Poison @poisonbook - Tumblr Blog

My Poison by Nina Berry

What is it that I can’t do without when I’m writing? Most consistently, my poison has been cats.

First and foremost there was Max, my furry soulmate for nineteen years. He was warm, wise, outgoing, known amongst my friends as the Cat of Peace. Nearly two years after he headed for more catnippy pastures, I still miss him.

Max

Along the way I rescued other cats, most notably the inimitable 99, who left this crazy world before I could get any digital photos of her. She was strikingly beautiful, and Queen of the Cranky. 99 loved no one but me, and that made me feel special. She closely resembled this gorgeous cat. Just add a beguiling smudge on the nose and you’ll get the idea.

99-ish

Then right outside my back door I found a shy feral and Princess of Fluff, Lucy, who joined me and Max indoors. Wary, able to hunt down any insect, Lucy made me laugh at the most unexpected times.

Lucy

I also kept in contact with Lucy’s mother, Miss Kitty, who was too wild to come inside, but whose untamed soul and predatory ways (hello huge snake head on my doorstep!) provided a lot of insight into her big cousins, tigers, for the OTHERKIN series.

Miss Kitty

After Max died, I waited a year to adopt another boy cat. Then a kitten named Marlowe came my way. Tiny but fearless. Here he is the first day I brought him home.

Marlowe

Five months later he’s impossible and wonderful. One minute he’s tormenting my laptop power plug into submission, the next he’s purring and licking my eyelid. Like all my cats he’s a handful and a muse, an irritant and an inspiration.

Marlowe Today

I wouldn’t want to write any other way.

Nina Berry's Official Website

#Poison #ninaberry #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Laura Diamond

Is it bad that I have a hard time identifying one thing? Seriously, there’s so many choices!

Hmmm, maybe that’s it.

My poison is CHOICES.

Whether it be French vanilla versus dark roast Dunkin Donuts coffee, glitter nail polish versus French manicure, classical music a la Beethoven versus post-rock sounds by Laura (not me, I’m talking about the band Laura…I saw the album in a store in Brisbane, Australia and had to pick it up), or even South Park versus Lord of the Rings (yes, that’s a choice!), I have a hard time deciding.

I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m a Libra. Or maybe it’s a sign of the times—we’re all so overstimulated that it’s hard to see the forest through the trees.

So what happens when there’s too many choices?

I feel unsettled, like I want to keep searching for the next thing to satisfy me.

Before I know it, my sense of contentment is gone.

See? Poison!

What’s the solution?

Slow down. Live in the moment. Savor the French vanilla. Laugh at the glitter on your nails. Close your eyes and feel the ivories and ebonies pounding out a Beethoven symphony.

Watch the South Park episode parodying the Lord of the Rings.

Laura Diamond's Official SIte

#Poison #lauradiamond #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Diana Peterfreund

I was not built to be a writer. Writers spend most of their days in solitary confinement, alone with their keyboards, alone in their heads. I don't do well there -- alone. Too much quality time by myself and I find myself spinning mental wheels, caught up in imaginary concerns that would sound ridiculous to anyone if I spoke them aloud. I'm inspired by getting out in the world, by being with other people -- writers or otherwise. The first year I was a full time writer, I nearly went out of my skull with boredom until my husband wisely recommended volunteering. I quickly found a place at the National Zoo, watching a family of highly social Golden Lion Tamarins, and conversing with visitors and other zoo workers. But then the tamarin project fell through, and the only alternative the zoo had for me was sitting in a darkened room doing Panda Pregnancy Watch on a TV monitor.

More alone time spent staring at a screen? FORGET IT. I'm inspired by being with people, whether they are writers or not, by hearing words and thoughts other than the ones in my head. My friendships with fellow writers have been some of the most important of my life. Though I never got the opportunity to meet Bridget Zinn, the outpouring of love and support I've seen from her writing friends makes me think she felt the same way.

Me NOT in a coffee shop, but partying at the Printz Awards with Jennifer Barnes, Ally Carter, and Holly Black--NOT WRITING. Sigh

Some of my friends swear by writing dates, where they meet other writers in coffee houses and clickety clack away. I've had my fair share of those, but I fear I do too much talking and not enough typing. Same goes for getting into IM conversations or Twitter streams during the working day. Though communication with others is what keeps me sane, if I indulge too much, I'll never get any writing done.

As they say -- it's the dose that makes the poison. A little bit and I'm fine. Too much, and I'm useless. After all, as much as try to convince myself that hanging out with writer friends is the same as writing, it's not.

Unless I'm in a coffee shop. Right? Please say right.

