ok, 1st makeover was not such a hit.
what do we think of this one?
Cynicism
7 years ago
well, readers, i've got good news and bad news.
bad news first, always:
the agent 'passed' on representing me. wrote me a raving review but says his client load is full and he can't take on anyone new (especially a baby author like me). sad day. he was sure to let me know i am very publishable and that he loved my manuscript, so that softened the blow. so did the massive amounts of chocolate chip ice cream and dino nuggets i ate afterward.
good news:
now is my chance to cash in on all of those "ins" you have all been offering me these past months. for everyone whose brother's friend's roommate works at an agency or whose next door neighbor's dog walker works at Zondervan... hit me with it. we are back to square one...but in a good way. we are staying positive. we are exploring our options.
we are sick to death of dino nuggets.
bad news first, always:
the agent 'passed' on representing me. wrote me a raving review but says his client load is full and he can't take on anyone new (especially a baby author like me). sad day. he was sure to let me know i am very publishable and that he loved my manuscript, so that softened the blow. so did the massive amounts of chocolate chip ice cream and dino nuggets i ate afterward.
good news:
now is my chance to cash in on all of those "ins" you have all been offering me these past months. for everyone whose brother's friend's roommate works at an agency or whose next door neighbor's dog walker works at Zondervan... hit me with it. we are back to square one...but in a good way. we are staying positive. we are exploring our options.
we are sick to death of dino nuggets.
i used to need a tiny God.
and when i say that, i think of the cheesy John the Baptist snowglobe (well, technically it was a water-globe) that we had in our living room. Jesus and JTB were inside and when you shook it, the artificially blue water sloshed down, "baptizing" them. wahoo.
i used to need a God who would fit in a delicate glass globe amongst my mom's victorian hat boxes.
when i thought about the real God, i pictured Genie from Disney's Alladin: He could be everywhere at once, he could stretch out to fit the sky, he could multiply and race around the globe, he could melt down and fill the ocean, he could grow big and bounce the earth like a ping pong ball. He was this giant, uncontainable presence that scared the crap out of me.
so i wanted him to be small. tiny. my-size-barbie-esque.
i liked when God was described as "here beside me" or "my best friend" "my confidant". i liked the stuff about Him being a part of my daily life and caring that my guinea pig died (rest in peace, Zippy) and helping me finish my math homework. i liked the cozy side of God. all of the other stuff - the stuff about Him ruling the earth and reigning in power and majesty and commanding the waves and overseeing history - that was all just much too much. it made Him feel distant and terrifying - not in a bad way but more in a strange, unfamiliar way.
i've been reading through Psalms lately.
and i used to think of Psalms as kind of a bipolar teenage diary. one second it's all "God, where are you - my life sucks" and the next, it's "God is so good! praise Him forever!". and of course, we can all relate to both. but since i have been reading through it front to back, i am seeing two consistent themes. the first is honesty. these people tell God EXACTLY how they feel and in the end, realize who they're talking to - which is why i think so many of them take a bizarre turn toward praisetown. which brings me to the next thing i am seeing. the most consistent message i keep getting smacked with in Psalms is this: God reigns. the Lord reigns. He is above it all. so many of the Psalms focus on His power and majesty and...bigness.
and the little kid inside of me wants to shrink away from this. wants to shove that tricksy Genie back into the waterglobe. but at this point in my life, when i'm standing on the edge of the real world and realizing just how enormous it really is, a big God doesn't seem so scary anymore. on the contrary, it feels like quite a comfort. to see the job market as this vast, bustling landscape and then to imagine Him stretched out over it. large and in charge. to see my future rolling out like a not-so-red carpet with a million multiplied Genies lining either side. to know that as bipolar as i may feel day in and day out, and as big and tangled and complicated this adult life may get, HE REIGNS. bottom line is, at the end of the day, no matter what life throws at me, He is bigger.
and i don't say that as a chirpy, saccharine Christiany answer to any problem. like the Psalmists, i know there will be times when i'll pull a line from a Mel Gibson movie, shake my little fist at the sky and say "this sucks!" but to know that He is bigger than the suckiness is a tiny comfort in and of itself.
and when i say that, i think of the cheesy John the Baptist snowglobe (well, technically it was a water-globe) that we had in our living room. Jesus and JTB were inside and when you shook it, the artificially blue water sloshed down, "baptizing" them. wahoo.
i used to need a God who would fit in a delicate glass globe amongst my mom's victorian hat boxes.
when i thought about the real God, i pictured Genie from Disney's Alladin: He could be everywhere at once, he could stretch out to fit the sky, he could multiply and race around the globe, he could melt down and fill the ocean, he could grow big and bounce the earth like a ping pong ball. He was this giant, uncontainable presence that scared the crap out of me.
so i wanted him to be small. tiny. my-size-barbie-esque.
