The Novel Girls

Catch you all on the flip side!

2010-06-22T15:19:00.003-04:00

Hey hey, loyal Novel Girl Readers!

Everyone here at TNG is up to their stylish hip-waders in writing projects (that's a GOOD thing!) and so we've decided to take a collective hiatus for the summer!

But don't worry - we'll be back in the fall! With bells on and a bucket of large mouth bass! :-)

Or maybe just more fun posts about life, writing, and the writing life. And maybe some fabulous swag and giveaways... but only if you promise to behave and not torment your little brother in the backseat of the car on the way back from the lake. Deal?

xox,

Tracy, Maureen, Lisa, Jillian and Lesley

A Crazy Few Weeks

2010-06-14T06:46:00.003-04:00

We don't have an official topic for this week (unless I missed something), but I've skipped blogging the past two weeks due to being ridiculously busy and overwhelmed, so I definitely wanted to pop in today with some type of a post.

I hate when I miss posting, and I hate even more that I haven't stayed up to date with all of the other Novel Girls, but time has been scarce as of late. My eldest son graduated from high school, I had book signings and other promo-related time-consuming details to deal with, and a book (By Magic Alone) that needed my attention.

I turned in By Magic Alone last Monday, so things are sort of beginning to ease timewise. Thank goodness! But I'm also behind on a bunch of other stuff, and once I get caught up on all of that, I have other books to write. That's right...more books! I can't announce anything officially just yet, but I should be able to by next week or the following. When I can, I'll share all of the details!

But here it is mid-June and my brain is back a few months, somewhere in April, I think. It will probably take me a few more weeks to actually be ready for summer. How's your summer going so far? I'd love to hear!

I'm totally cheating...

2010-06-07T00:05:00.003-04:00

That's right. I'm cheating. But it's an open mic this week, so I'm allowed! Ha!

I'm totally cross-posting from my own sadly-neglected-over-the-past-few-weeks blog because I'm just too burnt out to write a whole new post for TNG - and I did want to let you guys know a little of why I've been so scarce and scattered of late (note that it is again Sunday night when I'm posting but that's because I was in Edmonton to receive the CLA YA Book of the Year Award for WONDROUS STRANGE!! Whee!). More on that at another time.

For now, this blog entry will hopefully give you a fun little taste of what's been going down in LesleyLand of late. I hope you enjoy!

................................................................................................

Well... the last few weeks have been all sorts of cool.

All sorts of exhausting cool.

And, yes, I know... I haven't blogged a stitch about it. Because the coolness was all-encompassing and ate up all my time and most of my higher brain functions! So to make up for that, I promise a series of posts wherein I get you all caught up. With pictures!

First of all, there was the the White Pine Festival down at Harbourfront. I know I mentioned awhile ago that I was shortlisted for this award and, let me tell you, the students and teachers in schools across Ontario take this thing pretty darn seriously! It's amazing. The award is student-voted on and at the two-day Festival of Trees celebration, the authors get treated like rock stars. The festivities are held outside and there's always a huge turn-out of students and teachers and librarians! And much insane cheering and hooting during the ceremony...

A view of the crowd and the author nominees on the stage.
(I'm at the very far left)

I had the opportunity to hang out with some really fabulous authors - Tim Wynne Jones was particularly entertaining to sit next to on the stage - but the best thing, as always, was meeting the fans and readers. These kids were outstanding. They are passionate readers and not shy about letting you know it.

That's me signing autographs in a very chilly tent for some very awesome students!

One of whom could totally be a leprechaun in my universe - check the awesome green 'hawk!

The award ceremony itself, with all the authors lined up on the stage.

WONDROUS STRANGE won "Honour Book"!

Aside from the awards themselves, there were weeks of school-visit shenanigans leading up to that. I went to Peterborough, North York, Etobicoke, Oshawa, Scarborough, Bayfield, and Belleville, among others.

Here are some shots from one of my school visits - in Scarborough, at L'Amoreaux Collegiate:

They put my name on the sign!

And created a cool display with a beaded horse-tail and a horn to call the Wild Hunt!

My hosts, Dianne and Officer Reeve and another WONDROUS STRANGE
display, complete with a 4-leaf clover pendant!

This particular visit was a lot of fun (who am I kidding - they're ALL fun!) because Officer Reeve is the School Resource Officer - a real live policeman who is stationed at the school as a community liason and he runs a reading club for the boys at L'amoreaux. Which is very cool, because there often isn't enough encouragement these days for boys to read. He was my escort for the day and picked me up from the subway to drive me to the school... in the cruiser! :-D

Okay, sure. Maybe I did wind up in handcuffs.

But I didn't actually try to steal his cruiser...

I only thought about it!

Anyway, he had to let me go - otherwise I never would have made it to the festival!

A Question of Fame

2010-06-03T13:24:00.004-04:00

Since we're just having a free for all this week, I thought I'd write about something I was just thinking about this morning and that's famous people and why we're so fascinated with their lives, or more aptly, their deaths. Yesterday, I heard lots of talk about Al and Tipper Gore's divorce and I thought it was interesting that so many people found it shocking. Admittedly, I too was shocked. And then today, I watched Rue McClanahan's death ripple through Twitter, and I also had that sad moment where I remembered how much I used to love to watch the Golden Girls. And this is just the last two days -- last week I read with morbid curiosity and sadness about the death of Brittany Murphy's husband and also of Gary Coleman. But that brings me to my question: People get divorced all the time, and sadly, strangers (which is really what famous people are to most of us) die all the time. So why are we so saddened/shocked/impressioned by it when it concerns famous people?

Is it because we feel we know them, that through movies and TV shows, People magazine and Us Weekly, we feel like they're somehow distantly connected to us? Maybe. I think for me, whenever something bad happens to a famous person, it serves as a reminder that bad things can happen to *anyone* no matter how rich, privelaged, or famous they are. And things like death, illness, divorce, are scary to think about. These are the kinds of things we always want to think won't happen to us or our families, and so when they happen to famous people, who look and seem vastly shinier, wealthier, and more privelaged than the rest of us, maybe we suddenly realize we're a little less immune?

This morning, I found myself in a cemetary visiting someone's grave with my husband. As we walked around looking for the right place, I pointed out the very, very obvious to my husband that cemetaries are vastly depressing. They're huge, there are dead people everywhere, dead people you don't know, and names you don't recognize. And yet somehow, almost shockingly, that didn't feel as sad to me as reading about Rue McClanahan's death when I got home. Like all those graves I saw, she was just a stranger to me, so I have to wonder, what makes us feel more for celebrities?

What do you think?

The Ryman, Neil Young, Will and Me

2010-06-02T09:45:00.002-04:00

Today I'll chat about my son, Neil Young and the infamous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The three converged last night as I escorted my youngest boy, Will, to the first of two concerts in Nashville for Mr. Young on his "Twisted Road" tour.

Here's the best. Will and I were lying on the couch at 6:30 p.m. when we looked at each other and wondered, "Exactly why aren't we going to see the show?" A ticket price of $127.50, maybe? Hmmm. Could that be the reason? I told Will that if he could get two for the price of one, I'd take him. "I'll find them, Mom. I swear," he says. So we jumped in the car, flew down to the Ryman, and ended up on the main floor - great seats - for half price!! It's amazing how well the scalpers will deal a few minutes after the opening act starts!

For those of you who don't know, I'm a rock and roll lover. Well, freak may be more like it. And naturally, so is my son. The beautiful part about last night is that Will loves Neil Young because of me!! I used to dream about the day I could take my kids to concerts. Now, he even knows more about the legendary rock star than I do.

The concert was, well there isn't really a good enough word that hasn't already been used to describe Neil's shows. But for clarification sake I'll just say the concert was everything we hoped it would be. Neil carried the show solo but had all of his different instruments set around the stage. Both his acoustic and electric guitars were in the middle, his grand piano on stage right. His pump organ was in the rear of the stage and his upright piano was off to stage left. And of course, his harmonica was usually in the holder around his neck. He spent the evening rotating around each instrument sharing the depth of his talent with the audience. Mr. Young didn't say much, but if you've been following his career at all you know that's his way - quintessentially Neil.

Each time he sang an old song my son jabbed me in the arm and I got to watch a huge smile spread across his face.

That was heaven for me. So was getting to spend an entire evening sitting next to my twenty-year-old son.

Pardon Our Dust!

2010-06-01T10:04:00.003-04:00

We're doing a bit of housekeeping around here on the blog, so excuse our dust! This week, we're doing a Free-For-All topic, so we can talk about whatever we choose. I spent last night with one of my college roommates, so I'm feeling nostalgic. Thus, I'm going to talk about my favorite movies when I was a kid.

1. The Goonies
I honestly didn't think there was a man or woman my age who didn't like this movie. Until my friend's husband ratted her out last night that she didn't share our love for this movie. I shrunk back in horror, hand clenched to my chest. My eyes slowly narrowed as I pressed myself against the couch. Who was this person? How did she deceive me for four year in college? Today, I'm still baffled.

2. Stand By Me
My parents' wouldn't let me watch this movie, thanks to the R-rating, but thankfully I had babysitters who cared more about teasing their bangs than censoring my television. After a couple of viewings, it was my favorite movie, not only because it was forbidden. I recently re-watched it, and it definitely holds up--especially the soundtrack.

3. The Neverending Story
I would follow along with Atreyu as he tried to battle and find the Princess. My couch became the giant mud hill where the enormous turtle-man lived (Forgive me if I can't remember Giant Turtle Man Who Lived in A Dirt Mountain's name...) and my poor aging beagle was the killer wolf I had to fight at the end. Let's just say that I'm very glad my parents didn't really use their video camera much during this time period.

4. Halloween
I really don't think I've seen a scary movie--to this day--that I've loved as much as Halloween. With none of the gore and torture found in many modern-day horror films, Halloween is simple and brilliant in its chills. I force my husband to watch all of the Halloween movies each year in October. Even the really crappy ones that are supposed to be set in Illinois, but have very clear mountain peaks in the horizon of each scene.

So that's it! Did I forget any of your favorites?

HAIR!

2010-05-30T20:52:00.002-04:00

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to Maureen on the launch of NOT READY FOR MOM JEANS! I seriously cannot wait to read this. I love her voice and I'm really looking forward to seeing what kinds of knots Clare can tie herself into this time! Sartorially or otherwise.

As for me? My fashion faux pas usually happen above my neck.

Here's the thing about being shortsighted. When I go to the salon, and take off my glasses for the duration of the procedure, I have absolutely NO idea what's going on with my head until the thing's done and there's no turning back. This has led to some... interesting coifs.

Some years ago I let an obviously deranged stylist have a go at the ol' locks. He cut my bangs asymmetrically, in two layers, dyed the underside black and the rest of my hair bright red. The end result looked as if I was a French femme fatale spy in disguise whose wig had slipped.

My mother said I looked like Biff Naked. I don't even want to know how she knew who that was.

Then there was the spiral perm. The end result of which was that, in high school, one of my numerous nicknames was Fluffy the Wonder Poodle. That's the kind of a name that sticks with a girl.

Once I came away from the rinse station with the hair at the back of my head showing a muddy shade of green. I was in the salon until ten that night as my stylist had to perform a rather extensive color correction due to something the previous stylist had used. I think it might have been toxic.

I stick with straight now. And blonde. And a hairdresser who seems as though they haven't been in the back room sipping cough syrup all afternoon. And I have a team on standby to do an intervention the next time I say: "I'm thinking of having something different done with my hair this time..."

Fashion + Pre-teen Years = Disaster

2010-05-27T11:55:00.001-04:00

Before I delve into my fashion mistakes, I just want to take a moment to say that I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of NOT READY FOR MOM JEANS, and I’m so excited that it’s finally out so that every one else can enjoy it!! It is a must read this summer – funny and overwhelmingly relatable for new moms and non-new moms alike. In the book, Clare tackles the dilemma that all new moms are faced with – can a woman still work and be a mom, and how can she be good at both? Add to that a cast of hysterical yet exceedingly real friends and family, and I found myself instantly absorbed in Clare’s life. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down and read the whole thing in almost one sitting!

So now to my fashion mistakes. Oh, there were too many to recount here. Remember my post a few weeks ago about my fabulous mom – well one of the fabulous things about her was that she always told me to make my own decisions. From a very early age, she wanted me to take responsibility for my actions. Apparently, this included my clothing choices. I’ve looked at many a picture from my childhood days and asked my mom what she was thinking to dress me that way. Her response is always the same, that it was my decision what I wanted to wear. Ahem.

Of course, I think my worst fashion mistakes were in my middle school years. I remember a fascination with tie-dye in sixth grade – I had this matching tie-dye pants/shirt set, and then a bright pink tie-dye shirt that I used to wear tucked into my tight rolled jeans (Okay, this last mistake was not entirely my fault, as tight rolling jeans used to be the only cool way to wear them, and sadly, in sixth grade, I was a fashion follower.)

However, if we’re talking about my worst fashion mistake ever, I’d have to say it was this. In seventh grade my best friend and I decided we should wear matching outfits to our school dance. Stop right there, you say? No, it gets better. The outfits we chose were these black and hot pink shirt dresses with big obnoxious silver zippers up the front, and we wore these over black leggings, of course. And yet, we got the reaction we hoped for when our collective crush took a double take when he saw us at the dance and called us “twins.” At the time we thought this was The. Best. Outfit. Ever.

Looking back I can laugh, because who hasn’t had a fashion mistake in their early pre-teen years? Isn’t that a rite of passage? So what was your worst pre-teen fashion faux pax?

My Fashion Faux Pas

2010-05-26T11:46:00.002-04:00

Dear Maureen (a.k.a. former debut author),

Can you believe you have another book under your belt? You're only twenty-something and have two books published already. I'm so thrilled and happy for you (please overlook my bad case of the green-eyed monster) and I'm hoping you are taking this week to relish in all of your glory!

NOT READY FOR MOM JEANS is a fab title! And the cover - that's mighty wonderful, too! In case some of our NG Followers don't know, I thought it would be great to mention again that we share the same wonderful agent AND the same wonderful editor at Thomas Dunne Books. Does that makes us cousins? Three times removed maybe?

I would never call myself a "fashionista" but if truth be told, upon first glance at my closet, one might think that I consider myself one. It's stuffed, packed and overflowing with more clothes than I know what to do with. My biggest fashion mistake is that I buy erroneous pieces for my wardrobe instead of thinking "entire outfit." I've got more clothes that have only been worn once and the reason is: I have nothing to go with them. EBAY needs to become my best friend.

On to my worst fashion faux pas. . . If I think back to the most hideous thing I've ever worn I suppose it would have to be back in college when jumpsuits were all the rage. I sported a navy blue number with a wide white metal zipper that adorned the front and had a big white ring at the top - just under my chin. Hot Sexy Mama is all I'll say. And the worst part of the faux pas . . . I wore it to a Fraternity Pledge Swap. If that doesn't make you cringe, I don't know what will.

CONGRATULATIONS to you, dear Maureen! Picture me right now sending you a cyber champagne toast. Wish I could be in Chicago to help you celebrate in person!

XOXOXOXO

LISA

Happy Release Day to Me!

2010-05-25T10:07:00.003-04:00

It feels very surreal to be celebrating the publication of Not Ready for Mom Jeans. I keep thinking the release is next month, or next year, or somewhere far, far away. As of today, I'm no longer a "debut" author, which is both thrilling and unbelievable. My dream was always to have a book out--just one--and now I officially have two. Pardon me while I say Whoa. (Bonus points if you were just reminded of Joey Lawrence on Blossom.)

In honor of the release of Mom Jeans, I chose the topic of fashion mistakes. My main character, Clare, is determined to stay somewhat hip and with-it, despite now having a baby. She has a serious case of minivanitis and refuses to trade in her j

For all those wondering, let me define what "Mom Jeans" actually are for you. Tyra banks actually had a very helpful diagram on her show recently. Mom Jeans generally have a very long zipper, well above the belly button, are pleated in the front and taper down toward the ankles, giving the wearer an ice-cream cone look. Very often, they are also really, really light colored, further adding to the unattractiveness.

Saturday Night Live did a hilarious spoof of Mom Jeans here: http://www.hulu.com/watch/10333/saturday-night-live-mom-jeans

While I can't admit to actually wearing Mom Jeans, there have been plenty of cringe-worth fashion mistakes in my time. I grew up in the late eighties/early nineties, and thus was best friends with my crimping iron. I even had the one that would crimp (read: burn) designs into your hair like a heart or a star. My mother never let me leave the house like that, but Still.

My favorite outfit when I was about twelve was an orange and black splatter paint shirt coupled with a poufy nylon bright orange skirt with black bike shorts underneath. I mean, Seriously. I also had acid-washed jeans with fluorescent puffy splatter paint all over it--that glowed in the dark. Again, I say: Seriously?!

And let's not forget the fashion trends of the mid-nineties--namely, a dark green crushed velvet babydoll dress paired with a black velvet choker and chunky black shoes. In 1995, I was extremely fashionable. Yet I still want to hide the pictures.

So let's hear it folks! What fashion mistakes will you admit to?

Congratulations, Maureen!

2010-05-24T07:00:00.002-04:00

I am so excited to celebrate the release of Maureen's second book, NOT READY FOR MOM JEANS! I haven't received my copy yet, but it will go to the top of my TBR pile the second it arrives. From the little I know about this story, I'm pretty sure it will also go to the top of my favorite reads. See, the heroine in the book (Clare) is a new mom, her mom is battling breast cancer, and she has a real life that needs some attention.

A lot like my life. No, I'm not a new mom NOW. And, thankfully, my mother has won her battle with breast cancer, but the specifics aren't what I'm talking about. It's the overall journey I'm referring to. One filled with joy and sadness and fear. Moments of life that we can all relate to. And, I'm sure, there will be plenty of Maureen's wonderful humor wrapped into the story. I'm expecting I'll laugh out loud more than once.

So yep, can't wait to get it, and I'm bursting with excitement for Maureen. Huge, huge congrats, Maureen!

Now, from what I can tell, I'm supposed to write a post about fashion mistakes. But I'm not really sure I can do that. Mostly because I don't pay a lot of attention to fashion. Heck, I'm a stay-at-home writer. My fashion choices tend to be what's comfortable. Pajama bottoms and a T-shirt? Yep! Baggy sweatshirts and shorts? Yep! If it's clean and comfortable, I'm going to wear it while I write.

Even when I actually don real clothes to go out in the real world, I find I'm not that picky. As long as what I'm wearing is free of stains and not missing any buttons, I'm pretty happy. I'm also one of those women who can have her hair and makeup done in less time than it takes my husband to prepare himself to walk out the door.