Diana Peterfreund's Official Website

#Poison #DianaPeterfreund #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Claudia Osmond

My poison is most definitely vanilla. I don’t care what form it’s in – I’ll eat it, I’ll sniff it, I’ll spray it, I’ll burn it, I’ll drink it, I’ll wear it. I’d even write out vows and marry it.

Just give me vanilla.

Vanilla cupcakes.

Vanilla candles.

Vanilla chocolate.

Vanilla ice cream.

Vanilla extract.

Vanilla oil.

Vanilla crème.

Even straight up vanilla beans.

I just want vanilla.

Ain’t nothin’ plain about this poison.

The scent inspires me. The flavor satisfies me. The thought warms me. The word cheers me.

A constant craving …

I must. Have. Vanilla.

Claudia Osmond's Official Website

#Poison #claudiaosmond #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Becky Wallace

When we moved to D.C. from Texas, I thought our nation’s capital would have a booming selection of excellent (accessible, affordable) restaurants, including my personal poison Tex-Mex. Alas, I was sadly mistaken. Every cantina I’ve tried in my three-plus years in the mid-Atlantic region is lacking in the authentic flavor of Tejas…EXCEPT Cerritos Pupuseria.

This little white shack on the side of a highway* makes the best carne asada tacos and black beans this side of the Mississippi. The owners and the clientele say the food is El Salvadoran. Whatever. It’s goooood. It’s always my reward for finishing a big project. I eat the beans by the quart and the tacos by the fistful. I usually feel sick-full after. But if I didn’t, it would really be my poison.

*WARNING: The environment is not for everyone. The location, décor, number of construction trucks in the parking lot scream, “this place is a dive!” If you’re not cool with sticky floors and blaring music, Cerritos may not be the place for you.

Becky Wallace's Official Website

#Poison #BeckyWallace #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Andrea Colt

Everyone who knows me could name my poison: cheese!

It's a problem. My biggest weakness is the sharpest cheddar in the land: an aged cheddar from Cabot. Thankfully, Costco sells it in two-pound blocks! I love this cheese with salami, with dabs of pesto or jam, on sandwiches, with fruit, or just by itself (that means with wine).

And lets not forget the other yummy cheeses! Smoked gouda is a personal fav, along with goat cheese with honey (I will mix up a bowl of it, grab a sleeve of crackers, and call it dinner.) Havarti is very tasty ... and is also the name of one of my cats! I love trying new cheeses, and a cheese & charcuterie board at a restaurant is one of my favorite things to order. My absolute favorite, of course, is testing out the local mac and cheese!

I'd much rather eat cheese than anything else, so diets essentially consist of "Eat something besides cheese for a few weeks." It's so hard! And I find it impossible to be creative when I'm hungry, so if I'm stuck on a draft or wrestling with a recalcitrant chapter, a cube of cheese often makes me feel better.

So I guess cheese isn't just my poison ... it's my antidote too!

Andrea Colt's Official Website

#Poison #andreacolt #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Ellen Oh

Bridget Zinn’s book POISON is one that I’ve been coveting ever since I first heard about it. And I’m both excited and deeply moved by the fact that it will be out in the world. This is a book that I will be racing out the door to buy as soon as it hits the bookstores. Which makes me realize that books are my poison. I love books more than I love diet coke and donuts, which, if you know me personally, is saying a lot! I’m not going to say I love books more than food – that’s just silly. But if I live to eat, I also live to read. My husband would say I love books more than I love money, and that’s a big problem! But yes, books are my poison.

On deadline, I must strictly ration myself from reading or else I’ll never get any writing done. I’m the type that gets completely sucked into a book, unable to come up for air no matter how urgent the need to eat, drink, or pee is. I’ve ignored the whining of my children, the yelling of my husband, and the lecturing of my parents. Give me a good book, and I’m gone.

And come today, March 12th, 2013, I can guarantee that I will be one of many new fans deeply absorbed in reading Bridget’s fantastic book POISON. I’m already warning my family not to bother me. I hope you all will join me!

Ellen Oh's Official Website

#Poison #EllenOh #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Jon Skovron

What little bit of badness inspires me to write?

Green tea. Lots and lots of hot green tea.

Okay, I know you're all terribly disappointed. Green tea is not very exciting. It's doubtful you could call it poison. Heck, minimal caffeine and packed with antioxidants, you might even be able to make a case that it's actually GOOD for you.

But frankly, that's far preferable to what it was back in my early twenties. I distinctly remember waking up one morning at my desk with my face in an overflowing ashtray and an empty forty of St. Ides malt liquor next to me. Friends, let me tell you, I felt like death munching on a cracker and that's what I said screw this, I'd like to actually survive my twenties.

