Susan Fields

A Blogfest, a Buddy, and a New Blog

2012-01-31T04:23:00.006-06:00

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Carol Riggs of Artzicarol Ramblings. Carol took me under her wing this week and helped me get started on Twitter. I've had an account for months but never understood enough to use it. Thanks so much, Carol! If you haven't met Carol yet, be sure to check out her amazing blog - she offers writing tips and critiques.

DON'T MISS:
The I'll Tumble 4 Ya Blogfest! On February 10, post a picture, video, or whatever of your favorite 80s crush. I don't sign up for a lot of blogfests, but this one I couldn't resist. Hope to see you there!

A SHOPPING SPREE:
I took my daughter to Barnes & Noble last weekend. We bought Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Deadly Little Voices by Laurie Faria Stolarz, and The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. I also bought several books of comic strip collections for my 14-year-old son. Those are all he'll read at the moment, but at least he's reading.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
Be sure to check out the new Cupid's Literary Connection blog? In Cupid's own words: "Where an undercover cupid brings writers and agents together to form magical literary connections..."

Last month Cupid hosted the Love Triangle Contest, where two fantastic agents selected from 25 entries (query and first 250 words) and awarded a total of thirteen partial and full manuscript requests (my manusript KILLING KESSLER was one of them - yahoo!) In February, Cupid's going to host Blind Speed Dating. You do NOT want to miss this...

YOUR TURN:
Have you ever had a fellow blogger go out of his/her way to lend you a helping hand? Care to give them a shout-out?

Finding Your Voice

2012-01-24T04:49:00.004-06:00

WHAT I'M READING:
I'm still working on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's a long book, and I'm not nearly as fast a reader as I would like. I just watched The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest on DVD. Lisbeth is such a fascinating character! I'm sure I'll end up reading those books as well.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
I recently finished reading Finding Your Voice by Les Edgerton. I loved Edgerton's book Hooked, so I decided to give Finding Your Voice a try. I'm so glad I did! It seems I've read so many writing how-to books that rarely do I find one that's really different. This one is. It addresses a topic that's very difficult to explain or teach, but it does so beautifully. I highly recommend it.

HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you read any good writing how-to books lately?

Martin Luther King Day

2012-01-17T06:01:00.009-06:00

WHAT I'M READING:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I've seen both versions of the movie, so I decided it was about time I read the book. I'm enjoying it so far, but it's much longer than the YA I'm used to.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday yesterday. In honor of the occasion, here are some quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.:

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.”

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

“Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”

“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”

What an amazing man! Have a great week, everyone!

Goals

2012-01-10T05:19:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone! It's great to be back after my long Christmas break! I can't wait to visit your blogs and catch up on everything I've been missing while I was away. Here's what's going on with me:

WHAT I'M READING:
Finding Your Voice by Les Edgerton
The Icebound Land (Book 3 in the Ranger's Apprentice series) by John Flanagan - I'm reading this one with my kids.

HOW MY WRITING'S GOING:
I'm still working on the rough draft of my latest wip, a YA mystery (working title is The Cottage, though that will change). It's slow going, but I'm making progress.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:
Goals. I'm a big believer in goals, though I'm usually not very formal about them. With the new year, though, I've been thinking this would be a good time to take stock and see what I want to accomplish with my writing this year, so here goes:
This year, I'd like to
1 - Be more organized about the books I read. I want to keep better track of what I've read, and post (short) reviews on Goodreads and my blog.
2 - Finish the rough draft of The Cottage by March 1.
3 - Have at least one thorough revision of The Cottage done by August 1.

How about you? Do you set formal goals for yourself? What are your goals this year?

Christmas Break

2011-12-13T04:24:00.002-06:00

Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

First off, some good news: I was one of ten winners of Elana Johnson's Query Letter Giveaway last week - I won a query letter critique by the fabulous Elana Johnson!

Secondly, I'll be taking a blogging break and attempting to stay off the computer (ha!) to spend the holidays with my family and enjoy my kids' winter break from school.

Merry Christmas to you all! See you in January!

BooKrushed 2011 Reading Challenge Results

2011-12-06T05:15:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of 2011, I decided to participate in the BooKrushed 2011 Reading Challenge by reading 11 books published in 2011. I know a lot of you read way more than I do, but I did finish the challenge so I thought I'd give myself a pat on the back. :)

Here are the 11 books I read:
1. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
2. Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
3. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
4. The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker
5. The Hating Game by Talli Roland (paperback release in 2011)
6. Possession by Elana Johnson
7. With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo
8. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
9. Bestest.Ramadan.Ever by Medeia Sharif
10. Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
11. The Death Cure by James Dashner

There were some amazing books published this past year! Have you read any of these? Or any other books published in 2011 not mentioned here? What books are you looking forward to in 2012?

Holiday Spirit

2011-11-29T04:38:00.000-06:00

Image: Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now that Thanksgiving's come and gone, it's time for the burning question: Have you started your Christmas shopping? Other than a few small things here and there, I haven't. I haven't put up a single decoration, taken the Christmas card photo, or listened to a carol. I'm sure my holiday spirit will get here eventually, but it's a little slow coming this year.

How about you? Are you in the holiday spirit? Or how about the winter spirit? Winter is my least favorite season, but my son loves it. He watches the weather constantly, looking for snow in the forecast (none yet, thank goodness!) Have you had any snow where you live? If not, are you looking forward to it?

Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T05:30:00.000-06:00

Image: Pixomar / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have a happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Switching Gears

2011-11-15T05:28:00.000-06:00

If you've been reading my weekly progress reports, you know I've been trying to finish the rough draft of my YA mystery, the Cottage, by the end of November. Usually I like to get started on a rough draft and just plow through till it's finished, but over the weekend I decided to switch gears. I'm going to apply for a local writers retreat, and I'd like to use The Cottage for the retreat. So I'm now working on editing the first twenty pages before I've finished the rough draft. This is the first time I've ever edited a draft that wasn't finished.

Of all the stages of writing a novel - outlining, writing the rough draft, editing, querying - editing is my favorite. I love writing the rough draft, too, but I don't edit at all as I go, so when I'm done I'm left with a big, ugly mess. It's a necessary step in my process, but a little discouraging, too. I seriously start to wonder why I think I can write in the first place. Then I start editing, and slowly but surely everything falls into place (usually!)

So I guess I won't be finishing my rough draft in November, but hopefully I'll return to it with renewed enthusiasm and inspiration in December.

Do you edit as you go along, or keep the rough drafting and the editing completely separate? And have you ever attended a writers retreat?

String Bridge Chart Rush

2011-11-11T05:03:00.000-06:00

Today is THE day to help Jessica Bell's debut, STRING BRIDGE, hit the bestseller list on Amazon, and receive the all-original soundtrack, Melody Hill: On the Other Side, written and performed by the author herself, for free!

All you have to do is purchase the book today (paperback, or eBook), November 11th, and then email the receipt to:

jessica.carmen.bell(at)gmail(dot)com

She will then email you a link to download the album at no extra cost!

To purchase the paperback:

Amazon USA

To purchase the eBook:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

To listen to samples of the soundtrack, visit iTunes.

If you are
not familiar with String Bridge,
check out the book trailer:

Rave Reviews for String Bridge:

“Jessica Bell’s STRING BRIDGE strummed the fret of my
veins, thrummed my blood into a mad rush, played me taut until the final page, yet with echoes still reverberating. A rhythmic debut with metrical tones of heavied dark, fleeting prisms of light, and finally, a burst of joy—just as with any good song, my hopeful heartbeat kept tempo with Bell’s narrative.” ~ Kathryn Magendie, author of Sweetie and Publishing Editor of Rose & Thorn Journal

“Poet and musician Jessica Bell's debut novel String Bridge is a rich exploration of desire, guilt, and the difficult balancing act of the modern woman. The writing is lyrical throughout, seamlessly integrating setting, character and plot in a musical structure that allows the reader to identify with Melody's growing insecurity as her world begins to unravel … String Bridge is a powerful debut from a promising writer, full of music, metaphor, and just a hint of magic.” ~ Magdalena Ball, author of Repulsion
Thrust and Sleep Before Evening

“Jessica Bell is a brilliant writer of great skill and depth. She doesn't pull back from the difficult
scenes, from conflict, pain, intensity. She puts it all out there, no holds
barred, no holding back. She knows how to craft a scene, how to develop
character, how to create suspense. This is an absolutely brilliant debut novel.
I look forward to reading her next novel, and next and next.” ~ Karen Jones
Gowen, author of Farm Girl, Uncut Diamonds and House of Diamonds

Connect with Jessica:
String Bridge: http://www.stringbridge.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jessica_bell

Website: http://www.jessicacbell.com/

Blog: http://thealliterativeallomorph.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/author.jessica.bell

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MsBessieBell

Publisher: http://www.luckypress.com/

Please TWEET and/or FACEBOOK this post using #StringBridge!

Weekly Progress Report and Award

2011-11-08T05:15:00.002-06:00

I received The Versatile Blogger award from the fabulous C. Lee McKenzie. Thanks C. Lee! And I'm supposed to share seven things about myself. I'll see if I can combine this with my weekly progress report (how's that for efficient?)

1. This past week I wrote almost 12,000 words, so I met my goal of 1667 words/day which I need to finish my rough draft this month.
2. Even better, I got to attend my local SCBWI conference with my good friend Sharon Mayhew from Random Thoughts. I learned some new things, got inspired, and had a terrific time!
3. I'm not doing Nano, but I have been posting my progress with the Facebook group Writers Support 4 U. I'm amazed at how this has helped my motivation to achieve my daily word count.
4. Right now I'm reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin and I'm loving it!
5. My kids and I are reading The Death Cure by James Dashner together. Every night they beg me to keep reading just one more chapter and usually I agree because I don't want to put it down either.
6. Judging from the comments on my post on outlining, I'm kind of an extreme outliner. I'm planning to give pantsing a try with my next wip. I figure I'll never know if it works for me if I never give it a try.
7. I should never be left alone in the house with leftover Halloween candy - a very dangerous combination!

I'm supposed to pass this award on to fifteen bloggers. Since I can't choose, I'd like to pass this on to anyone out there who would like to accept it. Thank you all so much for reading my blog and sharing my writing journey with me!

How's your writing coming this week? Do you have a problem with leftover Halloween candy like I do?

NaNoWriWs4U

2011-11-01T05:56:00.002-05:00

I'm not doing NaNoWriMo this month, but I am participating in NaNoWriWs4U as part of the Writers Support 4 U Facebook group. Today I announce my goal for this month, and I'll check in with the WS4U group daily on Facebook and here on my blog once a week to let you know my progress. If you'd like to join in the fun, it's not too late! And if you're not a member of WS4U yet, hop on Facebook and join us!

My Project: The Cottage (working title)
Genre: Mystery
Category: YA
Goal: 80,000 words
Current Word Count: 30,000
Words Left to Go: 50,000

This is a total guesstimate, since my ultimate goal is a 90,000-word draft, but I know my rough drafts are always short so I'm guessing it will end up at more like 80,000 words. So my real goal is just to finish the rough draft, whether I've achieved that word count or not.
How about you? Are you doing Nano? Do you have a writing goal for this month?

Check out some other great progress this week:
http://www.writersally.blogspot.com/
http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/
http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/
http://nicolezoltack.blogspot.com/
http://susanfieldswriter.blogspot.com/
http://skmayhew.blogspot.com/p/tuesday-wip-status.html
http://margoberendsen.blogspot.com/
http://www.sherryauger.blogspot.com/
http://www.susanoloier.blogspot.com--in/
http://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com/
http://lynneawest.blogspot.com/

Weekly Progress Report - 10.25.11 - Outlining

2011-10-25T05:16:00.000-05:00

Since I'm now posting on Tuesdays only, I plan to use my weekly post to give my progress report and talk about the various stages of writing a new book as I go through them. As I said last week, I've finished the outline of my new wip and have moved on to writing the rough draft, which I am very, very happy about! But this week I'm going to take a step back and talk about outlining.

I start an outline by figuring out my main storyline, as well as all my subplots and layers. I figure out the plot structure for each of these storylines and then write a step-by-step progression for each of them. Then comes merging it all together so it makes some sort of sense. The way I do that is by getting as many different colors of markers as I can find and a ginormous piece of paper and writing it all down. Above is a picture of my outline for my new wip. Yes, it's a mess, but the color coding helps me see each storyline at a glance and also the story as a whole.

If you're an outliner, how do you outline? Do you use a chart like mine? Any tips to share?

If you're not an outliner, do you have some method of keeping track of the storylines as you go through your rough draft? Or do you make an outline after the rough draft is complete to use for future drafts?

Check out some more great progress this week by other Writer Support 4U members:
http://www.writersally.blogspot.com/
http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/
http://waibelworld.blogspot.com/
http://nicolezoltack.blogspot.com/
http://susanfieldswriter.blogspot.com/
http://skmayhew.blogspot.com/p/tuesday-wip-status.html
http://margoberendsen.blogspot.com/
http://www.sherryauger.blogspot.com/
http://www.susanoloier.blogspot.com--in/
http://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com/
http://lynneawest.blogspot.com/

Winner!

2011-10-18T05:50:00.002-05:00

I have a winner to announce today! Thanks to everyone who commented on my previous post spotlighting With a Name like Love, the debut novel of author Tess Hilmo. And the winner of her very own copy of With a Name like Love is Anne Kenny! Congratulations, Anne!

And once again I am changing my blogging schedule. The good news is that I'm finally done outlining my newest wip! (((throws confetti))) I've started working on the rough draft and it feels soooo good to be writing again! But my goal is a scene a day, and that's taking up most of my free time. So from now on, aside from the occasional blogfest or special blogging event, I'll be posting only on Tuesdays to make more time for rough-drafting. Don't you just hate when writing gets in the way of blogging? :)

So, how's your writing coming? What are you working on right now?

Kick A** 2011 Debut Author Spotlight - Tess Hilmo: With A Name Like Love

2011-10-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

Today I'm joining several other bloggers in spotlighting a 2011 debut author. To see the others, click here.

I've chosen to spotlight Tess Hilmo. Tess's debut novel, With a Name like Love, launched just a couple of weeks ago. Tess's writing is beautiful and her characters are amazingly vivid. There are five daughters in the Love family, and I am certain I could identify any one of them just by a line of dialogue. The language is rich and descriptive; the plot is full of mystery and tension. I don't normally read MG or historical, but I loved every minute of this incredible book.

To celebrate the release, I've asked Tess to join us today for a short interview.

When did you first get the idea for With a Name Like Love?

