Contests! Menangkan buku terbaru Winna Efendi

Dear friends,

Berhubung buku ketiga saya akan diterbitkan pada bulan Agustus 2009, saya ingin mengadakan beberapa kontes kecil untuk para pembaca dan teman-teman sekalian.

Kontes #1: FIND THE PERFECT TITLE

Walaupun bukunya sudah akan naik cetak, saya masih belum ketemu judul yang tepat, padahal judul yang sempurna sangat penting untuk sebuah buku. Judul sementaranya adalah NIGHT MUSIC, dengan pilihan kedua LULLABY, tapi saya masih ingin mencari kandidat lain untuk calon judul.

Sinopsis:

Ini adalah cerita tentang persahabatan. Nathaniel Wirawan (Nata) dan Nikola Ciputra (Niki) sudah berteman dekat sejak kecil, walaupun sifat mereka bertolak belakang (Niki bilang Nata sering nyolot, dan Nata suka sebel kalau Niki mulai terlalu girly dan cerewet). Hobi mereka adalah menghabiskan sore hari di atas trampoline kebun belakang Nata, sambil mendengarkan gubahan musik cowok itu dan menunggu matahari terbenam. Dan ada sosok Annalise, sang murid baru yang selalu tampak kesepian, menyembunyikan rahasia tentang keluarganya… sampai dia bertemu dengan Nata dan Niki.

Ini adalah cerita tentang cinta pertama. Sejak masuk SMU, Nata mulai menyadari perubahan pada diri Niki (atau justru dia yang berubah?). Ketika Nata sibuk menekan dan menyangkal perasaannya, Niki justru mencari cinta lain yang sempurna.

Ini adalah cerita tentang impian. Ini adalah cerita tentang masa lalu, masa kini, dan masa depan. Ini adalah cerita tentang kita.

Hadiah: 1 buku ketiga Winna Efendi yang ditandatangani, plus souvenir (it's a surprise) :)

Syarat dan ketentuan:

- Teman-teman sekalian dapat mengusulkan maksimal 3 rekomendasi judul untuk buku ketiga saya.
- Judul-judul tersebut akan dipilih berdasarkan: ketepatan dan korelasinya dengan isi, menarik dan catchy, mudah diingat, dan mencerminkan karakter maupun cerita dengan baik, juga belum pernah digunakan sebelumnya.
- Rekomendasi judul yang terpilih menjadi pemenang adalah judul yang dianggap terbaik dan paling cocok untuk buku ketiga saya, baik rekomendasi tersebut akan menjadi judul yang diterima penerbit maupun tidak.
- Karena keputusan penerbit tidak dapat diganggu-gugat, saya tidak dapat menjanjikan bahwa judul yang menjadi juara akan menjadi judul terpilih untuk buku saya. Rekomendasi judul akan dijadikan kandidat untuk saya usulkan ke pihak penerbit, yang memiliki keputusan mutlak untuk menerima maupun menolak rekomendasi tersebut.
- Jika ada teman-teman yang mengusulkan judul yang sama (great minds think alike, yes?), dan jika judul tersebut terpilih menjadi juaranya, maka hadiah akan jatuh kepada yang lebih dulu mengusulkan judul tersebut.
- Kontes akan ditutup pada jam 12:00 siang, hari Senin tanggal 3 Agustus 2009 (karena buku sudah akan naik cetak).
- Teman-teman dapat mengirimkan nama, alamat, nomor telepon dan email beserta judul yang diusulkan ke winna.efendi@gmail.com atau meninggalkan pesan atau komentar di inbox Facebook Winna Efendi dan blog saya (http://winna-efendi.blogspot.com). Pemenang akan dihubungi melalui email.



Kontes #2: KISS AND TELL

Pernah punya pengalaman konyol, lucu, manis, atau haru semasa remaja? Ingin supaya cerita kamu dijadikan inspirasi untuk buku fiksi? Atau sekadar ingin curhat?


