And, (I think) the Award Goes to...

Trying to Stay Afloat in a Sea of Words.

*thunderous applause erupts as she rises from her seat in her wetsuit and goggles, and makes her way through the drunken Globe crowd to the stage* <---- Yes, that is, too, what happened.

Okay, fine. Maybe not. But it is kinda cool to get my first blogger award ever (thank you, Katia!), although, as is fitting, it created the need for me to drop everything and write another blog post, too. *sigh*

Do any of you who don't blog know how much time it takes to write a decent blog post? The answer is, anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours. At least for me. And I maintain two.

My "YA" or Young Adult writer blog, That Wee Bit Heap (where I will cross post sometimes, including today) and where I mostly talk about things writing and book related, and this one Trying to Stay Afloat in a Sea of Words, more a women's fiction blog which is not always wholly appropriate for kids and teens. Here, as those who follow me know, I talk about more gorey things like love, parenting, aging and marriage, as well as provide a sort of chronicle of my life through open water swimming.

Staying Afloat is a much more personal blog.

In choosing my blog as one of her favorites, Katia described it, saying:

"This very versatile blog is run by one of my favorite authors: Gae Polisner, who wrote “The Pull of Gravity,” one of those YA books that turn me into a gushing, stuttering fan. Gae is fun and honest when she talks about her various moods, her publishing ups and downs, her strange habit of swimming in the cold ocean off of Long Island, her love of board games and many other fun things."

which leads me to believe that she may have actually been describing a little bit of each of my blogs and, as such, it takes both to live up to the award. Okay by me, as they are both a part of me.

Indeed, it's funny to me to think that I do put so much of my private life out there. If you told me ten years ago I would, I couldn't have imagined it then.

I ran across this cartoon the other day on my friend and writer Lena Roy's page, and it seems so true:

I think, despite the glut of blogs out there in the world, they still find readers because they offer up glimpses of ordinary, private lives to us, and allow us to feel less alone.

At any rate, I'm honored that Katia included my blog(s) and now I must do the oh-so-stressful winner duty of passing on the Versatile Blogger award. Hard to do when so many of my friends are writers and run magnificent blogs.

Seriously, I could now sweat this task for hours, but do not have the luxury as I am steeped in revisions that must get back to my agent... so what you get is a sort of Monday morning free association, the first 6 of many amazing blogs that come to me this morning.

By the way, you heard me. I said 6. I was planning to do 15, but am breaking the rules (I wonder if they will send me to blogger jail for this <--- *seriously, now sweats this*) and only listing six blogs because this has already taken me nearly an hour and a half... you will see in the rules that we are supposed to pick 15, so may the blogger gods and award-bestowers please forgive me.

So, without further ado, here we go! In no particular order, I hereby bestow the Versatile Blogger Award on the following blogs:

When you receive the award, the rules are – a) you blog about it and you include this lovely badge:

b) you share some cool tidbits about your life with your readers and c) you nominate another 15 blogs for versatile awesomeness.

1. Okay, this one is easy peasy, because it is my one must-go-to blog.
The Middle Ages ("two friends, different ages, different husbands, different opinions") where Barb and Deb make me laugh or cry (or both) on almost a daily basis;

2. Conscious Creativity ("an exploration and manifestation of creativity and consciousness"), where Lori shares ideas on art, life, meditation, yoga, and creativity, and, if you're uber lucky, will share a dream poem or piece of her art;

3. Confessions of a Watery Tart ("a digressionary journey of a writer") because -- come on! -- Hart had me from the title, and her blog is funny, prolific, poignant and unbelievably reliable, to boot;

4. The Green Bathtub ("writing instead of housework"), Not only because Amy is lovely and adorable and interesting, but because that little tagline alone describes my life;

5. Christa Writes (funny, poignant stuff about life and writing) <--- my lame tagline, not hers, because I couldn't find one); because, well, because she blogs funny, poignant stuff about life and writing, and, btw, the link is to an older blogpost of hers which was particularly funny...; and

6. Lena's Lit Life ("Léna (me): Lit, as in literature, Lit, as in light, Lit, as in a little kooky: Life.") <--- raw, honest musings on a writer's life, including feeling the wings and shadows of a famous grandmother.

