Category: creativity

creativity

In the pause: Help my discover the secrets hidden underground and overhead in New York City

Christa Avampato

I’m completely obsessed with the secrets of New York City. It’s haunted in the best possible ways. As I write Emerson Page’s second book, I’m learning that there is so much here she needs to discover. I need to explore these secrets first-hand, and I want you to go with me! Interested? I’m now amassing a list of tours and places that I’ll be poking around in the coming months. Here’s a sampling of what I’m finding:

  • Hidden places, often in plain sight. Wormholes, secret passageways, and underground art installations.
  • The strange and mysterious history hidden in the architecture that rises up dozens of stories high everywhere we go.
  • Secret ways to get up close to priceless treasures that are usually impossible to access.

This city literally breathes. It’s always whispering to us. I’m listening and getting it all down as best I can. I hope you’ll join me in this pursuit.

creativity

In the pause: My book about Emerson Page is the perfect gift for readers who love mystery, adventure, and New York City

Christa Avampato

unnamedAnd so the holiday shopping season begins!

My book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, is the perfect gift for people who love mystery, adventure, and New York City. It’s now available in paperback and ebook formats at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your favorite independent bookstores. It is appropriate for adult readers and for young readers who are 9 and older. (If the young people in your life have read Harry Potter books, this one will be just fine for them in terms of reading level and themes.)

Synopsis:
Thirteen-year-old Emerson Page wants to know what happened to her mother, Nora, a world-renowned anthropologist well-known for her research on ancient cultures and languages. Five years ago, Nora was found on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“We’ve never seen anything like it,” said the NYPD. “It’s as if she just fell asleep on the steps of the museum and never woke up.” Eventually, the police gave up their search for answers. But Emerson didn’t.

Her journey to discover the answers about her mother’s mysterious death takes her deep below the streets of New York City on a dangerous adventure into a magical world of books. There, she learns the stunning truth about her mother and her own destiny to continue her mother’s legacy.
Time is running out. An alarming threat looms large and too close to home. With the very existence of human imagination at stake, can Emerson find the strength to fulfill her mother’s final wish before it’s too late?

READERS’ FAVORITE 5-STAR REVIEW – “A big, imaginative, and beautiful coming of age tale that begs for a sequel. Able to win my heart from the very beginning with a powerful hook. A fascinating story deftly told, a tale of courage and a gritty investigation. A radiant adventure that is captivating and mystifying. The young heroine is brilliant and inspiring, curious and bold, strong and vulnerable, loving and powerful. A story that will enthrall both young adult readers and adults with powerful themes seamlessly woven into its fabric. It is all go, all the way through. A masterpiece. This story pulled me in deep, and there was no letting go until the last page. I hope that this is the first of many.”

creativity

In the pause: Happy Thanksgiving from New York City

Christa Avampato

23737930_10104014965393976_7867983202038481308_oA gorgeous and sunny Thanksgiving morning. Phin and I bundled up and went to Central Park. Thankful today for my sweet pup, Phineas, this gorgeous park, my homey Upper West Side neighborhood, and all dogs everywhere. And of course for all of you. Happy Thanksgiving. 🐾🦃

 

creativity

In the pause: DC friends, Emerson Page may be on your metro train

Christa Avampato
Screen Shot 2017-11-22 at 8.29.45 AM
Emerson on the DC metro

D.C. friends, keep your eyes open for my book on your morning commute. Books on the Metro has copies of my book and is placing them on the DC metro trains. If you find one, pick it up, read it, and then return it to the metro when you’re done for someone else to read. (And snap a picture if you can!) Happy commuting.

creativity

In the pause: Some words for the good guys

Christa Avampato

This morning, I have some words about men. I have long-held Charlie Rose as one of my inspirations in journalism. My eyes teared up hearing the accusations yesterday, and I’m so upset for the women whose lives and careers were harmed by his actions.

I know a lot of my female friends are losing heart that there are no good men out there in any field. While I’m outraged by how pervasive this issue is among men I never thought would behave this way, I also want to say that I’m not losing faith in an entire gender. There are a lot of fantastic men in my life who are dear friends. They care deeply about people and the world at large. They work hard and they’re kind, funny, and supportive. I just want to make sure that as a society we are looking at people as individuals and not painting with a broad brush, especially with an issue as important as this one.

Good guys, I know that you have often felt like you will never win. I never believed that. Good guys, in the end, will always win. And to my female friends, I hear you, I see you, and I support you. We are in this together, and my hope is that this painful upheaval now will lead to a more just and fair world for everyone.

