
We started early and packed a lunch of fresh baked bread and cheese and apple cakes with honey.
We each brought a thermos full of mint tea.
We wore cloaks of proper colors to alert the wolves that we were only on a temporary errand through their woods and meant them no harm.
We sang songs as we walked and sometimes the birds added layered harmonies. We stopped several times to clear the path of fallen branches and once to give a piece of cake to a squirrel who gave us hazelnuts in exchange.
We saw no evidence that we were on the right path. No hints of warmth or tell-tale light playing over the trees.
Late in the day, the wolves brought us mittens and we shared our tea with them, but they couldn’t offer us any advice.
We were about to give up and go home when we found the sign.
About flax-golden tales. Photo by Carey Farrell. Text by Erin Morgenstern.
miscellany
obligatory tessa in a box
There’s a thick layer of foam padding on the bottom of the box. I hope she doesn’t expect that to be a standard cardboard box feature from now on.
writing
circusy things
A roundup of circus-related news & such for a rather grey Monday:
THE NIGHT CIRCUS received a starred review from Kirkus. *star-shaped confetti*
THE NIGHT CIRCUS was chosen to be one of the six (6!) books presented on the Book Expo America Editors Buzz Panel. Which is absolutely marvelous, particularly because my editor has a lovely speaking voice.
Note how it is on the adult panel, not the YA one. THE NIGHT CIRCUS is not YA, despite the fact that I am still seeing it mentioned as YA around the internets. It has adults who are young in it. It also has adults who are old and adults whose age is difficult to discern and the story itself covers about thirty years worth of time. The book itself is not YA. It is adult or general or whatever not-YA is called these days.
Also, I saw this once and figured it was just a random, possibly autocorrect-influenced mistake and now I’ve seen it three times so it’s clarification time: THE NIGHT CIRCUS is about magicians* not musicians. I don’t know where that started, or why it’s perpetuating, but no. Not musicians. Magicians.
And I am told from reliable, inside sources that there are circusy things going on at the London Book Fair even as I type.
Oh, and I gave the circus its own website page, I will be gradually adding more info and such over there.
I think that’s it for the moment, but I am certain there will be more to come.
*not even the best term for them, really, but there isn’t a better one.
flax-golden
flax-golden tales: shadow angels
shadow angels
Angels lurk in shadows.
Not many people know that.
They like to think that angels hang out on clouds with harps and constant sparkling sunshine bouncing off of their halos.
Sure, a few of them are sun-dwellers, but most angels are sneaky.
They’re hiders by nature. They blend the rustling of their wings with the sounds of nearby pigeons to disguise it.
They wait in shadows and darkness and the bleakness of winter to drop blessings and luck and wonders on passersby.
Preferably the people who think that there are no angels anywhere, in shadows or in sunshine. Those wandering souls who don’t believe in such things.
Because angels like it best when they’re unexpected.
About flax-golden tales. Photo by Carey Farrell. Text by Erin Morgenstern.