1. With a Name Like Love came from an original song I had written titled Lead Me On. It is patterned after the classic Southern spritiuals, written in a pentatonic scale. I adore those old classic songs! Anyway, my mom heard the song and said, "You should write a story to go with that song." This novel is that story. The song is even featured in it and is the background music in my trailer!

How long did the process take from idea to publication?

2. Five months from idea to first draft. Another year of revisions. Two months of submissions to agents. One month of edits with agent. Four months of submissions to publishers. Twenty two months from contract with publisher to pub date. So, let's do the math: 5+12+2+1+4+22 = 41 months or just about 3 1/2 years! (But I've been trying at this whole process for a total of 9 years)

What one piece of advice would you give aspiring authors?
3. Believe! Endeavor! Endure!
If you were stranded on a desert island with only one book, what book would it be?
4. Easy peasy. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. That novel started my love affair with historical fiction.

Thanks for visiting with us today, Tess! And because a book like this is too good not to share, I'm giving away a copy of With a Name like Love! To enter, just leave a comment and include your email address so I can notify you if you win.

Have you read any debut 2011 authors? Which one(s)?

Teaser Tuesday

2011-10-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today I'm participating in Teaser Tuesday. This weekly meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

The rules:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser today is from page 13 of With a Name like Love by Tess Hilmo:
"As she passed by, the shop woman muttered, 'If'n you're asking me, I'd say you were looking for a mess of trouble invitin' that Koppel boy to your celebration. He'll bring bad luck upon you and your whole clan - plus shoo us good people away."

I'm going to be taking a short blog break while my kids are on fall break from school. Next week I'll post on Monday and Thursday instead of my usual Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Have a great week, everyone! And if you have a teaser to share, I'd love to hear it!

Congratulations!

2011-09-29T07:01:00.000-05:00

Today I want to say a huge "congratulations!" to my wonderful friend, Tess Hilmo. Tess's debut MG novel,With a Name like Love, launched this week. I met Tess and some other amazing woman writers several years ago at a week-long Highlights Writer's Workshop, and they've been awesome friends and writerly support for me ever since. Be sure to stay tuned for my interview with Tess and review of With a Name like Love - coming soon!

In the meantime, if you don't know Tess, click here to say hello and tell her congrats!

And thanks so much to everyone who told me your thoughts on outlining in my previous post. It seems there are as many different ways to outline as there are writers. I found it fascinating to read everyone's different methods!

Teaser Tuesday

2011-09-27T05:46:00.000-05:00

Today I'm participating in Teaser Tuesday. This weekly meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.
The rules:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is from page 14 of Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass.

"How do you build a larger-than-life character in your current manuscript? What does your protagonist say, do, and think that he, or we, would never, ever venture?"

Just for the record, I think the Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook is one of the all-time most useful books for writers. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it.

Have you read the Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook? What are you reading right now? Care to share a teaser?

Outlining

2011-09-22T05:52:00.002-05:00

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm plotting a new book. I'm a diehard outliner, so this phase of writing takes me a looong time. I love writing from an outline, I love knowing where I'm going and exactly how each scene is going to play out (not that it always goes like I planned it, but I like at least having an idea of how I want it to go).

But the outlining phase takes so long (at least for me), and I'm just itching to dive in and start writing words and to hear what my main character wants to say. I'm so tempted to jump ahead and start writing, but I know if I do I'll write myself into a corner and make a huge mess. I wish I could just wing it, but that's not how I work. So here I sit, outlining away and imagining scenes in my head and wishing I was putting words on paper.

How about you? Do you outline or do you wing it? If you outline, do you enjoy that part of the process?

Teaser Tuesday

2011-09-20T05:44:00.000-05:00

Today I'm participating in Teaser Tuesday. This weekly meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.
The rules:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is from page 83 of Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark.

"Hunching his shoulders inside his coat, the chief stamped his feet as the sleet melted into his shoes. He wondered if this was the spot from which Nancy Eldredge had dragged her kids into the water."

What are you reading right now? Care to share a teaser?

Watching Willow Watts Web Splash

2011-09-14T05:30:00.000-05:00

Today I'm participating in Talli Roland's "Watching Willow Watts" Web Splash. To help celebrate Talli's latest release, Watching Willow Watts, I'm posting about the person I'd most like to be. I've chosen Randy Grimm, the founder of Stray Rescue of St. Louis.

I have a huge heart for animals, which is why Randy Grimm is so important to me. He's dedicated his life to helping the stray animals in the St. Louis area. His shelter doesn't just accept the animals brought to their door - they go out into the city and bring these starving, injured, sick, forgotten animals in. They rehabilitate them - give them love and care and time - and then they find loving homes for them.

photo credit: Stray Rescue website, http://strayrescue.org/node/37

I've chosen Randy Grimm because he isn't someone who just talks about what he believes in, he lives it. He makes a difference in the world. He is the kind of person I want to be. Thank you for all you do, Randy!

Here's information on Watching Willow Watts:
For Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop and nights watching TV, as the pension-aged residents of Britain's Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when a YouTube video of Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation gets millions of hits after a viewer spots Marilyn's ghostly image in a frame.
Instantly, Willow's town is overrun with fans flocking to see the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by the villagers -- whose shops and businesses are cashing in -- Willow embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and ramming herself full of cakes to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves.
But when a former flame returns seeking the old Willow, Willow must decide: can she risk her stardom and her village's newfound fortune on love, or is being Marilyn her ticket to happiness?

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/nIygHP

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/riMpmH

And here is a link to the other participants:
http://talliroland.blogspot.com/p/watching-willow-watts-launch-sept-14.html

If you could be anyone in the world, who would it be?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go hug my dog. :)

Don't Miss...

2011-09-13T06:46:00.000-05:00

Don't miss all the contests going on out there in the blogosphere right now!

Nisa at Wordplay, Swordplay is celebrating 200 followers. She's giving away a color Nook, Christine Fonseca's Emotional Intensity complete with book swag, and a subscription to Danyelle Leafty's serial novel, The Fairy Godmother Dilemma. Hurry over to Nisa's blog and enter before the 15th!

Theresa Milstein at Theresa's Tales of Teaching Tribulations and Typing Teen Texts (formerly known as Substitute Teacher's Saga) is celebrating her blogiversary and her new job, among other things. She's giving away 4 books. Enter Theresa's contest before September 27!

Also, Talli Roland is celebrating her upcoming release, Watching Willow Watts, with an online "If I could be anyone, I'd be..." party. You can join in the fun by signing up on Talli's blog, then posting about the person you'd most like to be. But hurry, the party is tomorrow, September 14!

Whew, there's a lot going on. And now, just because my good buddy Lenny over at Lenny's World asked, I'll share a few more photos of our California trip. Thanks to everyone who visited and commented - we had such a fantastic time, and I'm so jealous of all the people who said they've lived in that area. Someday... (((deep sigh))).

The top photo is the view of San Francisco from the ferry to Alcatatraz, the second is Alcatatraz, the third is a photo of the sea lions at Pier 39 in San Francisco, and I think the fourth is just a view of the countryside on our drive from San Francisco to Napa.

So, in the spirit of Talli's Willow Watts party, I'll ask you this: If you could live anywhere, where would you live?

I'm Back!

2011-09-08T06:40:00.006-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Well, that break went on much longer than I'd planned. I went on vacation last week, so I decided to wait until after vacation to return. It's so good to be back! I can't wait to come around and visit all your blogs and see what I've been missing!

I'll leave you with a few pictures from our vacation to California.

We visited San Francisco, Napa, and Lake Tahoe. The first two photos are from Lake Tahoe, the third is a view of Alcatraz in San Francisco.

So what have you all been up? Did anyone else take a vacation this summer? Where did you go?

Summer Break

2011-06-27T04:50:00.005-05:00

Image: hinnamsaisuy / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Update 8/21/11 - My break's going to be a little longer than I thought. Due to some unexpected commitments, I'll come back September 8. I can't wait to catch up with everyone then!

I'm going to be taking a few weeks off to spend time with extended family while my kids are off school for the summer. I plan to return in early August. Okay, so I'm not actually going to the beach, but I can dream, can't I?

I'll miss you all - have a great July everyone!

Guest Post: J.C. Martin

2011-06-23T05:25:00.011-05:00

I'm so excited to be hosting J.C. Martin today as she begins her blog tour to promote Stories for Sendai. Stories for Sendai is a collection of 20 uplifting and inspirational short stories and poems about the strength of the human spirit. All proceeds from sales will be donated to charity in aid of victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Today J.C. will be discussing a subject I know absolutely nothing about: compiling an anotholgy. Take it away, J.C...

Thank you, Susan, for hosting us! :)

When I first decided to put together this anthology for charity, I knew there would be a lot of work involved--what I hadn't realised was just how much that was! Luckily for me, the wonderful Michelle Davidson Argyle graciously stepped in as co-editor, and with her wealth of experience and expertise, we managed to get the project off the ground much sooner than I would have fumbling about on my own!

In the course of compiling the anthology, I’ve learned a lot about the process of publishing a collection of written work from contributing authors. Hopefully the information will be helpful to anyone considering doing the same.

Step 1: Decide on a Theme

This one was easy. I intended to compile the charity anthology in aid of victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami, so I’m looking for uplifting stories of hope and survival, of the strength of the human spirit, stories that will offer a silver lining in the dark clouds.

At the same time, I also decided on the charity the anthology would benefit. I settled on Global Giving because the charity disburses funds to relief efforts at ground zero that need it most, including International Medical Corps and Save the Children.

Step 2: Call for Submissions, Deciding on a Time Frame

Our next step is to get the word out to as many writers as possible that we’re open to submissions. For this purpose, I set up a website for the anthology at http://storiesforsendai.blogspot.com/, and Michelle and I directed everyone we knew to the site via our own blogs, Twitter and Facebook. The website contains information about the project, as well as our submission guidelines, which includes details like word limit, font, layout, etc. I also set up a listing on Duotrope Digest, which is free to do. I know we received at least one submission from the site, so it was worth doing it!

We also needed to impose a submissions deadline. As we wanted to release the anthology as soon as possible, before the plight of Japan got overshadowed by other news, we decided on a short turnaround time: a two-month period for submissions, from mid-March to May 15th, with the anthology being published on June 30th.

Step 3: Publicise, Publicise, Publicise!

We continued to publicise our call for submissions through different online channels. I was in a mild state of panic in the first few weeks, as we got few submissions for the anthology, but Michelle assured me that people will tend to submit closer to the deadline, and sure enough, she was right! Panic over!

Step 4: The Selection Process

This was my chance to feel like an agent/editor for a few days! After the deadline, it was time to read through all the entries we received and to pick our favourites to be included in the anthology. One small problem: the standard of entries were so high, we were forced to be mega-picky! In a nutshell, we looked for stories that reflected our chosen theme, were well written, and that touched our heart in some way.

I felt bad having to decline some really good submissions—I wonder if real agents feel that way when they reject a manuscript?

Once we announced the final list of accepted entries, the real work truly began!

Part 2 of compiling an anthology will deal with the publication process, and will be hosted tomorrow by Charity Bradford @ My Writing Journey! See ya there! And do follow the rest of the Blog Tour de Force: check out the schedule here!

Oh, and don’t forget to buy your copy of Stories for Sendai when it releases on June 30th! If everybody buys a copy on the same day, it’ll help boost the book’s rankings on the Amazon charts, and further increase our exposure! Apart from the obvious fact that the more copies we sell, the more we can help Japan, we’re also running a prize draw! Visit the Stories for Sendai site for more details!

Thanks so much for visiting today, J.C.! And I hope you'll all check out J.C.'s blog and Stories for Sendai!

A Poem From My Dad On Father's Day

2011-06-20T05:02:00.005-05:00

In honor of Father's Day, I wanted to share with you a poem my dad wrote for me when I turned 16. I still have the yellowed, wrinkled paper in a frame in my bedroom. It was typed on a good old-fashioned typewriter, and his signature is almost too faded to see. My mom told me I'm the only person he's ever written a poem for besides her. This is something I'll treasure all my life.

SUE IS SIXTEEN

It only happens once,

Sue is sixteen.

From diapers and Mom's concern
To journalism and the track's many turns,
From the Covell Kid to the Sailor's Port,
She's come a long way through Speech and
Spanish, baby sitting and sport.
It only happens once,
Sue is sixteen.

She is the child who came along later,
The one who is the little sister.
But her delay simply made the love greater,
And when she's absent we all know we miss her.
It only happens once,
Sue is sixteen.

How can we say it?
What muse can inspire?
She invokes headaches and affection, praise and ire.
It only happens once.
Sue is sixteen.

Our feelings for her words may not always reflect.
But - she is special.

It only happens once,
Sue is 16.

To Sue with love,
Dad

Thanks, Dad - I love you! And a happy Father's Day week to you all!

I'm Irresistibly Sweet!

2011-06-16T08:17:00.001-05:00

I received the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award from Iris Blobel, Deniz Bevan, and Amy. Thanks, Iris, Deniz, and Amy!

To accept this award, I need to list seven random facts about myself:

1. My favorite TV shows are Big Bang Theory and House.

2. I watch movies while I run on the treadmill. Right now I'm watching Life as a House, one of my all-time favorite movies.

3. My favorite books are the Hunger Games books.

4. My favorite food is coconut cream pie (yum!)

5. I love horror movies, especially in the summer. No idea why I enjoy them more in the summer, but I do.

6. I live with my husband, three kids, a dog, a cat, a fish, and two frogs.

7. I have a BS degree in electrical engineering, but I haven't worked outside the home in fifteen years. Sometimes I'll do something not-so-brilliant, and my husband will say, "Michigan State called, they want their degree back. " Yep, he's a charmer all right.

And I'm supposed to pass the award on to 10 other awesome blog buddies:

1. Tracy @ My Thoughtful Spot

2. Trisha @ WORD + STUFF

3. Nas Dean

4. The Happy Whisk

5. Golden Eagle

6. Stephanie Haefner @ The Writer's Cocoon

7. Cindy Borgne @ Dreamer's Perch

8. Cynthia Chapman Willis

9. Beth @ Of Muses and Meringues

10. J.C. Martin

How about you? What's your favorite movie/tv show/book/food? Do you like horror movies?

Guest Blogger: Raquel Byrnes

2011-06-09T05:33:00.003-05:00

I have a special treat for you today. Raquel Byrnes is stopping by on her blog tour to discuss why you should enter a writing contest. Raquel is celebrating the June 3rd release of her book, Purple Knot.