What are some of your "award-winning blogs?

p.s. want to shout out to a few extra blogs (or, in the case of Megan Bostic, her vlog):

Megan Bostic is a dear friend and fellow YA-writer, but she's also just an adorable pile of charisma, funny, and awesomesauce (did that sound like a compliment? It was supposed to). Just watch a few of her Middle Aged Angst (or Chronicles of an Aspiring Writer) vlogs HERE to see what I mean;

Geoff Herbach is a Mess, (at least that's what his blog used to be called), but he's the best kind of mess, funny, talented and one of my favorite writers on earth; and

Weekly Adventures. Ordinary Girl ("Life. Writing. Yoga. Food. Music. Bliss.") and not just because I want a dress made out of Aryn's stunning background. . . her blog is chockfull of beautiful musings of an adventurous girl seizing life by the . . . writing and yoga mat. :)

- gae

A Fine Line Between Promo and Puking. . .

and I may, or may not be, straddling it well.

I'm not one to be completely selfless (don't get me wrong), but I'm not one to walk around tooting my own horn either. I'm more one of those people who thinks I shine more if I stand next to someone great and reflect off (and on!) their great qualities.

And, honestly, I get really sick of people who do nothing but toot their own horns. To me, there's little worse.

Take One

So, I'm having a hard time figuring out how to be proud and excited

of my little book accomplishment here,

and, moreso, to do this endless promotion thing that I'm supposed to do,

without making myself (or you) puke.


It's definitely that old conundrum:

Enough about me, let's talk about me.  

Times infinity.

I mean, the truth is, it's been a long, long road to get here. And, I'm excited. And I've worked hard. But the bigger truth is, if I ever want another book deal again, I have to. I have to get the word out there.

It's a dog-eat-dog bookworld out there these days, with everyone scrambling to figure out how to stay in the game when the game has sprouted octopus legs jiggling and waggling everywhere.

So, I'm leaving you a barf bag, and I'm taking one myself.

Let me know if you need another.

Otherwise, I'm hoping you'll hang on for the flight.

- gae

Floating or sinking?

So, I'm trying to keep up: writing, revising, kids, house, gardens, and lawyering/mediating, plus, and this is the big time-suck: beginning to strategize on how to market my debut novel, The Pull of Gravity.

This means everything from taking author photos (endless kudos to Rick Kopstein) and trying to choose one (thanks to all who chimed in!), to brainstorming with a group of debut authors I belong to, to trying to assist my editor with catalogue keynotes and copy (still in the works), to writing my own marketing plan (which I hope to present as a complimentary boost to FSG's own marketing plan (*crosses fingers*) which I will learn more about in June or July).

It also means sending out emails to all sorts of people I hope to read, review or somehow otherwise enlist to help make TPOG a bestseller. Okay, would you believe a good-seller?

So, am I sinking or floating?

One of the things that's hardest to keep up with are blog posts - and interesting ones at that. I try to blog once or twice a week only, but I have two blogs -- a YA blog and a regular grown-up blog here where I'd like to, at times, misbehave. Because it's my favorite thing.

So, for my 30+ loyal(ish) followers here, until I get back to the misbehaving (yes, I'm missing it just as much as you are...), please note that if I'm not here on Staying Afloat, you can find me on That Wee Bit Heap, usually talking about YA writing, and the things that drive a story like themes and voice, but sometimes giving you a sneak peak of a work-in-progress, or just talking about silly things, like feeding soap to my mother.

In the meantime, if you've been misbehaving while I'm gone, you know I want to hear about it. So, please (come on! pretty please, cherry on top...) fill me in.