I’ve just returned from a few weeks in England–it was my first trip across the Pond in two years–and I’m still buzzing with Olympic fever. True, this is largely because the BBC coverage allowed viewers to watch any event at any time, all with expert commentary by former Olympians in that discipline. It was, quite simply, the most amazing coverage of any event (sporting or otherwise) that I’ve ever seen. But then I came home to the States and . . . well . . . NBC sucks. Tape delays in 2012? Seriously? Limited coverage? Edited highlights of the closing ceremony? “Live internet streaming” through a server that can’t handle the flow and blocks the best events? Unless something changes between now and 2016, I’ll be spending that summer in England too, just so I can watch the Olympics properly.
Talking of which, I must admit to being pleased by the opening ceremony, and I think Piper (from Five Flavors of Dumb) would be too. Not only was the national anthem performed by a signing choir, but the live music was propelled by legendary percussion virtuoso, Evelyn Glennie, who is deaf. Brilliant way to be inclusive and break down stereotypes about deafness–all in front of a worldwide audience.
Incredibly observant readers will remember that in the acknowledgments to Five Flavors of Dumb, I thanked my brother, Mark, for continually educating me on the current state of rock music. It’s a job he takes seriously, which makes me wonder why it took until now for him to bring up the British band Muse (who were edited out of the Olympic closing ceremony by NBC – grrrr). Somehow (maybe because I live under a rock) I hadn’t heard of them before. But this track blew me away. (There’s nothing like having a Rachmaninoff-inspired interlude in the middle of a rock song):
Muse – Butterflies and Hurricanes
But now I’m back, and the second draft of ELEMENTAL book 2 beckons. So I should stop waxing lyrical about the Olympics and get back to work. (Even if I can’t get that darn “Chariots of Fire” theme out of my head.)
So what did you do in England besides watch TV? Damn, you have gone native.
Hi Brian! Actually, I’m trying to remember what else I did except watch TV. Hmmm . . . drawing a blank. As you say, I’ve gone native. 20 years in the States will do that, I guess!
Hi, Anthony! I bet you were happy to visit your old home! I have been told that in England it rains a lot and gets very cold; I think you all are so lucky! Do you like the rain there? I love the rain and cold weather, but I am from Los Angeles, and we don’t get nearly enough rain here. Seriously, I woul be very happy if I lived in England. I want to talk about the book, The Five Flavors Of Dumb. I was diagnosed with a hearing loss about three years ago, and I have since met many deaf people, and I would like to know, how do you know so much about the subject of deafness? Most people with normal hearing don’t know much about deafness or hearing loss, or cochlear implants. In the scenes where Piper has difficulty hearing because of background noise, I could really relate. Because of my hearing loss, background noise is one of my biggest problems. If you don’t mind me asking, do you have a deaf family member? I would just like to know how you know so much about deaf culture. And, the book is excellent, but I am 47 years old! I would like to know, am I older than your target demographic, since the book is mainly about teenagers? If you could write me an email back, I would really appreciate it. Thank you!
Hi Andrea! Thanks so much for the lovely comment.
First off, I do not have a family member who is deaf, and so I compensated for firsthand experience by doing a ton of research. As you know all too well, deafness is really complicated, and I’m fortunate that I had the help of the deaf community in St. Louis to educate me. As well as a couple of deaf readers, I spoke to an audiologist and sat in on an ASL class. It was an amazing experience to get inside Piper’s head and imagine rock music through her ears.
As for whether you’re too old for YA . . . NO! YA is enjoyed by readers of all ages now, and with good reason (in my opinion). There’s so much fine writing out there. Plus, a lot of it is being written by authors who are older than you! Technically, though, my target demographic is teens, yes. I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
That tape delays were the worst. I miss the days when I was a kid and would watch the Olympics at all hours of the night because we were out for summer. Alas, we have no cable at the house and I had to “suffer” through those rotten tape delays as well. Hope you had a great time in England.
Wow, only a few months away from ELEMENTALS. So exciting!
And by ELEMENTALS you know I meant ELEMENTAL, yes? Sheesh.
Yes – I know you know it’s ELEMENTAL. In your defense, it may have started out as ELEMENTALS and then got changed. Plus, the “librarian” on Goodreads insisted on keeping as ELEMENTALS for quite some time, so now everyone is confused. Except the cover designer, maybe. I think he’s pretty sure it’s ELEMENTAL at this point. If not, he’s in for a nasty shock soon!
Talking of which, I need to find you an ARC …
Ha, no worries about the ARC, but l’ll be harassing you soon about cover talk for the blog. Maybe we can even do an in-person interview, when I’m up in STL later this year!
@Core2 as far as Passbook, I believe you need to download other apps to use it. For example, you would have to download the Starbucks app and once it is downloaded you can put it in Passbook. It just keeps all those types of apps organized in one app.