Flow.

I haven't blogged in forever. And I don't know who's reading this. I don't blame you if you've given up on me. I did too for a while as I settled into life as a new mother. My little beauty is now 14 months old and I can't believe how fast these past months have flown by. It's been a delight and a privelege to bring my little nuggett into the world, to see her grow and develop, to wake up to her smiling face every morning and to see what new wonder each day will bring.

It was hard for me to focus on anything else for months besides being the best mom to my little girl that I could. But, as I settled into this new role, the other part of me that I had neglected for so long, began to resurface. At first it came in the form of a nagging itch, a constant reminder that I had an entire interior life waiting to bust out, to find its way onto the page. But I didn't quite know how to let it out. When I was away from the babe, my thoughts remained with her. I found myself obsessively perusing the hundreds (thousands?) of pics of her I have stored in iphoto (note: practically every night, my husband and I review the latest pics and videos of E as soon as she goes to sleep. maybe it's a way to hold on to her a little longer, or to transition to the nest part of our evening as a couple. a couple with a dog. that's when Rocky really gets his cuddle on).

A few months back I took on some freelance jobs writing and consulting. They were mostly creative gigs. It wasn't just the allure of money that inspired me to do them. It was also a way to tap back into that part of myself in short bursts with hard set deadlines that were easily achievable. My hope was at the same time, it would remind me how much I loved my own projects. Namely, my unfinished book.

For some reason, this book got caught up in the melee of a difficult early pregnancy, and then pushed to the backburner as I figured out this thing called motherhood. I even went as far as starting a new book rather than going back to this unfinished business.

But then, something happened. Or, a few things happened. My agent read my manuscript and gave me a fresh perspective on the most recent draft. I reread my editorial letter, which was concise and wonderful and inspiring, as my editor was able to capture and understand just what I wanted this book to be, while giving me great suggestions for how to get there. And finally, I found a way to carve out some time every day (or at least monday-friday) to devote to this draft. It's just like going back to the gym after a prolonged absence I told myself. You don't just jump on the treadmill and run 5 miles at your fastest time after sitting on a couch for months. Maybe you don't even run at first. You walk. Maybe you spend more time stretching, or in the shower than you do working out. But you show up. And then you show up again. And then one day, before you know it, you're in it. Your characters come alive and start speaking to you in the shower, while you're driving or pushing your baby around in the stroller. While you sleep.
And you're reminded why you wrote this book in the first place. You're reminded why you call yourself a writer.
This is where I am right now. In love with the process. Happy to be here. Grateful that I get to do this every day. And grateful that I have that smiling face waiting for me every afternoon when I'm done.

I love book bloggers

I've been a terrible blogger. I'm sorry. Life has gotten in the way to the extent that my internet blackout has gone on much longer than I anticipated.

Well, here's the main reason why: I'm pregnant and we're having a little girl this July!! It's incredibly exciting and I can't wait to meet this little person growing inside me, but let's just say that the first few months were a little rough. I won't bore you with the details, but thankfully I'm seeing the light of day again. 

But that's not the reason for this post. I just felt I needed to give a shout-out to the avid, thoughtful and amazing book bloggers out there (who are thankfully much more diligent than I am at blogging).  I'm so grateful when anyone not only reads my book, but takes the time to post a review.  And I'm so touched that the reviews keep on coming so many months after my book's release.

To that end, I just received a lovely review from YA Book Nuts, a blog run by Lori and Melissa, two librarians from Nebraska who are avid YA fans. The review made my day. You can read it here, and here's an excerpt: 

What made the book so believable was that the characters had both strengths and flaws and the dynamics between the two characters and their families and friends were realistic. This book is Jordanna Fraiberg's debut novel and with writing this impressive, outstanding character development, and a completely original plot line... I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. 

Thank you so much!

I hope everyone's 2010 is off to a great start (is it too late to say that when it's almost March??! oh well, the sentiment stands.)

x Jordanna

Trailer for In Your Room!

As you can tell, I've taken this whole internet-break thing to heart, and haven't been blogging of late, but I just came across this really sweet trailer for In Your Room. It was posted in June, yet I somehow ony discovered it today.

I just want to say a huge thank you to Taylor, aka Heston498 on Youtube, for being inspired enough by my book to put this together! And I LOVE the song she used, "Hanging by a Moment" by Lifehouse.

And here's the trailer:


Hope everyone's having a great December!
x J

So long for now FB &Twitter...