Why You Should Enter a Writing Contest
If you aren’t an active part of a critique group or have some Beta readers giving you feedback on your manuscript, assessing how you’re growing as a writer can be difficult. One of the best ways to do this is by entering a writing contest. Now, it may seem intimidating, but here are three reasons why you should go ahead and fill out that entry form.
• It will help you learn to follow directions. This may seem like a little thing, but it is surprising how many people burn an opportunity with an agent or editor simply because they didn’t check the submission requirements. Check them. Follow them to the letter. To. The. Letter. A contest, much like submitting a query, is a winnowing process and you don’t want to end up on the threshing floor before they even read your story.

• You learn to work with a deadline. All contests have a date at which submissions are no longer accepted. Writing to deadline is something that you will eventually have to do and learning how you deal with this during a contest is a lot better than freaking out when an agent gives you one. Do you need to get more organized? Do you need specific writing times to be productive? A contest deadline will reveal how you work under pressure.

• You learn how to take critique. Even if you blow them out of the water and final on your first try, you will get back suggestions for improvement. Taking criticism graciously is an essential part of being a writer. Learn how you handle it from a contest and you can be sure you won’t break down later on when dealing with a publishing editor. Do you argue? Do you get hurt? Do you throw up your hands and walk away or buckle down and improve? Contests can help you see how you deal with this.

There are a lot of inexpensive contests out there with wonderful professionals willing to look over your first 50 pages and give you honest feedback. The types of contests available span the genres, from romance to flash fiction, there’s something out there for your style and story.
Many writers’ guilds offer contests as well as their local chapters. Romance Writers of America and Writer’s Digest Magazine both have excellent opportunities to get your work in front of professionals. Take care to enter contests that only charge a nominal fee. Around thirty-five dollars is the norm. Anything that charges a hefty entrants price may not be reputable.
Contests can be exciting and helpful if you enter them with the right attitude. Who knows, you might take the trophy.

Thanks, Raquel! I'm not one to enter contests usually, but Raquel's certainly given me some good reasons to start! Do you enter writing contests? Why or why not?

And be sure to stop by Raquel's blog and tell her congratulations on Purple Knot's release!

It's All Fun & Games Blogfest

2011-06-05T21:18:00.002-05:00

Today I'm participating in Alex J. Cavanaugh's It's All Fun & Games Blogfest. So here are my top three favorite games (not in any particular order) and why:

#1 - Ticket to Ride is one of my newest favorites. It reminds me somewhat of Settlers of Catan (another one of my favorites), but it's a little simpler and easier for kids to play. Try to complete as many "trips" as possible by filling in the tracks with your train cars. This is a great family game.

#2 - Loaded Questions is a great game to play with a group of people you know well. Try to match up the answers with the people who gave them. How well do you really know your family and friends?

#3 - I've posted about Balderdash before because it's one of my all-time favorite games and a great game for us creative types. You get to make up and try to fool others with your own word definitions, bizarre laws, movie plots and more.

Those are my top three. To read the rest of the It's All Fun & Games blogfest entries, click here.

What's your favorite game?

Lenny-Lee Fest

2011-06-03T05:31:00.002-05:00

Today I'm joining several bloggers around the blogosphere in spreading some Lenny Lee sunshine! I wrote this poem for my favorite young blogger who likes raccoons, Matchbox cars, mangoes, hugs, and smiley suns: Lenny Lee!

*******************************
Lenny Lee and his pet raccoon
Got in a rocket and flew to the moon.
He ate swiss cheese
And said, “More please!”
And then it was time to go home.

Lenny Lee and his Matchbox cars
Got in a rocket and flew to Mars.
He met men who were green
And a little bit mean
And then it was time to go home.

Lenny Lee and his mango gum
Got in a rocket and flew to the sun.
He stayed for a while
And made the sun smile
And then it was time to go home.

Lenny Lee knew love’s true worth
So he got in a rocket and flew to Earth.
He hugged his family and friends
And the love never ends
Because Lenny’s so glad to be home.

*******************************

If you haven't met Lenny yet, you really should! He's a wonderful little boy with a huge heart! Please click here to pay him a visit and say "hi!"

Tagged!

2011-05-31T06:33:00.007-05:00

Medeia and Trisha tagged me. Here are my answers:
Do you think you're hot?

Nope, mostly I just feel old.

Upload a picture or wallpaper you are using at the moment.

This is a picture from our October 2010 family trip to Florida.

When was the last time you ate chicken meat?
Last Thursday I had homemade cashew chicken.

The song(s) you listened to most recently?
Teenage Dream by Katy Perry - not by choice, but because I was riding in the car with my teenaged daughter.

What were you thinking as you were doing this?
My spring allergies have officially kicked in for this year (as I sneeze yet again!)

Do you have nicknames?
My husband calls me Suzy. My mother and some of my aunts used to call me Sue Ellen. When I was a kid, my siblings and I had matching nicknames - Mary was Mud, Carrie was Cud, Judy was Jud, I was Sud, and Ed was Ud. We still use those sometimes.

Tag 8 blogger friends (you are it!)
1. Kelly Polark

2. Sharon Mayhew

3. Jackee

4. Brian

5. Old Kitty

6. Carol Riggs

7. Dawn Simon

8. Hema

Who's listed as number 1?

Kelly Polark. Kelly's Dear Diary posts, real entries from her childhood diary, are among my all-time favorite blog posts.

Say something about number 5.

Old Kitty's comments on my blog ALWAYS make me smile. :)

How did you get to know number 3?

Jackee was my first follower that I didn't know before I began my blog. A few months later, when I wanted to link my blog to my Facebook page, I emailed Jackee and she explained it to me. We've since become crit partners and great friends!

How about number 4?

I met Brian through Sharon (#2) She said she knew a cat with his own blog. I had to check that out, and now I love my visits to Brian's blog!

Leave a message for number 6.

Congratulations again on finding your agent - yay!

Leave a lovey dovey message for number 2.

Sharon, you're one of the nicest people I've ever met - thanks for being such an amazing friend!

Do number 7 and number 8 have any similarities?

I met both Dawn and Hema when we participated in a Skype seminar with agent Mark McVeigh.

This was fun! How about you? Do you have any nicknames?

Have a great week, everyone!

I Can Comment!

2011-05-28T07:17:00.006-05:00

NOTE: If you're looking for my Power of Tension blogfest entry, please click here.

At least, I think I can (comment, that is). I've left three comments so far this morning and Blogger seems to be working for me, so I hope I can keep going! I seem to have lost my Follower gadget, but I'm hoping that will return in time as well. :)

I apologize to everyone who commented on my Power of Tension Blogfest entry and has not yet received a return visit from me. I haven't been able to comment since Monday, but it seems to be working now so I promise to get around to all your blogs at some point this weekend. Thanks for your patience!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, everyone! I've got a pretty quiet weekend planned, just dinner with some friends and a bbq at my sister's house on Monday. How about you?

Power of Tension Blogfest

2011-05-23T08:03:00.009-05:00

This week, Cally Jackson and Rachel Morgan are hosting The Power of Tension Blogfest. We are to post an excerpt (300 words or less) that drips with tension and leaves the reader wanting to know more. My entry is from my epic fantasy, In the Seventeenth Year. Enjoy!

******************************************

“They’re coming up the walk,” the limping man said.

Keenan ignored the excited murmurs buzzing through the room. None of the others knew the reason for the meeting. Moira dismissed their questions, saying only that she would explain everything when Ellis and Garrick arrived. They gave Keenan curious stares, but Moira did not introduce him, and his sullen manner successfully discouraged any attempts at conversation.

Keenan steeled himself as he watched the door. After contemplating Moira’s story all afternoon, he still he did not know what to make of it. He would never have believed it, save for one fact: Father did not deny her claim. On the contrary, he knew exactly what she was talking about.

What interested Keenan most was that his supposed “mother” had kept his brother. If she could keep one son, why not both? Why did she leave him to face Father and his dagger night after night, while she and her other son lived a peaceful life just one hour away? If Moira was telling the truth, and he could only conclude that she was, then his mother possessed the coldest heart in all of Fairfax.

The door handle jiggled. Keenan felt a twinge of excitement, despite himself. What were these people, his “family,” like? Would his brother look like him? He had not thought to ask if they were identical twins.

“Here they come,” Moira whispered in his ear.

The door swung open.

****************************************

That's it! Thanks for reading, and please click here for links to the rest of the entries.

Have a great Monday, everyone! Did you do anything fun over the weekend? I finished painting the basement (whew!) and spent Sunday at Six Flags.

Spring Colors

2011-05-19T07:37:00.001-05:00

I'm no photographer (though I wish I were!), but I was making dinner the other night and I looked down and thought the colors were just so pretty I had to take a picture. One of my favorite things about spring is visiting the fruit stand. After a long winter, it's so nice to have a plentiful supply of fresh fruits and vegetables!

What is your favorite thing about spring?

Monday Musings

2011-05-16T05:30:00.009-05:00

1. Gardening done, and I got it finished on Friday evening before the rain came! Which was great, because it then proceeded to rain the entire weekend and watered my new plantings. It's funny how much more I appreciate rain after I've been gardening.

2. I took my kids to see Soul Surfer yesterday. I could tell from the previews I would like it, and it ended up being even better that I'd hoped. I guess it's the mom in me, but it made me very emotional. My favorite part was when they showed photos of the real Bethany Hamilton and her family at the end. My kids all gave it a thumbs-up as well.

3. We ordered the flooring for our basement on Saturday, and today I start painting the walls. We're turning it into a rec room for the teenagers in the house. This should be a good opportunity to let those creative plotting juices flow. :)

4. I just won over at Deniz Bevan's The Girdle of Melian blog for her 500 Posts Contest. Thanks so much, Deniz!

Did you do anything fun this weekend? Any big plans for the week ahead?

Plotting and My Garden

2011-05-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm a plotter through and through. Some people don't need a road map to get through their novel, but I do. I know this about myself, so I'm willing to take the time to work out a detailed outline of my plot. And for the most part, I enjoy this part of the process.

But...it's not the actual writing. And I miss the writing. When I'm writing, I can sit down and lose myself in the story for hours. I don't get easily distracted. But when I'm plotting, it seems I'll look for any excuse to get out of the chair. Just yesterday I cleaned the inside of the refrigerator, did the laundry, baked two batches of banana bread, and did the grocery shopping. This weekend I may even (gasp) do the gardening my yard is so desperately in need of. All while I'm supposed to be plotting this new novel.

I think it's probably that plotting doesn't feel concrete. I'm not increasing my word count. I'm not editing my way through a list of chapters. I'm just playing around with ideas, and even though I'm making progress, I can't really see it. As someone who thrives on daily to-do lists, this makes me antsy.

What about you? If you're a plotter, do you enjoy the time you spend plotting? How long do you spend plotting a new novel? If you're a pantser, how much time do you spend thinking about a new novel before actually starting to write?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Vallar Winners!

2011-05-09T13:07:00.003-05:00

The winners of five free e-copies of Cindy Borgne's sci fi novel Vallar are...

1. Hema Penmetsa
2. Lydia Kang
3. Robyn Campbell
4. Anita Miller
5. Medeia Sharif

Thanks for entering everyone! Winners, watch your email - your coupon codes for your free copies will be arriving soon! And thanks to everyone who entered!

I hope all you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! I spent mine playing board games with my mom. We're both board game fanatics, but no one else in the family shares our addiction - they can't stop us on Mother's Day, though! My younger daughter made pancakes for breakfast and my older daughter made tacos for dinner. Whether you're a mother or not, did you do anything special for Mother's Day?

Shopping Spree!

2011-05-05T07:07:00.009-05:00

Woo hoo! Look at all those beautiful books! I took my eleven-year-old daughter on a shopping spree to Barnes & Noble yesterday, and we both came away with full shopping bags. Some of these were suggestions you guys gave me a few posts ago, so thanks again for the wonderful recommendations! I'm excited to get started, but right now I'm beta reading a fantastic MG novel written by one of my uber awesome critique partners, so these beauties will have to wait a little while longer. :)

If you missed my interview with author Cindy Borgne, click here for your chance to win a copy of her sci fi novel, Vallar.

And click here to read Carolina Valdez Miller's review of Possession by Elana Johnson and enter her giveaway for a signed ARC.

So, have you taken any shopping sprees lately? What did you buy?

Meet Cindy Borgne, Author of Vallar, and a Giveaway!

2011-05-02T10:18:00.006-05:00

Today I'd like to welcome Cindy Borgne to my blog. Cindy's currently conducting a blog tour, so I invited her to stop in and chat today. Here's some information on Cindy's new book, Vallar:

Sixteen-year-old Ian Connors works for Marscorp, using his psychic ability to give the organization an advantage over other groups angling for control of the embattled planet. The people of Earth have abandoned the colonies of Mars due to a dwindling of their own resources. The leaders of Marscorp believe that by pooling the planets assets, they will be able to gain enough power to force their way back to Earth.

Ian's job is to use his visions to locate smaller organizations in order to plunder their valuables and incorporate their masses. But a disturbing vision and a horrible loss cause Ian to doubt his loyalties to a corrupt, dictatorial admiral.

Unwilling to be a pawn in the Admiral's dangerous game, Ian must find a way to escape and protect a girl he sees himself with in the future. His only hope may lie with a new organization known as Vallar - an alliance of rebel organizations willing to fight for their survival. (380 Pages)

So, Cindy, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m from Macomb, Michigan. I’ve been writing since I’ve been about fourteen. Then on and off for many years in between raising two children. It’s been within the last seven years that I’ve become determined to stick with it. I write mostly science fiction and fantasy. I’ve been a stay at home mom for several years, but I’ve had a few day jobs such as web-designer, freelance editor, computer instructor, and I was once a payroll clerk for a school district.

What inspired you to write Vallar?

It was a combination of two things. In the story, the main character Ian, has the ability to foresee the future. So I put him in him a situation where he uses his ability for the wrong reasons, but he doesn’t realize it at first because he’s being manipulated. When he doesn’t realize it, he has to get away from the people using him for their own greed. The second reason is in the beginning of the story Ian sees himself with a girl he’s never met. I enjoyed experimenting with his desire to be with her based on a vision. It’s also is a forbidden type of love, and I had fun writing it.

Can you tell us about your writing process?

I always flesh out the plot and characterization first, so my first drafts are light on description. Once I know the plot is solid, I go back in and add all the details. Then I edit it several times. I put it up for critique, and I continue to edit it. I even listen to it on my Kindle to catch errors. I pretty much pound the thing before I publish it.

Do you have any interesting writing methods or quirks?

I always start out with an outline because they help get me going, but I never have been able to stick to them. Some things on my outlines work, but other things don't or I come up with better ideas.

Are you working on any new projects?

I want to finish a sequel to Vallar. Plus I would like to write a fantasy/historical novel set in the mid 1700’s.

And where can we find Vallar?

