snack, snack, eat a snack

Okay, remind me next time not to read vampire novels* immediately before going to bed, especially if I'm going to be up all night feeding a baby. Not only did I have a continuing dream about vampire babies**, but the dream was ENTIRELY IN PRINTED TEXT.


* In general, vampire novels are not my thing, but I was reading Heather Brewer's Vlad Tod books, which are "lighthearted" stories of teenage Vlad, who, although he may be half-vampire, still gets pounded on by school bullies, and who drinks, not blood from the source, but from expired blood bags his nurse of an aunt brings home from the hospital and injects into chocolate chip cookies.

** No, not Reneesmee, or however you spell it. Although, unlike other people, I wasn't horrified by Nessie, but found her a kind of dark, humorous tribute to a newborn human learning the whole nursing process. Ouch.

Voice

If you are looking for examples of Voice, please read Hilary McKay or Catherine Gilbert Murdock. I just finished Forever Rose, a MG book about the Casson family (perhaps you have read Saffy's Angel?) I think what makes a good voice is not only details and strong nouns and verbs and all, but details and words that are particularly meaningful to the main character, as opposed to just the author. Not to mention the fact that the book is just funny. My kids kept asking me why I was laughing so much, but it was the kind of thing that you can't explain unless you are there. Something about the voice reminded me a very little of pixiechick_sw 's blog voice, however. Just a gentle interestingness that can be amusing at appropriate moments.

Also in voice news, Catherine Murdock has the first chapter up from Front and Center, which is the continuing story of DJ Schwenk. You can read it here: http://www.catherinemurdock.com/books/facchapterone.html. (Dairy Queen had possibly the best, most believeable voice ever.)

(Maybe tonight I will dream all kinds of interesting anecdotes with Voice.)