As of today, I'm taking a break from Facebook and Twitter until 2010. I'm doing it so that I can spend more time focusing on the things I need to focus on over the next month or two (like writing!), and to re-train my brain to go to a book or an interesting article rather than to FB or Twitter to fill a spare few minutes here and there. Not that I don't love reading about what everyone else is up to, or what great new pics they've posted. The problem is that I love it a little too much, and thus, has become a bit of a distraction. To ensure that I don't cheat, my husband has already blocked the sites from my computer. I had been thinking about doing something like this for a while, but when I saw, on Twitter of course, that Sara Zarr, one of my favorite YA authors, was doing it, it inspired me to go for it. And you know what? It's only been, like an hour, but I already feel freer in a way. But don't worry, I will be back...

In other news, I just got back from Montreal. The Girls Night Out evening was amazing. I was so honored to be this year's guest speaker, and I was flattered and honored that the event was sold out.  I talked about fear, and not letting it get in the way of following your passion, and it was a great way to remind myself of why I write and have chosen this profession.  I also got to catch up with old friends, see my family, and go to two of my mother's concerts. She's a concert pianist, and since I live so far away, I hardly ever get to see her perform anymore. One of her concerts was part of a new kids' series called Bach Before Bedtime. It was a huge hit with lines out the door, and it was so cute to see so many kids crowded around the stage while the musicians performed. You can find out more about my mother and her Allegra Chamber Music series here.

I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging over the next month. Who knows, maybe my internet respite will inspire me to take it to the blog more often. It remains to be seen...

Lastly, I want to share this amazingly touching essay I just read in today's Modern Love column in the Sunday NYT (see? I'm reading instead of status-viewing). It's a real testament to the power of authentic connection and true love. And I'm just going to come right out and say it: yes, such a thing does exist, even if I didn't fully believe it myself until I met my husband.

Happy post-Thanksgiving, everyone!

Jordanna

Julie & Julia & me

As I type, I'm mid-flight to Montreal. As you may know, it's my hometown and I'm heading back to be the guest speaker at the 5th annual Girls Night Out event at the Jewish Public Library tomorrow night at 7pm. This event has been in the works for months now, thanks to Penny Fransblow, the extraordinary children's librarian at the JPL, and the wonderful committee that has worked so hard to put it together. Just before I boarded the plane, I heard that it's sold out! I can't believe it, and am so honored to have been chosen to be the guest speaker this year. I'm in pretty great company, as my predecessors are the amazing YA authors Libba Bray, Lauren Myracle, Sarah Mylnowski and Robin Friedman. So, if you live in Montreal and plan on being there, please come and say hello!

In other news, I just saw Julie & Julia on the plane. I had read the script back when I was still a film exec, and had meant to catch it in the theatres, but somehow I missed it and finally got my opportunity in-flight from seat 25D. Can I just say that I loved it? I think it was just one of those movies that hit the right note at the right time. And what better way to share my thoughts, than to blog about it.

So, how did the movie inspire me? You'd think it'd make me want to run out and buy Julia's cookbook and try my own hand at French cuisine, but no, it didn't do that (even though I do love to cook). What it did was make me feel a little bit more motivated to finish my book -- and comforted by the fact that, at some point, everyone feels like their projects (in my case, my book) are taking longer than they should or that they will never be done. But the truth is, if you just chip away, little by little, pretty much anything is possible - and anything can get done.  In the end, it doesn't really matter how long it takes, but how well you do it - and that you *do* do it.  I have to keep reminding myself of that because this book has evolved and has taken longer than I expected.  But that's okay. It's a process and this just happens to be the process for this particular novel. It's a lesson I've learned a million times over through my various incarnations (as a student, athelete, etc etc), but one that can easily slip through the cracks, and sometimes all you need is a good reminder, like this movie, that you can get it done.  And a reminder of why you do it -- because you love it (in my case, writing) even if it isn't always obvious.

The other thing the movie did was make me miss my amazing husband only two hours into my one week adventure!
Love is at the very heart of this movie - love for life, love for the people in our lives and love for what we do.
So, I guess I just wanted to say thanks Julie & Julia, for making me take a moment to realize what I've got.

Sunset over Hollywood

I went on a sunset hike this afternoon with Rocky and Alex up to the Hollywood sign. It was a rare cloudy day in LA, which made the sunset all the more beautiful. These pictures tell the story better than I could.

All you need is...

LOVE.