Oscar Time: It's On!

I just finished making my picks for this year's Academy Awards pool.  *rubbing hands together in anticipation of tonight's event*

One of my husband's former co-workers has been running this pool for several years, and this year she's gotten fancy enough to e-mail PDF ballots to everyone so we can fill them out and return our picks via e-mail.  The pool is for bragging rights alone, but I still feel pressure.  Even though I'm the only writer in the group, last year I whiffed the WRITING awards.  I know.  Humiliating!  

Despite making bad picks in the screenplay categories in 2010, I ended up second place, and I won it all in 2007.  The key is to make well-educated picks in the categories that don't get as much attention, such as live action short film, animated short film, sound editing, and art direction. If you're flailing in your own pool, feel free to copy my picks.  I won't tell.

  Best Picture:  The King's Speech 

  Best Director: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
NOTE:  The buzz is that David Fincher will receive it for The Social Network, but I'm going with Hooper.

  Best Actor:  Colin Firth, The King's Speech
NOTE:  Closest thing to a lock there is tonight.  If you haven't seen this movie, go.

  Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

  Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter

  Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
NOTE:  Melissa Leo is the favorite and will probably win for her work in The Fighter.  But I'm picking Steinfeld.  Copycats, make a note of it.

  Best Animated Feature Film:  Toy Story 3

  Best Foreign Film: Incendies, Canada

  Best Original Screenplay: The King's Speech, by David Seidler
NOTE:  Even though I'm a writer and am usually quick to make my picks for the writing categories, this one gave me a lot of angst.  Inception could win this.  Still, I'm going with The King's Speech.
AND ANOTHER NOTE:  If you're a fan of The King's Speech and want some good behind-the-scenes info, ABC News did an interesting story on Seidler and his own stutter.  You can read it by clicking here.  And writers, if you'd like to see an innovative plot breakdown for the movie, check out one of my favorite writer's websites, Save The Cat.  The website also has a great analysis of another Best Picture contender, Winter's Bone.

  Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network, by Aaron Sorkin
NOTE:  For purposes of winning your pool, this is one of the safest picks of the night. Sorkin may also give one of the most interesting acceptance speeches of the night (Christian Bale would be his main competition in the "interesting speech" category, if there were one.)

  Best Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland

  Best Costume Design: The King's Speech

  Best Original Song: If I Rise, 127 Hours

  Best Original Score: The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

  Best Documentary: Inside Job
NOTE:  Most seem to think that Exit Through The Gift Shop will win, with Restrepo another likely winner.  If you copy my picks, be warned.

  Best Film Editing: The Social Network

  Best Cinematography: True Grit

  Best Makeup: The Wolfman
NOTE:   I think this is another safe bet for Oscar pools

  Best Sound Editing: Inception

  Best Sound Mixing: Inception

  Best Visual Effects: Inception

  Best Documentary (Short Subject): Poster Girl

  Best Visual Short Film (Animated): Day & Night

  Best Short Film (Live Action): Na Wewe

If we don't have guests (which we often do), I usually catch the awards show arrivals from my perch on the elliptical machine.  Watching super-fit Giuliana Rancic interview actresses in cut-to-there gowns drives me to work out harder (a peek at George Clooney in his tux doesn't hurt, either.)  Then I manage a quickie shower as the last arrivals head into the Kodak Theater before I hit the sofa to watch the main event.

I promise to post my best and worst fashion picks later this week.  I predict an incredible showing by Hailee Steinfeld, whom I LOVED in True Grit, and a fun, multicolored gown on Helena Bonham Carter, who wore two different-colored shoes to the Golden Globes.  Maybe she'll go for a peacock-type look this time?  Whatever it is, it won't be boring.  Melissa Leo, host Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams are likely to have great gowns, too.  They've made good style choices in the past.  The real question (for me) is whether Penelope Cruz will come to support hubby Javier Bardem, who's nominated for Best Actor, and if so, how good she'll look in a gown as a brand new mom.  My guess is that she'll look phenomenal.  She's perpetually one of picks for best dressed.

What do you think?  Who will take home Oscar?  And what are your fashion predictions?

Book Report Time

You probably came across today's blog because you did a Google search using the term "Book Report" and then either "Niki Burnham" or the title of one of my books.  Since I can only assume you typed in those phrases because you're actually writing a book report, I hope you find today's blog useful.

I decided to write about book reports because I can pretty much guess what time of year it is by the subject lines that pop into my e-mail inbox.  If I'm getting e-mails with headers such as, "Help! Book Report on YOU!" or "Royally Jacked Questions" or "Sticky Fingers--Very Important!" I know that it's the week before Thanksgiving (when many book reports seem to be due), one of the last two weeks in February (ditto) or the week before April break.  Such is the cycle of the school year and projects.

While I am truly flattered that you chose one of my books for a report (I'm going to assume you chose it, because if you were assigned the book and didn't want to read it, I don't want to know), and I am glad you took the time to find my website and e-mail me, it's not the best way for you to get information for a book report. 

