My thoughts are on the writing life -- the good, the bad and the terrifying. In case you hadn't heard, Sarah Rees Brennan's blog was hacked a week before the release Tuesday of her debut novel, The Demon's Lexicon, published by Simon & Schuster. The maliciousness is troubling, but we shouldn't be surprised. We know the world isn't a safe place and most of us write about that in one way or another.
Sarah -- pardon my familiarity but her blog is so open and honest that I feel I know her -- certainly does. The Demon's Lexicon is so dark and delicious. You want to like her main character and do, despite his dearth of emotion. He's loyal, lethal and able to question his disconnection. It's a deft drawing of character that we don't understand until a big, satisfying reveal.
What I love most about this book, besides Sarah's style and wit, is no matter what mistakes these characters make or how marginalized they are, there is love without reservation and redemption of sorts.
That brings me back to Sarah, who at 25 has written this and survived a cyber-attack. If you read her web page, including her journal which had to be reconstructed, you will see a remarkable spirit. She laughs through tears, shines in the dark, is hilariously funny, and takes us along, like friends, on her journey through life and publication.
I guess my thought for the day is Sarah isn't a victim even if she was victimized. It's something I can apply in life, as well as writing. If this touches you in any way, please add your thoughts.
4 comments:
Adding my thoughts. And to top it off, I'll add her book to my next to buy list when I go to the store!
Thanks, PJ! You're the best. (and with a name like yours, how can you not be?) :-)
Sarah Rees Brennan's account of her cyber-attack was a combination of poignant, funny, and helpful. Thanks for telling us about it. Having one's words stolen is a strange phenomenon. I plan to buy "The Demon's Lexicon," enjoy it myself, and then give it to my 17-year-old friend who adores Edward Cullen and the "Twilight" series.
That's cool, Donna, that you plan to share with a teenager. The Demon's Lexicon is edgy and multilayered. It's not a romance like Twilight, although there are certainly undercurrents of attraction among its teen characters. This book takes traditional concepts about magic in new and unexpected directions.
I love your line: Having one's words stolen is a strange phenomenon. It certainly is! Although, whoever did it probably was either trying to hurt her for some reason or trying to steal more than words. Thanks for stopping by. :-)
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