Sad, huh?

Yeah, I know. But it's the way it is. So I don't really have a specific story about a fashion mistake. I'm sure I've made them. I just don't know enough to know when I made them or the particulars. It's probably best that I don't know, to be honest.

I find fashion interesting. I love watching the red carpet shows and checking out what all the celebrities are wearing. But that's about as far as it goes with me.

Do you have any fashion mistakes you'd like to share? And please, join me in congratulating Maureen for her release!

"You were banished because you were clumsy?"

2010-05-23T15:41:00.004-04:00

Me and Jar Jar Binks. We have that in common. (That is all we have in common. I did not ruin a movie franchise with my ridiculous antics, thank you very much!)

And maybe I wasn't exactly banished, but I was definitely clumsy.

It's probably the thing about me growing up that drove my mom nuts the most. I mean aside from my lack of punctuality (er... see last week's post and, er... the timing of this week's post!)

You see... as a small child, I was fond of running into things with my face. It's like I'd get up to speed and then couldn't figure out how to stop, so I'd just point my mug in the direction of the nearest hard/pointy/sharp/injurious surface and cease forward momentum thusly.

For example, I distinctly remember the day my mother was baking snickerdoodles (I also didn't give silly names to cookies - that's just what they're called, all right?) and I'd endured an afternoon of delicious chocolatey smells wafting down from the kitchen. When, finally, she called down that they were ready, I went tearing upstairs, misjudged the door frame and door opening by several significant inches and split my forehead open on the corner of the wall. This was in the days before cell phones: my dad came home from work to an empty house, mouthwatering aromas, and random blood-spatters as my mom had taken my brother to the neighbors and driven me to emergency to get my face sewn shut.

Then there was the time I split my eyebrow open bouncing on my bed - having flown off wildly after a rogue bounce and finding it necessary to impede my flight by way of the dresser.

Oh yeah... and then there was the time I split my lip open on the fireplace hearth. I don't even remember what my reasoning was that time. Probably just kids havin' fun...

All of these incidences required various degrees of needle-work to make right. So by the time I slipped on a patch of ice in the school playground and broke my arm in the second grade, my adorable visage was a road map of scars both fresh and fading. Not surprising then that the doc who was plastering my skinny limb into a cast didn't believe me when I said I'd "fallen down". Sure you did, kid. Ma'am, we'd like to talk to Lesley alone, for a moment, please...

Honestly, I think the poor woman thought they were going to call a social worker on her! But then I probably did something like fall off the examining table, lending credence to the "No really - she's just unnaturally clumsy!" theory.

They let me go home and I'm sure my mother was relieved at that. But yeah - I'm pretty sure that it also drove her fairly nuts.

I Like My Karma the Way I Like It

2010-05-20T00:06:00.004-04:00

According to my parents, I was a pretty easy baby and toddler. I napped when I was supposed to. I didn’t cry a lot. I listened. Even as I got older I was always the good/well-behaved child in the family, the one my mom didn’t have to worry about having tantrums in the mall or misbehaving at school. But, as I’ve been told, even as a young child I was a little bit OCD. (And okay, admittedly, I still am). Remember Sally in When Harry Met Sally – when she orders her salad in her own particular way, dressing on that side? That’s me. I also like what she says in the movie, that she just likes things the way she likes them. There’s nothing wrong with being particular, right?

But anyway, when I was around two or three apparently I had this thing, where I would only use a Kleenex if it came from this one particular box in our living room. If anyone tried to give me one from somewhere else, I cried and screamed and insisted the Kleenex must be from the living room. I’m sure this drove my mother crazy (and I’m sure it wasn’t just the Kleenex, although this is the story I’ve heard over and over and over again my whole life.) I’m not sure how long this went on, maybe months or years, but I do remember what cured me of it. Once I was at my no-nonsense next door neighbor’s house and I needed a tissue. I insisted my mom run back to our house and get me one from the living room, until my neighbor yelled at me and insisted I take the tissue from her house. I’m not sure why, or exactly what she said to me (but vaguely remember she said something to the effect that I should stop being such a whiny brat), but whatever it was, I never complained about the tissues again.

And like Maureen said, there’s nothing like karma. Because my youngest son is exactly this way. He will only drink his juice box if it’s facing a certain way and placed in the Sponge Bob cup-holder in one direction; he will only walk on one side of the garage, which is, of course the longer route to the door, and he has a fit if you try to make him go the other way. He instructs me specifically on where each part of his dinner should go on his plate. And I could probably go on and spout off a million little things he wants a particular way, things that drive me crazy on a daily basis.

Of course, when I complain to my mom about it, she just laughs and asks if I took a Kleenex from the living room today. Okay, point taken.

High Maintenance

2010-05-18T11:19:00.002-04:00

I really, really hope that my mother doesn't read this week's post, as I know whatever I end up confessing, she would remind me of about 500 additional incidents that caused her to pull out her hair.

My mother always referred to me as her "high-maintenance child" because I was colicky as n infant and strong-willed as a toddler and beyond. She has since eaten these words, after raising my siblings who have totaled three cars, gotten brought home by the police, had our house t.p.-ed, and so on. "High-maintenance" sounds pretty good right about now, huh?

Of course, I had my fair share of difficult moments as a child. If my mom said up, I said down. She suggested I wear pants to school, and I'd only want to wear a dress. Sometimes I think I argued with her just for the sake of challenging her and to see if her head would pop off due to frustration. Like the time when I was in kindergarten and she brought me to a fancy department store and told me not to touch anything. I responded by knocking over a mannequin and shattering it into a million pieces. That one wasn't on purpose. I think.

And as a teenager, I had my fair share of "I'll just say I'm sleeping over at a friend's house" and missed curfews. Then, when I entered college, I decided to get a tattoo. Her reaction of, "That's nice" was somewhat anti-climactic.

But as I've said before, everything I did that my parents thought was terrible has been either matched or completely overshadowed by my two brothers and sister. Yet my mother still calls me her difficult child, despite never having crashed their car into the side of the garage and then pretended that the huge dent just "appeared overnight." Ahem.

A few years ago, I had my own high-maintenance child. My mother smiled and sat back, happy with the knowledge that karma is truly a great thing.

Oh, Let Me Count the Ways...

2010-05-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

I giggled when I saw what this week's topic is. Truly, I did. There were so many ways I drove my mother crazy that choosing just a few to highlight caused me a fair amount of stress. Something my mother would appreciate hugely. Finally, after all of these years, I am going to admit to the world how many gray hairs I actually gave my mom.

Sigh.

So, where to be begin?

I could talk about the time I raised our phone bill (remember, this was long before all-in-one long distance plans) to a horrifying (really horrifying) amount for three months in a row calling a college guy I fancied myself in love with. What makes this story worse is I (okay, yes, I am sooo embarrassed to admit this) HID the phone bills when they came the first two months. The third month, I sort of had to give in and show it to her, because otherwise, we'd have lost phone service.

She was not happy. And, as a mom who has faced her own battles with phone bills caused by her teenage daughter over the years, I totally get this. Now. Not so much then.

I could talk about the time I, living in another state at the old age of eighteen, decided to marry a man I barely knew and gave her the news over the phone. When I shared that I met him at a "church" that was actually not a church, but some made-up religion centered out of another guy's house (um...cult? Maybe. I've never decided this for sure), and that this guy stated it was God's will for us to marry, I'm sure she hung up the phone and cried. (For the record, I did not marry this guy. I just thought I was going to, but luckily, sanity won out in the end).

Or I could talk about the time I, as a senior in high school, took off with a girlfriend for the evening (um, the entire evening), with her parents believing she was at my place and my parents believing I was at hers. When her parents called my house to check in, the entire story unraveled, and my parents phoned the police with my license plate number. Yeah. That was a fun night for all of us.

Or another night that I (also a senior in high school) took off with another friend for a party. And then, when it was obvious that no one should be driving, called home and left a rambling message that I was staying the night at my friend's house. The next day, when I got home in the early afternoon, my parents were just about to call the police again. Because, apparently, I hadn't left the message on our phone. They, for most of the morning, thought I was sleeping in, but when Mom finally checked my room and found I wasn't there...Well, let's just say it's a good thing I got home when I did.

Okay, you know what? Those four are enough. Let's leave it at that before I turn any of my own hairs gray! But Mom? For the record, I apologize for stressing you out and driving you crazy. I'm lucky I had you to always, always steer me the right way.

Now, just for fun, tell me some of the ways you drove your mom crazy. Please? Misery loves company and all that...

A thing my mom didn't teach me. And a thing she did.

2010-05-16T20:31:00.005-04:00

Punctuality.

Obviously. Exhibit A - this post. Yup - late again.

When I was a kid, we moved across town when I was between elementary school and junior high. This meant that I would have to go to a different school than all my other little buddies come the fall. To say I raised a stink at this prospect would be a vast understatement. After all, these were my bosom, lifelong friends and they would remain so should we continue on in our studies together. (I can remember the names of maybe three of those bosom chums today, their faces not at all, and am facebook friends with one of them. Yes, my logic was flawed. Oh hindsight...)

My parents, to their credit, acquiesced and enrolled me at the school I pined to attend... and then my lovely, wonderful, long-suffering mother drove me to and from school every day for three interminable years. I have yet to adequately apologize to her for putting her through that.

I suppose that it wouldn't have been quite so bad for Mom except that, every single day, she would pull up in front of the school and watch as all the other kids came out the doors, got into cars, or walked to the bus stop, or wandered home in twos and threes... and I would not appear. The last of the stragglers would leave and the teacher parking lot would empty and still my mom sat there in the car, wondering where the heck I was.

Eventually--and it was always a long eventually--I would emerge, knapsack full of books (almost none of them homework-related) and clamber into the front seat, where Mom sat, frowning faintly as she tried to parse my unfocused gaze and unexplained tardiness.

"Where were you?" she would ask (meaning perhaps physically and/or mentally).

"Hmm?"

"What took you so long?"

"Uh... I dunno... I was just thinking."

"You can't think and get your coat on at the same time?"

Well - apparently not. Because my busy little brain wasn't really up to multi-tasking at such a young and tender age but it was certainly occupied. I was an inveterate daydreamer and, as such, was easily distracted to the point where I would just stand there in front of my open locker, staring into its depths, miles and worlds and adventures away. And, as often as it drove my mother positively bonkers to have to wait and wait and wait for me (ie: daily) she never completely blew a gasket. Popped a couple of seams, maybe, but that was only fair. I wasn't a particularly comprehensible or accommodating child. I didn't mean to be an unmitigated pain in the ass, I just wasn't that self-aware, you see. As frustrating as it must have been, my mom put up with me.

But she never taught me punctuality.

Because that would have meant teaching me to put my daydreams away before I was done with them. I wasted a good deal of her time back then... and she let me. Because I think, somehow, she knew deep down that those daydreams might lead me somewhere. And by letting me follow them, even at the expense of her own patience and sanity on occasion, she taught me that it was okay to do that.

She taught me that my inconvenient daydreams were important.

It was the absolute best thing she could have taught me. And she had to sit there listening to an awful lot of talk radio for me to learn it. Sorry, Mom. And Thanks.

Life Lessons

2010-05-13T00:05:00.000-04:00

To say I’ve learned a lot from my mom is a massive understatement. When I was growing up my mom was (and still is) a very big part of my life. She stopped working after I was born to be a stay at home mom, but she wasn’t one of those stay at home moms who are obsessed with cleaning their houses or carting their children around to activities – no soccer mom status for her. For one thing, I never played soccer (which was probably a good thing for all involved). But also, my mom was very hands on in teaching me about life and, I think, shaping who I am as a person and a writer.

From a very early age she read me books and then, when I was old enough to read, she carted me on an insane number of trips to the library. She helped me with my homework every night when I was younger (reminding me to always double check my work and have the patience to sit there until I know what I’ve done is right and to the best of my ability.) As a result I became a voracious reader and always did really well in school.

But I think it was life lessons about believing in myself and persevering that were the best lessons she taught me. From a young age, my mom always told me I could be and do anything I wanted when I grew up. She never discouraged me when I told her I wanted to be a writer, or that I was going to major in English, or get a (pretty useless) master’s degree in creative writing. She never told me to be practical, get a “real” degree/job, or that a career in writing would be too hard. She always repeated what she told me when I was little girl – that I could do whatever I wanted to, whatever was going to make me happy. And on top of that, she added her encouragement. It was my mom who constantly reminded me not to give up after a lot of rejection, and that she was sure I was going to be published some day. She still keeps at this, in fact, as she often drops things into our conversations like “when you’re a NY Times bestselling author. . .” (and she says "when," of course, not if!)

If it weren’t for my mom being so involved, so encouraging, and so positive that I could do whatever I wanted with life I’m sure that I would be a different person today. I don’t think I could’ve persevered as a writer, and I’m not sure I would’ve felt so strongly about making sure I had a career where I could also stay at home and be very hands on in raising my own kids.

So for all that, and so much more: thanks, Mom!

A Living Legacy

2010-05-12T22:25:00.006-04:00

My mother has been gone for nearly three years now and I miss her more today than I did the day she passed away. It wasn't hard at all to come up with the best thing she ever taught me. It's one of the most important virtues anyone could ever have. My mother taught me to be color blind. I can honestly say that I never once heard my mother utter a single prejudice remark in all the years I had her.

To fully appreciate my mother, you have to consider this: I was a little girl growing up in the 60s in the Deep South. And not just in any city in the Deep South. Memphis, Tennessee is my home. Home also to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, two sanitation worker strikes and whisperings of local officials with possible loyalties to the KKK. I was surrounded by prejudice. The blacks had to use different water fountains, pulic pools, toilets and churches. Even the famed Orpheum Theatre had a seperate entrance and box office for the African Americans, after requiring them to walk five flights up to the Gallery to see the show.

To avoid his daughters attending school half way across town, my father enrolled my sisters and me in a private all-girls school which, at the time, accepted only white girls. He would not stand for any of his girls to have to be victims of busing - the transporting of public-school students to schools outside their neighborhoods, as a means of achieving racial balance.

Despite my father's and community efforts to teach me otherwise, my lovely mother made sure that I knew that people of color were no different than me. Be they black, Indian, Asian or Hispanic, we were all human beings. I can remember her stopping to pick up black ladies who were walking to the bus stop and offering them rides home. If my father knew that Mama was anywhere close to their neighborhoods, and especially with us in the car, he would have been furious. Sadly, my father was very much a racist. Thankfully, my mother was anything but.

Mama taught my sisters and me by example. Her best friend was a lovely black woman by the name of Julia. The best gift of all is to see Mama's legacy alive in the eyes of my own two sons. They are completely color blind and I can think of few other virtues I'd rather them have.

Sunday Night Dinners

2010-05-11T11:22:00.003-04:00

It's hard to pinpoint one specific "best" of everything that my mother has taught me. If forced to choose, I suppose I would select the strong importance of family that she instilled in each one of her children.

I'm the oldest of four siblings, ranging from me down to my seventeen year old brother. We're each at unique stages in our lives--my brother is building his law career, my sister just graduated college and is trying to find her place in the world and my youngest brother is preparing to move away from home and start college. The past several years, my parents' house has been a revolving door of children moving in, out, and back again. My mom jokes that she'll never get empty nest syndrome since one of her kids will always be living under her roof.

Despite all of my siblings being scattered among different milestones in their lives, my mother always makes a point to cook Sunday night dinners for all of us. My brother takes the train to the suburbs from the city, my husband, son and I drive over from our house, my sister delays her night's plans and my youngest brother stumbles out of bed so we can all spend time together and cook dinner.

Sometimes, I forget how special those Sunday night dinners are, especially when I talk to other people who look at me strangely when I mention that I get together with my family once a week. People ask me if it's a burden, or even an obligation. It's not. After a long, tough week, it's great to be able to curl up on my parents' couches in my sweatpants and tease my brother or read magazines with my sister.

My mom has made such an effort to enforce an "open door" policy at their house, it really brings all of us much closer to each other. And that is something that will be both her best accomplishment and her legacy.

A Positive Attitude

2010-05-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

My mother has always looked at any situation in a "the glass is half-full" rather than "the glass is half-empty" sort of way. She's all about the positive attitude, always has been, and likely always will be. Which is great. A positive attitude brings about positive thinking and positive energy. But...Well, I am not as positive a person as she.

I'm not a negative gal, either. I'm solidly in the middle. Some things will wear me down to the point that I can't find a positive anything to pick myself up. For example, when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Okay, all cancer is bad, but some cancers are worse than others. Hers was bad. While I spiraled in an emotional downturn made up of fear, sadness, and anger, she...Well, she did what she always does. She kept a positive outlook. She did everything her doctors said to do, she looked into holistic possibilities (and did some of those, as well), and she always said, "I will beat this. I will be at my grandchildren's wedding."

And I, outwardly, said the same thing. Of course I did! She didn't need to hear my fears, sadness, or anger. She needed me to be as positive as she was. And so, to her, I was. But in my head, I was anything but positive. I was petrified.

But she did just as she said she was going to: she beat the cancer.

There have been other crises in our lives, both before this horrible timeframe and after, that I've seen her positive attitude at work. From the little to the large, my mother always portrays a positive outlook. That isn't to say she walks around wearing rose-colored glasses, because she doesn't. She'll readily admit when something is tough and/or when something scares her. She leans on others when she needs to. She views each problem for what it is without trying to paint a pretty but false picture.

What she does, though, is formulate a positive belief, which she then latches onto with everything she has. She thinks, memorizes, repeats, and lives this belief. And you know what? Being positive helps. It truly does make a difference. What felt horribly scary becomes a little less so. The suffocating pressure of worry lightens...maybe only slightly, maybe a lot, but it lightens.

I'm not saying that having a positive attitude can cure everything that goes wrong in our lives. But I do believe that being positive can make the really hard moments of our lives a little more bearable, can give us something to focus on, and in a lot of scenarios, can give us whatever it is we need to push through to the other side.

So, while I'm still a student, the best thing I've learned from my mom is to stay positive. No matter what. Thanks, Mom!

Mama Bear

2010-05-06T00:05:00.001-04:00

There are so many fictional moms that I love that it was hard for me to come up with one to write about for this post. But being that the majority of the books I read these days are to my kids, I decided I’d write about the first fictional mom that came to mind, and -- don’t laugh -- but it’s Mama Bear from the Berenstain Bears.

I was a big Berenstain Bears fan as a kid – maybe because I grew up in the same county where Stan and Jan Berenstain lived and wrote their books – but also because I loved Sister and Brother Bears’ adventures. I think I owned every single one of the books, and now my kids do, too. Also, they request that I read them. Repeatedly. Oh, and we watch the show, too!

