Some of you know that my rosacea — usually just an irritating flushing or blotchiness on my face — has escalated in a lot of unfortunate ways over the last few weeks. Instead of surrendering to daily antibiotics and topical steroids, I’ve been searching for lifestyle changes and natural products to help me manage the condition. And lo, I have discovered the glory of Jojoba Oil.

I bought a bottle of Dessert Essence brand Jojoba Oil at Whole Foods for about $12-15. Every time I wash my face, I take a drop or two of oil, rub it on my hands, then lightly smooth it onto my neck and face while they’re still wet. That’s it. And after just a few days, I can honestly say it’s the best moisturizer I’ve ever used in my life.

I have dry, super-sensitive skin, and the jojoba feels amazing going on. It’s soothing and refreshing, and I love that I’m not putting any chemicals on my skin. It’s purported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties as well, which are both excellent for my rosacea. Not only that, but I see a marked decrease in wrinkles, especially around my eyes.

In short, my face has never felt healthier.

Apparently jojoba oil is good for people with oily complexions, too. And it can be used for a whole bunch of other purposes as well. I haven’t tried any of those yet, but I’m definitely going to. If you want a little more info, I’ve posted a great video from a woman who’s been using jojoba for five years below. I have only two tips so far:

• Don’t apply it directly to your face; distribute the drops across your hands first and use them to pat or smooth it on.
• Apply the oil to wet skin, not dry, so it glides on.

Jojoba oil: no chemicals, healthier skin, and CHEAP. If I use this bottle just for my face, it’ll last at least six months and maybe more. I cannot recommend it enough.

Every year my kung fu school hosts a Chinese New Year’s party. This year we were treated to an awesome display: a group of martial artists (whose name I can’t remember) performed a gorgeous Tai Chi sword form and a traditional lion dance. I got wobbly video of the latter:

I had a fantastic time eating, chatting, and laughing with my kung fu family. Here’s a picture of me with the amazing Master Phil Jennings. Those of you who’ve read Above World might recognize his name — I named Sarah Jennings, founder of the Coral Kampii, after him.

From 2012 Photobook

After years and years of working and waiting, Above World is finally out in there in the wild. I’m going to steal a page from my buddy Sarah Prineas and take this opportunity to post the book’s dedication and acknowledgements. Today is also Valentine’s Day, which is fitting since my heart is overflowing with love and gratitude. Thank you, my friends, for helping me make this dream a reality.

Dedication

Acknowledgements

First of all, thanks to Stephanie Burgis and Christopher East. They read each chapter of Above World as I wrote it and made me keep going. They are both incredible writers, cheerleaders, and unconditional friends. Thanks also to Sarah Prineas and Greg van Eekhout for almost daily support and inspiration on a whole heap of levels. Great friends do more than help you with your book – they help you with your life.

Thanks to my agent, Joe Monti, for believing in me and this book, and for encouraging me to include even more martial arts. Thanks also to Barry Goldblatt for creating a family, not just an agency.

Thanks to Sarah Ketchersid, my wonderful editor, for loving the book even more than I did most days. Her insights made Above World the book I wanted it to be. The whole Candlewick team has my gratitude, including Liz Zembruski, Kathryn Cunningham, Rachel Smith, Hannah Mahoney, Maggie Deslaurier, Martha Dwyer, and everyone in sales and marketing.

I have some of the best friends in the world, and they give some of the best critiques. Thanks to Sally Felt, Michael Jasper, Samantha Ling, Eugene Myers, Tim Pratt, Erik Ratliff, and Shelley Stuart. Above World also went to the Blue Heaven novel workshop with Paolo Bacigalupi, Tobias Buckell, Sarah Castle, Deb Coates, Charles Coleman Finlay, Daryl Gregory, Sandra McDonald, Paul Melko, Sarah Prineas, Catherynne M. Valente, and Greg van Eekhout. These guys kept me from looking like an idiot (at least with regards to this book).

Thanks to my World of Warcraft guild. (Don’t laugh!) They’ve been with me on this journey from the beginning, particularly: Andrea, Andrew, Andy, Bill, Brenda, Danielle, Erin, Jamie, Leslie, Lisa, Mike, Mikiel, Paul, Rachel, Rob, Roe, Shelley, Steven, Tom, and Tommy.

Thanks to my martial arts family at White Lotus Kung Fu: Master Douglas Wong, Master Carrie Ogawa-Wong, Master Phil Jennings, and the rest of my brothers and sisters.

For all-around awesome advice, support, and friendship, I want to thank Christine Ashworth, Claudia Hoffman, Heather Shaw, and my buddies at SAGE and Cosmic Toast Studios.

And last, thanks to my family: Mom, Jeff, Jason, Maya, Griffin, and Cassell. I love you.

Here’s a great short film (only 8.5 minutes long) about the new art of Martial Arts Tricking. Many of the tricking shots were filmed at my martial arts studio, White Lotus. So many nights when I was there (in kung fu or weapons class), I’d find myself watching the ring of trickers taking turns on the huge spring floor. It’s truly amazing what people can do when they work hard and are driven by passion.

Pam Torres (who blogs at “So I’m Fifty”) asked me so many cool questions in her interview, that I actually learned things about myself. I had no idea that could even happen! If you feel like it, take a look at the interview and the rest of Pam’s awesome blog:

World Building Technique: An Interview with Jenn Reese Author of Above World

Things I get to talk about in Pam’s interview: Why I write middle-grade novels. How I approached the world-building for Above World. Candy-bar scenes. What I do to “fill my well,” and more.

Thanks so much, Pam!

Samantha Ling is an amazing friend. Not only did she read and critique an early draft of Above World, she has offered all kinds of support and friendship every step of the way. In fact, I’ve even hidden a mention of her the book itself as a small thank you. Now Sam has done something incredible: she’s created the first-ever fan art* for Above World. Behold!

