Self-Deprecating Sunday (21) Christy Raedeke

Sometimes you get to know someone because their blog makes for excellent reading. That’s how I got to know Christy. Juvenescence is a great author blog. Before I even knew what her book, The Prophecy of Days, was about, I was like, I’m definitely reading that book. THEN one of my friends goes, “Did you know her book has a monkey in it? And the monkey’s name is Dr. Papers? And he communicates through origami?” And then, I was like, you had me at ‘monkey.’ AND THEN, I asked her if she’d guest post here on the blog, and she became one of my favorite authors ever, because of this:

Self Deprecating Sunday – The Young Adult Author as an Actual Young Adult

Christy Raedeke

I’m not a master of prose. I don’t write beautiful, flowery language or enrich my text with layers and layers of meaning. What I bring to book writing is the weaving together of disparate concepts, creating mash-ups with little regard for time, place, context, or physics. To illustrate this here on Jody’s Self-Disparaging Sunday, I bring you two photos linked by the word Camel.

Exhibit A – A Camel Ride

Here I am, actually riding a camel. I’m sporting a Toni home perm, Frost ’n Tip “highlights”, and the deep tan you can only get by mixing a prescription of tetracycline with baby oil on a 104 degree Southern Oregon day. Seriously, we used to pick at our faces until they were welted and then go to the doctor to try to score an Rx of tetracycline (used back then to clear up acne). This antibiotic makes you freakishly sensitive to the sun, which would mean in today’s world you’d reach for the SPF 80 and a wide-brimmed hat. In 1983 you reached for the baby oil and a foil reflector. And then you’d crank up the Loverboy. Natch.

I have no idea where this was taken (you think I’d remember a camel ride!) but the small white shorts, preppy button down, and Tretorns date this to precisely to 1982, sophomore year.

Exhibit B – Another Camel Ride

Not only was I a giant among my peers (check out those tiny teens next to me) I was a giant among camel toes. I swear to you if my ski pole did not hide a portion of the situation, this photo would be banned in several states – it was that epic. In my feeble teen mind ski pants were too “conventional” and I was not going to wear them even on race day, cuz in 1983 jeans are soooo much cooler to ski in. Plus, when you want to rock the biggest camel toe known to man, nothing short of acid wash denim will do. Had I fallen at race speed they would’ve had to chopper me out for a medical San Francisco Riding Gear extraction.

Other key features of this early 80s shot are gloves so big they mimic elephantiasis, giant (fake) red Vuarnets, and bangs curled precisely to the circumference of breakfast sausage.

Christy, I owe you one. This made my day. And my blog thanks you with all it’s heart. Readers, make sure to pre-order Christy’s book, The Prophecy of Days: The Daykeeper’s Grimoire. It’s official release date is May 2010, from Flux.

If you’re a YA writer and wish to be featured on Self-Deprecating Sunday, please contact me at jody(dot)mugele(at)gmail(dot)com.