It's at Amazon, Nook and Smashwords. It's easiest to go to my website to find all the links: http://www.cindyborgne.com/ (click here).

And it gets even better - Cindy's giving away five free e-copies of Vallar! Just leave a comment on this post by Sunday, May 8 to be entered in the drawing (please include your email address). Five lucky winners will receive a coupon for a free download of Vallar from Smashwords. Winners will be announced on Monday, May 9.

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting today, Cindy! And you can visit Cindy's blog by clicking here.

Twitter

2011-04-28T10:43:00.005-05:00

Yikes! I've decided to take the plunge and get serious about Twitter. I have to admit, I'm so dang confused right now. My username is susanefields. You can get to my profile page here.

Anyway, I'm not sure how to find all you lovely people on Twitter. If you have a Twitter account, could you either tell me how I can find you to follow you, or follow me so I can follow you back? It's kind of lonely here in Twitterland by myself. :(

Anyone have any words of Twitter wisdom to share? Or a quick explanation of Tweetdeck? I've heard of it, but I don't know what it is. I'd sure appreciate any help I can get!

Thanks and a Recommendation

2011-04-25T19:33:00.002-05:00

Wow, you guys had some awesome suggestions for me and my kids to read. I wrote them all down and now I have a huge list to arm myself with at the library/bookstore. This should keep us busy for a long time! If anyone's interested in some great book ideas for their kids, please see the comments on my previous post.

Also, I finished Talli Roland's The Hating Game the other day, and I had to let you all know how much I loved it. As I've said before, I'm a fantasy girl through and through, so this book was my first ever venture into chick lit. I didn't know what to expect, but I really loved it! The characters are so real, I felt like I knew them. I was rooting the entire time for Mattie to get the guy (and to not let the bad guy get her!) It was a super fun read - I just love a book that makes me laugh out loud. Now I can't wait for Watching Willow Watts in November! Great job, Talli! And a special thanks to Laura Howard, who donated my copy of The Hating Game which I won on Talli's blog.

So, I'm working my way through my Bookrusher's 11 from 11 during 11 reading list (taking a short break right now to read Hex Hall so I can read its sequel, Demonglass - which is a 2011 release - next). Have you read any books published in 2011 so far this year? Which ones?

I hope you're all having a wonderful week!

Suggestions?

2011-04-21T20:16:00.003-05:00

As I've mentioned before, I like to read to my three kids before they go to bed. I'm surprised they still allow me to do this, but I plan to keep it going as long as I have a willing audience! The problem is finding a book that all three of them will enjoy.

My fifteen-year-old daughter's criteria is that a book must have a "hot fifteen-year-old guy" (she's a romantic, just like her mother).

My thirteen-year-old son doesn't want anything too girlie - no romance or chick lit, please. A little bit of romance is okay, though. He survived reading Hunger Games with us.

My eleven-year-old daughter is too young for most YA, though she did read Hunger Games and loved those books probably as much as I did - which is saying a lot!

Books we've enjoyed in the past are the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, Dogsled Dreams by Terry Lynn Johnson, and The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall.

So, any suggestions?

I wish you all a happy and blessed Easter!

Second Ever Interview!

2011-04-19T05:05:00.005-05:00

J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer, is hosting my second ever interview today! I hope you'll go check it out here!

So, it's Tuesday. I'm going to watch my daughter's very rainy track meet (if they don't call it off for thunderstorms). Thanks for everyone's well wishes for her track season. She had a great meet last week, so all your positive thoughts are working! What are your Tuesday plans?

Love Triangles

2011-04-14T16:04:00.005-05:00

(Caution: Twilight and Hunger Games spoilers ahead!)

Okay, I admit it, I'm a huge fan of love triangles. I know not everybody is, but nothing keeps me turning pages faster than wondering which guy a female mc will choose. I stayed up half the night reading Mockingjay because I absolutely had to know whether Katniss would end up with Peeta or Gale or neither. And I think I might have hunted down Stephenie Meyer and given her a piece of my mind if Bella had chosen Jacob over Edward.

The hard part of a love triangle is that eventually the mc will have to choose just one. And if she truly does love both of them, that's a difficult if not impossible decision to make. As writers, our job is to make that decision believable, which is nearly as impossible. Collins certainly made me believe Katniss could never choose Gale after Prim was killed. And sorry, Jacob, but I always believed Bella loved Edward more.

I'm working out my own mc's resolution to her love triangle right now, and I'm fascinated by how other authors have handled this tricky situation. What do you think of love triangles? And can you think of other examples of love triangles and how the protagonist made his/her decision?

Getting to Know Michelle Merrill

2011-04-11T16:50:00.009-05:00

Today I'm pleased to introduce you to another participant in Rachael Harrie's Second Platform-Building Crusade: Michelle Merrill. Hello Michelle, thanks for stopping by! I can't wait to learn more about you, so let's get started:

How long have you been writing?

I’d like to say that I’ve dreamt of being a writer my whole life…but that would be a lie. I started writing on January 3, 2010.

What made you want to write?

I blame it entirely on the character’s that took over my mind. The only way to make them stop was to write out what they had to say. More than once my mind was occupied by the ‘fake’ conversation going on in my head while spacing out on the real life one in front of my face. Oh, my poor family and friends.

Do you have any pet peeves while writing?

My pet peeves change but my biggest one right now is if someone touches me. My kids like to sit next me and lean on my arms. It just doesn’t work.

What are your favorite genres to write?

My all time favorite is fantasy. Paranormal takes a close second, though, with contemporary thriller’s just behind.

Quick, you only have five minutes to check one or two writing blogs, which ones would you go to?

Life, the Universe, and Writing by Shallee McArthur.

My Writing Bug by Chantele Sedgwick.

If you could pick the setting of one book to live in, which would it be?

The Copper Isles from Trickster’s Choice.

What's your favorite:

Book-Pride and Prejudice.

Author-Tamora Pierce.

Character- Enna from Enna Burning.

Thing about writing- The ability to create.

Time of the day- When the kids are all asleep in their beds.

And last, but not least, do you prefer fruity candy or chocolate?

Fruity. Sour fruity is even better!

Thanks for hanging out with us today, Michelle! And if you haven't met Michelle yet, be sure to stop by her blog and say hello!

Follow-Up

2011-04-07T19:30:00.003-05:00

Image: xedos4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Wow, I'm just blown away by all the great healthy eating tips you guys gave me on my last post. I know a lot of people didn't get a chance to read the tips given in the comments, so I decided to do a follow-up post. I really wish I could share them all here, but I'll try to keep this short by only passing on the highlights.

* Instead of ice cream, try fruit smoothies made with yogurt, milk, and fruit. (yummy!)

* Freeze low-fat yogurt in popsicle molds for yogurt pops. (This will be especially helpful for me this summer since my kids are popsicle fiends!)

* simplehealthytasty.com and skinnyrecipes.com offer yummy, healthy recipes.

* Make your own fresh-squeezed juice. Use honey to sweeten it instead of sugar.

* Make green tea with honey and lemon.

* To cut down on sodium, make your own salsa.

* Hummus on pita chips or baby carrots is a tasty snack.

* Make banana whips by whipping frozen bananas in the food processer.

* Instead of refined sugar, use raw agave nectar or stevia for sweetener.

* Put the fruits and/or vegetables out first at mealtime, so kids will eat more of the healthy stuff.

Thanks for all the awesome tips! My daughter has a track meet this weekend. Hopefully our new healthy eating habits will start paying off! I'll have to miss her meet because I'll be with my younger daughter at her Destination Imagination state tournament in Joplin, Missouri, but my husband will be at the track meet to cheer her on.

What have you got going on this weekend?

Small Changes

2011-04-04T18:30:00.001-05:00

Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This is my daughter's first year running high school track, and with the track season just getting started, I'm trying to have healthier foods around the house. I talked to a friend who's also a runner and quite knowledgeable about nutrition. Here are some tips she gave me for eating healthy without necessarily dieting:

I wondered what healthy snacks I could have around in addition to fruits and vegetables. She suggested chips and salsa. Go easy on the chips, of course, but salsa is full of healthy vegetables. Another friend suggested carrots and celery with salsa.

I want to get the cookies and ice cream out of the house, but my kids are used to something sweet after dinner. She suggested trail mix with chocolate chips or M&Ms. They still get a taste of something sweet, but they're also getting healthy nuts and seeds. Of course, there's also a lot of fat, so don't overdo. I'm not sure how this one's going to go over with the kids, but I'm hoping the promise of a weekly family visit to the frozen yogurt place will encourage them.

We like to drink juice, but I was concerned about the high sugar. She suggested buying 100% juice and putting it in pitchers with water mixed in to cut down on the sugar.

After a workout, your body needs carbs and protein. She said chocolate milk is a great way to get both.

I'm hoping with these small changes, the whole family can eat healthier without it being all that different from what the kids are used to. Do you have any tips to add?

Interview and an Award

2011-04-01T05:30:00.004-05:00

Please go read my first ever interview over at Michelle Merrill's blog! Thanks so much, Michelle!

Michelle also gave me the One Lovely Blog Award. Thanks again!

I'd like to pass this award on to some of my newer blogging friends:

#1 - Kari Marie @ Writing By Heart

#2 - Nas @ Romance from the Paradise in the Pacific

#3 - Deniz @ The Girdle of Melian

#4 - The Happy Whisk

#5 - Tracy @ My Thoughtful Spot

Happy Friday, Everyone! I'm going to be watching my kids play soccer most of the weekend. What are your weekend plans?

Dogsled Dreams Review

2011-03-28T05:35:00.003-05:00

A captivating and exciting debut novel. - Superior Outdoors Magazine

I'll say! This book is unlike anything my kids and I have ever read before. I read it out loud to them, and I was a little nervous my fantasy-loving offspring would have a hard time getting into a book about dogsledding. Not to worry! This book grabbed us right away and kept us turning pages straight to the end.

From the back cover:

Twelve-year-old Rebecca dreams of becoming a famous dog sled racer. She's an inventive but self-doubting musher who tackles blinding blizzards, wild animal attacks, puppy training, and flying poo missiles. All of her challenges, though, seem easier than living up to the dogs' trust in her abilities.

The writing is so vivid and the descriptions so clear, I felt like I was right there with Rebecca, caring for her dogs, dreaming of becoming a famous musher, and running her first dogsledding race. Details like the sound of the Northern Lights and the smell of Juicy Fruit gum on the breath of the boy she likes put me right in the moment. With a perfect balance of Rebecca's personal life and dogsledding adventures, plus plenty of obstacles to keep me in suspense, Dogled Dreams is a joy to read.

Added bonus #1 - My kids and I learned a lot about a topic we previously knew nothing about, and we had fun doing it. I love a book that educates as well as entertains, especially one I can share with my kids. It even includes a glossary of terms at the end of the book.

Added bonus #2 - By reading Terry Lynn's blog, we continue to learn even more about dogsledding. I especially loved when she posted a photo of the real life Apollo, one of the dogs in the book. If you haven't checked out Terry Lynn's blog, I highly recommend it. And if you haven't read Dogsled Dreams, I highly recommend that as well. :)

How about you? Have you recently tried a book outside your usual genre that you really liked? Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

Second Crusader Challenge

2011-03-24T05:15:00.002-05:00

Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

For our second Crusader Challenge, we were to write a flash fiction story of 100 words or less that starts with the words, "The goldfish bowl teetered". As an added challenge, we could write our story in our own genre, so mine's a fantasy.

***********************************

The goldfish bowl teetered on my knees. Water sloshed. Red and Dot flapped their fins.

“Your parents’ estate is worth billions,” Mr. Driscoll said. “It’s all yours.”

I concentrated on an ant crawling up the wall. It sprouted a seventh leg and then an eighth. Then, as if too stunned to hold onto the wall, the spider fell.

“I’m sorry for the loss of your parents,” Mr. Driscoll said. “How tragic that Red’s and Dot’s bodies were never found after the fire. I miss them already.”

“Thank you.” I wrapped a protective arm around the fishbowl. “I miss them, too.”

************************************

So there's a little insight into my twisted mind. :) Have you ever tried writing flash fiction? I'll admit, I've never written anything this short before and I found it very, very hard!

I'm going to change my blogging schedule to post Monday and Thursday evenings, so be sure to stop by Monday for my review of Terry Lynn Johnson's Dogsled Dreams!

Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Getting to Know J.C. Martin

2011-03-22T05:37:00.004-05:00

As many of you know, I joined Rachael Harrie's Second Platform-Building Crusade a while back. The Crusade is an awesome way to support fellow bloggers. One blogger who's really gone out of her way to do that is the wondeful J.C. Martin. J.C. is quizzing several of the Crusaders (look for my quiz on her blog in April 19!), so I decided to turn the tables on J. C. and pose her own questions back to her.

When did you start writing?
I 've always been writing. When I was a kid, I drew and wrote comics for my younger brother called The Adventures of Buffy & Misty. The stars of the comics were our pet dogs at the time! English was my favourite subject at school, especially when we're asked to write essays or short stories. Now I was brought up in Malaysia, and although English was my co-first language, it wasn't for most of my friends, and I soon got a reputation as a budding writer--I even 'ghost-wrote' a couple of my friend's homework! ;)

I wrote my first novel at 14, by hand, in a notebook. I hated it, and gave it away to a friend who liked the story. I like to dream that once I'm a famous author, he'd have agem mine on his hands!

Writing sort of fell by the wayside when I started university and the years after, as I struggled to decide what I wanted to do with my life, from medical research to school teaching, to martial arts instructing. Then, I started writing fanfiction for a bit of fun, and realised just how much I missed it! I started writing seriously from last September, when I left my teaching job, and started submitting short stories to publishers.

What genres do you write?
Two of my WiPs are crime and suspense, but one of them have a paranormal twist to it. Most of my short stories have been horror, although I've tried writing literary pieces and one romance piece, and I have a couple of ideas for novels in the YA/fantasy/paranormal genres...I'm all over the shop, really!

Sum up your current WiP in 10 words or less.
For ORACLE: Serial murders based on Greek mythology leading up to Olympics.
For SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND: Serial killer stalks the labyrinthine tunnels of the London Underground.
For my as yet unnamed short story collection: A collection of horror stories about seemingly everyday objects.

What's your ultimate goal as a writer?
To see my book on bookshelves in stores.

How close are you to achieving this goal?
My short stories have been published by Pill Hill Press, Static Movement, IFWG Publishing and New Asian Writing. I'm working on publishing a short story collection with IFWG Publishing, but it'll be in eBook format. I'm also toying with self-publishing ORACLE, but again as an eBook. Until I complete SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND and start querying, I'm nowhere near yet! :)

Any quirky writing habits?
I'm a terribly slow writer! Against all advice, I sit staring at the screen until I figure out the perfect phrase. I edit as I go, which hopefully means revisions will be easier...

