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Intern Insights: A Raincoast Wishlist

by Janet
Picture Books + Travel + Vancouver + YA Fiction / December 13, 2011

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! I hope you have all been enjoying Egg Nog Hot Chocolates (Crystal's creation) and gingerbread cheesecakes! My favourite things this season include lighting the Christmas tree, watching old holiday classics (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Elf etc.) and enjoying cheery tunes that bring back many memories.

It's easy to forget how to enjoy the season with holiday shopping and wallet stress but I've narrowed down ten of my favourite things with Raincoast to give you some ideas - whether it's a gift for someone else or for YOU!

Here's my “little” wish list:

1.  Moleskine:
   
   Who doesn’t love the feel of a new notebook waiting for your pen to scribble ideas and thoughts down? One of my top wishes from Moleskine, other than their pens, sketchbooks and new bag line, is their Passions Journal line. There’s one for everyone: the cinephile, the bookworm, the traveler etc.
   
   I definitely want the Book Journal, here’s a great YouTube trailer:
    
2. Zombie Lovers!
   First it was vampires, then werewolves and now everyone's current obsession is ZOMBIES!
   Raincoast offers two great books for anyone who is a zombie fanatic. First, is the humorous “Dead Inside” which is like PostSecret mixed with the Zombie Apocalypse.
   
   Then there's The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor, a back story graphic novel which explores one of the series' most sinister characters. (The Walking Dead is currently an acclaimed TV Series airing on AMC.)
   
    
3. Ivy & Bean Paper Doll Play Set: Some great gift ideas for any Ivy and Bean fan! There's the Paper Doll Play Set where you can play out your own Ivy and Bean scenarios or the Mini Notes set which combines creative stationary with your two favourite trouble makers!
   
   
   
   
   
    
4. Grandpa Green:
   What is greater than the gift of a good story and beautiful illustrations? Grandpa Green is a heartwarming book that you can give to anyone at any age. I am a personal fan of this book and think it would make a great gift for any loved one!
   
   The book trailer:
   
    
5. The Cheesemongers Kitchen: For any foodie or cheese fan is a fantastic cookbook with creative recipes for everyone's favourite dairy product: CHEESE!
   Recipes include delicacies like Foccacia with Venetian Black Truffle and Squash Tuscan Devil's Pecorino with honey. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
6. Your Playlist Can Change Your Life: For anyone looking for some inspiration or going through any life changing events I would recommend this lovely little book that states simply, music can change your life. 
    
7. The Art of Pixar: I don't know a single person who has not loved at least one Pixar movie. As storytellers they have transcended animation from being just for kids or families to anyone. They have rooted their characters, their art and their stories deeply in our hearts. I love this large book that shows you the making of their films:
   
    
8. Darker Still: Some good YA Fiction coming your way, this is a great read for anyone who enjoys sinister magic and fantastic situations. Imaginative and with an original concept this is a great stocking stuffer!
   
   "Many teens will be reeled in by the romance, but will also be left thinking about how different things were for women a century ago, trapped by gender and birthright. This smart novel will have wide appeal." (Shelf Awareness)
   
    
9. Animals With Hangovers:
   A great and humorous photobook of animals with HANGOVERS! Share this with the animal lover in your life, you know the one – they always forward you cute animals on YouTube or are constantly posting funny cat photos on Facebook.
   
   
   
   
   
    
10. Lonely Planet's Best of Travel 2012:
    Travel junkies will enjoy this book with its great tips and beautiful photography! The book includes:

• Lonely Planet ranks the top 10 countries, regions and cities to visit in 2012.
• The best travel experiences for the year ahead, from feeling the football fever in Ukraine to awaiting the Apocalypse on the Ruta Maya.
• Over 35 events mapped out month by month in the 2012 travel planner.

Happy Holidays!

Intern Insights: Writing & Moustaches in November

by Janet
Art & Photography + Gift & Stationery + Vancouver / November 03, 2011

It's NOVEMBER! You know what that means: stores are breaking out the Christmas specials, Starbucks has their Candy Cane lattes and men grow their moustaches for a good cause (Movember).

It also is, in the literary and online world, National Novel Writing Month! NaNoWriMo is "30 days of literary abandon" and what better way to get started on your next novel than with a Moleskine and NaNoWriMo's own “Ready, Set, Novel!” (Chronicle Books)?

The spirit of writing a novel in a month isn't to churn out the next bestseller or Nobel prize winner, it's to connect online with fellow word-lovers and to find your creative self. Write with abandon for the next thirty days and you may be surprised at what turns up.

"Ready, Set, Novel!" is a great writing workbook. Whether you're a first time novelist or seasoned writer, it has a lot of great prompts and exercises to get your brain thinking about the world you're about to create.

My book is slowly filling up, it's one of two writing tools I always carry around. The other is my Reporter Moleskine.

Here are some great resources and tips to get you started on your masterpiece:

• The Snowflake Method - starting a novel and staring at a blank page can be daunting but with the Snowflake Method you can start with the big picture and work your way into the details.
• Creative Writing Exercises - some great prompts by Penn State University's creative writing course
• Nine Steps to a Novel - Author Garth Nix's 9 Steps
• Craft of Writing - Science Fiction Writers of America's blogs with many writing tips and strategies

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down in front of a typewriter and bleed." —Ernest Hemingway