I want to hear your story! Cerita di novel-novel saya selalu berkisar mengenai cinta, persahabatan, keluarga dan kehidupan sehari-hari, dan biasanya terinspirasi oleh kisah pribadi maupun pengalaman teman-teman dekat. Saya akan senang sekali kalau bisa mendengar feedback dan kisah hidup teman-teman sekalian. Bukan nggak mungkin lho kalau cerita itu lalu menjadi inspirasi buku berikutnya

Hadiah: 1 buku ketiga Winna Efendi bertandatangan dan souvenir khusus.

Syarat dan ketentuan:


- Email cerita kamu beserta dengan nama dan nomor telepon ke winna.efendi@gmail.com

- Cerita dapat berupa apa saja: persahabatan, cinta pertama, kehidupan, keluarga, dan lain-lain yang inspiratif dan bermakna untuk kamu.

- Email ditunggu hingga tanggal 15 Agustus 2009.

- Pemenang akan dihubungi via email.


I’ll be waiting!

the Title

I just got a call from my publisher. Buku ketiga akan naik cetak tanggal 10 Agustus 2009!! Yay yay yippie yay!

I'm still short of the perfect title though. A title is almost as important as the cover design and the story, if not more. It's what people buy the book for - they look at the cover first, then the title, and it should convey something about the story. It should be dreamy if the story is dreamy, it should be fun if the story is fun, it should be catchy, it should be perfect.

My third book is about three high school teenagers - Nata, Niki and Annalise. Nata and Niki have been good friends since they were kids - being neighbors and all. Nata's slightly sarcastic, in a good way, he sounds annoying but has a good heart. He loves playing the guitar, and always spends time with Niki together on their backyard, making music and singing. Niki, on the other hand, is a cheerful, optimistic cheerleader. She's always fun to be with, but often very naive.. that she doesn't realize that her best friend might be falling for her. Annalise is a new student, she comes from a broken home and is often very lonely and sad. She doesn't have a lot of friends, but finds herself attached to Nata and Niki.

It's about the bonds of friendship, first loves, betrayal, family and dreams.

It has a different style compared to Ai and Kenangan Abu-Abu, and I think it has the most cheerful tone of the three. I really hope my readers will like it.

Back to the title. A small poll, please.. I really need suggestions :) I will give the person with the winning title suggestion an autographed book of my third book, when it's published.

So far my picks are:

Night Music
Lullaby

This small poll ends on Monday, 3 August. I look forward to some catchy titles.. Thank you..

Life's too short for boring books

I caught up with my reading, less with my writing. Here are the books I'm currently devouring:

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
Thornton Lee Stewart
how I love the series! Much better than other fantasy and young adult adventure books I've read. Suspenseful, and I don't always feel like a grown up in a child's world of puzzle solving.

The Luxe Novel: Envy

I'm going to read the third book in the series, which just came out in paperback. I enjoyed the second book, but found the first one almost unbearable. Hope this one's much better. It's like Gossip Girl in Victorian era, so much juicier and more elegant.

the Secret Garden

Found a still plastic-wrapped Penguin Classics copy in my shelf after watching the movie last Sunday. I loved A Little Princess, and let's hope I enjoy this one as well.

100 classic fairy tales

I've always liked fairy tales about princesses, dragons, handsome princes, witches. The book is packed with 100 abridged versions of these classic tales, filled with beautiful illustrations. One worth collecting.

Lonely Planet Citiescape Asia

I found much use of the Tokyo series. I am reading the Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney next. I'm not fond of traveling, but I do like reading about it. Strange fascination.

I still have a couple of YA fiction and magazines to read. It's my fault I bought too many books in Singapore. Still have a few wishlisted books to buy :)

picture credit: artsjournal.com

long time no see?