Best writing snack?
Chocolate leaves my fingers sticky, but a jar of Nutella and a spoon--heaven!!

Mmm...Nutella and a spoon - sounds yummy. :) Thanks for stopping by, J.C., it was fun to learn more about you! And good luck with your writing. It sounds like you have a lot of exciting stuff going on!

In other news, my copy of The Hating Game, which was donated by Laura Howard and I won on Talli Roland's blog, arrived yesterday! I can't wait to get started - thanks Laura and Talli!

So how about you? Can you sum up your wip in 10 words or less? Try it, it's not easy!

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Books!

2011-03-08T05:31:00.017-06:00

I've started working my way through my BooKrushers 11 from 11 during 11 reading list, and I'm really excited about my most recent arrivals!

I read to my kids before they go to bed. We're all fantasy fans, and we pretty much always read MG fantasy, but this time I suggested we try something different:

I'll tell you more about this soon, as I intend to review it when we're finished, but for now I'll just say "Bravo, Terry Lynn!" And if you haven't checked out her blog, you really should!

I've just finished The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting and am now reading Desires of the Dead from my BooKrushers list. These books have all the stuff I love best in my YA: romance, paranormal, and lots of suspense.

I recently received J'adore New York by Isabelle Lafleche from the awesome Talli Roland:

And Delirium by Lauren Oliver from the wonderful Becky Taylor:

Also on my BooKrushers list, Across the Universe by Beth Revis:

Update: I just won a copy of The Hating Game on Talli Roland's blog!!! I've been dying to read this one and just waiting for the publication date (today - 3/9!) to get my own copy. If by some chance you don't know Talli yet, be sure to stop by her blog and tell her congratulations!
So much to read, so little time. *sigh*

What are you reading?

I'll be taking a little unplugged break while my kids are on spring break. I'll be back in a couple of weeks. Have a great Tuesday, Everyone!

Thankful for Thursday

2011-03-03T08:52:00.010-06:00

Today I'm taking my first stab at participating in a meme. Oasis for YA hosts a weekly Thankful for Thursday meme. This week we're focusing on the special people in our lives. It was a really hard job to pick just one from my very extensive list, but the person who jumps right to mind is my mother. Here she is with me and two of my three sisters.

I chose my mom for all the obvious reasons (she raised me, loves me, is always there for me, etc.), but also because this blog is about writing, and I can't think of anyone who has been more supportive of my writing than my mother. That's not to say other family members aren't overwhelmingly supportive, because they definitely are, but I consider Mom my own personal cheering section. She reads lightning fast and is always willing to read anything I ask her to. She's usually got the entire thing - even full length novels - read and (honestly) critiqued in a day or two. I think she feels my writing joys and disappointments as deeply as I do, but she's always ready with an encouraging word and a hug.

For all you do, thanks Mom!

Who are you thankful for this Thursday?

Be sure to check out Oasis for YA to participate in the Thankful for Thursday meme (and to wish the wonderful Sheri Larsen a happy birthday!)

Citrusy Blogging In Style

2011-03-01T15:00:00.006-06:00

Wow - I'm blown away by all the blog love I've been getting lately! First off, Medeia Sharif gave me the Citrusy Blogger award. Thanks, Medeia!

I'd like to pass this award to:

Kristal at it's KRISTAL kLEEr

Dawn at Plotting and Scheming

Alison at Left-Brained by Day; Write Brained - All the Time

Regina at Unsettled

Amanda Valdez-Milner at Amanda's Twisted Truths

Brian at Brian's Home

Hema at Wading Through Words

Devin at Devin's Musings

Kristal at it's KRISTAL kLEEr, Dawn at Plotting and Scheming, Alison at Left-Brained by Day; Write Brained - All the Time, Regina at Unsettled, and Devin at Devin's Musings have bestowed the Stylish Blogger Award upon me - thanks guys!

I'm supposed to tell you seven things about myself, so here goes:

1. I attended Michigan State University. Any other Spartans out there? *waves*

2. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, but I'm not telling you what year. :)

3. My last summer before graduating college, I did a summer internship at McDonnell Douglas Co. (now Boeing) in St. Louis.

4. That's where I met my husband. We were assigned to apartments with two other roommates. One of my roommates, Lorette, was friends with one of his roommates, Joe. Joe later married my third roommate, Lisa.

5. Other than those couple of months during our summer internships, my husband and I had a long distance relationship until we got married sixteen months later.

6. I first met my husband at a pool. Considering my skin is so fair I'm almost blinding in a swimsuit, that's about the last place I would have expected to meet my future husband. We stayed in the pool so long I got a bad sunburn, but it was worth it. :)

7. After getting my electrical engineering degree, I worked one year as an electrical engineer in Chicago and five years as a computer programmer before staying home to raise kids. That was fourteen years ago, and I've never looked back.

I'm supposed to pick fifteen people to pass this award to, but I wanted to give it to you all, so I decided I will! If you're reading this post, you are a treasured bloggy friend, and I'd like you to take this award as my way of thanking you for reading my blog, supporting me, and sharing this journey with me.
You guys are the best!

How about you? Where did you meet your significant other? Do you work in the same field you studied in school?

Happy Tuesday!

My Lie Revealed

2011-02-24T05:28:00.009-06:00

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

2011-02-22T05:30:00.001-06:00

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

2011-02-17T05:34:00.005-06:00

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!

2011-02-15T05:04:00.004-06:00

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

2011-02-11T04:28:00.016-06:00

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

2011-02-09T07:56:00.005-06:00

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!

Significant Other Blogfest

2011-01-21T08:36:00.017-06:00

I'm sorry this is late, guys. I've been on a blogging break and this completely snuck up on me this morning. Anyway, hubs is having knee surgery today and so he's taking the day off work and was at home to answer my questions. So we're a little bit late, but here goes...

What food or drink is guaranteed to return me to a good mood, even after a bad day of writing?

A glass of red wine. (No, I'm not a lush, I swear!)

What one thing would you change about my writing habits?

The early-early morning writing sessions. (Apparently I wake him up some mornings when I get up to write at three a.m. However, I slept in until seven-thirty today, and he didn't like that either because he wondered what was wrong. Hmphhh.)

How hard is it to sit by and watch me struggle to attain a dream, knowing there's very little you can do to help?

It's very difficult because there's so little I can do about it. I know you love what you do, but I wish you would be given the opportunity to achieve your ultimate dream: getting published. (Even though he thinks he can't help much, he really does. First and foremost, he supports my being a stay-at-home mom, which in itself is a lot of work, but also affords me a lot of writing time I wouldn't otherwise have. He also reads and honestly critiques any of my work that I ask him to, which is a tremendous help and so appreciated!)

Do you ever wish I'd just give up and do something else?
Not unless you found something else to do that you liked as much. (Thanks, honey!)

So there you have it. Sorry so short, I apologize for letting this sneak up on me like I did! Hubs even said he would have written his own post had I given him time to work on it. Guess that goes to show you we can't assume what other people would or would not do!

Have a great Friday everyone!

I'm so sorry, I forgot to add: Thanks for DL Hammons and Talli Roland for sponsoring this blogfest. Please click here to read the other entries.

Miss You Guys!

2011-01-06T04:59:00.008-06:00

Copyright for this image

I'm sorry I haven't been back since the holidays. I'm up to my elbows in revisions here, moving into the final stretch on getting Killing Kessler ready to query. I'll be back soon, I promise! I miss you guys too much to stay away for long.

Did you enjoy your holidays? What are you working on now?

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2010-12-21T05:00:00.009-06:00

It's that time of year again. Have you been naughty...
or nice?

Have a blessed holiday! I'll be taking a short break - see you all in the new year!

First Draft vs. Revision

2010-12-16T05:15:00.001-06:00

In one of my Q&A posts, I mentioned that I prefer revising to writing a first draft. Many readers shared their preference in their comments, and it was just as I suspected: nearly 2 to 1 prefer writing the first draft to revising (10 to 6, to be precise).

Here are some of your comments:

Old Kitty says: "I'm in full flow and loving the first draft because I don't have to worry too much about grammar and such"

Joanne at Whole Latte Life says: "I prefer revising. To me, that's when the story really gets layered, the revision process giving me an opportunity to add depth to the more rough first draft."

Jai Joshi says: "Nothing ever compares to the magic of the first draft to me, although there is a certain satisfaction in revising and polishing the manuscript to a high shine."

Julie Musil says: "It's not that I don't like the first draft, but I love it once I have something to mold."

Vicki Rochco says: "You've got the magic of the story unfolding with the first draft...but the revisions REALLY pull it together and make it sparkle."

Lisa at Leaving Nadir says: "I like the rawness of the first draft. It can go anywhere your characters want it to go. Revision is also fun in its own way as you can eliminate that which doesn't move the story along."

Myrna Foster says: "I love and hate both first drafting and revising, but revising is probably my favorite because you still get to write shiny new bits to replace those not so shiny parts."

Jennifer Shirk says: "I revise as I write. So I may write a chapter one week then spend another week revising it before moving on. It takes me awhile to write that way but at the end my book is pretty clean and ready for a beta read."

And, as DL Hammons so eloquently puts it: "Rough drafts are way more fun!! WAY!!!!"

For me, I think of first drafting and revising as two completely different processes, and I love them both. I used to prefer first drafts, but lately it seems so difficult to pull those words out of thin air, to create something out of nothing. As Julie Musil said, I really love having something to mold.

On the other hand, it's nice to write without worrying about how it sounds, knowing that I probably won't keep those exact words anyway. When I write a first draft, I give myself permission to write anything down, no matter how awful it may be. I figure I can always go back and edit it out later. The funny thing is, when I go back, I usually find it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was and I end up keeping a lot of it (though I throw a lot of it out, as well!)

Thanks to all my commenters for weighing in on this subject. If you haven't already told me, do you prefer first drafts or revisions, and why? And, even more pressing, have you finished your Christmas shopping???

Another Book Review: The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

2010-12-14T05:43:00.003-06:00

I won this book in Shannon O'Donnell's Party Time contest. I got to choose any new release I wanted (thanks, Shannon!) and I chose The Marbury Lens after reading Carolina Valdez Miller's awesome review.

From the book flap:

Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury.

There is war in Marbury. It is a desolate and murderous place where Jack is responsible for the survival of two younger boys. Conner is there, too. But he’s trying to kill them.
Meanwhile, Jack is falling in love with an English girl, and afraid he’s losing his mind.

Conner tells Jack it’s going to be okay.

But it’s not.

Andrew Smith has written his most beautiful and personal novel yet, as he explores the nightmarish outer limits of what trauma can do to our bodies and our minds.

Why I liked it:

Voice. Jack's voice is so utterly readable, it drew me in from the first sentence and wouldn't let go. His voice is so vivid, I felt like I knew him. And I had to keep turning the pages to find out if he was going to be okay.

Suspense. So many questions arose as I read this book, questions I just had to have answered. And because Jack's been through a recent trauma and he fears he's losing his mind, I didn't even know if I could trust those answers. But Smith wrapped everything up by the end, so I didn't feel compelled to throw the book against the wall when I finished it. :)

Originality. This is unlike any book I've ever read. I loved the unreliable narrator, the fantasy world of Marbury, the sometimes brutal reality of a teenage boy, the relationships between the extremely well-drawn characters, and the list goes on and on. In a word: Bravo!

Warning: This book is YA, but it has more adult themes than other YA I've read.

What new releases are you anxious to read?

Book Review: Hero by Mike Lupica

2010-12-09T04:48:00.001-06:00

I won this ARC on Michelle Hodkin's blog. I had every intention of reviewing it before its November 2 release date. Obviously that didn't happen - sorry! Better late than never, right? And now when you feel like you just gotta have this book, you won't even have to wait to get it. :)

Summary:

When Billy Harriman's dad dies in a plane accident, Billy finds himself developing new powers -superhuman powers - he cannot explain. A family friend and a mysterious stranger both try to guide Billy, and he doesn't know who to trust. With the help of his best friend, Kate, Billy sets out to solve the mystery of his father's death and discover the source of his strange new powers.

Why I liked it:

The first thing I liked about this book is that its main character is a fourteen-year-old boy. I read to my children (ages 14, 13, and 10) before they go to bed most nights, and this was one book we could all agree on (a difficult feat, I assure you). That's also the reason my review is so late, but that's another story.

Maybe I've just read too much YA, but I found the innocence in this book refreshing. Billy and Kate are likable characters I enjoyed spending time with. The action kept moving and suspense grew throughout the book. A big surprise at the end added to the fun. Overall, it was an enjoyable read that kept my kids begging for "one more chapter."

Have you read any good books lately?

Wrap Up

2010-12-07T04:53:00.003-06:00

Okay, you've got to be sick of this by now, but good news! Today I'm wrapping up my Q&A series with a final post on writing questions. Thanks to everyone who participated - I loved answering your questions and reading your answers in the comments!

***

Q - Susan R. Mills asks: How many novels have you written and how long does it take you to knock one out?

A - I'm currently working on my third novel. The first was a mid-grade ghost story which I did submit to agents, but it was my first novel and now I can see that it needs a lot of work I'm not willing to put into it at this point. The second was a YA epic fantasy, In the Seventeenth Year, which I still love. I submitted it to a publisher who kept it for a year before rejecting it (though they did provide a detailed critique which was muuccchh appreciated!) But by the time they rejected it, I was all involved with my current wip, so Seventeenth Year is sitting on the shelf, waiting to be polished up and sent out again. My third novel, a time travel romance called Killing Kessler, is finally nearing the query stage! I'm hoping to have it ready to go shortly after the new year.

I typically spend a month outlining, maybe six months or so on the rough draft, and a good year revising. I'm hoping to tighten that up as I grow as a writer and hopefully my manuscripts won't require so much revision. :)

***

Q - Myrna Foster asks: What are you writing or revising right now?

A - I'm revising my time travel romance, Killing Kessler. I hope to have it ready to query shortly after the new year. I guess I'll have to wait and see what my lovely CPs have to say before I know how much more work it's going to need.

***

Q - Robyn Campbell asks: How long do you typically spend on revisions? Which do you like more? First drafts or revisions?

A - I first sent Killing Kessler out to CPs last Christmas, then again at the beginning of the summer, and I'm hoping to send it out one final time this Christmas. So that's about a year of revision. I love both processes, but I definitely prefer revising to writing a first draft.

***

How about you? Do you prefer rough drafts or revising? How long does it take you to write a novel? How long do you spend on revisions? What are you writing or revising right now?