First off, book reports usually have a due date.  My inbox doesn't, so when I'm traveling or on deadline, it's easy for me to get a few weeks behind on reading and responding to e-mail.  By the time I see your e-mail, it's quite possible your deadline will be long past.  Second, if I answer one person's book report questions I'd feel obliged to answer them all, and I don't have time to write, eat, AND answer book report questions.  (I'll admit it, it's mostly because I like to eat.)  Finally, there are a lot of questions I can't answer, even if I want to answer them.  "What's the theme of Goddess Games?" is a question only you, as a reader, can answer.  And I couldn't begin to tell you about symbolism.  Again, these are for the reader to interpret.

That being said, I don't want to leave you frustrated!  There are a few things you can do to help with your reports:

   1)  If you're writing about a specific book, go the main page of my website and click on the link for that book.  There is an excerpt (which you should have already read, since you have the book and read the whole thing) and a section called Behind The Scenes.  The Behind The Scenes might be helpful to you. 

   2)  You can go to the About Niki page of the website to find out more about me.  Anything that you see there is fine to use in your report.  There is more biographical info on the Press Kit page, but that requires downloading a PDF file.

   3)  There is a page on the site called FAQ with answers to common questions about each book, about my writing process, and about where I get my ideas. 

   4)  You can always search this blog by clicking on the keywords at the bottom of posts.  That will bring up all the other posts on that topic.  To help you, I put the titles of all my books in the keywords at the end of this post.  Click the one you want, and it will bring up every blog about that book.

Hope you find that helpful!  Again, as much as I wish I could explain themes and motifs, if I took the time to answer every e-mail I receive about book reports, it would mean that no more books of mine would be published, because I wouldn't have the time I need to write them and would miss my own deadlines.  Which, in turn, means I would not eat.  (Did I mention that I like to eat?)  I work hard to meet or beat my deadlines, just as I know you work hard to turn in your book reports when they're due.

However, if you think this is rather uncool of me and that an author should simply write your book report for you (because admit it, some of you who have e-mailed me in the past were hoping for this!)  I urge you to check out author Pete Hautman's website.  He's the author of several phenomenal books you may have already read, such as Godless, Blank Confession, and Hole In The Sky.  Pete has an entire page of book reports ready to go, right here.  I think you'll get a better grade if you follow my suggestions, rather than going for Pete Hautman's reports, but that's your call.  Good luck!

Royally Crushed

Happy news this week:  my publisher, Simon Pulse, has decided to re-release all three books in the Valerie Winslow series (which includes Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over) in a single volume with the new title Royally Crushed.

Royally Jacked, the kick-off book to the trilogy, was an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers and was named to the New York Public Library's list of Books for the Teen Age.  As you can imagine, I'm thrilled to see these books released as one volume (especially in time for the royal wedding in England...how fun is that?)

Best of all, the book also has a gorgeous new cover.  What do you think?

If you've had a hard time finding any of the books in the series, or were waiting to get one until you could get all three to read at once, this is the volume to grab.  It will hit store shelves on March 22.  In the meantime, if you'd rather pre-order online, here are links to booksellers now offering the book:

•  Amazon.com
•  Barnes & Noble
•  Books-A-Million
•  Borders
•  Buy.com
•  IndieBound

Note:  Some booksellers have the wrong cover art displayed...if you click on on one of these links and it displays a cover that says Take A Chance on Me, that's still Royally Crushed.  Some websites are still updating to show the new cover (which I adore!)

Happy Pills and Smokin' Gladiators

Vacation time is fun time.  At least, it should be.  Often, I've noticed vacationers get so focused on hitting all the items on their mental To Do list that they forget the "fun time"part of their trip. Or--and this is a pet peeve of mine--they spend so much time taking photographs of those To Do list items that they don't actually enjoy them.

When I return home from a trip, I'm often teased about my vacation photography.  Not because the pictures are poor, but because I often use them in my Christmas cards, to create notecards, on my blog, etc.  But here's the thing:  I go on vacation to have fun, not simply to take photos.  But if the very act of taking a photo can be fun, or remind you of a fun experience, then I say snap away.

For instance, my dear husband's brother often calls my husband (a more crass term for) a horse's  hindquarters.  On one European vacation, I decided that, instead of taking photos of statues, I'd take photos of the backside of every horse statue I encountered.  The end result (so to speak) was one of the most hysterical visits I've ever made to Notre Dame cathedral.  When I turned my back to the cathedral to snap a photo of King Charles on his horse (which was also facing away from the cathedral), an entire busload of tourists whipped around with their cameras to see what shot they should be taking.

I can't even think of Notre Dame without thinking of those tourists.   It was hilarious.

Every vacation for the rest of that year, my husband and I entertained ourselves by snapping photos of the backside of every horse statue we saw (that's when we realized just how many statues there are of men on horses.)  We laughed ourselves silly every time we saw a horse statue.  Best of all, that Christmas, my husband and I presented his brother with a lovely photo book containing shots of horses from famous sites around the world--Versailles, Florence, Madrid, and yes, Notre Dame.  As you might guess, hilarity ensued when my brother-in-law realized the nature of the gift.