I love you. Have a good Tuesday.

creativity

In the pause: Writing breakthroughs in longhand

Christa Avampato

On Friday and Saturday I had a few writing breakthrough in my second book in the Emerson Page young adult book series. And they didn’t happen while I was writing. I was actually reorganizing my closets. I was folding my sweaters when a very strange person showed up in my imagination, an old woman whom I have never seen before. I closed my eyes and listened to what she had to tell me about Emerson’s story, and I got it all down in longhand as honestly and as quickly as I could before it evaporated. And the story just kept flowing into the evening while I sat in a coffee shop on the Lower East Side waiting for friends to go to dinner.

I never saw this coming —this character, this plot twist, this revelation, this truth that was both painful and freeing. It explains so much that needs to be explained in due time. You won’t meet her until book three, which will be the final piece of Emerson’s story. I originally thought this series would be nine books, and had mapped it that way. Now I see that this portion of her story wraps up in a trilogy because of this new character.

In book two, Emerson will be exploring Iceland, Ireland, and Spain—three countries connected in odd and mysterious ways that will shed some light on Emerson’s path to her goal. I’m just glad to be able to tag along for the wild ride she’s about to take.

creativity

In the pause: Thank you to Caveat for the learning served up with laughs

Christa Avampato

caveat-cardIf you make someone laugh, you know they’re listening. And once they’re listening, they’re paying attention. And once they’re paying attention, you can make a connection, drive empathy, and generate understanding. Sadly, our world is one in which science needs allies. At Caveat, a new performance space on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, science’s unlikely, though remarkably effective, ally is comedy. For the past few weeks, I’ve been consumed with NaNoWriMo and the first draft of my second novel. Having surpassed 30,000 words in 17 days, a comedy show is what I needed tonight. Plus, this gave me a chance to check out a cool new event space, hear from Dustin Growick, a scientist I admire, talking about his love for dinosaurs, and learn something about science and art. A perfect combo.

The event, aptly named Dinosaurs vs. Paintings, pitted two teams against one another to talk about which field of study is most impressive. It’s a funny debate combo, and the host, Meg Pierson, was delightfully self-deprecating and unapologetically passionate in her love for a good battle between academics. Along the way, the audience learned about the latest anatomical discoveries in paleontology (feathers, colors, and teeth, oh my!), the insanely forward-thinking insight that Hieronymus Bosch wrapped around his Garden of Earthly Delights, the Gardner Museum heist, and the vast variety of flora and fauna that existed during the time of the dinosaurs (~165 million years of time if you want specifics.)

Every minute, I found myself saying to my friends, “Really? That’s true? I had no idea!” And that’s the point of Caveat. The world may feel like it’s on fire at this strange moment in our history, and it’s still full of amazing discoveries and insights. While we may be completely wrapped up in our own day-to-day lives and times, our existence as a species is just the blink of an eye as far as the Universe is concerned. This too shall pass, and our job is to make the most of it while we’re here. It’s a humbling insight, and that alone was worth the price of admission.

Thank you Caveat and all the performers for a wonderful evening. I’m sure I’ll be back, ready to laugh and learn. Check out their full event calendar for science, comedy, books, live podcast recordings, and more.

creativity

In the pause: A NaNoWriMo breakthrough

Christa Avampato
From Cara Anselmo
Photo from Cara Anselmo

At almost 30,000 words this month, I’m sliding into the weekend with the ending scene defined for the second book in my young adult book series about Emerson Page and the ending scene to the series. Both carry tissue warnings in the best possible way. I feel like having a cake to celebrate. The first book in the series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, is on sale now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your favorite independent bookstores.

creativity

In the pause: Opining on pizza and why I love New York City in the New York Times today

Christa Avampato

I had the chance to talk about 2 of my favorite subjects in the New York Times: pizza and my love for New York City.

“I would take a New York City slice, served piping hot out of the oven onto a generic white paper plate as I walk around the city, over any other slice anywhere in the world. It’s not just the pizza, it’s the spirit of the city embedded in it that makes all the difference. We all have our preferences. And for me, New York is the place for pizza, and for life.”

Check out the full piece at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/nyregion/new-york-today-chicago-pizza-vs-the-new-york-slice.html?_r=0.

creativity

In the pause: How to know what to write

Christa Avampato

“Write what should not be forgotten…” ~Isabel Allende

I’m in the midst of writing some difficult passages in Emerson’s second book. There are characters in the book that have been through terrible times. They’re reliving those times, explaining them to Emerson because it will make a difference to her journey. And I hope it will make a difference to readers, and the journeys of readers. I hope their resilience, determination, and love for life inspires us all to be the best people we can be. I hope it makes us kind, grateful, and resolved to build a better world for ourselves and for each other. Life is tough; together we are tougher.