But back to Mama Bear – I have to say there is no one more level-headed than she. She’s a great mom and she lets her kids and her husband learn their own lessons, while being kind, even-tempered, and an excellent sewer and honey-maker. In one of my favorite books – The Berenstain Bears and Mama’s New Job -- Mama starts her own quilting business and when her children get a little worried that she won’t have time for them, she teaches them that women can work, go after their passions, be entrepreneurs and still be a great mom.

Oh, and in the book where Sister Bear is born – The Berenstain Bears and the New Baby – which I read to my oldest son countless times when I was pregnant with my youngest – Mama Bear manages to pop out the new baby, regain her girlish figure, and get her new baby to sleep in the crib – all in the time it takes Papa and Brother Bear to go out in the woods and gather some timber for Brother’s new bed.

Seriously though, there is not a wiser mom I can think of in fiction. Or a mom with more passion, guts, love, life lessons, and kindness. And a cute little blue dress and matching hat to boot.

I Love Lucy . . . and LeeLee

2010-05-05T16:59:00.005-04:00

I suppose "Favorite Fictional Moms" week here at the Novel Girls is a great time to tell the world what a Lucy Lover/Freak/Groupie I really am. I (absolutely) Love Lucy! I've seen all the episodes so many times that I know almost every single line of dialogue by heart. Lucille McGillicuddy-Ricardo makes me laugh harder than any other TV character ever has, or probably ever will.

Number one, Lucy's a comedienne in a class all her own, but for purposes of staying in line with this weeks' topic, let's acknowledge that she's also mother to Little Ricky. I'm not so sure that I'd say she's the best, most perfect TV mom but I know this about her - she always, always has crazy fun. Like the time she and Ethel climbed over Richard Widmark's wall to pick one of his grapefruits to take home as a souvenir.

I can't believe I'm going to admit this to the world but one of my best friends (the one I named my protagonist for in WHISTLIN' DIXIE), LeeLee, and I were inspired by Lucy and Ethel's escapades to Hollywood one spring break during college. We had signed up for the Grayline Hollywood tour of celebrity homes when we learned Lucy's house in Beverly Hills was on the tour. As we approached Lucy's home our faces were pressed against one of the glass panes of the bus. Our guide tells us that Lucy and Ethel had actually hopped Lucy's wall at her own home and pointed out the grapefruit tree in her side yard that the two crazy star-struck women had climbed.

You'd have to know LeeLee and me but that's the last thing we ever heard that guide say. We looked at each other right then and there and let our facial expressions do the talking. Both of us knew what the other was thinking. We'd be back to that part of Roxbury Drive right before midnight. We saw no reason why we shouldn't climb that same wall and grapefruit tree in hopes of taking home our own juicy souvenir!

I don't think it's in the best interest of this writer's reputation to tell you the rest of the story but I will tell you that we indeed did climb the wall and that we indeed were successful. That's all I'll say.

Tonight I'm simply thanking God for TV LAND, and the fact that we did NOT try and remove John Wayne's footprint slab at Grauman's Chinese Theatre! Mostly I'm hoping the real LeeLee is reading this and remembering back to one of the most memorable nights of our lives! Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Mr. Mom

2010-05-04T11:25:00.002-04:00

Hey all! So this month, we're posting about mom-related topics leading up to the week of Not Ready for Mom Jeans release on May 25th. It's amazing to me that I will soon have a second book out, as it seems like just last month that A Bump in the Road hit bookstore shelves. Even those close to me seem shocked that it's time to release another book baby into the world! But enough about that--I have all month to get used to the idea!

This week we're talking about our favorite fictional moms. I'll admit, I was thrilled to choose the topic, but now that it's actually time to decide, I'm a bit stumped. So I'm going to cheat a bit and choose one of my favorite mom-related movies: Mr. Mom.

For all who haven't seen Mr. Mom, it stars Teri Garr and Michael Keaton and is about a stay-at-home mom who re-enters the corporate world while her former working husband stays home as...Mr. Mom. Throughout the movie, he deals with a wayward vacuum cleaner, a baby that somehow manages to open a can of chili, organizes a poker game for grocery story coupons and battles the temptation to wear the same outfit every day. Now that I write full-time at home, I can certainly identify with some of those! Speaking of which, I should probably find some new jeans...

But what I love best about this movie is that it portrays a real family. In reality, not every situation is Donna Reed or June Cleaver-esque. Sometimes, the mom works and the dad stays home. Or both parents work and a babysitter comes to the house. Or one parent works during the week and the other on the weekends or at night. It's never as clean and neat as Hollywood sometimes portrays. Families are messy and flexible and ever-changing--and THAT is something to celebrate!

My Favorite Fictional Moms

2010-05-03T07:06:00.006-04:00

Before I get to today's post, I need to congratulate the winner of last week's Release Celebration for A Breath of Magic! I used random.org to select the winner, and that person is...

Em-Musing!

Congratulations, Em-Musing!!! You get a signed copy of A Breath of Magic! I have your e-mail, so I'll be contacting you.

Okay, on to the post!

To celebrate Mother's Day, The Novel Girls are talking about moms all month long (leading perfectly into Maureen's release week at the end of the month!). This week, our topic is our favorite fictional moms.

I have to say choosing my favorite fictional mom proved more difficult than I thought it would be. Mostly because I just can't think of a lot of fictional moms right now. Seriously. I'm sure as I read through the other TNG posts this week, I'll smack my head and go "Oh, yeah! Me too!!!" but for now, I'm going to go with the first two fictional moms that popped into my head:

Marion Cunningham from Happy Days, as played by Marion Ross. I watched endless reruns of this show when I was growing up, and yeah, I was a Fonzie girl. But I always loved how Marion was the perfect mother. I mean, come on, she so totally was!

Home-cooked meals on the table every night, perfectly clean house, great with her kids, and she even put up with Howard. I don't even come close to her level of excellence (nowadays, I'm more likely to order food than I am to cook, and you don't want to see the pile of laundry that needs my attention!). And yes, I am aware that this show is set in the fifities, but that doesn't take away her excellence at being a mom.

Now, on a funny note, has anyone here watched Gilmore Girls? Marion Ross also played a mom and a grandmother on Gilmore Girls, and oh, wow, she was kind of scary. I wouldn't have wanted to be her daughter-in-law, I can tell you that much.

Madeline Westen from Burn Notice as played by Sharon Gless. I love, love, love this show for one thing. For another, Sharon Gless is an amazing actress, and her portrayal of Madeline Westen is awesome. In the show, Madeline's oldest son is a burned spy, and he has a rocky relationship with his mom. But he loves her. And she loves him. But she keeps him on his toes, which I love and appreciate. I totally think part of my job as "Mom" is to keep my kids on their toes. If you haven't checked this show out, you totally should.

So, those are my two choices for favorite fictional moms. Who are your favorites?

And don't forget, there are still contests at my blog all month long to celebrate the release of A Breath of Magic!

Beltane Eve!

2010-04-30T14:52:00.010-04:00

The Hawthorn trees are in bloom and the Fair Folk ride at midnight! For it is Beltane Eve and, on this night, the walls between the worlds thin and, in places, vanish...

In Faerie mythology, Beltane is known as one of the "Days of the Open Doors" -- one of the four points on the Celtic calendar when the realm of Faerie comes closest to our own. This is a time for celebration -- for lighting bonfires and drinking to the health of your friends and the Good Neighbors. It is a time of high magick!

So, naturally, it is entirely appropriate that this week is the launch of Tracy's A BREATH OF MAGIC. And, as the resident Faerie writer among the Girls, it seems only right and proper that this, the Eve of Beltane, is my day to post! (And -- look everybody! -- I'm actually posting on my day! What sorcery is this??)

I want to wish all good luck and great fortune to Tracy and my fellow Girls and all you marvelous TNG Readers! I think you're all pretty magickal! But be careful!... Sparkly things like you lot tend to attract the eye of the Fair Folk. So don't be at all surprised if you feel the brush of wings on your cheek after sundown tonight, or hear the far-off baying of spectral hunting hounds and laughter on the wind.

Just be careful on the way home. Stick to the paths and don't get caught out in the open near the Faerie Mounds or they may decide that, in honor of the holiday, you should come in under the Hill for a drink and a dance... and that's probably the last we'll see of you for the next few decades...

And then you'd miss out on all the contesty goodness happening over at Tracy's blog to celebrate A BREATH OF MAGIC! You don't want that to happen!! OR, for that matter, you don't want to miss the contesty goodness happening right here! Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to WIN A COPY OF A BREATH OF MAGIC!! Now that's something to celebrate!

Tarot Cards

2010-04-29T00:05:00.002-04:00

Congrats to Tracy on the release of her third book, A BREATH OF MAGIC, this week! I’m so excited to get a moment to curl up and read it!! If you comment on this post or any of the others this week you can be entered to win your own signed copy of the book (and there are even more exciting contest goodies at Tracy’s personal blog!).

So now onto my take on paranormal week! As soon as Tracy told us the topic I knew exactly what I wanted to write about: tarot card readings. I’ll admit that I’m somewhat of a believer in things like that, tarot cards, psychics, etc. Okay, I’m not a total believer – but I think it’s kind of fun to give them a little bit of weight. I do think there are a lot of things we can’t explain in the universe, so there’s the possibility that there’s some truth there, at least on some small level.

Back in February, on the release day for THE LIFE OF GLASS, I went to lunch with two author friends to celebrate. One of my fabulous author friends also reads tarot cards, and she brought her cards along to lunch. For fun, she did a tarot reading of our publishing careers’ past, present, and futures. Her reading of both my past and present were dead on, so when she pulled a card that she said meant spiritual and personal wealth and success for the future, I was completely ready to believe!

A week later, I was at Barnes and Noble doing a signing, and the signing table they had set up for me was none other than in front of the tarot card reading books. I noticed them and had a little chuckle, especially when a few minutes later, an elderly gentleman walked by, and stopped to talk to me. He’d noticed the sign that said “book signing” and the section of books about tarot card readings and he thought those were the books I’d written. He actually started yelling at me about writing books that were “the work of the devil,” and became quite confused when I tried to explain that I was not the author of the tarot card books!

I had the urge to tell him about my fabulous tarot card reading the week before, and how, according to the cards my writing career was going to attain me great personal and spiritual wealth, but I didn’t quite think he’d appreciate it the way I did.

I choose to believe in my reading, because why not? Publishing is such a crazy and bumpy ride that sometimes you need every little thing you can to hold on tight and keep forging ahead.

What about you, how do you feel about tarot card readings?

Dear Tracy,

2010-04-28T08:33:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it's Wednesday already. But what I really can't believe is that in a little over a year, you're releasing your THIRD BOOK! Congratulations to you, congratulations to you, congratulations you book-machine you, congrats to you!!! I wish you all the rich blessings and happiness with this book that you so richly deserve. (TNG Readers - Tracy is lovely and kind and above all a dedicated mother and wife.) It's obvious you work your tush off!! I am looking so forward to curling up on the couch with A BREATH OF MAGIC!

Did you know that I work at an old historic museum which is said to be alive with ghosts? My home town of Franklin, Tennessee is the sight of a historic Civil War battle where nearly four thousand men lost their lives. Four of the six Confederate generals who were killed in the Battle of Franklin were laid out in state on the back porch of Carnton Plantation. No wonder it's said to be full of ghosts. And let me assure you, there are plenty of folks hanging around Carnton who communicate with those ghosts! I know one person who claims to be having "a relationship" with one of the generals. Maybe Franklin should be scheduled for a research stop for your next book. You can stay with me. How bout it, huh??

I am genuinely thrilled and happy to know you and celebrate with you. I'll direct folks to your personal website so they can get a better glimpse of how wonderful and prolific you are!! I'm hoping our NG Followers will comment every day this week to be entered to win their very own signed copy of A BREATH OF MAGIC!

Oh and by the way, July is coming up! I wonder how many of our NG followers will be in Nashville for the Romance Writers of America conference?? I know you'll be here and I'm hoping we can all get together. Until then, we'll all keep hanging out in cyberspace!

Looking forward to seeing you in July! And hopefully Maureen, Jill and Lesley, too!

Love, Lisa

Spooked

2010-04-27T11:04:00.004-04:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! Thankfully, this morning is going a bit smoother than the past few weeks, thanks in large part to a healthy dose of Elmo blaring on the television. And good thing, since I'm so excited to talk about Tracy's latest book: A BREATH OF MAGIC!

I absolutely loved the fun combination of romance, magic and plot twists in her first two books, so I'm betting that I'll eat up her latest. It's hard to believe that in the short time we've all been blogging together, some of us have two books out already, and now...a third! It seems that publishing truly is a roller coaster--it might take a long time to get up the hill, but once the ride starts, it just keeps going!

For her release week, Tracy has chosen the topic of all things paranormal/mystical/spiritual. This is perfect since I'm in the middle of writing a proposal for a spooky ghost story set on my college alma mater's campus. I've always loved scary movies, and routinely creep myself out by watching all the ghost documentaries and shows on television like A Haunting, Paranormal State, Haunted History and Ghost Hunters. Of course, I usually end up screwing my eyes shut at night and trying not to think about any suspicious noises! In fact, when I told my husband about this book, he gave me a quick side-eye and asked if I'd have to start sleeping with the lights on after all my research!

And Chicago is the perfect place to enjoy ghost stories. There is so much haunted lore and reported paranormal sightings each year, this writer has inspiration all around her! In fact, last year, some friends and I went on a ghost tour of the city. We rode around in a school bus and stopped at a few locations while actual paranormal investigators talked about the history of each locale. At one spot--Jane Addams Hull House--the stories were so creepy, my friend refused to get off the bus. I, of course, loved it!

My enjoyment of all things spooky was present even as a child. My birthday is the week before Halloween, and every year I'd have a slumber party with my friends. We'd go to a Haunted House and then watch scary movies until dawn, creeping each other out when we heard tree branches scraping against the window panes or a floorboard creak in my parents' 100 year old house.

So, fellow readers, what creeps you out?

Make sure you comment this week, to be entered to win a signed copy of A BREATH OF MAGIC! Also make sure you pop over to Tracy's website for more contest goodness, including Borders gift cards and a reading with a Clairvoyant! Pretty cool, huh? And for more fun, be sure to check out Tracy's interview with the Examiner here!

My Third Release!

2010-04-26T05:00:00.000-04:00

The third book in my Magic series from Dorchester Publishing releases tomorrow--April 27--and I am giddy with excitement! A Breath of Magic is an extraordinarily special book to me. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love every book within this series, but Chloe's journey and her story dug in a little deeper than the others. I hope, hope, hope that readers will find the same magic in reading A Breath of Magic that I found in writing it.

As the devoted readers of this blog know, we celebrate each and every TNG release with something a little special. For this release, I've asked the other Novel Girls to dip into the world of the paranormal/mystical/spiritual in any way they'd like. See, Chloe, the heroine in A Breath of Magic, owns a New Age store called the Mystic Corner. She is a huge believer in anything and everything mystical, so I figured this topic was the perfect topic for my release week.

I'm going to use this topic to talk about Chloe and the struggles she's facing as the story opens. Chloe, as we discovered in A Stroke of Magic, has Gypsy magic running in her bloodline--something she didn't know for most of her life. So now, a year or so has passed, and she's been waiting...waiting...breathlessly waiting for her magic to come alive. Only it hasn't.

Because Chloe's parents died when Chloe was young, she's never truly experienced what it's like to be a part of a family. Sure, she has her sister, but Sheridan lives across the country in Seattle and they barely talk. So discovering that Alice, Elizabeth, and Grandma Verda are really Chloe's family, and not just a substitute family, should be terrific news. And it was. But with the no-show of her magic, and Alice's busy life as a new wife and mother, Chloe is feeling left out and like she doesn't belong.

In fact, the only person who has really been there for her is her boyfriend Kyle. Maybe they don't set off fireworks for each other, but who cares about that? Chloe is happy enough planning a safe, comfortable future with Kyle, only he shies away whenever she broaches a happily-ever-after, something she desperately wants. What's a girl to do?

Use magic, of course. Chloe convinces Elizabeth to use her magic to bake a very special cake that will push Kyle toward saying "Yes" to the marriage proposal she plans on delivering. Elizabeth relunctantly agrees, and everything is set to go. Except...maybe not.

Chloe is beyond shocked to learn that Alice has a magical drawing of Chloe's future wedding day, and that the groom is definitely not Kyle. This scares her, though, so she goes ahead with her plans and Kyle says yes. Finally, her happily-ever-after is just around the corner.

But then, a man named Ben Malone walks into her store and the world changes in a blink. She has to discover if this is the man in her wedding drawing.

Here's an excerpt of what happens when she finally takes a peek:

-----

One fold to go. I sucked in another mouthful of air, let it back out and opened the page fully. My eyes were scratchy, almost irritated, so I couldn’t see anything of merit immediately. Just a bunch of lines blurring together. Tears fell, but I couldn’t stop them. I didn’t even want to. But they blurred my vision, so I wiped them away.

The trembles grew stronger and I shivered. I blinked rapidly, and for a brief, glowing second, the drawing came into perfect focus. My eyes rested on the image of me, and then, out of nowhere, a burst of bright light turned the room upside down and sent it spinning in dizzying circles. As cold as I’d been earlier, my body now surged with heat.

The fire continued to climb upward and then outward. My throat grew parched. I reached out, hoping to find the table, grasping for some type of stability. Nothing met my fingertips. The weight of my legs, arms, my entire body disappeared. Fear pummeled through me fast and furious.

Had I lost my mind, my grip on reality? Or was I in the process of dying from some freak accident? A heart attack, maybe, or a plane crashing into Alice’s house. Or hell, maybe an earthquake. All of these seemed like reasonable and perfectly possible, if ridiculously unusual, explanations.

Again I tried to find stability, something to center me, by clutching blindly for the table. The heat suddenly vanished, the swirling ceased, and limb by limb, the weight of my body returned to me. I blinked again, opened my mouth to ask Alice what the heck had just happened, except she wasn’t there. Neither was her kitchen.

I now stood outside, and an arm rested on my waist while the sun warmed my shoulders. Some type of soft fabric—silk?—cascaded along my skin. Instead of the drawing in my left hand, I held a bouquet of flowers: vanda orchids, a glorious combination of purple and white, surrounded by a sea of lush greenery I couldn’t identify.

“Chloe! Smile for goodness sake. This is your wedding day,” an unknown male voice called out from in front of me. “Stand a little closer to your handsome groom.”

