My Lie Revealed

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to guess my lie in the First Crusader Challenge. If you missed that post, click here. Now, the big reveal...

My secret - I bought myself a box of Mrs. Fields chocolates for Valentine's Day (this is a secret because it was in addition to the box of chocolates my husband bought me and he doesn't know I bought them - at least, not until he reads this post - but they're sooo good I couldn't resist!)

My interesting quirk - I get up super early to write. It used to be 2am pretty regularly, but I'm sleeping a little later these days. And yes, some days I do doze off in my armchair.

My annoying habit - I drink way too much coffee.

One of my best character traits - I always tell the truth. Of course, being a fiction writer, I guess that's not completely true. :)

One of my favorite things in the world - Mrs. Fields chocolates.

The lie gets a little more complicated. First of all, let me assure you this was a fictional piece and I've never had a knife put to my throat. Also, it was pointed out that since I'm telling you there's a lie in there, I don't always tell the truth (Ha! Can't believe I didn't think of that one.) And some of you guessed I would never give up my chocolates, and that's quite true! But the lie I intended is when I said I hate to bake. The truth is, baking is one of my favorite things to do (after writing, of course!)

How about you? Do you have an annoying habit or interesting quirk you'd like to share? Do you ever buy yourself Valentine's Day gifts?

Thanks for playing, and have a great Thursday everyone!

First Crusader Challenge

Today I'm posting my entry in the First Crusader Challenge of Rachael Harrie's Writers' Platform-Building Crusade. In 300 words or less I'm to reveal a secret, a lie, an interesting quirk, an annoying habit, one of my best character traits, and one of my favorite things in the world. The post can be in any format but must use the words "bloviate," "fuliguline," "rabbit," and "blade." Ready? Here goes...

* * *

I woke up to a blade pinching my neck. Two men were leaning over my armchair, their paint-smeared faces just inches from mine.

“Why are you sleeping in the living room with the lights on?” the shorter man asked me. A miniature rabbit's foot dangled from his left earlobe. “It’s three o’clock in the morning.”

“I was writing," I said. "I just dozed off for a minute.”

The tall man pulled his knife away from my throat and folded his arms over his chest. “What are you writing for? Shouldn’t you be baking? You are Mrs. Fields, after all.”

I leaned over the end table and poured myself another cup of coffee. The pot I’d made an hour ago was almost empty. My husband thinks I drink too much coffee, but it’s a habit I’m not willing to give up. “I’m not that Mrs. Fields,” I said. “I’m a writer, not a baker.”

“Honest?” the tall man asked.

“I’m always honest,” I said.

“I don’t believe you,” the short man said. He walked to the kitchen doorway with a fuliguline waddle. “We’re holding you hostage until we get your chocolate chip cookie recipe.”

“But I hate to bake,” I said. “I’m a wordsmith, a creator of fictional worlds, a weaver of…”

“Quit your bloviating!” the short man interrupted. “We just want your recipe.”

I pulled a heart-shaped box from the end table drawer. “I don’t have any recipes, but I do have this box of chocolates I bought myself for Valentine’s Day. Mrs. Fields chocolates are one of my favorite things, but I’ll give them to you if you’ll go away.”

The tall man grinned and grabbed the box. “Well Mrs. Fields, it looks like we got ourselves a deal."

* * *

So, can you guess what my lie is?

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

BooKrushed Reading List

Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So many awesome books coming out in 2011, so little time! But I should have time to read at least 11, so I went ahead and joined the BooKrushed 2011 Reading Challenge. The BooKrushed ladies suggested we share our reading lists with the world, so while I'm not organized enough to say with finality that these will be my 11 (and hopefully there will be more than 11, but that's all I'm committing to), I will say that this is my reading list as it stands today. Here goes:

January - Across the Universe by Beth Revis

February - Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting

February - Delirium by Lauren Oliver

March - The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker

March - The Hating Game by Talli Roland (I don't have an eReader, so I figure the paperback release counts as a 2011 release for me)

June - Possession by Elana Johnson

June - Passion by Lauren Kate

September - With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo

September - Supernaturally by Kiersten White

September - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

October - Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

And even though it wasn't published in 2011, I'm going to go ahead and add Dogsled Dreams by Terry Lynn Johnson (published 12/10) to the list, because she's awesome, and with the reviews she's been getting the book has to be, too.