That's it for me, folks! I think I've answered them all, so if I missed your question please let me know in the comments and I'll answer it in a future post.

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

The Hating Game Websplash

2010-12-01T05:13:00.001-06:00

Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.

No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more. Coming soon in paperback. Keep up with the latest at www.talliroland.com.

About THE HATING GAME:

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £200,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

Good luck, Talli!

Dream Agents and Authors

2010-11-30T05:00:00.001-06:00

Today was going to be my last post to answer reader questions, but it ended up so long I've decided to split it into two. Today's questions are about (what else?) - writing!

***

Q - Brian asks: If you could get personal writing advice from any author (living or dead), who would that be...and why?

A - This may not be very original, but I'd have to go with Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games books are my all-time favorites, and she's an amazing author. How I would love someday to create a character as memorable as Katniss!

***

Q - Candyland asks: If you had to choose, would you rather have a fantastic book no one sees or crap that has been published?

A - I dream of getting published, but not if it's something I can't hold my head up and be proud about. So I'd have to go with the fantastic - if unread - book.

***

Q - Jennifer Shirk asks: How long have you been writing? Are you agented? If not, who is your dream agent?

A - I've been writing longer than I'd like to admit. Off and on since about the second grade, though I got serious about getting a book published maybe five years ago. I'm not agented, and I don't have a dream agent, though I have been known to look longingly at the Writer's House website from time to time. :)

***

Q - Lotusgirl asks: Are you a naturally good speller or do you rely on spell check?

A - I don't use spell check at all. I guess I'm a pretty good speller naturally, though when I run into a question about spelling, I'll check it on dictionary.com. And I've certainly been known to let the occasional typo slip by.

***

How about you? Which author would you most like to get personal writing advice from? Do you have a dream agent? Do you use spell check?

Tomorrow is a big day - Talli Roland's Blogsplash! In honor of the occasion, I'll be posting on Wednesday instead of Thursday. Then next Tuesday I'll wrap up my Q&A series with some more questions on writing.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Kangaroos and Aloha

2010-11-23T05:00:00.005-06:00

Happy Tuesday! This week I start my new Tuesday/Thursday blogging schedule. But since Thursday is Thanksgiving, this will be my only post for the week. Today I'll answer the remaining personal questions that you were all so kind to ask in celebration of my blogoversary.

***

Q - Creepy Query Girl asks: What could you eat every day and never ever get sick of?

A - I had to really think about this one. My favorite food is shrimp, but I do think I'd get sick of it eventually. Finally I decided to go with vanilla pudding - especially the cook-n-serve variety while it's still warm - yum!

***

Q - Lynda Young asks: "milk chocolate, white chocolate, or dark chocolate? ;) "

A - All of the above! If I had pick just one, though, I'd go with dark chocolate.

****

Q - Lydia Kang asks: "What is your favorite season and why?"

A - Fall, because of the beautiful colors, cooler temperatures, start of the holiday season, apple picking, etc. There are so many reasons to love fall! The only bad thing about it is that it means winter's coming - brrr!

***

Q - Lisa Maliga asks: What country would you like to live in for 1 year?

A - I think I'd go with Australia. Not only is it beautiful and English-speaking, but you gotta love those accents!

***

Q - Emy Shin asks: "If you have to live in one place for the rest of your life, where would you choose?"

A - Hawaii, please!

***

Q - Terry Lynn Johnson asks: "If you could wake up tomorrow with a new skill or talent, what would you like it to be?"

A - I'd like to have a beautiful singing voice. I love to sing, I just feel sorry for the people who sit next to me in church!

***

What about you? Where would you like to live for 1 year? For the rest of your life? What's your favorite season? And is there a new skill or talent you'd most like to have?

Thanks for stopping by, everyone! And to those who celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving!

Coffee!!!

2010-11-19T05:00:00.003-06:00

Thanks for coming back for more Q&A with Susan. :) Today we're going to talk about one of my favorite things...coffee!

***

Q - Jeanette Levellie asks: "What is your favorite coffee?"

A - Black, the darker roast the better. My favorite brand is Starbucks, but I'll drink about anything as long as it's good and strong.

***

Q - Alex J. Cavanaugh asks: "Explain the significance of the smiley face coffee mug."

A - That's one of my favorite coffee mugs (I have many coffee mugs!) because it was given to me by a group of fifth graders that belonged to a Destination Imagination team I managed several years ago. Plus, it's just really happy. :)

***

Q - Les Edgerton asks: "(1) If someone didn't 'step away from your coffee cup' did you take them down? and (2) If you took them down, did you draw blood?"

A -My blog's first post (363 days ago!) dealt with this very subject. My husband does actually steal a cup of coffee on weekend mornings. I guess I'm an old softie, because I let him get away with it. And I don't even draw blood. :)

***

Q - Old Kitty asks: "Erm...coffee!! Cappuccino? Latte? Half caff...? Chai...??"

A - Since I drink so much coffee (I make 5 cups every morning, some days I drink it all, some days I don't), I drink half caff. Otherwise I'd be too hyper to write anything, let alone take my nap. :)

***

How about you? Are you a coffee drinker? If so, what's your favorite type of coffee? If not, do you have some other favorite treat that gets you into writing mode?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

A Blog is Born

2010-11-17T04:31:00.001-06:00

I'm back with more answers to your fabulous questions! Today let's talk blogging. :)

***

Q - Jai Joshi asks: "I'd like to know what got you into blogging in the first place. We all have a story about it. What's yours?"

A - A couple of years ago, I attended the Highlights Writer's Workshop at Chautauqua, NY. There I met a wonderful group of friends, aka The Wad. You may know a few of them: Tess Hilmo, Amy Allgeyer Cook, and Sharon Mayhew all write their own amazing blogs. While the workshop itself was wonderful, I really think it was meeting these fantastic women that brought me infinitely closer to my goal of becoming a published author. One of the ways they did this was by encouraging me to start my blog.

***

Q - Velva asks: "What was the point in which you said, I am seriously going to do a blog?"

A - It took many months after I got back from Chautauqua before I was ready for such a huge step. The Wad started a group blog, but we rarely updated it and it fell by the wayside. Then Tess, Amy, and Sharon started their blogs. I spent time reading their blogs and learning the ropes before I was ready to start my own. Then when I did, only a handful of good friends (or extremely supportive friends of friends - like you, Velva!) visited my blog. Not until Jackee at Winded Words happened onto my blog one day and became a follower did I begin to branch out and meet new people through blogging. And what a fantastic experience it's been!

***

Q - Theresa Milstein asks: "What have you gained from blogging that you didn't have before?"

A - A sense of community, of not being alone in this writing thing. Writing is so solitary, but blogging gives me an invaluable connection to others who really "get it."

***

Q - L. Diane Wolfe asks: "How often do you update your blogroll?"

A - Not nearly often enough. It's due for an update right now, as I've got some new blogs I've been meaning to add. If I had to guess, I'd say about once a month.

***

Q - Clarissa Draper asks: "Do you follow a blogging schedule and memes?"

I've never done much with memes, but I do follow a Monday, Wednesday, Friday blogging schedule. However, as nothing is set in stone on my blog (as those of you who are paying attention to my color schemes can attest), I was thinking just today of switching to a Tuesday, Thursday schedule to try to free up a little more writing time and maybe finally fight my way through this latest round of revisions. At the moment, my plan is to finish out this week with a Friday post, and then switch to Tuesday, Thursday next week.

How about you guys? What have you gained from blogging? How did you get started? Do you follow a schedule?

Happy Wednesday!

Monty Python and an Angsty Fairy

2010-11-15T04:58:00.001-06:00

I just love you guys! You answered the call and provided me with some really fantastic questions to celebrate my blogiversary - thank you! I've divided the questions into three categories: Personal, Blogging, and Writing. Today I'll start with the personal questions (which I divided into two posts because there were so many). Here goes:

***
Q - Sheri Larsen asks: "Favorite character crush?"

A - Roiben from Holly Black's books, Tithe and Ironside. Sure he's a fairy, but he's a really good looking, powerful, angsty fairy, and I love the way he talks. Case in point: "I have had a surfeit of killing, Kaye." Love that line!

***

Q - Bish Denham asks: "What was the first novel you can remember reading? How old were you?"

A - Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume. I was probably in about third grade. I was a HUGE Judy Blume fan as a kid, and Sheila was one of my favorites.

***

Q - Kelly Polark asks: "Of course I want to know what your favorite song or band is!"

A - I'll admit up front, I'm not up on the latest music. My favorite band is Matchbox Twenty. I have a lot of favorite songs, but if I had to pick just one, I'd probably go with Melt With You by Modern English. Please don't hate me because I'm living in the past. :)

***

Q - Jemi Fraser asks: "What book really hooked you as a kid?"

A - I remember absolutely loving The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. I read everything I could find by her after that, like The Changeling and Black and Blue Magic. Thus began my love of fantasy.

***

Q - Clara asks: "If you had to choose between a baby monkey in diapers or a cute puppy dog, which would you take home?"

A - I've had enough diapers to last a lifetime (or at least until I'm a grandmother). I'll take the puppy, please.

***

Q - Lenny Lee asks: "i could want to know how could do so much good posts and get around to all those blogs and do comments and do comments back to commenters and still get time for reading and for being a writer and being a wife and mom and not getting any sleep. yikes! that was a pretty long question. ha ha"

A - You're so sweet to ask, Lenny! The answer is, I'm very, very lucky because I get to be a stay-at-home mom. Now that all my kids are in school, it leaves me a lot of time to write, blog, and nap during the day. Yes, I nap everyday, usually for two hours. But since I don't sleep much at night so I can get up early and write, I figure it all works out.

***

Q - Stephen Tremp asks: "What is the flight of a swallow?"

A - Is that an African or European swallow?

***

Q - Sharon Mayhew asks: "When are you going to come and visit me???"

A - Nice try, Sharon! :)

***

How about you guys: What was your favorite book as a kid? What's your favorite band/song? Puppy or Monkey? Care to weigh in on the swallow question?

Have a great Monday!

The Countdown Begins

2010-11-12T02:37:00.008-06:00

Wow - I just realized I'll be having my one year blogiversary (why does that word look so wrong when I spell it, but so right when anyone else does?) in ten short days. I was such a complete rookie when I started, but you guys stuck with me, welcomed me into the community, and now I'm no expert, but I do feel like I've established some roots, made some great friends, and gotten a little better at this whole blogging thing. Thanks everyone!

In honor of the occasion, I'd like to try a little feature that I've seen done on some other blogs and have really enjoyed. We spend a lot of time out here together in the blogosphere, reading each other words, sharing victories, and offering encouragement when needed. I, for one, really appreciate the opportunity to get to know my fellow bloggers on a more personal level. So, if you leave me a question in the comments, I'd love to answer them as the blogiversary approaches.

So...what would you like to know?

Have a great weekend!

And Now, a Word from our Commenters

2010-11-10T04:08:00.001-06:00

First of all, a huge thanks to Shannon O'Donnell at Book Dreaming for pre-ordering The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith for me after I won her Party Time contest. I heard about The Marbury Lens when I read Carolina Valdez Miller's awesome review, and I knew I had to read it. My book arrived on Monday, and it's moving straight to the top of my TBR pile.

Second of all, the winners of my Back From Hiatus contest have selected their prizes:

How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy will be going out to L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick.

Hooked will be going out to Jeannette Levellie at Audience of One.

Either Hooked or Manuscript Makeover will be going out to Julie Musil. I'm not going to say which because Julie said either one would be fine, and I want to surprise her.

And third of all, several commenters were kind enough to tell me which are their favorite non-fiction writing books, and I thought I'd share those with you. It sounds like there are some great books in here, and I'll be sure to check them out. I hope you will, too!

Characters, Emotion, & Viewpoint by Nancy Kress
Barnes & Noble - book of writers quotation

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (2 mentions)

On Writing by Stephen King (2 mentions)

Chapter by Chapter

Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell

Discovering the Writer Within by Barry Lane and Bruce Ballenger

The Elements of Style by Strunk & White

Writers on Writing edited by James N. Watkins

You Can Write a Mystery by Gillian Roberts

Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass

The Thinker's Thesaurus

What book (fiction or non-fiction) is at the top of your TBR pile?

Have an wonderful Wednesday, Everyone!

And the Winners Are...

2010-11-08T04:30:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to the winners of my Back From Hiatus Contest! Random.org has selected:

Julie Musil
Jeanette Levellie at Audience of One
L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick

I'll be emailing you to see which prize you would like. Choose from my five fave non-fiction writing books (click on the titles to see my reviews):

1. Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon

2. Hooked by Les Edgerton

3. The Baby Name Survey Book by Bruce Lansky

4. The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman

5. How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card

or

6. A $15 Amazon.com gift card.

Thanks to everyone who entered! It was so nice to see so many familiar faces and to meet some new ones, too!

Have a great Monday, Everyone!

Two More Great Books

2010-11-05T05:37:00.004-05:00

This is my last post before the three winners are announced in my Back From Hiatus Contest. If you haven't entered yet, click here now!!!

Today's post is about two books that didn't make my top five list, but which are still awesome and deserve a mention.

#1 - Flip Dictionary by Barbara Ann Kipfer
Amazon.com price: $18.00
The Flip Dictionary is a thesaurus, but better. It doesn't just give synonyms, it also gives related words. For example, if you look up "minerals," you'll find synonyms listed for "mineral deposit," "to search for mineral deposit," "divination to find mineral ores," "mineral spring," "mineral water," "nonmetallic mineral," soft mineral," "to place minerals in a mine to deceive," as well as a list of 225 minerals.

To be honest, I used to use this book all the time, but nowadays I keep dictionary.com open on my laptop and usually use that. But there are times when, like the cover says, "you know what you want to say but can't think of the word." Or I need a list of music terms or types of bread or 81 shades of brown. That's when this book is a life saver.

#2 - First Draft in 30 Days by Karen Wiesner

Amazon.com price: $13.59

I consider this the ultimate guide for plotters. I've used this book to outline my past two novels, and I plan to keep using it for future novels. I don't actually have a first draft after thirty days, but I do have an exceptionally thorough outline that makes the actual draft much easier to write, because I have a "formatted outline capsule" for each scene, telling me who, when, where, relevant research, and a draft of the scene. It also walks you through your timeline, story evolution, plot sketch, and more.

Have you switched to using more online resources, like dictionary.com?

Do you outline before you write? If so, how long do you usually spend making your outline?

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Manuscript Makeover

2010-11-03T05:09:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Day Five of my Back from Hiatus Contest. Today's favorite non-fiction writing book is:

Manuscript Makeover.

Author: Elizabeth Lyon, editor, teacher, writing mentor, and contributor to The Writer and Writer's Digest.