As if on autopilot, my body obeyed the commands. I tightened the gap between me and the unknown masculine form next to me. My lips stretched into a smile. I heard the whir of a camera.

“Good! Perfect!” the same man shouted.

What the stranger initially said finally penetrated through the thick smog that coated my brain. My groom? My wedding day? Had I somehow become a part of the drawing? I’d seen enough strange occurrences in my life to accept that as a reasonable explanation.

But wow. A rush of lightheadedness hit. My legs grew weak. I leaned further to the right, using the solid, firm form of the man standing beside me to stay upright. His arm tightened around my waist, adding support, shoring me up. The camera made more whirring noises, and while I tried to tilt my head to look at my groom, I couldn’t. An unexplainable force held me still, and I could do nothing but stare straight ahead. Not a pleasurable feeling.

“We’re set for now. We’ll get some more shots at the reception,” the photographer said. “I think you’ll both be really pleased!”

Whatever vise had seized me suddenly evaporated, so I slowly tipped my head, intent on learning who stood beside me. Excitement, anticipation, fear, worry and a host of other emotions I didn’t bother trying to name swarmed my senses. I saw a black tux, a white shirt, a strong physique. Slanting my vision up another degree, a chiseled chin came into view, and then… Oh, God.

Ben Malone.

All the blood-pumping desire I’d experienced earlier came back in a flash. No surprise there. But when he angled his body toward me, dipped his chin so our eyes could meet… Well, that was when the real bombshell hit. This Chloe, the one in the drawing, loved this man with an intensity I’d never before felt. Bright. Strong. Everlasting. And that same love reflected back to me in the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. This Chloe—the girl who wasn’t yet me, but whom, if I played my cards right, I could potentially become—was loved. Truly, to the depths of her soul, loved.

“Kiss me,” I whispered.

He smiled, bent over and pulled me against him. I closed my eyes, ready to finally experience the kiss I’d waited my entire life for. Would his lips be hard or soft? Would his mouth ravage mine, or would his kiss be slow and intoxicating? I wanted to know, and I wanted to know right that instant.

“Kiss me,” I said again.

“Chloe. Wake up, honey.” Alice’s voice seeped into my awareness first. Her hand, lightly slapping my cheek, came next. “Snap out of it.”

---

Whoa, right? Poor Chloe! Engaged to one man when the man who might be her soul mate enters her life. Of course, everything goes crazy from here. Chloe's magic begins, the family ghost is less-than-helpful, and a strange, sad girl keeps showing up, asking for Chloe's assistance.

As I said, this story holds a very special place in my heart. I hope you'll give it a read and love it as much as I do!

To celebrate this release, I am giving away one signed copy of A Breath of Magic! Entering to win is easy! Simply comment throughout the week here at TNG (though, only one comment per person per post/day will be counted), and I'll use random.org to announce the winner next Monday!

I also want to mention the month of mega contests I'm having at my blog beginning today. Between now and May 31, you can win a ton of great prizes, including a 30-minute free reading with a Clairvoyant, signed books, Borders gift cards, and much, much more. Get all the details at my web site: HERE, and remember to visit my blog for weekly details, including a calendar of events, specific prizes, and more.

The One Unforgiveable Thing.

2010-04-23T12:08:00.003-04:00

Don't bore me.

Recently, I read a book that was the literary equivalent of dragging sandpaper over my eyes. I finished it... because I had to--don't ask... but I actually skimmed over the book's climax. Yup. The biggie moment. The dramatic reveal. The scene of *yawn* jeopardy. The... perilous... whatever... *zzzzz...*

Couldn't. Care. Less.

By that point in the book, I was so numbed by pedestrian imagery, lack-luster plot and pacing, paper-thin characterizations, and a parade of utter predictability only interrupted by a completely nonsensical "twist", that I didn't give a rat's butt about what was happening. I still scowl at that book everytime I glance at it on the shelf. "You BORED me! Stupid book!"

I can read less-than-perfect writing. I can read about characters I may not necessarily like. I can read about subjects that aren't my cuppa. I can--generally speaking, although this one's tough--read a book in a voice that might grate.

I can't read boring. This is not to say that I require a car chase and incendiaries on every third page. I've read books that were nothing but pages and pages of conversation. But it has to be dang good conversation. I've read books that have entire chapters consisting of almost nothing but lush scenic description. But it's interesting description.

I've read books stuffed with action scenes that lulled me into a coma.

I can't define it. I can't tell you exactly why the one will bore me and the other won't. And of course it's subjective. It's a case of "I know it when I read it!" --an unexpected turn of phrase, a plot twist I didn't see coming for eighty pages, a place or person that piques my curiousity. Something.

If I don't finish a book... I'll know that something was missing. I'll know that I was bored.

My "someday" pile

2010-04-22T00:38:00.001-04:00

I don’t think I have much to add to this conversation that hasn’t already been said! I stop reading books for all the reasons the other girls mentioned. I actually have a pretty bad habit of abandoning books. In fact, I’ve noticed recently that when I have a discussion with a friend about books we’ve read or want to read, I usually chime in with “I read the first chapter (or the first 30 pages) of tha one, but I haven’t finished it yet. . .” Currently, there are about 30 different books on my nightstand in some phase of completion.

It’s not that any of these books are bad or even that I don’t personally like them. It’s more that reading a book is a big time commitment for me, and I have what feels like a million other things demanding my attention all the time. There are so many books I want to read (and I plan on finishing, some day), but there is also life, kids, my own books to write. My reading time is precious these days, so I only stick with a book that really hooks me from page one. Usually, it’s the voice or the main character or the story hook that keeps me reading. It’s hard to pin down exactly what it is, but I can usually tell in the first page or two of the book whether I’ll finish it or banish it to the “someday” pile on my night table. And some day, when I take a vacation, or my kids go to school all day, or I win the lottery and suddenly get lots of leisure time, I will finish those books!

When Am I D.O.N.E.?

2010-04-21T19:16:00.003-04:00

Is it really 6:16? In the evening? ON WEDNESDAY? MY POST DAY? I have no idea where my week has gone except that I had the great pleasure of having lunch today with my lovely editor's parents. They are in Nashville for a business meeting and I got to meet them for lunch and drown them in superlatives about their daughter, Katie Gilligan. My editor at Thomas Dunne Books. Love my editor at TD Books.

And what does this have to do with the topic at hand? Nothing. But I'm using it as an excuse and a diversion because I'm not really sure what my answer would be as to why I don't finish a book. My other Novel Girlies have (as usual) such well-crafted, well-told answers about the subject.

As a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-bootie kind of person, I'll just say, well, I'm not saying, I'm just saying - it's as simple as this. If I find myself thinking off to other things while I'm reading then it's just not my kind of book. If I've had to struggle to get through the first five pages then I'm D.O.N.E. If I'm bored, or if I'm put off by the hero or heroine and could care less what happens to either of them I know it's time to stop. And I just don't have much of that these days anyway. Why? Because my novel is due into that wonderful aforementioned editor VERY SOON! And I must get back to writing my own book in hopes that my own readers won't stop reading it!

Happy Hump Day!

Good Grief! It's Tuesday Again?

2010-04-20T18:23:00.002-04:00

I sat all day and ruminated on this topic. I contemplated all of the various reasons why I stop reading a book: plot, characters, pacing, sett--forget it, nevermind.

I can't lie. I didn't even realize it was Tuesday until about five minutes ago. My brain doth be fried. It's after five pm, and my house is a disaster thanks to a toddler with Godzilla-like destruction powers, dinner is still in the freezer, my dog is whining to go out, my son is bouncing a basketball against our glass patio door, and I still have about 1500 words to type today to reach my word count goal. (Which is, in case you're wondering, um, 1500 words a day.) The past few weeks have been the I-can-barely-keep-my-head-above-water variety. So, I guess I'll have to invoke a good ole cliche here: better late than never, right?

Anyway, time to address the topic at hand! There's really no one reason I stop reading a book, other than a missing connection with the main character. As a reader, I can forgive a lot. Bad decisions, whiny behavior, clearly putting one's self in danger a la a horror movie. But that's only if I truly, genuinely like the main character. If she or he is someone relatable, who makes me laugh, and who I emotionally connect with. Of course, there's no one way to achieve that connection, but as a writer, I just want something, anything that I can grasp.

Otherwise, I'll be shouting at the pages when she breaks up with her boyfriend, or have the sudden urge to slap her when she whines about her job. Truth is, we all do those things. But there has to be enough there for me to forgive those flaws...which brings me to another point. The main character has to understand that she/he has flaws. There's nothing worse than reading a book wherein the main character is so, so shocked when he/she discovers that there is still Work To Do, emotionally. Especially when we as readers are screaming, "DUH!"

So, for me, as a writer, the way this all translates into my books is that I must, must, must intimately know my characters. And often, my books begin with just a character. The rest all happens later.

Speaking of happening later, if I don't get this dinner started, we will all be eating around 10pm. Until next week!

Why I Stop Reading A Book

2010-04-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

Long ago, I always (and I mean always) finished reading a book if I started it. Not only that, but I wouldn't let myself move on to another book until I'd finished the one that was--for whatever reason--giving me problems. I sort of felt that if I'd paid/borrowed a book, then I was going to be sure I read the entire book, otherwise I'd wasted money and/or time. I think I also felt that if I didn't finish it, I might miss something that I'd love later on. I hate to miss things.

However, some time ago, and I don't know how long ago now, I finally decided that I was being...well, let's just say it...dumb. Because the truth is if I have to fight to read a book to the end, then I'm only wasting more of my time AND I'm really just frustrating myself. And both of those things are silly. I dislike wasting time more than I dislike missing things.

Trying to define why I don't finish a book is difficult, though. I'm a very forgiving reader. I can overlook almost anything if the story intrigues me and the author's voice appeals to me. I've been known to laugh at a series of coincidences that are not, in a way, believable--but that won't stop me from reading to the last page if I've become invested in the story. I've been known to re-read passages over and over because the writing in those specific passages was so awkward that I had to do so in order to determine what the author was trying to say. However, that also won't have me tossing a book aside. At least, not on its own.

Typos and misspellings and words used incorrectly drive me a little (okay, a lot) nuts, but as long as there aren't so many of them that they interrupt my flow, I forgive those, too. So what does make me put a book down never to be picked up again?

Several things, actually.

Probably the most important for me is the author's voice. I have to enjoy the voice that is telling the story. I have to believe in the voice that is telling the story. The author needs to be able to make me laugh, cry, fall in love, or shiver in fear. The voice needs to be reliable and trustworthy, and if these things aren't there, then I'm not going to read the book. I always read the first few pages of any book I'm contemplating buying to see if the author's voice hooks me.

After voice comes the characters. I need to be able to see, hear, and believe in the characters, otherwise, I don't care about what happens to them. They need to become important to me. People that I either am rooting for or (in the case of the bad guys) that I want to see get their just desserts. If the heroine is falling in love for the first time in her life, then I want to know why she hasn't fallen in love before, and why it's this guy who has stolen her heart. Characters, to me, are the entire reason to read any book--far more important than the plotline, though I love it when terrific character and terrific plot combine in the same book.

After character is story. There are some types of stories that I will never like, no matter how amazing the authorial voice or the characters are. That's just the way it is. I don't tend to buy books that tell these types of stories though, so I'm not likely to accidentally find myself reading one.

What about you? Without naming titles or authors (let's keep this friendly) what are some of the reasons that you will stop reading a book?

Shipwrecked on a paper shore...

2010-04-18T23:15:00.003-04:00

I am on an island. Have been all weekend.

It's called my dining room table. The storm that brought me here, one of words and em-dashes and ellipses...

I've been copy editing. So this entry's gonna be a short one. The deadline sharks are circling (or possibly that's just the cats wanting to be fed...)

My essentials on this lonely sojourn have consisted of a stack of marked-up manuscript pages, a pack of multi-colored sticky-note flags, a pad of paper, two pens (one pink, one peacock blue), copies of WONDROUS STRANGE and DARKLIGHT, my battered Complete Works of Shakespeare, my laptop, a (now-sadly-empty) coffee cup, and a half-eaten bag of cheezies.

No palm trees, gentle breezes, or shirtless Josh Holloway. Which is probably just as well, because that would just be a distraction. And I really have to finish these so I can courier them back to NYC tomorrow.

It feels a little weird. After this... I'm done. Done with the Wondrous Strange trilogy. Wow.

I might be a little sad at that... except I'm too tired at the moment. And it was also announced a few days ago that WONDROUS STRANGE won an award!! The CLA (Canadian Library Association) 2010 YA Best Book Award! You can read about it here on my personal blog! This helps alleviate any tendencies toward melancholy immensely, I can tell you!

So will a good night's sleep, I think. And maybe a Survivor-type Immunity Idol. Delivered to my copy-island by a shirtless Josh Holloway. Or one of the cats.

Where's my pink pen?

Getting "Lost"

2010-04-15T00:09:00.006-04:00

I have to say that being an avid fan of Lost has pretty much ruined any fun or romantic deserted island fantasy I’ve ever had. If I ever did get stuck on a deserted island, I’d probably be freaking out about the possible smoke monster or Dharma project hatches or, say, nuclear bombs that might be hidden somewhere. Which got me to thinking, if I were stuck on a deserted island, I’d probably want to have one of the Lost characters with me, just because, you know, they’re used to this sort of thing by now. So that begs the question: which one?

I guess the obvious answers would be Sawyer or Jack, because, well, they’re Sawyer. And Jack. If you watch the show, you know what I mean. But, all male gorgeousness aside, Sawyer’s a bit too angry and hotheaded to rely on, and Jack is a bit too damaged and controlling. It would be cool to pick Hurly’s brain about all the dead people he’s talking to (aka great book material), but with our combined survival skills I don’t think we’d make it long enough to ever get off the island. So instead, I would pick Kate.

I know she’s kind of a murderer, but I’ll admit, I may have a bit of a girl crush on her. She’s SO tough, which I love! She can get out of any situation and handle her own as well or, probably, better than any of the guys on the island. She knows how to navigate, hike, shoot, hunt, hide, survive and somehow, her hair always looks good (and she has curly hair like me. Honestly, I wonder every week how she keeps it from getting frizzy!). If I were stranded on a deserted island, I would not know how to do any of the above and thus Kate would be my best chance of survival and/or rescue.

So what about you – which Lost character would you want to be on a deserted island with?

My Island's Got No Power

2010-04-14T13:21:00.005-04:00

My Desert Island necessities, huh? Let's see. I'm assuming I can't pack much and that there is no power on the island, therefore I've got major limitations as to what I can bring.

The first thing that comes to my mind is my mascara. CAN. NOT. LIVE. WITHOUT. MY. MASCARA. And while I'm at it, I'll give a shout out to my peeps over at Loreal. Love it. Love it. Double Extend in dark brown. Fabulous.

Secondly, a razor. I'm hoping that I'm island-stranded with a dreamy, prince-charming and the thought of me with hairy legs and pits just doesn't cut it for me with the romance of it all. So a razor it is. And hopefully it's not a throw-away Bic. I'll take the Gillette Venus 5-blade, thank you very much.

Next up is my Bible. There's no way I could be stranded for an indefinite amount of time without it.

And a pen and paper is absolutely crucial. I have a hunch I'd be able to write a heck-of-a memoir after finally learning how to be a minimalist.

There's no power on my desert island, so I can't watch movies or TV. That means my dreamboat and I will have to create our own fun. I'd like a case of Ferrari-Carano chardonnay. No glass necessary. I'd even drink it out of the bottle after chilling it in my personal island stream and have it every night with my halibut (that my man had caught with his homemade fishing spear) and a big fat juicy mango.

Finally, I think I'd like to bring a guitar. A piano or a harp (my first choices) might be a bit large, but with all that spare time, I'd like to learn to play the guitar. Since I can't have an iPod, I'd HAVE to be able to hear music. And if the case of wine has taken up all my extra space, surely I could at least slip a harmonica in my pocket.

Glorious Silence.

2010-04-13T12:27:00.003-04:00

After spending the morning dealing with more than a few two-year-old tantrums, being stranded on a desert island sounds wonderful right now! I imagine there would be lovely water, a beautiful beach and glorious, wonderful silence, with nary a scream or a shriek around. Hopefully, I'd have enough notice so I could pack a few things.

Besides all of the essentials like toothpaste, toothbrush and contact solution, I'd say an absolute necessity would be my laptop. I envision having my trust Sony Vaio, along with a wireless internet card. That way, I could still go on Facebook, Twitter and keep up on my favorite blogs. Of course, it would also help if I chose to be rescued. I'd spend the days lounging on the sand, typing away at my latest book. I wouldn't have to fetch a sippy cup, or take the dog outside, or yell at the cat for jumping up on the kitchen countertops. I'd just spend my days writing and laying on the sand. I bet I could write an entire book in about two weeks if I had free time and silence.

Of course, after some time, I'd miss my husband and my son. So maybe I'd have to send a boat to pick them up and bring them to the island with me. Under strict rules against any loud noises or screeching, of course.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go fetch Elmo from under the couch. This, apparently, is a tragedy.

What would I bring?

2010-04-12T10:08:00.004-04:00

Okay, I'll admit it. The topic this week was my idea. Now that I have to write it, though, I find myself thinking: Um...Why did I think this was a good idea? I don't know. I blame the cold I've had for the past several weeks.

But here we go. If I were stranded on a desert island, and somehow knew it was going to happen, so packed appropriately for the...er...stranding, what would be in my suitcase?

If I were smart, I'd say a bag filled with bottled water, but this is fantasy and in my fantasy, there's a lovely little spring of fresh water on the island and plenty of various tropical fruits to eat, so I'm going to focus on the other items I consider necessary to survival:

The "doh" items: Extra Clothes, Soap, Hairbrush, Toothpaste, and a Toothbrush
Essential items: Bug repellant, two flashlights with extra batteries (I'd lose one, so need two), matches (hopefully they didn't get wet and are now useless!)
Photographs of my family and friends (because I'd miss them)
A Survival book on island-living :)
Coffee (Hey, I can use a palm frond as a filter, right?)
Blank Notebooks and a Pen so I can write/journal/send "save me" letters out in bottles.
Bottles!
Do I have room for a travel blanket and a pillow? I'm going to say yes.
A pin-up calendar of hot, sexy men I can pretend are my friends when I lose my mind.
And, finally, books. However many will fit in whatever space is left over. I'm not sure if I'd choose my favorite reads or go for books I'd never read. Hm, maybe a mix of both. But I KNOW I'd stick to light, fun, romantic books...after all, if I'm stranded on a desert island, I really don't need to bring Stephen King along with me. Too scary!