So today, I'm posting some of the fun photos from my last trip.  These were the result of those occasions when the mere act of lifting the camera to my eye to take the shot made me laugh.  Having photos like these are a good reminder that humor can be found anywhere--you simply need to look around.


In Barcelona:  A pharmacy guaranteed to make you perky.

And if the pills don't work, you can always mark your grave this way.

Then, have this guy walk all over you.  Yes, this was taken in a church, in the central courtyard.  He wanted to eat my camera.

From Tunis:  I assume this is where you put your money when you are praying it'll stay safe.

From Corsica:  What is this mannequin doing with her arm?  This was in a display of Corsican costume at Napoleon's birthplace.  I couldn't figure out how anyone would get far carrying vegetables this way.  Looks painful!

In Rome:  Proof that you can get gelati in any flavor imaginable.  I can't imagine eating some of these flavors (chocolate with hot peppers?  and what is "pera cheese?"), but if you wanted to, you could.

A not-so-subtle warning not to honk your horn.

And finally, a tattooed, smokin' gladiator.  (If you want a better look, click on the photo, then hit your back button to return.)  He was outside the Colosseum, taking a breather from having his photo taken with tourists.  But he was still willing to give me a smile.  I think this was the best photo of the entire trip.

 Maybe I'll have it made into a notecard.

Peace in Nice

Last stop on the 2010 Med Tour:  Villefranche, France.


My coffee-at-sunrise habit firmly entrenched, I watched a brilliant sunrise from my balcony, then shot this photo as the ship pulled into Villefranche, a beautiful little town located halfway between Nice, France, and Monaco:

As soon as we were off the ship, we bypassed the cafes (which were beautiful, but quickly becoming crowded with tourists streaming off the ship) and walked up the hill to catch the morning bus to Nice.  It only took twenty minutes or so to get into Nice, and the bus ride along the coast was gorgeous.  From the bus station in Nice, it was a leisurely walk through a park to the morning market, where we perused antiques before settling down to breakfast.  I absolutely loved the places we found along this alleyway, away from the crowds, where the only sounds were the grinding of coffee beans, the soft swoosh of pastry being shuffled from baking sheets onto waiting plates, and quiet French being spoken:

After breakfast, we wandered to the beach, then back through town to pop our heads into a couple of Nice's cathedrals before going back to the bus station for the quick ride to the village of Eze.  Eze le Village is a medieval town perched high over the Mediterranean, offering views from Italy to Nice on a clear day (which is what we were fortunate enough to have!)  From the bus stop, we walked through an outdoor market and peeked at a few vegetable stands, then at this display of spices, before making the long climb uphill to see the views.

Eze is a rabbit warren of alleyways, with quaint shops, inns, and restaurants tucked around every corner.  Doesn't this look like a fantastic place to explore?

It's a hike to the top, but the view is worth it.  Along the way, we guessed the value of the real estate not only due to the view and location, but because of the cars parked on the steep hillsides (if you click on the photo, it'll show a bigger image.  Hit your back button to return to the blog.)

And the water view:

After stopping at a tiny cliffside cafe for a drink, we decided we had enough time to head to Monaco for a late lunch and some sightseeing.  The bus ride from Eze (after we hiked back down, that is!) took less than half an hour.  Rather than take the bus all the way to the casino area, we hopped off just over the border, then walked downhill through a maze of apartment buildings and gardens.  The flowers hanging over the walkways were too pretty to resist.

I know that, as a tourist, one "should" see the casinos and the Grand Prix race course, but I preferred taking this route.  I visited Monaco once before, but it was pouring rain then and we were forced to stay indoors.  This time I wanted to see what Monaco has to offer outdoors, and to see the world in which most Monégasques live (hint: it's not in the casino.)  We stopped for pizza near the castle, and--surprise!--I truly think it was the best pizza I've had in my life.  (My husband ranked it at about #2 or #3...his #1 pizza place is in Sorrento, Italy.)  


We spent most of the afternoon walking, taking in the views of the waterfront and the million-dollar boats docked there before heading to the cathedral for a quick walk-through, and then to Monaco's famous aquarium.  While the aquarium is definitely THE place in Monaco for tourist crowds, the DH and I had just seen the documentary Oceans (VERY highly recommended!) and were in the mood to see some aquatic life.  (Note:  Prince Albert of Monaco was one of the sponsors of the film, and is also a huge supporter of Monaco's aquarium.)  The aquarium is breathtaking.  If you ever happen to be in Monaco (not that anyone "happens" to be in Monaco, but if you ever get there....) definitely visit its aquarium.

Afterward, we walked until we absolutely had to catch the bus back to Villefranche to make our ship's departure time.  But...I did manage to have one picture taken in Monaco.  (Proof that I really did go on this trip!)

We made it back to Villefranche with just enough time to spare to grab a final gelati from a cafe near the dock, which I think is the perfect way to wind up a Mediterranean vacation.


I wouldn't say the last day of the trip was my favorite location--I'd have to go with Corsica or Malta for that--but it was certainly the most relaxing.  No schedule, no Must Do List, no crowds, no rain.


Of course, the end of the vacation means a return to the writing schedule, but I'm fine with that.  Happier, in fact, for having left my desk for awhile to explore.