Amazon.com Price: Right now Amazon has nine copies offered as bargain price paperbacks at $5.98

Why I Like It: I like this book for many of the same reasons I like Hooked: readable style, concrete examples that really drive the point home, and - most of all - practical advice that will help you make your novel the best it can be. Reading this book inspired me to rewrite the first third of my wip. I can actually see where Lyon's advice has resulted in (significant) improvements to my manuscript.

I bought Manuscript Makeover to learn revision techniques, but I got much more than I'd hoped for. Thorough discussions and helpful tips on style, characterization, prose, beginnings, endings, pace, structure, grammar, and so much more, take this book to the top of my list of favorites.

Don't forget to enter my Back From Hiatus Contest by commenting on this original post.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

Hooked

2010-11-01T04:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Day Four of my Back from Hiatus Contest. We're down to the last two days, and I've saved my two favorites for last. Today's favorite writing book is:

Hooked.

Author: Les Edgerton, accomplished author of short stories, articles, essays, novels, and screenplays.

Amazom.com price: $10.19

Why I Like It: I think the back of the book says it best: "Agents and editors agree: Improper story beginnings are the single biggest barrier to publication. Why? If a novel or short story has a bad beginning, then no one will keep reading." A strong beginning is an absolute must, and Edgerton explains how in an extremely readable style. This is one book I'll be reading again and again.

My Favorite Section: Chapter Eight is entitled Great Opening Lines. It gives a wide variety of opening lines along with an explanation of what makes them great. I learn best by example, and I found this section an amazing learning experience.

You can visit Les's blog by clicking here. And don't forget to enter my Back from Hiatus Contest by commenting on this original post.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

The Baby Name Survey Book

2010-10-28T18:37:00.009-05:00

Welcome to Day Three of my Back from Hiatus Contest. Today's favorite non-fiction book isn't actually a writing book, but it's one of my favorite writing resources. I did a post about this book in the past, but since we're talking favorite non-fiction books, I thought it was worth another mention. Today's book is:

The Baby Name Survey Book

Author: Bruce Lansky, writer of poetry and songbooks. Lansky co-authored The Baby Name Survey Book: What People Think About Your Baby's Name (this is the older version of the book and the one that I own) with Bruce Sinrod. He collaborated with Megan McGinnis on a new edition, The New Baby Name Survey Book: How to Pick a Name That Makes a Favorable Impression for Your Child.

Amazon.com price: $9.95

Why I Like It: This book goes beyond meanings and origins found in typical baby name books. The authors surveyed over 100,000 parents to find out what associations people have with certain names. For example, Susan is Hebrew, means "lily", and "is described as an average woman who is wholesome, pleasant, and down-to-earth. Some people, though, think Susan is whiny and fussy." Ouch!

My Favorite Section: The front of the book lists categories (i.e. confident, friendly, wimp) and names that are perceived as fitting that image. For example, do you have a male character who is artistic? Try Axel, Luis, or Vincent. A female character who is well-educated? Try Amy, Cassie, Hillary, or Monica.

Note: The version of the book I have was pubished in 1997 and is somewhat outdated. The newer version of the book was published in 2007. I'm not sure how different the two books are.

Don't forget to enter my Back from Hiatus Contest by commenting on this original post.

Have a great weekend, Everyone!

The First Five Pages

2010-10-26T20:18:00.011-05:00

Welcome to Day Two of my Back From Hiatus Contest. Today's favorite non-fiction book is:

The First Five Pages.

Author: Noah Lukeman, literary agent whose clients include Pulitzer Prize nominees, New York Times bestselling authors, Pushcart Prize recipients and American Book Award winners.

Amazon.com Price: $10.04

Why I Like It: I've been reading how-to writing books for many years now. I've read so many that it's hard to find one that tells me something new. This book did. I decided soon after I started reading it to highlight sections of the really important stuff. Flipping through it now, it's hard to find a page without highlights. It's that full of good stuff.

Each section starts off with a thorough discussion of the topic, then includes Solutions to common problems, then Examples, and then End-of-Chapter Exercises. It's hard not to understand his instruction after seeing it shown so many different ways.

From the back cover, here's a list of some of the problems Lukeman covers:
A weak opening hook
Overuse of adjectives and adverbs

Flat or forced metaphors or similes
Melodramatic, commonplace or confusing dialogue

Undeveloped characterizations and lifeless settings

Uneven pacing and lack of progression.

This book isn't just for novices. Even experienced authors can benefit from Lukeman's advice on staying out of the rejection pile. I don't know about you, but staying out of the rejection pile sounds pretty good to me. :)

Don't forget to enter my Back from Hiatus Contest by commenting on this original post.

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy

2010-10-24T21:50:00.008-05:00

Welcome to Day 1 of my Back from Hiatus Contest. I'm going to save my top two favorite books for last, the other three are in random order. So today's favorite non-fiction writing book is:

How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy.

Author: Orson Scott Card, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, etc.

Amazon.com price: $10.19

My favorite section:

In Chapter 4, Writing Well, the first section covers Exposition, which Card describes as "the orderly revelation of necessary information to the reader." Exposition is especially tricky in sci fi and fantasy, since the reader needs to learn the rules of the story world as well as the story background. Card uses Octavia Butler's novel Wild Seed as an example, breaking the first few paragraphs down in a way that really shows how to convery information to the reader without stopping the story to give lengthy explanations. I'd say this section alone is worth the price of the book, though the entire book is amazing. The section on Making Rules for Your World is also a must-read.

Don't forget to enter my Back from Hiatus Contest by commenting on the original contest post.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Back From Hiatus Contest

2010-10-21T16:50:00.024-05:00

I missed you all so much while I was on my hiatus that I decided to throw a contest when I got back. So here are the specs (sorry, that's the engineer in me coming out):

Start Date: Today - Friday, October 22
End Date: midnight, Sunday November 7
Prizes: Your choice of one of my favorite non-fiction books on writing that I'll be highlighting over my next five posts. You'll just have to wait and see which books they are, but I promise you - they're all awesome! For any non-writers, you can choose a $15 Amazon gift card instead of a book.
Who's Eligible: Any of my Fantastic Friends (new or existing followers), inside the U.S. or out

How to Earn Points: (1 point each)
Be a follower of my blog - new or existing (required)
Leave a comment on THIS post telling me how many points you have and your email address (required)
Be my Facebook friend - new or existing - see sidebar for my Facebook link
Be my Networked Blogs follower - new or existing - see sidebar for my Networked Blogs link
Mention my contest in a blog post
Mention my contest on your sidebar
Facebook post about my contest
Tweet about my contest

That's it - easy as pie! Everything's worth one point, so just count up how many you've done and put it in your comment. On November 8, I'll announce the three winners, email asking which book they prefer, and order the books from Amazon to be delivered directly to the winners.

I really did miss you guys while I was away - thanks for being such a wonderful community of bloggers!

What's your favorite non-fiction writing book?

A Birthday Boy and Using Cushion Monies to Change the World

2010-10-19T08:11:00.022-05:00

By now many of you already know Lenny Lee, the little blogger with a huge heart. Lenny's turning eleven today. I hope you'll pop over to Lenny's World and wish him a happy birthday, like I'm going to do right now:

Happy birthday, Lenny! I hope your day is as awesome as you!

You've probably also heard that our fellow blogger Candace Ganger at The Misadventures of Candyland is working hard to change the lives of women, children, and families in Ghana, Africa. She's supporting Joy2theWorld in their efforts to empower African businesswomen. Her goal is to reach donations of just $355 - a reasonable goal to be sure if we all join together and help her out. $1 is all it takes! We have a great blogging community here, and we can make a difference in the world! You can read all about Candace's latest efforts here. I hope you'll stop by for a visit!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Hello!

2010-10-17T21:30:00.014-05:00

So, my break went on much longer than I intended. I didn't finish my current revision of Killing Kessler, but I did make some good progress. And I missed you all too much to stay away any longer, so here I am! I can't wait to catch up on your blogs and find out what's been going on while I've been away.

Here's what I've been up to:

First of all, I loved Mockingjay! I know this is old news, so I won't say too much, but I had high expectations and was not disappointed.

I won a Big Box of Paranormal on Medeia Sharif's blog and received this awesome box of books. Thanks so much, Medeia!

My family and I spent a week in Destin, Florida. We had a week of perfect weather and fun in the sun. Here's the view from our window:

My good friend Amy Allgeyer Cook's novel The Iron Bodkin was released! It's a wonderful novel and I'm so excited to see it in print. Here's my review from Amazon.com:

When eleven-year-old Lux St. Clare accidentally turns his little sister invisible, his problems are only just beginning. As he works to reverse the spell, he learns the truth of his father’s disappearance, deals with problems at school, challenges government Inquisitors, and uncovers family secrets, perhaps even his own destiny. Told with the perfect balance of humor and suspense, The Iron Bodkin features an irresistible cast of characters, edge-of-your-seat adventure, and a whole lot of fun.

You can visit Amy and learn more about The Iron Bodkin on her blog, The Iron Bodkin. I hope you'll stop by and say "hi'!

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Mockingjay and a Break

2010-08-23T04:20:00.010-05:00

Mockingjay comes out tomorrow! I cannot wait to find out how the trilogy ends. For me, it's all about the romance. Any guesses as to who Katniss will end up with? The suspense is killing me!

I've mentioned before that I've received some incredible critiques of Killing Kessler from my wonderful beta readers. Let's just say, there's still a lot of work to be done! So I'm going to be taking some time off to really concentrate on getting through this (hopefully!) last round of revisions. Just a couple of things before I go...

For those of you who read my Guess That Character Blogfest entry, I should have mentioned in my reveal that that actor is Ed Speleers, who played Eragon. Here he is again, in case you forgot what he looks like.

And don't worry if you didn't win an ARC in Carolina Valdez Miller's 7 ARC Contest, because now she's giving away ARCs Galore. Seriously, there's a whole lot of ARCs up for grabs here, so don't miss out - contest ends September 6.

Also, if you've followed me and I haven't followed you back, please let me know so I can pay you a visit and keep up with all my bloggy friends.

That's it for me folks. See you soon!

Guess That Character Blogfest - The Big Reveal

2010-08-20T04:59:00.005-05:00

Thanks to everyone who guessed what Keenan looks like yesterday (if you missed that post, you can read it here.) Here's my vision of Keenan:

This is Keenan's description taken from the book, In the Seventeenth Year:

Keenan ran a rough hand through his untidy hair and looked at the men with intense green eyes. The sun had bleached flaxen streaks into Keenan’s golden hair and baked his skin to a deep bronze. Years of working the farm single-handedly had given him heavily muscled arms and a broad chest that made him appear older than his seventeen years.

As far as his personality, he's definitely got anger issues. He's had a hard life with his abusive adoptive father, and he blames his mother and, by extension, the rest of the people accompanying him on his journey. He gradually befriends Brady, the other character in this scene, and eventually even falls for a certain young, beautiful, and dangerous elf (also mentioned in this snippet.)

Wow, you guys! Many of your answers were right on target. It was really hard to decide, but I'd have to give first place to Lenny, who said:
The first thing I saw in my head was a guy dressed like in the days of Robin Hood. I think he's kind of scruffy cause of fighting. He's got scruffy whiskers cause of not being where he could shave. He's got long blond hair that's messy and hazel color eyes. He's maybe 18 or in his 20s and a sorta rebel.

Excellent description, Lenny! And thanks so much to everyone for playing and to Jen for hosting! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Guess That Character Blogfest

2010-08-19T03:35:00.004-05:00

The day of the Guess that Character Blogfest has arrived! Thanks so much for hosting this event, Jen!

Here's how it works: today I'll post a snippet of one of my characters, Keenan, with no physical description. You try to guess what he looks like, based solely on voice, action, and personality. Tomorrow I'll post a picture of him with a short description, and you can see how close your guess was. I'll also post whose description I thought was closest to correct. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? This snippet is from my epic fantasy, In the Seventeenth Year.

Keenan stormed away from the battlefield, heading north. He didn’t know where he was going, just that he had to get away…away from Nolan, from the elf, from all of them. He followed the river to Lake Dooley and kept going until the trees grew thick enough to offer privacy. He took off his wretched worn-out boot and soaked his bloody foot in the cool water. How can Nolan be so blind? he thought. He thinks because she is young and beautiful she can’t be dangerous. And why are we following him like blind sheep anyway? I didn't sign up for a dictatorship. I could turn around right now and go home. Not to the farm, but I could find work in Clifton…

"You're bleeding."

Keenan looked up. Brady stood over him, bow in hand. "What of it?" Keenan asked.

"Nothing. Just an observation."

"Brilliant," Keenan said. "Now you've made your observation and you can be on your way."

Brady held out Keenan's bow. "My father wants us to hunt."

Keenan gave a humorless chuckle as he accepted the bow. "Is he hoping I'll finish you off this time?"

Brady's eyes became solemn. "Perhaps."

"Do you do everything your father tells you?" Keenan asked.

"And you do not?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Brady shrugged. "You're still here, aren't you?"

"Maybe I won't be much longer."

* * *

Thanks for playing! You can check out the other entries out by clicking here.

And a sidenote: For those of you that read my last post, hubby did end up reading my blog. I got in trouble, but he passed the test! :)

Daniel the Pest

2010-08-16T05:32:00.003-05:00

Last week I started plotting my next wip. I'm a total plotter, so this stage will last a while. One of the first things I do is character sketches, and part of that is finding pictures of people (usually actors or actresses) that my mc's look like. This is one of my favorite types of research. I mean, look at that picture. Can you blame me? :)

So I have a villain in my new wip, and as we all know, a villain shouldn't be evil just for the sake of being evil. He's usually got some backstory that's turned him into the person he is, some sympathetic reason behind the evil things he's doing. So I searched and searched for an actor to represent my villain, and I came up with Daniel Craig. I took the above picture and put it at the top of my villain's character sketch. All is well and good.

So as I'm thinking about my villain's backstory, and I'm staring at the picture of Daniel, he just keeps getting more and more sympathetic. Pretty soon he's got enough past trauma, family secrets, lies, blackmail, etc. for a story of his own, all of which had no part in the original idea. Darn it! Why did I have to pick Daniel to be my villain? So I ended up giving him his own significant story line. Hopefully that will keep him in his place, and he'll stop being such a pest.

Have you ever had a secondary character take over? Did you ever give a secondary character their own story or viewpoint because they just wouldn't leave you alone?

Incidentally, earlier this summer my husband was attending my son's baseball game, and a random woman and her teenage daughter came up to him and told him he looks like Daniel Craig. Hmmph. When's the last time some stranger told me I look like Eva Green? Let's see, maybe...never?