i liked when God was described as "here beside me" or "my best friend" "my confidant". i liked the stuff about Him being a part of my daily life and caring that my guinea pig died (rest in peace, Zippy) and helping me finish my math homework. i liked the cozy side of God. all of the other stuff - the stuff about Him ruling the earth and reigning in power and majesty and commanding the waves and overseeing history - that was all just much too much. it made Him feel distant and terrifying - not in a bad way but more in a strange, unfamiliar way.
i've been reading through Psalms lately.
and i used to think of Psalms as kind of a bipolar teenage diary. one second it's all "God, where are you - my life sucks" and the next, it's "God is so good! praise Him forever!". and of course, we can all relate to both. but since i have been reading through it front to back, i am seeing two consistent themes. the first is honesty. these people tell God EXACTLY how they feel and in the end, realize who they're talking to - which is why i think so many of them take a bizarre turn toward praisetown. which brings me to the next thing i am seeing. the most consistent message i keep getting smacked with in Psalms is this: God reigns. the Lord reigns. He is above it all. so many of the Psalms focus on His power and majesty and...bigness.
and the little kid inside of me wants to shrink away from this. wants to shove that tricksy Genie back into the waterglobe. but at this point in my life, when i'm standing on the edge of the real world and realizing just how enormous it really is, a big God doesn't seem so scary anymore. on the contrary, it feels like quite a comfort. to see the job market as this vast, bustling landscape and then to imagine Him stretched out over it. large and in charge. to see my future rolling out like a not-so-red carpet with a million multiplied Genies lining either side. to know that as bipolar as i may feel day in and day out, and as big and tangled and complicated this adult life may get, HE REIGNS. bottom line is, at the end of the day, no matter what life throws at me, He is bigger.
and i don't say that as a chirpy, saccharine Christiany answer to any problem. like the Psalmists, i know there will be times when i'll pull a line from a Mel Gibson movie, shake my little fist at the sky and say "this sucks!" but to know that He is bigger than the suckiness is a tiny comfort in and of itself.
still waiting to hear from the big, bad Agent.
thanks for all of the inquiries. in the meantime, instead of twiddling my abnormally long thumbs, i have been very busy. here's some of the many very important things i have done:
1. i set up a twitter. i'm still learning my way around the branches, tweetage and all that, but i'm on there. follow me, if you're into that thing. werewolfjesusbk
2. i removed the wallpaper in my bathroom. i was a little too enthusiastic in my removal. so then i spackled the holes and sealed everything up, forgot to ventilate and got a little high off fumes.
3. i roadtripped to pennsylvania and met my husbands entire family. there are alot of them and they all promised to visit my website so let's see who followed through. (guys, i know i said no pressure but let's be honest, i have been checking ever since...)
4. i got the thrilling news that my wisdom teeth removal surgery will take place on my birthday. superb.
5. i got my hair cut short. on the good days, i decide that i am very katie holmes-esque and that everyone envies my sleek, artsy style. on the bad days, i am convinced that i just look like johnny dep from the new, creepy willy wonka movie. i spend most days in an exhausting flip flop between the two ideas.
6. i wrote a proposal for A SECOND BOOK. i started getting inklings toward the end of Werewolf Jesus that there might be a second book rumbling up within me. it is so. more to come on that later but for now i will say i am calling it "Animangels" (i'm really into word fusion these days and if i need to spell it out for you, i will. animals and angels and the weird ways we humans are all at once both and neither.)
i'll keep you updated (hopefully via tweet...) on the book progress.
in the meantime, if you're new to the site, excerpts are in the archives, feel free to look around.
thanks for all of the inquiries. in the meantime, instead of twiddling my abnormally long thumbs, i have been very busy. here's some of the many very important things i have done:
1. i set up a twitter. i'm still learning my way around the branches, tweetage and all that, but i'm on there. follow me, if you're into that thing. werewolfjesusbk
2. i removed the wallpaper in my bathroom. i was a little too enthusiastic in my removal. so then i spackled the holes and sealed everything up, forgot to ventilate and got a little high off fumes.
3. i roadtripped to pennsylvania and met my husbands entire family. there are alot of them and they all promised to visit my website so let's see who followed through. (guys, i know i said no pressure but let's be honest, i have been checking ever since...)
4. i got the thrilling news that my wisdom teeth removal surgery will take place on my birthday. superb.
5. i got my hair cut short. on the good days, i decide that i am very katie holmes-esque and that everyone envies my sleek, artsy style. on the bad days, i am convinced that i just look like johnny dep from the new, creepy willy wonka movie. i spend most days in an exhausting flip flop between the two ideas.
6. i wrote a proposal for A SECOND BOOK. i started getting inklings toward the end of Werewolf Jesus that there might be a second book rumbling up within me. it is so. more to come on that later but for now i will say i am calling it "Animangels" (i'm really into word fusion these days and if i need to spell it out for you, i will. animals and angels and the weird ways we humans are all at once both and neither.)
i'll keep you updated (hopefully via tweet...) on the book progress.
in the meantime, if you're new to the site, excerpts are in the archives, feel free to look around.
ladies and gentlemen, we have entered crunch time.
my nose is spending so much time pressed to the grindstone this week that i am starting to chafe (har har har) and maybe i will end up looking like michael jackson (too soon?) but Werewolf Jesus must be in the mail, padded envelope, on its way to Colorado by FRIDAY. after that, it's in the hands of the agent and i don't know much about the process from there.