So, after these weeks of not writing, lounging around doing nothing (mostly reading endless books and watching endless movies..), I'm unofficially back. A few resolutions I haven't kept:

shop less, window shop more (they don't exactly go hand in hand)
write a couple more good pages (hard to do, and I have so many different projects to work on)
see more movies and read more books for reference (already on progress)
go out more, need a social life (I'm still antisocial most of the time)
read magazines to catch up with things
avoiding big places and splurging on things
attending wedding and engagement parties of friends (did that)
watch Harry Potter (been there, done that)
watch Public Enemies (yay, next week, OK?)
meet my Fasity friends for a Lancome mascara launching event (yes!)
work, work, work (haven't I done that these recent months!?)

As you can see... I'm deliriously busy, yet so deliriously free. But it's good to be back.

the power of readers

Belakangan ini saya menerima banyak sekali feedback dan komentar dari teman-teman dan kenalan baru, kebanyakan sudah membaca Ai. Seneng banget mendengar komentar tentang Ai, Sei, dan terutama Shin dan Natsu, yang ternyata lebih disukai daripada karakter utamanya :P

Membaca puluhan komen dan status di Facebook, email yang menumpuk belum terbalas di Gmail, dan beberapa lainnya membuat saya tersenyum dan terharu.. ternyata banyak yang suka dengan karya saya, bahkan ketika saya sering berpikir cuma saya saja yang jatuh cinta luar dalam dengan karakter-karakter saya. Seneng kalo denger ada yang sampe menangis setelah membaca Ai, juga senyum-senyum melihat kekonyolan dan keromantisan yang saya kreasikan.

:) it acts as a fuel, really. For no reason why, I always - always being the definite word - smile whenever I read and reply each comment.

Terima kasih ya, teman-teman yang sudah membaca buku-buku saya. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

Kisah Putri Duyung dan Happily Ever After

Dalam kisah putri duyung karya Andersen, pada akhirnya sang putri yang telah berubah menjadi manusia terpaksa menjadi buih demi kebahagiaan pangerannya. Ending yang tidak bahagia, walau dia diubah menjadi salah satu dari jiwa-jiwa yang mengambang di udara, sebagai karma atas kebaikan hatinya.

Pagi tadi, tiba-tiba saya ingin tahu... itu kan cuma ending sementara saja, ending dari sepotong kisah hidup. Bagaimana kalau suatu hari nanti sang pangeran tahu bahwa putri yang dinikahinya bukanlah penyelamat hidupnya, tapi hanya seorang gadis yang kebetulan lewat di pantai tempatnya terdampar? Apakah sang putri akan bungkam seumur hidup bahwa dia bukanlah putri duyung yang berenang untuk menyelamatkan pangeran dari maut di laut sana? Apakah pernikahan mereka bahagia? Apakah sang putri duyung masih memikirkan pangerannya, nun jauh di sana?

Setiap cerita - baik cerita pendek maupun novella, hanya memaparkan ending dari sebuah potongan kisah. Bukan ending yang sebenarnya, karena kisah hidup seseorang terlalu panjang, dan cerita hanya memetik yang penting dan menarik saja. Tapi bukankah naif untuk menulis and they live happily ever after setelah sebuah adegan berakhir baik?

Sang putri yang menikah dengan pangeran idamannya setelah ciuman yang membangunkan dari tidur seratus tahun.

Putri dan raksasa berwajah seram yang melepaskan kutukan nenek sihir dan berubah menjadi pangeran.

Si tudung merah yang berkumpul kembali dengan neneknya, setelah melepaskan diri dari cengkeraman serigala berbulu domba.

Happily ever after sedikit naif, bukan? Hidup seseorang tidak bisa selamanya berujung di sana. Tapi tentunya kita semua mempercayai konsep itu - bahwa jauh di sana, hal semacam itu eksis. Memupuk harapan. Kadang salah berasumsi kalau menemukan pasangan hidup, dan berkeluarga adalah definisi paling tepat dari happily ever after.

And it sometimes is, really. Sometimes, you need to believe in something in order to feel it.