I cut the booze out of the writing process right then and there. The smoking took a few years (or ten...), but after many failures, I kicked that one, too. So when I tell you that my favorite thing to have while I write is green tea, you know I earned that.

Jon Skovron's Official Website

#Poison #jonskorvon #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Morgan Keyes

My writing poison is the Internet. Like all good poisons, the Internet is constantly luring me away from all that I know is right and good and true (you know, writing those pages that I have to complete by today, or else...) I even *need* the poison -- I need to leap online to check out this fact or that figure, vital truths that are mandatory for my book to succeed.

But after checking that one thing, I'm pulled over to Facebook... And to Livejournal... And to Google Reader... And to a million other places. Before I know it, I've succumbed to the poison of the Internet. The only saving grace is that I usually come away with a half dozen ideas for new stories!

Morgan Keyes Official Website

#Poison #MorganKeyes #bridgetzinn

My poison is "Inbox (1)" by Sarah Brand

To be honest, new email is often spam from LivingSocial, or a missive from one of the many groups I joined with the best of intentions (kickball! yoga!) and then abandoned for the siren song of my novel-in-progress. But just as often, it's a critique request from one of my fellow Alpha Workshop alumni, or a notification from Twitter, or a message about a fabulous book signing happening here in DC. Sometimes it is even an email from my agent.

The paradox of writing is that it's fundamentally an act of communication, but in the moment of creation, I am alone. My inbox reminds me that I'm part of a great big storytelling community, and that's how it keeps me going.

Sarah Brand's Official Website

#Poison #sarahbrand #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Little Jo

My first poison is a new discovery. Crispy Pata. Oh it's bad for you...but oh so delicious. It's a Filipino delicacy of deep fried pig leg served with a spicy vinegar sauce. The outside is crispy pork skin (is there anything better?) the inside delicious flavourful meat.I nibble on it then wipe my slightly greasy fingers before hitting the keyboard or picking up my digital pen.

My other poison is Starbucks Mocha Frappucino Light. And I always order it in a glass, generally you get more in the glass as they usually make too much and top it off and it looks so much more appetizing in one of the tall glasses, not to mention way more environmentally friendly. I do most of my work at Starbucks and get so caught up in what I am doing, if I order something hot - it gets cold before I get a chance to drink it. Since the Frappucino is already cold - I never have to worry about that and can milk that baby for hours.

Little Jo's Official Website

#Poison #littlejo #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Christine Fletcher

My poison is indolence. Plain, cussed laziness. The idea of having nothing to do and nowhere to be, reading novels in the patch of sun coming through my window…ah, heaven. The problem with being a writer, though, is that the work is never done. Stagger to the end of the first draft, and revisions loom. Hand in the final copyedits, and other projects are already clamoring like baby birds: Me next, me, me, me!

Go away, I think. I’m taking a break. I deserve it. But then comes guilt gnawing with yellow rat teeth: You should be writing. Because indolence too easily becomes procrastination. Simple physics: a body at rest tends to stay at rest. A writer who doesn’t write pretty soon isn’t a writer.

So I ration my sloth. After every ninety minutes or so of work, I award myself fifteen to read online advice columns. Or play this incredibly inane kid’s matching game that came with my laptop. Or look up Battlestar Galactica trivia, because I still don’t get that whole thing with Starbuck at the end. And then I go back to writing.

With a brand-new copy of Poison in my hot little hands, though, I’m pretty sure fifteen minutes is going to stretch into thirty. Or more. Once I’m lost in Bridget’s beautiful funny flirty world, especially when the rain stops and sun comes streaming in…well, for once work’s just gonna take a back seat to heaven.

Christine Fletcher's Official Website

#Poison #christinefletcher #bridgetzinn

merlin

poisonbook

My Poison by Sara Ryan

I’m gonna get meta here. My poison is TUMBLR ITSELF.

Tumblr’s an insidious poison, since, like the rest of the Internet, there’s always more of it. But there are remedies — Freedom, turning off the wifi, writing longhand — and as long as I manage to deploy one of them, I’m safe.

Sara Ryan’s Official Website

#poison #sararyan #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Emily Whitman

My writing poison is more of a post-writing reward: gorgeously impractical clothes. I seem to have a hard time buying the everyday items I actually wear. But the stunningly, shockingly beautiful, have-to-get-brave-enough-to-wear-it clothes? They get me every time. Like an outrageous vermilion kimono I bought when I heard Radiant Darkness would be published. I thought I’d wear it every morning to have tea and toast in style. Can someone please tell me how to keep kimono sleeves out of buttered toast? To celebrate a writing award, I splurged on a modern take on a flapper dress with an asymmetrical pleated hem, the v-neck just waiting for that long, knotted strand of pearls. Now I need somewhere to wear it. What do you think, bowling?