BTW, my husband would kill me if he knew I blogged about that. This will be a good test to see if he reads my blog. If so, hi honey! :)

NOTE: I'll be skipping my Wednesday post this week to prepare for Jen's Guess That Character blogfest on Thursday and Friday. If you haven't signed up yet, hop on over to Jen's to take part in the fun! And I hope you'll stop by Thursday and give me your best guess!

Imagery

2010-08-13T04:21:00.002-05:00

One of the things that I feel makes truly memorable writing is the author's use of imagery. This is one of the things I'm really trying to improve on in my own writing.

Here are a few examples from some of my favorite authors:

From Tithe, by Holly Black:
"Waves tossed themselves against the shore, dragging grit and sand between their nails as they were slowly pulled back out to sea."

Also from Tithe:
"She laughed at that, silvery cold laughter that rose up out of her throat like crows going to wing."

From Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr:
"The Summer Girls were like plants needing the nutrients of the sun to thrive; they couldn't be away from the Summer King for long, or they'd fade."

From Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull:
"The demon sprang forward with a roar like a thousand cannons firing together. A black wall of shadow flowed from Bahumat like a wave of tar."

Can't you just see that wave of tar or hear the silvery cold laughter rising up like crows going to wing?

Do you try to include imagery in your own writing? Do you have any favorite authors whose imagery you admire?

The Blog and the Beautiful

2010-08-10T19:21:00.018-05:00

Writing news:
I'm working on the synopsis for Killing Kessler (thanks to everyone who contributed synopsis advice - it's very much appreciated!) and starting to plot out three new ideas to see which one I'm most in love with. Hopefully once I get Kessler ready to query, I can start a new first draft!

Conference news:
I'm sure you've all heard about WriteOnCon by now. Click here for the schedule.

Contest news:
Theresa Milstein at Substitute Teacher's Saga is hosting a platform contest - a contest for a cause. Check it out here.

Carolina Valdez Miller has extended the deadline on her 7 ARC contest to August 15. If you've already entered, you can earn additional entries. Click here for details.

Medeia Sharif is giving away a Big Box of Paranormal. Deadline is August 27.

Marcia Hoehne is giving away a copy of Star in the Forest. Deadline is August 15.

An award:
Today I'd like to give away the Bloom of an Idea Award to Jen at unedited. Jen is so creative, she's always come up with new and fun things to do on her blog. If you haven't signed up for her Guess That Character Blogfest on August 19 and 20, I suggest you get over there and sign up right away!

And a question:
If you could meet one fictional character come to life, who would it be?

This is so, so hard, but I guess I'd choose Max from Maximum Ride. She's hilarious, tough, smart, and she's got wings for crying out loud! Who wouldn't want to see that? :)

Have a great Wednesday, Everyone!

Synopsis Strategies

2010-08-08T13:06:00.018-05:00

With the latest revision of Killing Kessler out to betas, I'm hoping it will be ready to query soon, so it's probably time to write the synopsis. Okay, it's probably well past time but getting to the point where I can't put it off any longer.

I've been looking through my writing books for synopsis tips. Here are a few of the tips I found most valuable:

Always follow the publisher's or agent's guidelines on synopsis length, but generally synopses should be one single-spaced page, or up to five double-spaced pages. Shorter is better, though some novels, like thrillers or mysteries, might require more.

Establish a hook at the beginning. Think of your synopsis as a sales pitch.

Introduce your most important character first.

Main characters should be well developed. What are their goals, motivations, obstacles? The reader needs to care about them.

Don't leave the editor/agent in suspense; tie everything up and reveal the ending.

P.S. I thought I remembered seeing something about this on Elana Johnson's blog before, and I just took a look and found it. If you're writing your own synopsis, check out her advice here.

P.P.S. Also, Catherine Winn has posted a great idea on writing synopses that I'll definitely try. Click here to read her post.

I think I remember seeing someone mention on their blog that they had taken an online seminar on writing a synopsis. Does anyone know of any good seminars, courses, books, etc. that you would recommend?

What's your best synopsis advice?

Picture Cheat

2010-08-06T07:26:00.011-05:00

I'm having so much fun with Sharon I forgot to write a blog post last night, so I figured I'd cheat a little and just show some follow-up pictures from my last post.

Here's Sharon's daughter (the beautiful smiling girl) and my daughter (the head ducked behind the Balderdash box). On Sharon's last night in St. Louis, we all played Balderdash together and laughed harder than I can remember laughing in a long time. My daughter's answer about it being against the law in North Carolina to make a pinata of a striped elephant because they revere elephants has us laughing for a good five minutes.

Here's Sharon showing all the world how much she loves Balderdash. Sharon's answer about a movie with English children drinking fizzy soda and floating to the moon was also a highlight of the evening.

And this is my youngest daughter and the (delicious!) cake she baked for my birthday.

Thanks so much for all the wonderful birthday wishes, Everyone! Seriously, they kept me smiling all day long.

What plans do you have for the weekend? Have a great one!

Celebrate

2010-08-04T06:10:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately, I'm not celebrating anything huge like a book deal or finding an agent or anything, but I am celebrating in my own small way today, so I thought I'd share. :)

#1 - Today's my birthday. (Okay, maybe not really cause for celebration, but my 10-year-old daughter made me a cake that I haven't been allowed to look at yet, so that should be fun, anyway.)

#2 - I finished the latest round of revisions on Killing Kessler! I wish I could say it's the last round, but I'm pretty sure I'd be lying.

#3 - My good friend Sharon from Random Thoughts and her daughter are coming to visit today. Sharon used to be my neighbor (sort of) here in St. Charles before she moved to Iowa. Welcome home, Sharon!

What are you celebrating today?

Book Review - Messenger in the Mist by Aubrie Dionne

2010-07-31T22:37:00.019-05:00

Two factions on the verge of war… A countryside overrun with beasts… A love tested against duty…

Star, a messenger for the Elite Riders of Evenspark, races through the misted countryside delivering correspondence to the bordering Fortress of Ravencliff. The route is haunted by the mysterious beasts that lurk in the moors. Star risks her life for the hope of relocating her parents, for the glory of her illustrious career, and for an unrequited love.

On one such mission, Star discovers she carries plans for the assassination of Prince Valen of Ravencliff—the man who has captured her heart. Weighing love against livelihood, she must decide what’s more important…the safety of her country or her love for the Prince, who is betrothed to Princess Vespa of Evenspark.

With the mist rising, enabling the Elyndra to gather and threaten the borders of both kingdoms, Star must unravel the mystery of their existence and forestall a war.

I've enjoyed reading Aubrie Dionne's blog, Flutey Words, for quite a while, so I jumped at the chance to read her latest eBook, Messenger in the Mist. Since it's a romance and fantasy, two of my favorite things, I went in with high hopes. Aubrie delivered an action-packed adventure that did not disappoint.

I immediately liked Star, the resourceful young woman who dreams of buying her parents a home in a part of town where they'll be safe from the Elyndra, flying beasts who terrorize the countryside but have not yet crossed the boundaries into Star's homeland, Evenspark, or the neighboring land of Ravencliff. The setting is an integral part of the plot, and Aubrie describes it beautifully, bringing it to life with skillful description and vivid imagery.

Star's love for Prince Valen of Ravencliff threatens to bring both kingdoms to war. When the mist which sustains the Elyndra begins to rise, Evenspark and Ravencliff are both at risk of the Elyndra breaching their borders. When Star is forced to team with the delightfully dangerous Fallon Leer to stop the beasts, her loyalty to Valen is tested. In the end, she must choose only one man to give her heart.

Aubrie's well-drawn characters, suspenseful plot, and masterful storytelling make Messenger in the Mist pure pleasure to read. I hope you'll check it out!

Sidenote: You can read Aubrie's short story, Rainbow's End, posted at A Fly in Amber, by clicking here. Make sure you vote after you read her story by clicking on the stars beside the title.

Balderdash

2010-07-29T20:00:00.011-05:00

One of my favorite games ever is Balderdash. This game was made for writers. You play by making up definitions for the odd words they give you and trying to fool your opponents into thinking your definition is the real one.

Let's give it a try. I'll give you a word and four possible definitions, and you try to guess which is the correct one. I'll post the answers at the bottom (under the picture) so don't peek!

Koomkie:

#1 - A hairball

#2 - A trained female elephant used to attract wild male elephants

#3 - The reproductive arm of an octopus

#4 - Wild boar droppings

Golilla:

#1 - The upper lip of a camel

#2 - A worthless weed known as the nipple nightshade

#3 - A fruit grown in the West Indies

#4 - A high collar worn by Italian noblemen during the 17th century

Schemozzle:

#1 - A group of two or more monkeys

#2 - A mosquito's tongue

#3 - A fine paid by people who didn't join the army during medieval times

#4 - An antelope with very wide hooves

Ready for the answers? Don't peek unless you're ready!

Koomkie - #2 - A trained female elephant used to attract wild male elephants

Golilla - #4 - A high collar worn by Italian noblemen during the 17th century

Schemozzle - #1 - A group of two or more monkeys.

So...how'd you do?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Guiding Blog

2010-07-27T21:30:00.024-05:00

Wednesday again already? Sheesh...they sneak up quick.

Writing News:
I'm chugging right along on the wip, trying to maintain my 1 chapter/day revision pace, though some chapters need a lot more work than others. Thanks for all the encouraging words last week about the seemingly never-ending revision process!

Reading News:
I'm reading Messenger in the Mist by Aubrie over at Flutey Words and loving it! I'm hoping to post my review on Monday, but since I've never written a review before, that may be overly optmistic, so stay tuned.

Contest News:
These are repeats from last week, but I added them to that post late, so I'm putting them in again in case any of you missed them.

Carolina Valdez Miller at Carol's Prints and Sara McClung at Babbling Flow are both giving away ARCs.

Ann at Inkpots n' Quills is giving away signed copies of The Lacuna and The Poisonwood Bible.

Blogfest News:
I just signed up for the Guess That Character Blogfest hosted by Jen at unedited. This one looks like a lot of fun, and I don't have to write anything new for it (that's key!) It runs August 19 and 20. Why two days, you ask? I can't explain it all here, you'll just have to stop by Jen's and check it out.

DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude hosts the High Drama Blogfest/Giveaway on Saturday, August 7.

Lilah Pierce at Thoughts by Lilah Pierce hosts The Funniest Blogfest Ever on Wednesday, September 1.

An Award:

Today I'd like to pass on the Oh My Blog Award (given to me by the wonderful Shelley Sly at Stories in the Ordinary - thank you, Shelley!) to Bossy Betty. Betty's blog is one of the funniest I've encountered. I love hearing stories about Betty and HOB (Husband-of-Betty). If you haven't met Betty yet, hop on over and introduce yourself. You'll be glad you did!

And a Question Just for Fun:

What's your favorite type of candy? I recently rediscovered Blow Pops. They were my favorite when I was a kid and I still love 'em! The gum flavor lasts for approximately ten seconds, but it's still two candies in one. :)

Siblings

2010-07-25T15:26:00.014-05:00

My 12-year-old son came home from a week at a sleepover YMCA camp yesterday. The first thing he did after coming in the house was hug his older sister. This suprised me slightly. The second thing he did was chase down his younger sister and hug her, too. This suprised me a lot! Those two can barely exchange a civil word. To see them hug (well, my son was hugging, my daughter was trying to get away) was a golden mommy moment.

One thing I love in books is the relationships between people, and one of my favorite types of relationships is the sibling relationship. I enjoyed the relationships between the reclusive Cullen siblings in the Twilight series. In Bridge to Terabithia, it's Jess's relationship with his little sister, May Belle, that left me thinking he was going to be okay despite the tragedy he'd endured. Of course, some sibling (or quasi-sibling) relationships are as bad as others are good - just ask Harry Potter.

In my current wip, my mc lives with her brother, sister, and a friend who's like part of their family. Creating these relationships was one of my favorite parts of writing the book. They tease, they fight, they get angry, they love and protect each other. Being from a family of five siblings, I know what it's like to be arguing one minute, laughing the next.

Can you think of any books with sibling relationships that you particularly enjoyed? Have you ever written about siblings?

Her name's Prim, she's just twelve, and I love her more than anything.

- Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

A New Challenge

2010-07-22T20:36:00.008-05:00

I've decided to tackle a new challenge - something I've been thinking about doing for many months but haven't had the gumption to try. I'm going to...drumroll please...write a book review!

Yesterday the wonderful Aubrie at Flutey Words sent me the pdf of her new Ebook (just released on July 19): Messenger in the Mist. When Aubrie asked for reviewers, I couldn't wait to volunteer. Messenger in the Mist is a Fantasy Romance. My two favorite things! I can't wait to read it and yes, when I'm done I promised to review it. Eek!

I also won an ARC of Hero by Mike Lupica from Michelle Hodkin's blog a while back. This was about the time I was starting to read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, and once I got started on those, I couldn't even fathom reading anything else. But after I finish Messenger in the Mist and review it, I'm looking forward to reading Hero and reviewing it as well.

Writing a book review seems very foreign to me, though I've read plenty of them on other blogs and always enjoy them. Have you ever written a book review? Do you have any advice on writing one? What do you like or not like to see in a book review?

Blog Hills, 90210

2010-07-21T05:56:00.007-05:00

It's Wednesday again! Time for my update:

Writing News:
I'm still knee deep in revisions for Killing Kessler. This seems like a never-ending process. How can something that seemed so perfect two months ago now seem to need so much more revising? Will it ever be ready? I truly don't know.

Contest News:
Carolina Valdez Miller at Carol's Prints and Sara McClung at Babbling Flow are both giving away ARCs!

Ann at Inkpots n' Quills is giving away signed copies of The Lacuna and The Poisonwood Bible!

Since I just found out about these today, and this post is already a day old, I'll be sure to mention these contests again next week.

Blogfest News:
DL Hammons at Cruising Altitude hosts the High Drama Blogfest/Giveaway on Saturday, August 7.

Lilah Pierce at Thoughts by Lilah Pierce hosts The Funniest Blogfest Ever on Wednesday, September 1.

And an Award:
Today I'll be bestowing the Blogger BFF Award which was given to me by Lynn at Place to Create and Jen at unedited. Thanks, Lynn and Jen! I'd like to pass this award to Old Kitty at Ten Lives and Second Chances and Anne at Piedmont Writer.

I love Old Kitty's take on the world, and her wonderful Charlie pictures! Her comments always make me smile, they're like getting a great big hug!

Anne is a talented writer who shares her work generously on her blog. I always look forward to Anne's Something-Something posts for my chance to catch up with Genna and Tony.

That's it for me. Happy Wednesday, All!