Suddenly missing something

I suddenly, desperately miss it.
writing.

the quiet dance of nimble fingers
the tips touching the keypads, just with the right pressure
and the simple, pure joy after a good chapter or two
and those characters speak.. inside my mind

they've been so quiet lately
:(

Rewind

Rewind

30 May 2009
6:19 p.m.

On the back seat of my car is a wedding dress. I’m picking it out for last minute alteration; the sleeve was slightly too tight for me. But as I drive back to my old apartment for one, last night, I cannot help but think of you.

I’m playing Andrea Bocelli on the tape. Do you remember how much we loved singing out of tune to ‘Time to Say Goodbye’? They were some of the happiest days of my life. Yet here I am, composing a letter for you in my mind, driving in the eerie silence of the night, anxious to get home? I’m not even thinking of tomorrow morning – my wedding day, for God’s sake. I’m intent on sipping dark coffee, looming in the darkness of the home I’ve spent so many years living in.

I miss you.

Don’t you wish that sometimes you could rewind time, and then hit the pause button? I wish I can. I wish that I can rewind my years and go back to the ancient time, when we, in our naivette, still belonged to each other.

You know, it’s funny that I still remember which side of the bed you used to sleep on. On my left, with one arm always hanging on my waist, spreading your palm on the surface of my stomach. How it felt, somewhat ticklish, but I also got that pleasant tingling feeling when you touched me there.

Do you remember how infatuated I was with you? I do. Peter was always saying that maybe, maybe there was no such thing as love. Maybe it was obsession, maybe it was just a crush, or lust, disguised as love. He was right. It was more than just love for me; I was obsessed. I was lustful. I had a big crush. I was in love. With you.

Sometimes I think you never did realize it. How I would stare at you with such longing, as you talked and laughed. Peter noticed. Even I noticed myself. In the height of his anger, Peter once said that I was a pathetic little girl, wanting something I couldn’t have. I had you, once. I just didn’t have you forever.

Pause. Rewind. Pause. To the years of college. To the first day I met you. I was furiously punching the buttons of the vending machine with my thumb. You passed by, gave the thing a strong shake, and swooped down to pick up a can of soda. That smile. I couldn’t remember whether I smiled back.

I miss you.

I miss walking along the banks of the river, hand in hand. I miss late nights, sipping on latte, sneaking to the corners of the dark library, cuddling. I miss sitting on the rooftops, smelling what Peter and Lisa were cooking for dinner, cold beers in hand. I miss talking, about dreams and wants and needs. I never realized once those dreams came true, you would be slipping away from me as well.

I used to know your sorrows, even though you hid your tears from me. I wasn’t that introverted about myself. I cried, I yelled. I think maybe they were the things you couldn’t stand. You just wanted to be sucked into your silence, without anyone, as much as a shadow, waiting in the distance. You could not stand having your fears known. You could not have yourself exposed.

But what if? What if I didn’t walk away from you that day? What if I never chose to go in the first place, looked back, turned around and came back? What if you had not let me go? What if you begged me to stay?

None of us did any of the above. But what if? Tomorrow could be our wedding day. I could be the mother of your children, the one to love you for always.

No. That wouldn’t work. You never wanted that, did you?

The track stops. Our song just ended. It brings me back to reality, the harsh light of the streetlights, the quiet screech of my car, the echo of loneliness. I’m here. Without you.

Tomorrow I’m going to marry Peter. I thought you would not come, but I wanted to send you an invitation.

In the end I changed my mind and never mailed the card. I hope you understand. Somewhere out there, you’re doing what you like best, you’re on an adventure, you’re discovering the new world, you’re breaking hearts, you’re falling in love. I think I’ll do the same, in my own small globe of space.

After all, nothing can be fixed if there were no mistakes, right? No more what-ifs.

I love you. I will always do.

Love,
me.

inspired by a blog entry by Angela, and the movie Evening.

Rule of Thumb

Writing rule # 1..
write only what you like. what you want. what you love.

on risks

Well, you don't get ahead if you don't take risks
-Heidi Klum-
from Project Runway's season 4, episode 11, on Rami's draped Aphrodite dress.

I think that applies to writing, too. I need to stop playing on the safe side, and take risks to do something else entirely different.