And, uh, that's about it. Now, let's say out of the above list I had to cut my choices in half. What would go? What would I keep?

Um...Coffee is coming with me. That's just the way it is.
Blank Notebooks and a Pen
Soap, Toothbrush, and Toothpaste (I'll leave the hairbrush at home. Hey, who's gonna see my wild hair, anyway?)
Photographs of my family
And...um...I *should* say a flashlight, right? Or the blanket and pillow. Or the island survival guide. But nope, I'd bring the books.

Okay, so in furthering this game I'm playing with myself, if I could only bring THREE of the above, what would it be?

That's easy: Coffee, photographs of my family, and books.

I can't reduce the list any further. Really. Nope, huh-uh, not happening.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday!

It's what day, again?

2010-04-11T14:53:00.004-04:00

First off, an apology for my recent scarcity around these here parts. And lateness of posting. Seriously. It's Sunday? Already?? How did that happen???

Second, an explanation - of sorts - which relates rather nicely to this week's theme: it hasn't stopped.

Allow me to explain. What do I mean by 'it'? I guess I mean the writing because that really hasn't stopped... but I also mean all the other stuff that goes along with the writing. As my fellow Girls have already illuminated with their customary collective brilliance in the preceding entries, what happens after you turn in your manuscript is that... well... a LOT happens after you turn in your manuscript!!

I think there is a tendency among first-time writers to think that after the MS goes to copy-edits, or galleys, or actual press, our work is essentially done.

HA!

No no, my friends. That is not so. No kicking back on a beach for you, young word-slinger. Not just yet.

You already know, now, about what happens to the words after you turn them in. And you already know a little bit about what happens to you. I'd like to expand on that a bit. Here are just a few of the possibilities of the things which will occupy your time while you wait for your shiny new book to hit the shelves - all or none or some of which might be relevant to your particular situation, all or none or some of which you may or may not accomplish with flourish and panache (and, as Jillian points out, it seems like you wait forever for the book to hit the shelves. Or possibly just an eyeblink).

You might, in the interim, indulge in the following pursuits: blurb-gathering, blogging, blog-touring, blog-hosting, group blogging, giving interviews, answering q&a's, cover-copy approval, cover-art approval, catalog copy approval, website design/redesign/overhaul/maintenance/upkeep, twittering, facebooking, myspaceing, school visits, festival appearances, launch-party planning, book tour planning, recording the audio book version, shooting the book trailer, organizing contests and give-aways, putting together press-releases, networking your butt off, approving and signing contracts for foreign or sub-rights.

You could also set aside blocks of time to fret over cover art, rejoice over cover art, start another book, get another contract, finish that other book, start on the third book, pitch a couple of new projects, fret over advance reviews, rejoice over advance reviews, weep over advance reviews, attend conferences, participate in forums, self-google incessantly, wonder why you even own a tv, try to do laundry every now and then, and order in pizza. A lot.

Sometimes it gets a teensy bit overwhelming. And yet, for all that, there is the awesomeness. For example, on Thursday night I had a fund-raiser for a school in Brampton to attend where I was the guest of honor (whee!) and got absolutely mobbed by an awesome bunch of students; on Friday, I was the guest speaker at the York Catholic School Board's White Pine Event (an award for which I am gleefully shortlisted for WONDROUS STRANGE! whee!) and got absolutely mobbed by a different awesome bunch of students; this weekend was the Ad Astra SFF Literary convention at which I was a guest, had three panels to speak on, and a book signing to do; tomorrow, I have another school visit with two sessions of writer workshops to lead. Book 3 just went to copy-edits, I have a new book to finish by August, and I'm working on a pitch for another project as well. It's been barely over two years since I turned in that first MS. Feels like forever ago. Or maybe just an eyeblink.

And, while I might be a little sleepy, occasionally late or absent on the blog-front, and slightly swiss-cheesy in the brain, I have no complaints whatsoever. But I do wish they'd hurry up and perfect cloning!

A Whole Lotta Waiting. . .

2010-04-08T00:00:00.003-04:00

I think the other girls have pretty sufficiently covered all the stuff that happens with the editing process once you turn a book in. So I think I’ll talk about what doesn’t happen. In the spaces in between edits and copy-edits and galleys and trying for blurbs, there’s a whole lot of anxious waiting on the part of the author. That’s right, after turning a book in you wait. And then you wait some more.

It takes a long time from the time you sell or turn a book in until the time it releases. For me, it’s been anywhere from a year (THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS) to 18 months (THE LIFE OF GLASS and THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS). And yes, there are things that happen along the way, the stages of the editing process, seeing the cover, getting blurbs, and starting to think about promotion, and all of this is fun and exciting for all the reasons that Tracy and Maureen and Lisa discussed. But also, a lot of it just feels like. . . waiting.

As a result, I’ve had two things happen. One, there’s so much time that elapses between when you finish/sell a book a get ready to go out into the world and promote it, that I find I sometimes honestly forget some of what happens in the book. In the 18 months between when I finished THE LIFE OF GLASS and when I sat down to prepare myself for my first reading/signing in February, I found myself opening up the book and having to reread it so I was prepared to talk about it. I also had so much distance from it, that when I sat down and reread the first chapter, I felt like a different person had written it, which, in a way, was true, since 18 months ago, I was in a different place in my life in a lot of ways.

The second thing that’s happened to me, at least with THE LIFE OF GLASS, is that some of the events in the book ended up being quite similar to events that transpired in my life – after I wrote them. Yes, it sounds a bit like a paranormal thriller – but it’s really not. THE LIFE OF GLASS is about death and moving on and learning how to live your life, and it’s realistic fiction, so these things happen in real life. In my real life. In the time between when I wrote THE LIFE OF GLASS and when it came out, someone close to me died in a similar manner to the way Melissa’s father dies in the first chapter of the book, and some of the actions and reactions of the characters played out in similar ways. Which made it awfully awkward when the book came out to try to explain to some people in my life that I’d written the book first, that it really does take a really, really, really long time from writing to publication.

But even with all the waiting, that still doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy every little step of the process. Because I do. When I saw my cover for THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS a few months ago, I liked it so much that it made me cry. And last week, when I received a copy of the galley proofs for THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS, (which means I got to see my book looking like an actual book for the first time – printed out on regular white paper) I got chills. Because that was the moment when I looked at my words, and felt, somewhat shocked to realize, this is actually going to happen. This is actually going to be a book! Granted, it’s still six and a half months away. . . but who’s counting?!

Now that it's been beautifully covered

2010-04-07T12:58:00.014-04:00

. . . I'll try to contribute my two cents to what happens once a book has been turned in to the publisher!

The only thing I can think to add is on the subject of BLURBS. I'd never even heard the word used in the context of author's comments before I'd written Dixie. The publisher, in my case Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, starts sending the bound manuscript out in hopes of getting back positive, and hopefully rave reviews from other authors. I remember cringing at the thought of this because I'd not yet been through any part of the editing process. "OMG. What will they think of my first-ditch effort?" I remember thinking.

People are incredibly busy and have so much going on that I think the first part of the blurb gathering process is actually finding an author who is not under a deadline. Or, on the other hand, might be busy but is extremely organized and a great manager of their time. Someone who is NOT ANYTHING LIKE MOI!!!!!!

Of course, there is always the possibility that even if the author agrees to submit a wonderful blurb, it might not make it. As was the case with Maureen. By the time I finally was at a place where I could dive into her wonderful manuscript for Not Ready For Mom Jeans, it was too late. There was no room for my blurb on her back cover. And that, dear readers, is a missed opportunity for me.

Using your contacts - any contacts - is paramount. We, as writers, have to think of "anyone who's anyone" in the book world. Or, in my case, anyone who is in the least bit famous . . . and go for it. It's hard for me to ask anyone to do anything for me but I mustered up all my courage and asked anyway. In typical Lisa fashion, I decide to try for - of all things - a HUGE movie star. I had had the good fortune of working with Jeff Bridges on a big music project a few years earlier. As difficult as it was to actually ask him to read my book and then hope like heck that he might find it a wee bit entertaining, I knew that I had nothing to lose but many night's sleep, heart failure and a crashing blow to my self-esteem. BUT, due to my willingness to make a dumb fool out of myself, much to my shock and surprise "The Dude" said yes!

That's why I ALWAYS live by the rule: Might as well try.

In the beginning of my writing process, I used to say to myself, "I'm going to at least TRY for a New York publisher." And low and behold it happened. But it never would have happened had I not dipped my toe into the frigid, dark, uncharted waters of the big, bad New York publishing world. That's why I say to everyone - whether they are a writer, a chef, a banker or a housekeeper - might as well shoot for the stars. I shot and look what happened. I actually landed this year's Oscar winner. But it never would have happened had I not pointed my arrow, drew back my bow and aimed for the bull's eye.

So Many Emotions!

2010-04-06T09:52:00.003-04:00

After Tracy's ultra-detailed and spot-on post yesterday, I'm not sure what new information I can add to the discussion of the logistics of what happens after an author turns a book in. It varies a bit, but most publishers follow a similar timeline: developmental edits, line edits, copyedits, galleys, second pass, final book. There might be some changes to this scenario, like in special circumstances when a book is really being pushed through quickly, so occasionally some steps might get combined. So, instead, I'm going to talk about another process that dovetails with the logistics of getting a book into publication: the author's emotions.

Step up, everyone, and witness Maureen's Rollercoaster of Writer-Crazy!

Developmental Edits: This is the first real feedback you get from your editor. Sure, he or she bought your book, so they don't totally hate it. But this is where they go, "It's great, BUT..." For Mom Jeans, this letter was ten pages looooong. And had sentences like, "No. Just no." Not surprisingly, this is also the stage where I cried my eyes out, gnashed my teeth, sent off a few pouty emails, had two glasses of wine, and realized my editor Katie was so, so right. And also? She's brilliant.

Line Edits: This is when your editor tells you if you pulled off your initial revisions. Thankfully, I did. *wipes sweat from brow* The real fine-tuning and clean up began here. Whereas the developmental edits are more global in scale, line edits are more like, "Cut this sentence. It sounds ridiculous." Not that specifically, but you know what I mean.

Copyedits: My eyes bugged out the first time I saw copyedits. I also instantly gained mucho respect for copyeditors. I'll never forget when I saw my copyedits for A Bump, and the copyeditor made a little note that I had Clare watching Lost on a Monday night, when, during that time period, Lost aired on Wednesday night. It made me chuckle, and completely realize that my book was Bigger Than Me at that stage.

Galley: Much screaming occurred at this stage, too. Because this was the first time I saw my book as a, well, book. It's all nicely bound, with a pretty cover. Even though there's some refining still to be done, and mistakes still exist on the pages, it's like a dress rehearsal. I started to actually believe, holding my words in between a shiny cover, that my little story was going to be an actual book.

Final Pass: This is your last shot to make any changes to the book. This is also the stage where I start freaking out, and want to heavily edit the entire book--rewording sentences, scrapping whole chapters, etc. But then I always see the little asterisk in my editor's letter that reads: "You may be charged for any extensive revisions made to the text." And suddenly, that sentence looks just fine.

Finished Book: Although the moment when twenty finished copies of A Bump dropped on my doorstep was fabulous and mind-blowing, at that point, I was somewhat Over It. I'd seen my book and edited my words about a hundred billion times. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to see it all finished and pretty, but my brain had moved on a bit to the next book, so I was just happy I didn't have to do any more copyedits!

Then, of course, the promotion really begins with book fairs, signings, launch parties and conferences, but that is when I switch out my "Writer" hat for my "Author" hat.

The Final Steps

2010-04-05T07:00:00.003-04:00

We've talked a lot about the writing of our books here at The Novel Girls, we've talked about promotion, what it feels like to see our books on the shelves, and how cool it is to receive reader e-mails. But we haven't talked about what happens when we turn a book in.

While a lot of the steps are likely to be the same, each publisher does have their own way of doing things. So we thought it would be interesting to share what each of our experiences are after we've finished writing (and editing) our books and turned them in to our editors.

My publisher is Dorchester Publishing. Rather than do a simple guideline, I'm going to pull up the dates and the steps I've taken with each of the three books I've turned in so far, beginning with my first book, A TASTE OF MAGIC. First, though, let me run through a few of the terms I'm going to be using:

Line Edits: This is where someone (at Dorchester, this person is the editor) goes through your book word by word, line by line, and makes changes based on grammar, punctuation, story, clarity, etc. This person will ask questions if something isn't clear enough, give suggestions if something isn't working, look for lazy writing, repetitiveness, gaps of information, order of events, etc. Basically, the line editor is looking to see if your story works, and if it doesn't, why not? At Dorchester, this is often done hand-in-hand with the revisions.

Copyedits: Copyedits are when a copy editor goes through the revised and line-edited book in an effort to correct grammar and punctuation following the house's (publisher's) standards. A copy editor will also point out areas of confusion or give suggestions, correct terms if incorrectly used, and flag anything else that jumps out at them (such as an incorrect sequence of events).

The Galley: Galleys are when you receive your revised, line-edited, copyedited, and typeset book for the last look before it goes to print. Basically, this looks like your book will look when it's printed, but without being bound and covered. This is the author's last chance to find errors and request changes. However, changes at this point tend not to be editorally focused changes. Rather, they are errors: typos, miss-spellings, inconsistencies, and the like.

Okay, now with that out of the way, here is a breakdown of the path I've followed so far with my books at my publisher:

The debut book is a little different, which is why I want to start with that one. When I wrote A TASTE OF MAGIC, I didn't have a contract and I didn't know if the book was going to be published. So in this case, everything started with my editor reading the book and deciding he wanted to publish it.

05/01/2008: Received "the call." Woo!
05/05/2008: Accepted representation from my awesome agent, Michelle Grajkowski of Three Seas Literary.
06/04/2008: Received revisions from my editor. I had until July 1st to complete them.
06/25/2008: Completed revisions and turned revised book in to editor.
06/30/2008: Completed my dedication and acknowledgements and turned those in to the editor.
08/07/2008: Turned in author photo and bio to the editor.
09/10/2008: Received comments and line edits from editor (based on revised book) along with some other minor changes to be made.
09/11/2008: Turned in book with changes based on comments and input from editor. Obviously, the alterations were finally minor, as I was able to complete everything and re-read the book in a 24-hour time frame.
09/25/2008: Received the copyedits for the book from my editor.
09/25/2008: Turned in book with changes/verifications made per the copyedits. Again, they were relatively light as I turned this back in on the same day.
10/06/2008: Received the galley version of the book to review.
10/20/2008: Turned in corrections based on the galley.
02/24/2009: Book is released!

So, about 9.5 months from call to publication. This is actually pretty fast, as often, the time frame between purchase and publication can take one year, two years, or more. Also in the time span above, I received cover quotes, my cover, reviewed cover copy and front matter, and was working on the next book: A STROKE OF MAGIC.

For this book, the timeline went as follows:

11/06/2008: Turned in the complete of A STROKE OF MAGIC to my editor.
02/19/2009: Received revisions and line edits from my editor. Unlike the first book, these were handled at the same time instead of separately. Luckily, the revisions were minor, as the publisher needed the book back to them asap.
02/23/2009: Turned in the revised book to my editor. I also turned in this book's dedication and acknowledgements.
03/04/2009: Received the copyedits for the book from my editor.
03/04/2009: Returned the book to my editor with changes/verifications made based on the comments made by the copy editor. Obviously, these were minor as I turned them in before the day ended.
03/24/2009: Received the galley proofs of the book to look over. With TASTE the galleys arrived in hardcopy. With STROKE, they arrived in PDF format via e-mail.
03/26/2009: Turned in requests for changes/corrections based on the galley.
06/30/2009: Book is released!

Again, in the same timespan as above, I worked on promotion, received the cover, reviewed cover copy and front matter for the book, and worked on and turned in my next two proposals, and received a new contract.

The timeline for the third book, A BREATH OF MAGIC, is:

10/18/2009: Turned in the complete of A BREATH OF MAGIC to my editor.
11/04/2009: Turned in the dedicaiton and acknowledgements for the book.
11/30/2009: Received line-edits and revisions from my editor. In this case, I actually didn't have revisions of any sort to make regarding the story or the order of events. Everything that I needed to look at was in the moment, small things that were easily fixed.
12/01/2009: Turned in book to my editor with changes/edits made based on his feedback and comments.
12/08/2009: Received copyedited book from my editor.
12/08/2009: Turned in book to my editor with changes based on the copyeditor's comments and suggestions. These were light enough that I was able to make the changes within a few hours.
12/23/2009: Received the galley proofs of the book. Just before Christmas, naturally, lol. Luckily, I had until January 9th to go through everything. I set aside until after the holidays.
01/02/2010: Turned in requests for changes/corrections based on the galley.
Now: Waiting for the release later this month (April 27th)!

And again, throughout the above dates, I've worked on promotion, garnered cover blurbs, received the cover (my favorite of the three), reviewed cover copy and front matter, and worked (and am still working) on the next title (BY MAGIC ALONE, a Dec 2010 release). Oh, and everything else that comes with life.

For my current manuscript: my deadline is fast approaching (it's in May), I've just received my cover copy (last week), and haven't seen a cover yet (but that should be soon).

As crazy as the timing gets/feels sometimes, I love every step of the process of seeing something I created evolve into a finished book. I love having my editor's input, as he always helps my books and the stories I'm telling become stronger. I get a little thrill of excitement when an e-mail appears that has my cover copy, and then my cover, attached. Oh, and when the big box of my author copies arrive? That's pretty dang awesome.

I love hearing how the process works for other authors, so I can't wait to read the rest of The Novel Girls' posts this week.

See you all next Monday!

Beware of Bloggers Holding Cameras!

2010-04-01T00:05:00.003-04:00

Since Tracy brought up the subject of public reading, I'll share a funny recent story on the topic. I do agree with Tracy that there's something just a little nervewracking about reading my work out loud, in front of people, but after having done it a lot recently, I've gotten past the nerves and really don't mind it. I actually enjoy reading and talking to a receptive audience.

But at the end of Febuary I did a reading, Q&A, and signing at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe. It went well, and the people who came to see me were lovely and asked lots of great questions. Then I came home and saw that a blogger who came to the reading, I Heart Monster, had something on Twitter, something that said she had taped my reading and was about to post it live soon. Okay, honestly, I. Was. Freaking. Out!!! It was one thing to speak in public, but to have to see a recording of it, to have my reading somehow made permenant for anyone on the Internet to see. . . now that was scary to me.

Luckily the video turned out well, and she did a great job of making it, even though I had no idea she was doing it at the time. And as an added bonus, I now have a really great video to use on my website. So my terror quickly turned to gratitude.