'rocketman' was my absolute favorite movie growing up (followed closely by 'dunston checks in' and 'good burger') and there's this part where doofy fred z. randall - last minute choice for a trip to mars - is about to takeoff in the spaceship. they start the countdown and he starts freaking out and saying that he's not ready and finally screams
I HAVE TO GO TINKLE!
and it kind of feels a little bit like that to me right now.
needless to say, i should be getting back to work, but in the meantime check out my friend knuck's blog
i'm stealing a quote from her entry on a wrinkle in time, so you can say you read it way back when.
prayers, encouragement and shipments of smartfood and red grapes (preferred writing snacks) are welcomed and appreciated.
my nose is spending so much time pressed to the grindstone this week that i am starting to chafe (har har har) and maybe i will end up looking like michael jackson (too soon?) but Werewolf Jesus must be in the mail, padded envelope, on its way to Colorado by FRIDAY. after that, it's in the hands of the agent and i don't know much about the process from there.
'rocketman' was my absolute favorite movie growing up (followed closely by 'dunston checks in' and 'good burger') and there's this part where doofy fred z. randall - last minute choice for a trip to mars - is about to takeoff in the spaceship. they start the countdown and he starts freaking out and saying that he's not ready and finally screams
I HAVE TO GO TINKLE!
and it kind of feels a little bit like that to me right now.
needless to say, i should be getting back to work, but in the meantime check out my friend knuck's blog
i'm stealing a quote from her entry on a wrinkle in time, so you can say you read it way back when.
prayers, encouragement and shipments of smartfood and red grapes (preferred writing snacks) are welcomed and appreciated.
In the early 90's, my little brother was completely obsessed with Hanson. (MMMBop - don't act like you don't remember.) We, of course, weren't allowed to listen to secular music, so we would go to Becca's house and dance to her cassette on repeat, our sockfeet making swirls in the dust on the hardwood floor.
They had this one song called 'Weird' that sang (in a gorgeously pre-pubescent soprano) isn't it weird, isn't it strange, that we all get a little bit weird sometimes.
I'm nearing the end of my book. (!!!!!) and yes, freaking out a little bit. I passed the 50,000 marker last week, which means I could hand it in now and breathe easy. But I want to hit 60,000 and finish on time and with excellence. so thanks to those of you who have been encouraging me along the way.
above is a little blip from the chapter I'm scurrying to finish this week. It's about how the more I live, the more I realize how truly, wonderfully weird everyone is, in their own way. I'm starting to see and appreciate the bizarre, unique and often unrecognized gifts the people around me possess and the equally bizarre, unique and unrecognized ways God uses these gifts in His big story.
Don Miller's blog this week was about asking people about their stories (you might as well start reading his blog too, because I am hooked and will probably just keep on citing it...). I absolutely love this because I absolutely hate small talk. I don't care about your job or your kid's 2nd grade graduation - and what's more, I know you probably don't really care either. I'd rather hear about the things you really DO care about, even if we're not "at that point" in our relationship yet.
So my question, in this scattered blog entry is this:
what makes you come alive? specific and unique to only you.
i'm looking for examples to feed on.
comment anonymously or email me at majecla317!
They had this one song called 'Weird' that sang (in a gorgeously pre-pubescent soprano) isn't it weird, isn't it strange, that we all get a little bit weird sometimes.
I'm nearing the end of my book. (!!!!!) and yes, freaking out a little bit. I passed the 50,000 marker last week, which means I could hand it in now and breathe easy. But I want to hit 60,000 and finish on time and with excellence. so thanks to those of you who have been encouraging me along the way.
above is a little blip from the chapter I'm scurrying to finish this week. It's about how the more I live, the more I realize how truly, wonderfully weird everyone is, in their own way. I'm starting to see and appreciate the bizarre, unique and often unrecognized gifts the people around me possess and the equally bizarre, unique and unrecognized ways God uses these gifts in His big story.
My friend MJ (holla!) has a quote that I've been marinating on -
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." I'm starting to see that the plans God has for the people around me are as crazy as the things that make these people come alive.
Don Miller's blog this week was about asking people about their stories (you might as well start reading his blog too, because I am hooked and will probably just keep on citing it...). I absolutely love this because I absolutely hate small talk. I don't care about your job or your kid's 2nd grade graduation - and what's more, I know you probably don't really care either. I'd rather hear about the things you really DO care about, even if we're not "at that point" in our relationship yet.
So my question, in this scattered blog entry is this:
what makes you come alive? specific and unique to only you.
i'm looking for examples to feed on.
comment anonymously or email me at majecla317!
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