INTRODUCING New Tuesday Muse--Beth Hull

Katherine Longshore 17 Tuesday, August 20, 2013

I met Beth Hull at a local SCBWI schmooze back in 2011 (or was it 2010? Beth! Help!)  Through a quick get-to-know-you chat, I learned that we have a lot in common.  We're both from little Northern California (and I mean really northern) towns, we now live within a few blocks of each other, we both write YA, and her daughter was about to start at the Montessori school my kids have attended for the past 10 years.  I immediately invited her to the weekly after-school get-together at a local park, where I can now talk about writing as well as the usual mom stuff like reading levels, bedtimes and bowel movements.  It's really a win-win situation.

I am thrilled that I can now truly call Beth a friend--both a writing friend and a personal one.  Her commitment to craft and story are inspiring, her eye for detail illuminating and her sense of humor enchanting. (plus, she gave me the title for Book 3, for which I will be eternally grateful.) 


So without further ado, please let me introduce your new Tuesday Muse, Beth Hull. -- Katherine

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This is me.
In addition to wolfing down hot dogs, I write things—young adult novels, primarily, and some short stories. But writing can be so angsty. So I also make fun of myself a lot (probably not as much as I deserve). And I draw things with Microsoft Paint…usually gophers.
Here’s a gopher dressed up as me and angsting over writing:
I angsted over this post for a long time. Finally I decided the best way to approach a self- introduction to a WILDLY POPULAR, WORLD-FAMOUS blog is to come from a place of gratitude, because I am WILDLY, WORLD-FAMOUSLY grateful.

So, the writing thing I’m most grateful for: even though it can be really hard and I’m tearing my hair out more often than not, I get to write. I get to write, and then I get to angst about it (and angsting has its own appeal). Then, there are organizations like the SCBWI that bring together kidlit lovers from all over the world, where we can meet people like the Muses, where we can learn more about craft, and where we can have our manuscripts ripped to shreds for the small price of $100 (see, I told you there was angsting). And while we’re reeling from that, the Muses and other kindhearted souls can combine soft words of encouragement with just the right amount of tough love to prop us back up again.

Not that I speak from experience.

So I’m profoundly grateful for my tribe of writers and illustrators. I’m grateful for a husband who supports my writing and children who mostly tolerate it. And I’m grateful we live in a world of writing where we can dangle our participles and begin every other sentence with a preposition and sprinkle parentheses with abandon (although I did edit some of those things out and you should totally be careful about dangling your participles in public because some states probably have laws against that). This is such an exciting time to be a writer—a time of risks, connection, and encouragement. I’m grateful to be a part of it, and I’m grateful to be here. Thanks, Muses, for having me.

17 comments

Hurrah for schmoozes (it was 2011!) and finding our tribe!

That is the best squirrel picture I've ever seen. :)

Hey, I think that's MY manuscript of shame! Welcome to the blog Beth. So glad to have you (and the gopher) here!

Welcome, Beth! I was reading your post, laughing and thinking, "I love this girl!" You've given me the courage to admit I love hot dogs, too! Proud to be a part of your tribe.

Humor! I love humor! I'm WILDLY, WORLD FAMOUSLY happy you've joined the Muses, Beth!

Yup, Katy, it was 2011, & we met Kristen at that same shmooze!

Aaron, we lucked out with Katy mediating our Twitter debate with the squopher solution!

Talia, Robin, & Lia: thanks for the welcome! <3

Welcome, Beth! So glad to have you join us. (And I still love your blue hair look)

BETH! It's soo good to have you here. I can't wait to hear your zany antics (and angst).

Woo hoo, Beth! Great to have you here!!!

Beth! It was *so* nice meeting you in-person at SCBWI-LA, and I look forward to sharing this journey with you and reading all your posts :)

Nice to meet you, Beth. Really enjoyed this post-- look forward to hearing your voice in these posts.

Best hot dog photo ever. I'm pretty positive your posts are going to be as colorful as your gophers. Right on!

I gotta get me one of them wigs. Spending time on ebay sounds like the perfect procrastination tool!

Bret, Veronica, Jodi, and Carol - thank you! I feel so lucky.

PB, next time I come down, we'll make a Fab Hot Dogs date & it will be glorious. Maybe Colonel Shifty (the gopher...or squopher) will join us. :)

Hooray, Beth! So glad to hear you're one of the new muses. Though, I must say, you've been a muse to your critique partners for a long time. Looking forward to your posts on YA Muses.

This morning, I experienced the lovely, refreshing "ripping of the manuscript", butt kicking, chased with a literary knife that Beth was discussing in her Tuesday blog. The LOL helped a lot Beth--thanks.

As I sit here mopping up blood and placing parts of my body back where they should be, it is nice to know that this is the common experience of writer. It is so easy to look at those who "appear" to do it effortlessly and question your own abilities.

I know, I know get back in the saddle--it is just nice to see others wince as they swing back up on that bucking horse. jeri

I love your blogs, Beth, and your novels and stories. It will be good to see you here.

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