But a few weeks later I did a talk at a book festival, and I saw I Heart Monster in the audience. Of course, I immediately asked her if she planned on taping it (and then sighed with relief when she said no!)

And just in case you're wondering, here is her video from my Changing Hands reading!

Jillian Cantor Book Signing Event from I Heart Monster on Vimeo.

Cough Public Speaking

2010-03-29T07:00:00.001-04:00

We (The Novel Girls) haven't settled on a topic for this week yet, at least at the time of this writing (Sunday afternoon), so I am declaring this week "Open Mic Week." Or, um, each of us can talk about whatever the heck we want to talk about.

Now, the rest of the girls might decide to stick to the same-as-of-yet-unchosen topic, or maybe they'll follow my lead, or maybe they'll come up with something on their own. But I'm going to talk about public speaking. Or, in this case, public reading.

I know at least some of the other Novel Girls have read from their books in public. Possibly, they all have. But I never had. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to read a scene from my upcoming release A BREATH OF MAGIC, at an event that my local RWA chapter holds each year: The Spring Book Lover's Event.

The thing is, we've never held live readings before. This was a new activity, and while I was given the opportunity to have someone else read for me, I decided to push through the wall of my gut reaction (which, for the record was, ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME????) and do the reading myself.

I changed my mind a dozen times in the month leading up to the event, but ultimately, stuck with my guns. Choosing the scene to read took a lot of time on my part. Mostly because the scene I wanted to read also gave away a huge spoiler in the book, but this is also my favorite scene in the book. It's powerful, emotional, and something I felt sure that anyone listening would be able to connect with.

So I put the decision off. And then Friday night came and I realized "Oh, no! I have to read tomorrow and I have no idea what I'm going to read." I opened up the manuscript and began pouring through it. I chose three different scenes before finally settling on one that I thought (hoped) would be compelling, but also didn't give away a dang thing.

I arrived at the event early on Saturday. The readings started around 11:30 AM and continued every 30 minutes or so throughout the day. I was the third reader up, and I have to say my knees were literally knocking together by the time I stood behind the podium.

There were quite a few people there, all of them watching me with interested eyes. I started to read, and wow, I really thought I wasn't going to be able to do it. I was that nervous. My voice wobbled and shook a lot through the first portion of the scene. I think I mangled a few words here and there. But then, somehow, from the middle section on, I found a better rhythm. Oh, I wasn't at ease, but my voice shook a little less and came out a little more confident.

I managed to finish the reading without passing out, throwing up, or having any other horribly embarrassing thing happen. When I finished, I answered a few questions, gave away a few copies of the first two books in my series, and thankfully took my seat.

And while I was proud of myself for accomplishing a goal I was really, really petrified of, I also wished I'd done a lot better. See, I'm a talker. I love to talk with people. I can talk about books, writing, the weather, my kids, your kids, ANYTHING without missing a beat. I love to socialize. But this--reading my work in public--was incredibly difficult.

And because I'm a sucker for punishment, I want to do more of this. I want to become better at it. After my reading, USA Today Bestselling author Elizabeth Vaughan read her short story OFF THE RACK (from the anthology Pandora's Closet) and she was amazing. Breathtakingly amazing. The story was wonderful and she told it as if she wasn't reading, but sharing. I was (and still am) in complete awe.

So, while I have no illusions of ever being able to read my work in public with the aptitude and beauty that Elizabeth did, she has given me something to work toward. I don't know if practice will help. I don't know how to get over the knocking knees and pounding heart and terrifying fear of stepping behind a podium and reading something in such a way that enthralls an entire room.

But dang, I am definitely going to try it again.

What about you? Are you comfortable with public speaking? And if so, do you think that comfort would spill over into reading your own writing to a group of people? Any tips for someone who is comfortable speaking in public, but not reading in public? I'd love some help for the next time!

Kid? Meet Candy Store!

2010-03-26T13:38:00.003-04:00

Also know as "Topographical Ordinance Survey maps? Oh boy oh boy oh boy!"

Gimme a quiet carrel in the back of the history stacks, or come follow me down a rabbit-hole of never-ending hyper-links on the trail of an info-morsel. I'm almost never happier than when I'm bloodhounding around for info for a new project.

Eeeeyeah.... I'm whatcha call a research nerd. I can cheerfully delve into historical minutia until I'm blue in the face and you can barely see the top of my head over the book pile. I don't think I've ever written a book that didn't involve hanging crucial plot mechanics off a specific locale or historical personge or event or bit of lore or, most likely, some combination of all of the above.

When I'm not actually writing (and sometimes when I am), I can most frequently be found lost in a text or a website, consumed by some bit of arcane, obscure fact-checking. It gounds me in my stories. But also, more often than not, it also provides me with my stories.

To wit: I once wrote a short story--a short story, mind you--whereupon I first had to wade through a sea of information pertaining to plant-derived toxins, including but not limited to the identification of a toadstool known as "Destroying Angel" (nice--how poetic), characteristics of the fungus known as ergot (do stay clear of ergot-tainted barley unless you're fond of, y'know, gangrene), and how many parts of the Taxus Baccata--or common yew tree--are actually poisonous (answer: ALL of them--unless you're a bird, whereupon the seeds will pass harmlessly through your digestive tract, or a deer--which seem to have built up an immunity to taxanes... not so much cows and horses, commonly found dead in fields where yew trees grow)... Er... yeah.

That was for a humorous little short story about sorcery. And it all developed from one bit of info and a really bad pun.

Another example of my research pathology: for one of the next projects I'm working on, my upcoming book ONCE EVERY NEVER, I needed a place. A very specific place, actually. A place which has very distinct topographical features and dimensions. And I need it to be located within a specific geographical radius. It was a tall order.

Now, I know what your thinking. "Lesley," you think, "you write fiction. Surely, you could just make the dang thing up, right?"

Well... that's what I figured I'd pretty much have to do because my parameters were so dang narrow. And I was totally okay with that. However, on a lark, I started off on a bit of a surf. I googled around, using broad variations of descriptions for this bit of non-existent landmark, only to find--much to my surprise--that it's not non-existent at all. In fact, it not only exists, it exists right where I need it to.

For realsies. Eu-freakin'-reka!!

I was gobsmacked. It was, in fact, such a perfect match, that I started to almost believe that all my wild, fictional theories--constructed strictly for the purposes of the story and predicated firmly upon a willing suspension of the disbelief in, er, magic--might actually have historical merit!

In retrospect, I don't know why I was surprised. This has happened to me at some point in pretty much every project I've ever written. My friend Adrienne thinks it's uncanny. I think it's just be because I read up so much on my subjects of interest--on the kind of stuff I invariably wind up writing about--that I just start subconciously making these unconnected connections. But whatever the case, when it happens--wow!--it's always a total EUREKA moment. And yummy like candy. Well-researched candy. Mmm.....

Conquering My Fear (of Research)

2010-03-25T00:05:00.001-04:00

I’m going to admit up front here that this week’s topic filled me with the same sort of dread and trepidation that the very idea of research fills with me with. I was an English major in college, and of course, I did some research, but I used to dread it with every fiber of my being. The mere idea of in-text citations makes me want to break out in hives.

That’s not to say that I haven’t ever done research while writing a book. Because I have. With my first three books, Google/the Internet were my good friends. I searched the web to get details right that I wouldn’t know otherwise -- everything from job/career details for my main characters to trying to get necessary/accurate legal or medical details.

But just recently I’ve started working on something new. Something that requires real, bona fide research: books and probably interviews with people and maybe even some in person visits to particular places. This book, which, I’m not going to say too much about because it’s in such an early stage right now, will take place in both the present and the past. It will have fictional characters and historical figures. (And yes, I just broke out in a sweat writing this paragraph.)

Of course, I can do it. At least, I think I can. I know that research is more tedious really, than hard, and I guess that’s part of what terrifies me. That I’ll get it wrong. It’s one thing to write a book that is contemporary, in which I’ve invented everything including the setting. And it feels like another thing entirely to write a book that incorporates real people with fictional ones, that takes place in a real town, against the backdrop of a real historical event. I’ve been a little nervous to get started writing (and truthfully have been finding one reason after another not to get started quite yet.)

In the meantime, I’ve been working on something else and . . . researching. Or at least, the very beginnings of it. Right now I’m reading someone’s diary, (a famous woman who shall remain unnamed but who lived quite an interesting life in the 1930s.) And I’ll admit, I’m enjoying it so much that it doesn’t even feel like research. Of course, I’ve still got a mountain of research to conquer before I can even start writing. So wish me luck!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers

2010-03-24T12:47:00.012-04:00

To our Novel Girl Followers and my Dear Novel Girls,

After reading my post, you'll understand why I can't post on topic again this week.

Two weeks is a long time to watch someone you love with all your heart slowly slip away. My baby sister, Melanie, as my oldest son posted on his FB page, is now "having fun riding on the wings of angels." A lovely thought for one who so enjoyed the sensation of the wind against her face - on horseback, on skis, at the beach, on the soccer field - anywhere, as long as it was outdoors.

Can't you just see her now riding bareback on a solid white steed, faster than she ever imagined possible here on earth, with her soft curls swirling all around her head? I believe she's doing that right now in Heaven.

Melanie was only 39-years-old when she left her earthly body to join the Heavenly Host of Angels. As you can see from her high-school graduation picture, just 20 years ago, she has the smile of an angel.

I love you, my dear baby sister. You are finally at perfect peace with your Prince of Peace.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers about Melanie. There is no greater gift.

Much Love,

Lisa

Love It!

2010-03-23T10:04:00.003-04:00

I graduated college with a degree in psychology and a double minor in history and sociology. So, yeah, I think it's safe to say that I'm one of those crazy individuals who actually enjoys doing research. I actually sometimes miss the days of getting lost in the library, books and silence surrounding me, before finding a quiet spot and pecking away at my laptop for hours. Good grief, what I wouldn't give to have just an hour of that in my day now!

My first two books, A Bump in the Road and Not Ready for Mom Jeans, didn't require much research, except for the occasional, "How many weeks into a pregnancy is a woman supposed to get a glucose test?" But the book I'm outlining right now, has required a bit more research into paranormal things like hauntings, research methods for finding family ancestry and midwives in the 1800s. Sounds pretty wild, huh? It is, in the best way possible!

As a writer, I continually like to challenge myself. I'd rather attempt to do a Big Book, and do the authorial equivalent of biting off more than I can chew (write?), than to just keep writing the same kinds of books year after year. I hope to have a varied career, with lots of different kinds of tomes in my bibliography. I guess what I'm trying to get across is that I'd rather attempt and fail than sit comfortably and be slightly bored.

I've mentioned before that the business side of publishing, the idea of being an "author" and not just a "writer," can be difficult to manage. That's why it's so important that a writer enjoys writing. We have to love our stories, really LOVE them, before we can send them out into the world. For me, in this current manuscript, this means finding a small historical detail that makes me go, "Ooooh!" and furiously fitting it into my outline. I absolutely adore the spark of inspiration that comes with connecting historical realities with my imaginary book world.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some dusty old books with cracked spines that are calling to me!

Research...What?

2010-03-22T07:00:00.002-04:00

Okay, this is going to be a short post this week. I know, amazing, huh? But I'm the first to admit that I don't do a lot of research, but that's not because I'm lazy or unwilling. It's mostly because my books (so far, at least) don't require a lot of research.

My stories are set in the current day, real world, with paranormal elements. The paranormal elements in my books are created with my own set of rules, so a lot of times, the research I'm doing is checking my past books to see what I've already set up. Because every now and then I'll forget a certain point here or there.

However, while I don't have to research often, there are always certain things that I have to check out in every book. Normally, these are areas that relate to law in the city/state my story is taking place in, or some other type of absolute fact I can't really make up (for example: in A TASTE OF MAGIC, Elizabeth thinks her sister is missing. I needed to find out how quickly a person can be declared a missing person in the state of IL. And in A STROKE OF MAGIC, I have a question of paternity and how something would be handled in a court of law. Finally, in A BREATH OF MAGIC, I had a genetics question I needed to know the straight dope on).

I'm fairly adept at finding the information I need when I need it, but I'm quite happy that I haven't had to do any type of extensive research as of yet. I am continually in awe of historical authors, because their ability to create a realistic world with the rules of their book's time period always blows me away. In fact, this is one reason why I haven't attempted writing a time travel novel as of yet--the amount of research necessary halts me in my tracks.

Therefore, I'm really looking forward to reading the other TNG's take on this. Because, well, I just don't need to research all that often.

In Which I Mess with Subplots

2010-03-18T12:09:00.004-04:00

This is one of those weeks, where I wish I’d blogged earlier in the week, because I think Tracy and Maureen have pretty much said it all about subplots. I don’t know that I have anything new or interesting to add, so instead I’ll tell you about how I used subplots a little differently in my upcoming adult release, THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS.

In this novel, the main plot revolves around 33-year-old Jennifer. In the beginning of the book her judge-husband gets indicted and then her country club friends shun her, and she starts to realize that she is basically alone. Right around this time, Jennifer also starts dreaming. She dreams things about her friends, her husband, and her sister. In the dreams she is another person, doing what they would do. And eventually she realizes that the dreams aren’t dreams at all, but actual things that have happened to these other people.

And that’s how subplot and plot sort of become one in this book. All the so-called subplots come in the dreams, but since Jennifer is actually experiencing these things, they’re also sort of the main plot. Yet, the dreams function just the way that subplots should, to inform the main plot. As Jennifer sees the her husband hated life as a judge, that her best friend is longing to have an affair, that her tennis partner is severely depressed, and that her perfect older sister is overwhelmed by motherhood, she also starts to see what’s wrong with her own life, and how she should begin to change it.

I guess my point is, that I agree with everything that’s been said so far this week on the topic. Yes, subplots are necessary to give the main character a rich world and to support the central conflict in some way. But also I’ll say that I had a lot of fun writing this book because I got to deviate from the rules a little bit, to play around with the notion that subplots and the main plot can't intersect into one.

Just a short note to all. . .

2010-03-17T14:23:00.005-04:00

I so appreciate all of your comments, thoughts and prayers. My sister is now in a nice hospice facility here in Nashville and not expected to be with us much longer.

Life is precious. Please take a moment to tell someone just how much you love them, especially one that you don't tell every day.

Much Love,

Lisa

Complimented or Challenged

2010-03-16T10:17:00.003-04:00

In the real world, people don't exist inside a bubble; there are events, actions, and storylines happening around them. In a book, it should be the same scenario. Whatever is happening to the main character, whatever journey he/she is embarking upon, should be complimented or challenged by external forces. Very often, this will mean a subplot.

I think Tracy said it well yesterday when she commented that subplots and secondary characters--a book's supporting cast, if you will--often go hand-in-hand. For me, it's because the secondary characters are often the ones who are acting out and involved in those subplots.

In a Bump in the Road, Clare's best friend Reese is going through a difficult marriage and a surprise pregnancy. This allows Clare to realize that life has many curveballs, and while she herself is unexpectedly pregnant, her marriage is stable and happy. Seeing her friend's challenges reminds her to be grateful for her blessings.

On the other hand, Clare's friend Julie is a party girl and still going out and having fun every night of the week. She meets a new man throughout the book and endures the challenges of a new relationship. Hearing about Julie's late-night escapades and adventures, reminds Clare that she's entered a totally new stage in her life, and will have to grow into her new role as a mother.

What worked about these subplots is that they both stood on their own. As in, they had their own narrative. However, they directly connected back to the main storyline by either mirroring the main character's emotional journey, or conflicting with it. That's truly the key in an effective subplot: it needs to be relevant to the story, either emotionally or externally.

Secondary Characters & Subplots

2010-03-15T07:00:00.001-04:00

While the official topic this week is subplots, for me, that often goes hand-in-hand with the secondary characters in my books. So, I'm going to talk a little bit about both and my take on how secondary characters and subplots can add another level to a story that is being told.

First of all, my experience is 100 percent with novel-length fiction, as I have yet to attempt writing a short story. I would imagine that the shorter word count would make it difficult to incorporate extra elements to any degree of depth, but hey--I could be wrong.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS

I rarely begin a new story thinking about secondary characters, so often I'm taken by surprise when someone new shows up in my novels. Obviously, when I wrote A STROKE OF MAGIC, I knew Elizabeth (the heroine from A TASTE OF MAGIC) would be in the book, and when I wrote A BREATH OF MAGIC, I knew that both Elizabeth and Alice (the heroine from A STROKE OF MAGIC) would be on scene and somewhat active. And, for anyone who has read my stories, then they know that Grandma Verda is a must-have secondary character in the entire series.

However, I sporadically have other characters pop up when I'm really not planning on it. When this happens, I tend to trust my instincts and go with the flow, so I can find out what this character is going to bring to the table. Do they have information about the story, or is their presence a catalyst for new conflict, or for asking or answering a question that is important to the journey my heroine is embarking on? Usually, thankfully, this is the case. Usually, and again--thankfully, my instinct/muse/whatever-you-want-to-call-it brings characters in that move the story forward.

Because guess what? If they don't move the story forward in one way or another, then it's very likely that they shouldn't be there. When this happens, I try to figure out why I *thought* I needed that character, and once I find the answer, it's easy for me to incorporate that element, whatever it is, without the use of an unnecessary character. Luckily, this hasn't happened to me very often.

Sometimes, though, a secondary character will breeze in to a scene who stands out. Maybe they're especially quirky and funny, or maybe they have a powerful, charismatic personality that steals the show. Whatever the case, when this happens, it can be really difficult to prune them out of the book once you realize they have no real reason to be there. This has only happened to me once, and I definitely pruned him from that story. But guess what? He's now a character, a very important character, in A BREATH OF MAGIC.

So, my final word on secondary characters is that they should have a purpose that moves beyond being funny, quirky, or charismatic. They MUST be in the story for a reason, otherwise, they're taking up valuable space that is needed by characters who will move the story forward.

SUBPLOTS

Subplots are a method used for a variety of reasons. They can enhance the main plotline, set up a future story (in the case of a series, as an example), or shed light on motivation, conflict, or other areas of the story that is being told, but might not have any seemingly obvious connection to the main plot, at least not at first.

Basically, think of subplots the same way as secondary characters: they must be there for a purpose, and usually--okay, almost always--that purpose has something to do with the main storyline.

Sometimes the protagonist is the character who is up to her/his eyeballs in the subplot, but it doesn't have to be. It can be the antagonist, the protagonist's best friend/sister/lover/etc, or another character the protagonist hasn't even met yet. But somehow, in one way or another, the subplot is an integral portion of the story, or--as I already said--is leading to the next story if the book is within a series. Some subplots are hefty, taking up significant space on the page, and other subplots are tiny, but still important.