Bridget had style—fun and personal style, individual style, enjoying-the-hell-out-of-it style. Even when things were rough she’d come out looking like a million dollars. Many people wear scarves at a certain point in treatment; Bridget came to a book event in the most gorgeous blue wig. (Did I mention that she came to our events and readings even when things were crappy?) Lovely Bridget. And this lovely, lovely book captures her fun, unique, smart style. I’m so happy it’s here!

Emily Whitman's Official Website

#Poison #emilywhitman #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Holly Westlund

It may be a little bit clichéd, but I am going to have to go with coffee. I am not one of those writers who drinks cups and cups of coffee to make it through the day, though, since I have a lower caffeine tolerance than many people. If I have more than a cup of coffee in a day, I start to shake. And talk. A lot. So, chai tea is more often my drink of choice—but Portland has such fantastic coffee roasting companies that I’ll let myself have coffee a few times a week. (Blue Kangaroo and Portland Roasting Company being the favored purveyors of this poison.)

It’s not the taste of the coffee or the rush of the caffeine that gets me writing, though. It’s the fact that I’ve gone out of the house to a coffee shop and have spent money. I am living on a bit of a budget, so the fact that I have paid for something—even if it’s only a $1.50—is very motivating to me. If I’ve dropped down money, it’s an investment. And I darn well better get something written.

The other part of writing in coffee shops that I find particularly motivating is that I am often able to meet up with other writer friends. And the sound of everyone’s fingers clicking on the computer keyboard is very inspiring. Which seems particularly appropriate, given that in Poison, Kyra’s personal poison is friendship. (And you’ll just have to read the book to find out what I mean. Trust me, you won’t regret it.)

Holly Westlund Official Website

#Poison #hollywestlund #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Matt Holm

I don't know for sure how other writers and illustrators feel, but for me, finishing a book always feels like a battle. It's a long, bloody war of attrition, you against the pages you have to write or draw, and you do everything you can to find the motivation to keep pushing until the other guy (i.e., your book!) gives up, and you can ship off your finished work to your editors.

What's my poison, that keeps me going in this struggle? Well, one is copious quantities of Diet Dr Pepper. Caffeine fires me up in the morning and keeps me drawing long into the night, as I ink page after page of comics. (I make the Babymouse and Squish graphic novel series with my sister, Jenni.)

But the other, secret, poison that keeps me going is ... video games. You know, those things that are now the arch-enemy of books and reading? Well, just like my cartoon character, Squish, I fall victim to them sometimes, too.

I haven't kept up with modern video games systems like the Xbox or Wii. Instead, the game that I can't seem to give up is an iPad app called Civilization Revolution. It's one in a long series of versions of the original Civilization strategy game created back in the 1990s, which I used to play during late nights in college. The concept behind the game is simple: start as a famous world leader (Catherine the Great, Genghis Khan, Cleopatra) in 4000 BC, and make your civilization grow from a single city to a globe-straddling empire. In the process, you research new technologies, which are tied to sometimes comical gameplay advantages. For example, learning about Writing lets you create Spies, who can sabotage other cities or kidnap great thinkers who will come work for your civilization, instead. Researching Feudalism allows you to harvest game for food (what—no one hunted deer before there were knights and lords?). And in one of the greatest reasons to stay in school, learning about Mathematics lets you build Catapults! (Here's some Algebra ... in your FACE!)

The thing about Civilization Revolution that keeps me going is that, when struggling against the game's computer-generated opponents, everything is straightforward. The path I need to follow to victory is clear. Unlock the next technology. Allocate resources to create military units. Improve my civilization's culture to cause my enemies to defect to my side. Conquer cities one by one, until the game is through. When I'm facing the much messier and more uncertain real-life struggle of having to ink a 100-page book—sometimes, in a month or less—sneaking away from work to take breaks and play games like Civilization Revolution helps to re-energize me. After all, if I can beat that pesky Napoleon dude with his Notre Dame cathedral and his armies of cannons, surely I can come back and whip those unfinished pages that are sitting on my desk!

Anyway, I've got to go. I'm just about to polish off Pamplona. That Isabella chick won't know what hit her.

Matt Holm's Official Website

#Poison #mattholm #bridgetzinn

My Poison by Inara Scott

My poison is definitely my little white pooch Roscoe. If he sits on my feet, I'll write forever. If he demands attention, I'll never get anything done.

Inara Scott's Official Website

#Poison #InaraScott #bridgetzinn

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