When I first saw this picture, my heart overflowed. Besides the cover, it’s the first time I’ve seen someone else’s vision of the book and characters. And it’s a fantastic picture, right? The colors, the composition, the look in Aluna’s eyes, the shark!… Wow. I’m humbled and grateful and entirely overwhelmed. This is going to be my computer wallpaper for a long, long time.

Good friends: even better than mermaids.

* Sam wanted me to mention that her depiction of Aluna was inspired by Strangeling who sells lots of great prints on her website.

I read some wonderful books in January.

Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1) by Melina Marchetta
This is epic fantasy with gritty, modern-day themes. I struggled a bit at the beginning, but a plot twist around the end of Act 1 (my distinction, not the author’s) completely hooked me and I gobbled up the rest of the book. I think fans of Turner’s The Thief and Martin’s Game of Thrones might like this one. It’s sold as YA and definitely requires a mature reader, but should appeal equally to teens and adults.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
This is an emotionally wrenching story about a boy who’s mother has life-threatening cancer, and the monster who visits him. I often avoid books that look like they’re going to be sad, but this one never felt manipulative and never lingered too long on dark moments…without reason. It’s masterfully written and a very powerful read. (It reminded me of I Kill Giants, a fantastic graphic novel by Joe Kelly and Jim Ken Niimura, also highly recommended.)

Cold Cereal by Adam Rex
I’ve been a Rex fan since The True Meaning of SmekDay rocked my world a few years ago. Cold Cereal didn’t capture me as strongly, but it’s still a highly imaginative and funny adventure story with a truly bizarre cast of characters. (Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an ARC.)

The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss (See my post.]

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi
I have to admit that I was first drawn to the cover, which I think is gorgeous and dynamic. Although billed as a YA dystopian novel, much to my delight this is more of a post-apocalyptic adventure. Strong heroes — both male and female — plus an intriguing retro-future world made this a quick, fun read.

This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein (The Dark Endeavor Chronicles #1) by Kenneth Oppel
Want to hear how my ereader tricked me? This book was 413 pages when I loaded it onto my Nook. I dug in and was thoroughly enjoying myself in the adventure until the midpoint, around page 207, when something very dramatic happened. I stopped and expounded at length on the interesting plot decision and subverting of the 3-act structure. I speculated about where the book would go next. And then I turned the page and realized the book was actually over. The second half of the ebook was a public-domain version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. D’oh! Despite my confusion, a very fun YA read with a strong, colorful voice.

The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss came highly recommended by several trusted friends, and wow.

I’m not much for writing reviews. When I love a book, I don’t want to turn on the critical part of my brain that looks for flaws or tries to analyze what worked and why. I just want to revel in the emotion of it. This book — and Martha Lessen’s journey in particular — hit close to home for me. Like Martha, I was a kid who never wanted to get married, who had big plans for a life of adventure. Longing is the best word to describe that feeling I would get, a feeling that would almost choke me with its power.

And when I read this sentence, I knew that Martha Lessen, and probably Molly Gloss, understood exactly what I felt:

When she was younger she had daydreamed about going up into the high parks of the Blue Mountains or the Wallowas or the Clarks and camping there quietly until the wild horses got over being afraid of her and came out of their hiding places, and in her daydream she rode them bareback without a bridle, guiding just with her knees and heels and her voice, and she never came down from the mountains.

There’s so much more — so many ways this book is making me think about my life and my choices, and about the inevitable “breaking” that seems to happen to us all. But for now, I’ll keep those things to myself the way Martha would have.

I’ve played Dungeons & Dragons since I taught myself at 12, but I only painted lead miniatures while I was at college and for a few years after that. So 20 years ago, for those of you who want the math. I recently unearthed my old box of painted figures and took a few pictures.

My favorite figure by far was this human ranger. Her bow is still strung after two decades, but she’s definitely seen the years:

This barbarian, though, comes with the best/worst story. I worked on him for seven hours straight — I remember sitting hunched over the desk lamp in my dorm room — and when I was done, my eyes refused to focus on anything in the distance. Before that day, I didn’t need glasses. Been wearing them ever since.

This wizard, whose face is horribly scarred, has the honor of being the first fig I ever painted.

I worked on a whole series of orcs, but this is one of the only survivors:

I loved adding embellishments and designs to capes.

I often painted horses but not their riders:

And of course, I loved my dragon. (Sadly, he was decapitated and I’ve never had the patience to glue him back together.)

I will spare you the dozens of other misshapen and mangled miniatures in my box. I was really good at starting a figure, getting frustrated while painting its face, and tossing it back in the box. (And all my painted RoboRally robots are, of course, still with my RoboRally boardgames.)

This is not a hobby I see myself ever doing again, but I cherish the memories… every time I put on my glasses or my contact lenses.

Sarah Prineas (of Winterling fame) is doing one of her fabulous giveaways for an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of Above World!

Even if you don’t want an ARC for yourself, you can give the ARC to teachers, librarians, kids, or classrooms! Every time you spread the word, it helps.

Head on over to Sarah’s blog and comment with a page number. That’s it, just a page number and you’re entered. She’ll respond with a line from that page of the book. If enough people do it, it creates a fun, non-spoiler-y patchwork image of the story.

You don’t need to enter the contest to play the page game, either. The more, the merrier!

And if you’re looking for more chances to win a free copy of Above World, please enter Candlewick’s Goodreads contest. They’re giving away 3 ARCs! If you’ve already got a Goodreads account, entering is as simple as clicking on a button.

Thanks so much, and thanks to the many folks who’ve told me they intend to buy their own copy when it comes out. You guys rock!!