Tagged!

I've been tagged a few times in the past few weeks. Since these tags involve answering the tagger's questions and asking questions of the people I tag, I've decided to take one post each to answer the different questions I've been asked, and then a final post to pass the tag around and ask my new questions.

This first round of questions comes from C. Lee McKenzie at The Write Game.

1. What's the best part of reading a book you love?
I know I'm seriously in love with a book when I find myself brushing my teeth with one hand and reading the book with the other. The best part is feeling so desperate to know what comes next that I can't even stop reading to brush my teeth.

2. What book(s) have stayed in your head?
Thinking back to my childhood, I still remember Zilpha Keatley Snyder's books, like THE HEADLESS CUPID and THE CHANGELING, and also Judy Blume's books.

3. If you could write one book only, what would the main character be like?
Sassy and tough. I don't know why I like those characters so much, probably because that's the exact opposite of how I really am.

4. What book(s) do you love to read to your kids?
Right now we're reading THE RANGER'S APPRENTICE series by John Flanagan together. This is a long series, but we're all always ready to dive into the next one. When they were younger, I loved reading Marc Brown's Arthur picture books as well as Jamie Lee Curtis's picture books.

5. Do you ever read books aloud to others?
I read aloud to my kids most weekday nights. My oldest is almost 16, but she still enjoys it (at least she shows up when I call everyone upstairs to read, so I hope that means she enjoys it!)

6. Do you like discussing books with others?
I love it! I used to belong to a book club and really enjoyed it, but life ended up getting in the way.

7. If you hate a book, do you keep reading anyway or put it away?
I definitely put it down. Life's too short, and my TBR list is too long.

8. What kind of books do you like best? Sci-fi, Realistic, Historical Fiction, Biography, other.
Fantasy is probably my number one, though I enjoy sci fi, mystery, thriller, etc. And if I'm going to truly love a book, it needs to have some romance.

9. Are you transitioning into the digital age with a Kindle or a Nook or an I-Pad? Or are you sticking with those hard copies? Do you mix it up?
My hubby just got me a Kindle for Valentine's Day. I haven't actually bought an e-book yet because I still have so many books waiting to be read, but I have a couple in mind that I'll probably be buying soon.

10. How much do covers influence your buying a book?
Probably not at all. I love a good cover, but it's not really a factor in whether or not I buy the book.

11. Any new books you'd recommend?
Well, I'll share my two favorite 2011 releases - that's fairly new, right? I loved DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth and THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin. It's slightly older, but I also loved PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ by A.S. King. King has a new book, EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS, which I haven't read yet, but it's one of those I was thinking of buying to christen my Kindle.

How about you? Do you have any new books you'd recommend? What books have stayed in your head?

Weekly Progress Report and Award

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?