Like secondary characters, the subplot needs to have a connection to something that is happening in the story being told, even if that something is to introduce characters that are going to be taking a major role in another book. In this case, though, when the subplot doesn't have anything else to do with the current story, it should be relatively small UNLESS it also enhances the current plot.

Subplots are a fantastic way to add depth to your characters, to move a story into directions that the reader might not anticipate, and to ask/answer questions that are necessary to hold tension throughout the story.

Whew. Hopefully, all of that made sense. And remember, as always, every person writes a story differently. My way, my rules, might not work for you.

Enlightened by that which has gone before...

2010-03-12T11:09:00.005-05:00

Looking back over this week of TNG posts, it strikes me that the conversation has gone a little like this:

Hopes...
Dreams...
Reality...
Perspective...

all leading up to my small contribution to the dialogue. I call it enlightenment, but not in a grandiose way. Small 'e' enlightenment - but enlightenment nonetheless.

I personally think every entry from the Girls this week should be considered required reading. Individually, they are each moving in their own way. Taken as a whole, they offer up a kind of truth. This is what we do, as humans. We hope and plan and daydream about the future. Then reality sometimes smacks us upside the head. And that makes us reevaluate the present.

I honestly struggled with what I would write about this week. I've always been the kind of person who lives pretty 'in the moment'. If I think too far ahead, I tend to run madly off in all directions. At the same time, I also tend to dwell on present problems and magnify them way out of proportion - I get stuck down the well-hole of my mind. Now I just think my duty to the topic is to point readers in the direction of my fellow Girl's posts.

Because here are the things I have taken away from this week's words: Tracey and Maureen's posts remind us that it's important to have dreams and aspirations. Lisa's post reminds us that it's important to recognize life may have other ideas. And Jillian reminds us, in that light, that maybe it's most important of all to not ignore the present for yearning of what may come.

I don't know where I'll be in ten years. You know what? I'm not even going to speculate. Ten years ago, if you'd asked me the same question, I would have answered. And I would have been wrong on just about every last thing I would have said.

Now it's more like: "Second star to the right, straight on 'til morning."
I don't know where I'll be in ten years.
But I am determined to try and have fun and appreciate the journey while I'm getting there.

Today

2010-03-11T00:10:00.001-05:00

Lisa’s post yesterday reminded me how precarious and fleeting life can be sometimes, and I feel so deeply for her and her family, not just because Lisa is one of the sweetest women I know (because she is) but also because I’ve been a little self-absorbed as of late. It’s surprisingly easy to do, when you’re promoting a book, when it feels like everything in the world suddenly revolves around you eating/drinking/sleeping/talking about/tweeting about/blogging about said book. And lately, in the midst of promoting THE LIFE OF GLASS, I’ve also been having what feels like some bad luck with some of my new projects, and I’ve found myself obsessing over my writing career, where it’s going, what I should be doing next, what’s going to happen to the books I’ve written but haven’t yet sold. But then you step back, or you read a post like the one Lisa posted yesterday, and you remember that there is writing and there is life. Lately, I’ve been forgetting somewhat about the life part.

And so it almost feels odd to blog today about what I want ten years from now. I had a list of goals in my mind all week, things I would write about here that had to do with my writing career, my family, where I’ll be living. In ten years from now, I’ll be in my early 40s, my kids will be teenagers, and I will hopefully be an established writer. I hope I’m writing full-time, that I’ve been able to move to a city that’s not so achingly hot in the summer and where my kids can actually get a good public education. I hope that all these things will be true.

But today it feels more appropriate to talk about what I want to be doing now, what I should be doing now. Lately, I’ve been paralyzed by fear, unable to really genuinely start work on a book I want to write because I’m afraid I can’t do it or that it might not sell or that maybe it’s a project to put off for the future. I’ve been doing everything I can to keep from starting it, all the while letting it and other book-related things consume my thoughts.

Today, I’m going to start that book. I’m going to remember to write because I love writing, but also, that writing does not equal life. Today I’m going to take a deep breath and stop worrying/thinking about/obsessing over the future.

What will you be doing today?

Needing Prayers

2010-03-10T11:45:00.002-05:00

To my fellow Novel Girls and all of our devoted followers,

I'm unable to post on topic today. Tragedy struck my family on Saturday. My youngest sister, Melanie, is in a deep coma after suffering a heart attack and brain injuries. She is only 39-years-old. My family and I would so appreciate your prayers.

With much thanks and love,

Lisa

My Ten Year To-Do List

2010-03-09T10:24:00.003-05:00

The topic for this week is 10 Years From Now, I... as a kind of response to the post we did a few weeks back, 10 Years Ago, I... I had the best time reading about how far we've all come in the past decade, so I thought it would be fun to break out our crystal balls (as Tracy said!) and predict the future!

So, here we go:

Continued writing success. Over the next ten years, I hope to have launched around a book a year. I hope that my writing continues to improve and reaches a larger audience each year.
Travel. As Tracy put it, I'd love to have a few more stamps in my passport. My husband and I visited Australia for our honeymoon, and I'd love to go back sometime. Hopefully, our toddler will be slightly more well behaved in ten years! I'd also love to go back to Hawaii and take a cruise around the Mediterranean. My craziest travel goal (although I really don't foresee this happening in ten years) is to someday visit the Galapagos Islands.
Own a car with mileage that is not in six digits. My husband and I bought our cars soon after we graduated college, with the assumption that we'd upgrade in five years or so. The darn things have held on so well, that they each hit the 100,000 mile mark with little signs of slowing down. ( I do realize that I may have jinxed myself by putting this in writing...)
Own four bedrooms. Right now, my husband and I live in a three-bedroom townhouse that is quickly becoming WAY too small for all of the various pets/toddler toys strewn around. We'd love to move into a house, with a real backyard. Hopefully, soon. Or else I'm moving into the garage.

Of course, there are many other goals, like to hit the New York Times list with one of my books, to own a fabulous vacation home in South Carolina, and a whole closet full of Prada, but those are more dreams than concrete goals. Oh, and a pony. I'd like a pony.

Dusting off my crystal ball...

2010-03-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

So, I've pulled my crystal ball out of storage and have dusted it until it shines. I've lit candles and asked the mystical ball to show me what my life will be like in 10 years. I see...

A spanky office for me to write in that has shelves filled with books, a honking-huge monitor on my really up-to-date computer, and my own professional-grade cappuccino maker. Ah...what's that? Ohh, it's a massaging desk chair. YES!
Pictures of grandchildren (wow, this really is possible, as in ten-years, my daughter will be 29 and my oldest son will be 27). Um. Yeah. Grandchildren. Freaky thought, that.
A stable writing career where I am able to continue to write the stories I love and find an audience for them.
A passport that shows I've done some traveling. To Ireland, Italy, and who knows where else.
My twin boys, now almost 8, are getting ready to graduate from high school.

And um, that's about all I'm willing to speculate. I hope we're living in the Pacific Northwest, and it would be even better if I could hear the waves crashing outside of my home. I hope I'm happy and content with life and whatever progress I've made personally and professionally in the past ten years. And most of all, I hope my family and friends are still healthy and doing well.

I have other hopes and other dreams that I'd love to see come to fruition, but I think the most important things I hope for, I already have: family and friends I love who love me, a career that pushes me to be the best I can that I adore doing, and yes, good health.

What about you? Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In which I get unintentionally rant-y and off-topic... sorry...

2010-03-05T14:39:00.013-05:00

Um... apologies in advance... apparently a certain movie REALLY hits one/ several of my hot buttons... sorry... very sorry...

I don't get out much. At least, I haven't recently.

**!!Brief interjection to point out that this may change now that I've

!!!! FINISHED BOOK THE THIRD !!!!

It's almost a real-really-real trilogy, kids!!**

Right. So. Where was I? Oh yeah - didn't get out to many movies in the last year.

Saw Avatar. Umm.... how do I put this.... HATED IT. I was SO bored.

Sure, it was pretty. It was shiny to look at. It was a technological acheivement. And I would have opened up a vein for a single moment of original dialogue or an unexpected plot twist. Just one. ONE.

Or a character I cared about or found interesting. Maybe, y'know, a villain that had more depth than a card-board stand-up video game ad display.

"I see you?" That's great. Now please, get your creepy ear/tail/hair out of my creepy ear/tail/hair.

Not only was Avatar a predictable, uninspired dumping ground cobbled together out of the stolen plots of every other movie James Cameron has ever seen - including his own!! - it just plain made no sense. Er - in my opinion.

Honestly though, why does a giant robot suit need to carry around a giant robot bowie knife??? 'Cause it looks cool? Not a good enough reason.

I found the whole 'noble savage' trope uninspired and lazy in its employment here. Why does it take the "white" guy to figure out how to tame the dragon? You know - that thing we all knew he was going to do as soon as the giant dragon/great leader plot point was introduced in the clunkerific info-dump of a scene designed to let us all know an hour before it happened that this is EXACTLY what was going to happen?

I think it would have been much more interesting story-telling if JakeSully had failed miserably in his attempt at dragon-surfing and needed the cranky blue guy's help. (Of course, I think it would have been more interesting if he'd gotten eaten by the dragon. Or plummeted to his death. So never mind.)

I miss Ripley. Seriously - how did Sigourney Weaver go from that, to this, where she displays all the charm and acting subtlety of a giant redwood in hiking boots? And why is her Avatar wearing hiking boots again??? To differentiate her visually? That's called poor character design. Also, what exactly makes her character so sooper-speshul that she gets to have the care-bear sparkle-tree healing attempt, but not any of the grievously wounded natives - who actually have a vested belief in said tree?

Why are all of the mammals on the planet based on a six-limbed genetic model... except the mostly (but never completely for some reason, although they don't seem particularly shy) naked blue people... who are bi-peds? Is it because JakeSully would never have had any sympathy for the Na'vi (or hots for the Na'vette) if they'd looked like the aliens in District 9 (which I didn't see, but really wish I had - mostly I wish I'd seen it instead of Avatar).

The creepy ear/tail/hair thing really is creepy. And makes NO physiological or biological sense whatsoever.

"Unobtainium"? Seriously? You're actually naming your macguffin after... a macguffin? And not ironically? And the stuff is SO rare that your company CEO has a random chunk of it floating above his desk like a paperweight???

Oh, I could go on. But I won't. Oh wait, I already did. Sorry. And I don't mean to suggest that those who enjoyed Avatar shouldn't have. I just think that maybe I saw a different Avatar than everyone else. The "gag" Avatar. Which strikes me as unfair. :-(

And DON'T get me started on this bloody 3-D crappola. What a crock. I don't want gimmicks. Especially ones that hurt my delicate proboscis and give me a scorching headache at the twenty-minute mark. Whatever happened to plain old storytelling? Would Raiders of the Lost Ark have gained anything by being shot in 3-D? No. No. No.

..........

Oh, look. I got all rant-y and off-topic. That never happens.

(Er - just a heads-up - I'll probably hate Alice in Wonderland, too.)

..........

Um... okay. Back on track, then: movies I saw recently that I liked.

Star Trek. More fun than a barrel of space monkeys, pitch-perfect, witty, straddled the line between respect for the source and not getting precious with it, imaginative stoytelling, great performances, awesome design, great score, fun fun fun.

Strangely enough, Zoe Saldana - who Star Trek shares with Avatar - was the only thing I half-liked about Avatar. She managed to do that hissy thing without coming across as a complete dork. Which, as any voice actor knows, can be tricky.

Up. Aside from a bit of drag around the middle, a thoroughly delightful movie. And, like Star Trek, had a prologue that had me weeping before the opening credits. 3-D crappola not an issue - saw this one on DVD, didn't miss the pop-up bookery for a second.

Other than that? Well... a couple of weeks ago, John sat me down and made me watch To Kill A Mockingbird - which, I am ashamed to say, I had never seen. And there is nothing for me to say about it other than it is a Perfect Movie. That is all.

So. Yeah... I'm gonna give the Oscars a miss this year. 'Cause if Avatar - by some catastrophic confluence of universally bad judgement wins best pic - I'm gonna have to find a new planet to live on.

Maybe one with nekkid blue people and glowy plants trying to eat my face.

Or maybe not.

My "Recent" Faves

2010-03-04T00:05:00.001-05:00

I have to admit here that I think the last grown-up movie I saw in the theater was in 2004, but since I’m a huge movie fan, I usually try to catch things as soon as they’re on DVD or Pay Per View, or sometimes, sadly, HBO. Which means I’m dreadfully behind when it’s time to watch the Oscars (I finally just watched Slumdog Millionaire in December, and yes, I did love it, even though I’m about a year too late to join that Oscar party). So be forewarned that most of my recent favorites are probably everyone else’s favorites from last year.

One exception to that, and one of the two movies I saw in the theater this year (a kid’s movie, of course) but still amazing, was The Princess and the Frog. Why yes, I am a sucker for Disney animated musicals! But also the message of the movie, about Tiana working hard and doing everything she can to achieve her dream is definitely relatable for us oft-rejected writers! (In case you’re wondering, the other movie I saw in the theater this year was Alvin & The Chipmunks: the Squeakuel – and no, this does not make my list of recent favorites.)

On DVD recently, I saw The Invention of Lying, which I didn’t know much about going in, and so I was surprised by how much I LOVED it. It’s the story of a man who lives in a society where nobody knows how to lie, and then he literally invents lying. I thought it was super-funny but in a really smart way. Plus, I love most movies with Jennifer Garner (except for The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, which I’ll admit, I also watched recently).

I know Maureen already mentioned it, but I also recently saw The Hangover, and I can’t remember laughing so much and so hard through a movie since Rat Race (not a recent favorite, but, I might add, a movie I can watch over and over again and still laugh at.) I can’t wait until it’s out on HBO, so I can watch it again, because I’m pretty sure I’ll laugh just as hard watching it the second time.

I’ve been really bad about keeping on top of my reading lately so I’ll also add a few movies that came from books that I’ve seen lately (without reading the books first): Julie & Julia, The Time Traveler’s Wife, and Twilight. Yes, you did read that right – it could be I’m the only YA writer on Earth who hasn’t yet read Twilight, and certainly one of the last to see the movie. But also, I really, really, really enjoyed the movie, in a way that completely shocked me. In fact I may just be fighting all the teenage girls for a copy of New Moon, when it comes out on DVD later this month!!

Crazy for Crazy Heart

2010-03-03T11:33:00.004-05:00

I only have a week to catch up on my movies so I can be an informed Oscar watcher. As great as I think the Hurt Locker must be, I won't be able to "take that one in." I don't do war movies.

But. I did see a different kind of war movie - Avatar. I absolutely loved it. The love storyline certainly didn't hurt my chances of loving it. Couldn't tell you the last time I saw a movie in 3D. Disney maybe. But now I'm so into seeing movies in 3D. Plus I saw it on an IMAX screen. Now, I'm a big fan of Avatar. I've told everyone I know to chop chop.

It's Complicated is way more my style of movie. The romantic comedies always win out when I have a choice. I've seen it twice and will probably see it again on DVD! Why? It's hilarious. Laugh-out-loud-lots-of-times hilarious. When Meryl Streep sneaks off for a cosmetic surgery consultation and runs into her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) and his new young wife in the elevator, and then pushes her eyelid up to act like she's young, too, I thought I would have to have my stomach operated on. Pure genius comedy. At least for me.

And finally let's talk a second about my man, Jeff Bridges. That hunka hunka burning love, even when he's the Big Lebowski. Finally, he's getting the recognition he has deserved since venturing into Hollywood. Crazy Heart is fantastic - my favorite movie of the year. It's absolutely wonderful and a must-see. If he doesn't win the Academy Award, I'm not watching the Oscars again. He's the real deal. Nothing contrived about his performance as an aging, washed-up country western singer. He sings his own songs and plays the character of Bad Blake so well, you'll feel as though Jeff is Bad Blake in real life.

So. Along with a million other women, I'm pulling for you, Bad Blake. I mean Jeff!

My Picks!

2010-03-02T10:31:00.003-05:00

This topic is very appropriate for this week, since Sunday is Oscar night! I, unfortunately, haven't seen many of the movies that are nominated, but I always look forward to the glitz and glamour of the evening. I plunk down in front of the television mid-afternoon and turn on the red carpet coverage, much to the feigned dismay of my husband. I say feigned because after awhile, he forgets that he's supposed to roll his eyes at the red carpet, and starts commenting on the clothes right along with me.

But, like I said, I haven't seen many of the nominated movies, so I can't discuss them for this week's topic: Favorite Recent Movies. So here are my picks for movies I've actually watched:

Food, Inc.
I grumbled for a long time about seeing this documentary about the state of the food industry. It had been recommended many times to me, but I was dearly afraid that I'd watch it and go bug-eyed. Not to mention, I was terrified I'd never be able to eat a normal meal again. Which turned out to be kind of true, albeit in a good way. The movie covers everything from food production, cost, trends and additives. It was eye-opening, but not in a grotesque way. It simply encouraged me to really "know" what I'm eating and make better meal choices for my family, even if it costs a bit more.

A definite must, but don't say I didn't warn you when you find yourself frozen in the middle of the organic food aisle in the grocery store!

Avatar
Oh boy, my husband resisted this one in a big way. He complained for weeks after the movie came out that it resembled a cartoon, that it reminded him of Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace, despite all of our friends commenting otherwise. Finally, I bribed him with unlimited free popcorn and we went to see the movie in 3-D. Afterward, he was silent until I poked him in the ribs and said, "Well?" His words, lo, did he eat them.

Now, of course, he recommends it to everyone he meets, including random strangers.

The Hangover
OK, so this one isn't really recent, but other than Avatar, it's the last movie I saw in the theater. This time, I was the one grudgingly pulled into the movie. I thought the previews looked dumb, but (again) the repeated endorsements from friends convinced me enough to buy a ticket. I had little hope and expectation, and figured it would be a couple of hours where I didn't have to police my son. (The people next to us did not have the same thought; they brought their three year old. To an R-rated movie. I think my head exploded a bit.)

This time, I was the one munching on my words. I laughed my butt off, especially at the end. If you haven't seen this movie, you must rent it. Yes, it's stupid, juvenile and raunchy, but in the best possible way.

So that's it! I wish I could get out and see more movies, but alas, I'll have to settle for renting DVDs. My husband and I are going to rent The Cove next, a documentary about dolphins kept in captivity--I've heard it's a must-see.

Any other recommendations?

Movie Time!