Oops - I forgot one! I also plan to read Medeia Sharif's debut novel, Bestest.Ramadan.Ever, to be released this summer. So sorry I forgot that one, and thanks for helping me remember, Dawn! :)

So that's it! What's on your reading list for 2011?

Thanks to Jackee!

Have you entered Lolapalooza yet? If not, get on over there! If you've already joined, read on!

One of Lola's suggestions for paying it forward is to "shout out" your gratitude for someone who has helped you along your writing/blogging path. So many of you have been tremendous supports to me (thanks, guys!) but when I think about my blogging path, one person always comes straight to mind: Jackee Alston.

With the encouragement of some wonderful writing friends (thanks Sharon, Amy, and Tess!) I began blogging in November, 2009. It was a strange and scary place for me back then. For months, my only followers were those three friends, my cousin's wife (hi, Paula!) and a wonderful, supportive friend of Paula's (hi, Velva!) I visited only their blogs, and they were the only ones outside of my immediate family who visited mine.

Then one day, something amazing happened. I had a new follower! Someone I didn't know wanted to read my words! In that simple act of clicking the "Follow" button, Jackee opened up a whole new world for me and showed me what blogging is all about - connecting with people all over the world, people I've never met but who share a similar passion and willingness to support each other.

Since then, even though we've never met face-to-face, Jackee has become a cherished friend and critique partner. Last year she ran her Project Give a Book, Give the World and ended up sending out 127 school humanitarian aid kits. For prizes, Jackee gave away books written by fellow bloggers (how cool is that?) She also runs a Wild Wednesdays feature on her blog where you can send her a plant or animal related question and she'll answer it on her blog. Thanks for all you do, Jackee!

How about you? Is there a fellow blogger who has helped you along your path? Did you jump into blogging right away, or did you need a while to warm up, like I did?

As the Blogosphere Turns

On my rounds of blog reading over the past couple of days, I learned something: there's some exciting stuff going on out there! So I thought I'd gather together some of the events that really caught my eye and share them with you. Here goes:

The lovely ladies over at BooKrushed invite you to join their 2011 Reading Challenge. Read 11 books published in 2011 and help support other authors! They were even so kind as to give us their picks, which is a huge help to someone like me who doesn't keep up on the latest and greatest nearly as well as I should. Not only that, but they're running giveaways as well - don't miss out!


Rachel Harrie invites you to join her Second Writers' Platform-Building Crusade. Sign up at Rachel's blog and she'll add you to her list of crusaders. Then follow the other crusaders and visit the blogs of those in your group as much as you can between February 1 and April 30, and they'll do the same for you. What an awesome way to make new blogging friends!

Don't miss Lolapalooza! Lola Sharp invites you to pay it forward by showing your support and gratitude for other bloggers. She offers a fabulous selection of ways to earn points by supporting others, including joining Rachel Harrie's Second Writers' Platform-Building Crusade (see above)! I'm planning a post to let you all know about another blogger who has helped me along my path, just one of Lola's suggestions. And she offers fabulous prizes besides! Head on over.

There's lots more going on, but I'll try to keep this short and wrap it up. These are just three examples of what an amazing, supportive blogging community we have here. You guys are awesome!

Next week, I'll return to my Tuesday, Thursday schedule. I got thrown off this week because I finished Killing Kessler Wednesday morning and I couldn't wait to jump back into blogging. Next week I'll restrain myself and wait until Tuesday. :)

Happy Friday and have a great weekend, everyone!

Update

I just sent Killing Kessler out for its (hopefully) last round of CP reviews! Wow, I hardly know what to do with myself now, though query and synopsis revision are at the top of the list (right after I take a little break and catch up on my blog reading!)

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes on my hubby's surgery. The surgery was a huge success and his recovery was incredibly smooth. He even took a ski trip to Colorado last week (shhh - don't tell his doctor!) and the knee held up great.

It's so good to be back in the blogosphere - I'm looking forward to visiting you all very soon!

Happy Wednesday, All!