2010-03-01T10:16:00.005-05:00

We did a week of posts a ways back where we talked about our favorite movies, but this week, we're going to share what some of our recent favorite movies are. Normally, a lot of my movie-watching is from DVD or VOD, because we don't get out to the theater all that often, but this year, I made it to the theater several times.

I used to love going to the theater. I guess I still do, but I'm also getting to the point that staying at home in my pjs, curling up on the couch, with popcorn made the way I like it, is preferable most of the time. But when a movie is truly special, then there is nothing like watching it on the big screen.

So, here are some of the movies I've really enjoyed lately:

Sherlock Holmes: This movie is one I was able to see in the theater. My family went on the weekend after Christmas, and we all loved it. Okay, well, 1/2 of my family saw Sherlock Holmes and the other half saw Avatar (which, um, I still haven't seen and I really, really want to). But I LOVED Sherlock Holmes. Come on...Robert Downey, Jr and Jude Law? What's not to love? The humor was awesome, the relationship between Holmes and Watson was a joy to watch, and I left the theater feeling as if the price of admission was well worth it.

Here's the trailer:

The Time Traveler's Wife: I just watched this movie this past weekend, and I'll admit I was hesitant. Not because I've read the book and I was worried about the changes that might have been made in the movie (since...um...I wouldn't know the difference), but because I'd heard conflicting reports from friends who also haven't read the book. But, I was in the mood for a love story, and I'm always a fan of the time traveling plot, so I decided to give it a go. Wow. I loved this movie! It is such a love story, but it also asks a lot of questions that I found compelling. Sort of "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" type of questions. At any rate, now I want to read the book, even though I know there are differences. But aren't there always?

Here is the trailer:

And because I like to do things in threes...

The Blind Side: I wanted to see this movie the second I saw the first preview, and I was also able to go to the theater for this one. I'm a huge fan of Sandra Bullock, but I am even a bigger fan of true, inspirational stories. And this is a HUGELY inspirational story. This movie is being released on DVD this month, and it's already on my must-buy list. If you cry at big, soppy, emotional moments, then have your tissues nearby.

Here's the trailer:

So, those are three of my favorite recent movies. What have you seen recently that you absolutely loved? I'm always on the lookout for more!

Writing and Running

2010-02-25T00:05:00.000-05:00

I often view writing a book the way I view exercising. When I step on the elliptical, I don’t let myself think about the long thirty minutes that lies ahead. Instead, I break it into five minute chunks at different inclines and resistance levels. Then I mentally prepare myself to make it through the next five minutes. I think only about those five minutes. And then the next. And the next. Until, before I know it, 30 long minutes have passed.

With writing, I set daily goals for myself, tiny page goals or word count goals. If I sat down every day with the notion that I had 75-80,000 words to get down on the page, I’d feel so daunted that I’d have the urge to run from the computer screaming. So I never let myself think about the big picture, not at first anyway. I think about the first 2000 words and then the next 2000 and then the next.

When I sit down to write a book, I take out a calendar and put a page number that I’d like to be on at the end of each day for the next three months. At the end of every day, I then check this page number off. I only let myself look at one day at a time. And each day, on its own, feels achievable. Five pages, 2000 words, isn’t so much, is it?

Is it sometimes hard to make myself sit down and write every day? Yes. And do I always stick to every single one of these goals? No. But usually I do, because the goals I set feel very manageable and doable to me.

I guess my point is, that you need to find whatever feels right to you. People write at different speeds, so set a writing goal that makes you feel comfortable, that doesn’t daunt you. And even if you set out to write a novel, pick many smaller goals within this enormous venture to keep you on task.

And if you get stuck – go exercise! I do some of my best brainstorming on the elliptical while I’m trying to make it through my workout, five minutes at a time.

Little By Little

2010-02-23T10:36:00.002-05:00

The topic of the week is Setting Writing Goals--something that, for me, is pretty easy. It's the actual, um, accomplishing of the goals that's the hard part. Sure, it's easy to say, "I'll definitely finish this book by the end of next month!" But the day-to-day commitment is where the challenge truly begins.

Having just finished my next book, I've found that there's truly no "easy" period for me when writing. I'm full of energy and excitement for the first third of the book, but also daunted when I realize that, after all those hours, I'm still only about 15% finished. My brain starts whispering, It would be so easy to quit right now.

But, eventually, I push through to the dreaded middle. This is where many manuscripts are at risk of death. You've set your story up, and now you need to amp up the conflict, throw in subplots and work toward the climax. I'm always tempted at this point to start throwing in filler scenes, just to pad my word count. In the back of my head, I'm always asking, "What's the point of this scene?" and the writer inside me who just wants to write The End will snap back, "It shows, um, character development. And Stuff."

Finally, after much blood, sweat, tears and carpal tunnel, I'm at the last third of the book. It is now that I begin to hate my book. Because I'm so freaking SICK of it and I just want to reach the final scene. I can already see the problems in the manuscript and know it's going to take a lot more effort to bring it up to shape before I can ship it off to my agent. Finally, I type the last sentence.

So I close my computer, vowing to start revisions the next day, and cast a side-glance at the writing goals calendar that I drew up a few months prior. And I laugh heartily. Better late than never, right?
'

The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat

2010-02-22T07:00:00.003-05:00

While the title of this post would have served quite well last week for our Winter Olympics topic, it also serves very well for this week's topic: Setting Writing Goals.

You see, for me, it's very much a thrill when I make my daily/weekly/monthy writing goals, and it definitely feels agonizing when I don't. Even with the potential of defeat, I still set writing goals. In fact, I'm very much a goal-oriented person. If I don't set goals, I'd get very little done. Goals make me accountable, and one of the ways I plan out my goals is by writing lists of what I want to accomplish.

I used to create a daily list of objectives in either a Day Planner or a simple notebook. The problem was that whenever I didn't get to something I'd planned on, or when I didn't complete the goal completely for that day, I had to move things around. I spent a lot of time crossing out entries and writing in new ones.

About six months ago, I changed my game plan. After re-writing a week's goals & plans out for like the third time, I became frustrated. I thought "Wow, Tracy, how much easier would it be if you did this on the computer. Then, instead of always re-writing, you could simply cut and paste, edit the goals as they changed, add in space for that new appointment that came in out of nowhere." And then I thought, "HEY, I can do that easily with a SPREADSHEET!"

So, I did. And, I have to say, I'm actually finding it easier to accomplish my daily writing goals. Probably because it takes so much less time to type than write, to copy and paste than re-write, and honestly? It's helped me stay on track better, because frankly, I don't have the neatest handwriting anymore (I used to. Not sure what happened). I open my Excel calendar in the morning, take a quick look at the day's objectives, and get going.

But back to setting writing goals (yep, I went off on some weird spreadsheet tangent...sorry!). I used to use this nifty program that you simply typed in the book's title, the total amount of words you were aiming for, when you were planning on starting, and when you wanted to finish, and like magic, this program would tell you how many words per day you needed to write to accomplish that goal. If you wrote more than the minimum one day, it would alter the minimum amount of daily words accordingly, as well as showing you when you would finish if you kept up at that pace. Oh, naturally, it did the same if you wrote less than the minimum number on any given day.

It's a great program. I've used it for many projects. But there was a problem...and that problem is that I don't write evenly throughout a book, and I don't always write the same amount every single day (hey, I get sick, have appointments, need veg days, etc). My writing tends to start out slow. The first third of a book is my slowest and often really, really painful. I start to pick up speed the farther into the book I get, and by the time I pass the halfway mark, I'm usually flying and writing far more words per day than I did at the beginning. So, as much as I loved this program, it didn't really work well for me and my writing patterns.

Now (with a new spreadsheet I designed), I start off with lower word counts and ramp up as I go. THIS works SO much better for me. With the other program, I always felt like a failure in the beginning of my projects, because no way was I able to write that much per day at that point in my novel. Feeling like a failure is not productive to writing. At least it isn't for me. So my new system isn't only more honest about my process, but I find it easier to reach those daily writing goals from the very beginning of a book all the way through the end. Feeling successful is productive to writing, at least for me. :)

That's not to say I always reach those goals, because I don't. I have four kids, four pets, other work that needs to be done, and some days I'm lucky if I can write an email, let alone xxxx number of words. On those days (as long as there are not too many of them), I give myself some slack. After all, I'm not a machine. Also, writing at its best is so much fun. I prefer for it to be fun as often as it can be, and when I'm down on myself for not making a daily goal here and there, then it becomes not fun. And trust me, I know that writing is work...but usually, I have fun with my work.

Whew. Way longer post than I anticipated. Hope you all have a terrific Monday and I'll see you next week!

Podium Ponderings...

2010-02-21T19:46:00.003-05:00

As the resident Canuck Girl, I will say straight up that I'm proud Canada is hosting this event. I want us to go out there and kick Olympian butt.

But, some of the sports... I just don't know. I will freely admit that I don't really get some of it.

Like men's figure skating--I certainly don't understand the scoring--I'm not sure anyone does--but I particularly don't get the costumes. Seriously. Is that... maribou? You look like a muppet in a Vegas strip joint.

Actually, there's a lot about Olympic-wear that kinda gives me the wiggins. Speed skating uniforms for example. They just look like they would chafe horribly. How long does it take you to get into something like that? And where does the sweat--and I imagine there is a deal of it--go?

Curling pants... what does one say about curling pants besides... "Eep." Except maybe "Ow my eyeballs!" and "Why? Why??"

The hairstyles of the snowboarders.

There are other things, non-sartorial things, I also just don't get about some of the events.

Double's luge? Who thought that would be a good idea in the first place? What's the guy in back contributing to the process?

Skeleton is, quite obviously, a sport for the certifiably insane. "I'm gonna luge. But I'm gonna do it on my face. Yeah."

Ice-dancing. That's... different from ice-skating. I think. And I still don't get the scoring.

I get sympathy knee-aches watching slalom events. Do those guy even have any cartilage left once they reach their 20's?

Is bobsled really a sport? It just kinda seems like... steering fast to me. And what do those other three guys do after the initial push-off??? Aren't they just... ballast? Honestly. I really don't know. If there is something here I'm missing... please let me know.

Like I say, some of it just leaves me scratching my head.

But--here's the other thing. I also get kinda... verklempt... watching the Olympics. Particularly the individual contests. I can't stand it when skaters fall, skiers crash, boarders wipe-out... I feel nervous and clenchy and palm-sweaty when it's one athlete out there busting their hump, striving to achieve and I feel bad--really bad--when they lose. Or come up short. And there's always that shot of slo-mo heartbreak that they show over and over again. Which I guess, is kind of the point. It's the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.

But then there's the hockey. Wherein everything (except the officiating--but that's to be expected) makes sense. Hockey. That, to me, is what the Olympics is all about. GO CANADA GO!!

It's All About the Love Story

2010-02-18T00:05:00.000-05:00

Since we’re talking about the Winter Olympics this week, I’ll let you in on a little secret childhood dream of mine: to be half of a pairs figure skating team. I suppose I should also tell you how utterly ridiculous this dream was, considering I can’t skate. At all. The ice is not my friend. In fact, in the few times in my life I’ve been skating, I’ve probably spent nearly 99% of that time in a heap on the ice, after continuously falling. But nevermind that.

When I was 13 or 14, my best friend and I were obsessed with the movie The Cutting Edge. Maybe you’ve seen it – we watched it about a gazillion times until we had every line memorized. It’s the story of a stuck-up figure skater and a washed up hockey player who end up getting stuck as a pairs team, hating each other, going to the Olympics, and oh yeah, falling in love. And that right there is what I always get caught up in with pairs skating, the romance, the love story. In real life, I am sure there is a lot of work, sweat, tears, etc., but in the movies (and in my fantasy world) pairs figure skating plays out like romantic comedy. That’s where it always gets me.

And then there are the real-life stories about the couples in the Olympics. I was capitivated by Jamie Sale and David Pelletier’s story at the 2002 Olympics – both on and off the ice. I may have been shrieking just a little bit when the coverage of pairs skating the other night cut over to them in the announcer’s booth. I may have even Googled them to see if they’re still married.

I guess you can tell that I’m not too much of a sports nut. I’ll skip the luge and the skiing and the speed skating – but give me a good love story, and I’ll watch it every time.

And now to finish up some business from last week – I used random.org to pick the winner of my giveaway, and the winner is Michelle (who commented on Maureen’s post last week.) I’ve sent you an e-mail, so make sure to respond with your info so I can get your book out to you!

Lindsay, You're My Hero

2010-02-17T09:28:00.004-05:00

Since I am deep into the thick of trying to finish my second novel, I can't be as glued to the TV as I normally would be during the Winter Olympics. Actually, I think I enjoy them more than the summer Olympics. The irony is: I can't stand to be cold. And Nashville, Tennessee has had a crazy amount of snow lately. Did y'all hear that 49 states had snow on the ground last weekend? Now that's something to talk about.

So while I love the skaters, I mean I LOVE the skaters, I am in awe of the downhill skiers. And I will be plastered in front of the TV today when Lindsay Vonn makes her way down the slopes. Is anyone else as amazed as I am that the girl has a major shin injury and she's out there going for it? I've been pondering her sheer will to succeed, her superhuman tenacity despite a horrific obstacle. I want what she's got! If I could adopt 1/80th of her inner-fight, I can't imagine what I could accomplish. The girl is in major pain and can take no more than an Advil! Lindsay, you are definitely my hero.

Here's what she had to say about her shin injury.

"I don't know that it's not broken. My physio that was there [in Austria] wanted me to get an X-ray and I refused to get one. I pretty much stuck my fingers in my ear and just pretended like I didn't hear what was going on. I didn't want to hear that my shin was fractured."

Then she goes on to WIN the down-hill training run the other day!

It's easy to say, "Oh I'd do it. Of course I would. I'd go for it, too!" But would you really? When your leg is throbbing, it's freezing outside, and the whole world is watching? What about the possibility that she may re-injure it beyond repair? The pressure must be so great on Lindsay that her head must want to explode. It makes me seriously ponder the phenomenal power of the mind. Miss Lindsay Vonn must be spending some serious time focusing on how to get her mind in shape. She's got to train her brain to concentrate on accomplishing the nearly impossible. Psychologically speaking, our golden girl has a taxing challenge ahead.

I think most everyone would agree. She's one awe-inspiring woman.

It's Tuesday Already?

2010-02-16T10:43:00.002-05:00

A confession: I thought today was Monday until about five minutes ago, when I looked at the calendar and shrieked, "The blog! I have to post on the blog!" In my defense, my husband and I returned late Sunday night from a weekend in Vegas, so I barely know what hour it is, let alone day of the week. But, armed with a strong cup of coffee, I'm just about ready to go.

This week's topic is the Winter Olympics. I didn't get a chance to watch the opening ceremonies, as I was at a piano bar in the Palazzo hotel while they were going on. I did see a brief glimpse of one of the performances while I was ordering a frozen drink. But I'm so, so excited to watch all of the events.

Yesterday, I caught a recap of some of the moguls races, and I honestly have no idea how those skiers have any cartilage left in their knees. I also love the ski jumping, and always hold my breath until the skier is safely on the ground, no injuries in sight. And I'm sure I'll watch a bit of hockey, along with some speed skating.

One event I can't bear to watch is the cross country skiing. I tried to flip it on for a few minutes yesterday, and had to turn it off. The reason is because it makes me exhausted just to watch! I inadvertently start huffing and puffing from my sedentary position on the couch, until my husband reminds me that the only physical activity I did in the last five minutes was adjust the couch pillows. So, no long-distance skiing for me.

I do love all of the figure skating, although my husband can barely take it. It's too stressful for him to watch, as he's always worried someone is going to fall. And, unfortunately, it seemed like a lot of the pairs last night did just that. But I love the over-the-top costumes, the excessive eye makeup, the body glitter not seen since 1990, and the drama of the scoring.

What are you all looking forward to watching?

Figure Skating, Skiing, Luge...Oh, My!

2010-02-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

I'm a huge fan of the Winter Olympics, which is kind of funny when you consider I can barely stay upright on ice skates or skis. Okay, that's a lie. There's no barely to it. I cannot stand upright on ice skates or skis, but I love to watch those who can.

Seeing as I've never been an outdoorsy sort of gal, it's mega surprising how much fun I have watching the Olympics. But love it I do. That's not to say that I adore every sport within the Winter Olympics--because I don't. I have my favorites, and yes, at the top of my favorite list is figure skating. I'm not even picky about what type of figure skating...I even like ice dancing.

Figure skating is filled with grace and athleticism (not to mention the really cool outfits!), and I'm always stunned by the pure beauty of this sport. And, unlike some of the other winter sports, I can almost feel the tension of the athletes when they step onto the ice, and I can definitely feel the happiness when a skater completes a nearly perfect routine.

Next on my favorite list is the luge. Why do I love watching luge? Don't know. Maybe it's the speed of the sport. Or...um...the tight outfits on the men? Possibly.

And of course I love downhill skiing. And moguls. Ohhhh! And speed-skating!

I also like that the Olympics only come around every four years. Otherwise, they wouldn't be nearly as special or as exciting.

What about you? Are you a fan of the Winter Olympics? If so, which sports are on your must-see list?

"It started out just like Romeo and Juliet..."

2010-02-12T14:03:00.004-05:00

"...but it ended in tragedy."

One of my favorite Simpsons quotes. Poor Milhouse. Bemoaning the crash and burn of his grade-school love affair. And yet... and yet... the little bespectacled dork has a point.

Romeo and Juliet is considered by some to be the most romantic, most tragic, most passionate and beauteous love story of all time.

Poppycock, sez I.

It's no tragedy. That play is a comedy!

"What?" you say. "Have you lost your Shakespeare-addled mind?" you say.

I have not.

That play is, in fact, a farce that hinges entirley on catastrophically bad timing, one wacky friar's "cunning plan", and the gross inadequacies of the Italian postal system back in the day.

Did you know that it's entirely likely that most of Shakespeare's audience would have considered Romeo and Juliet to have been justly served by their fate? That's right. Elizabethan society looked poorly on the kind of impetuous disregard for social convention and hotheaded recklessness shown by the two lovers. They would have thought the end unfortunate but... enh - what are you gonna do? They got what was coming to them.

How's that for romantic?

You want romance from Shakespeare? Real romance? I give you Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing. Often considered to be nothing more than a frothy romp, nothing too deep and meaningful, I put it to you that - in fact - the love story in this play is far more profound than that which springs up over the junior Montagues and Capulets.

Here we have a couple of stubborn, set-in-their-ways adults - determined not to give in to the painfully obvious attraction that has been building between them over years - rather than overnight - and, when forced to confront the truth of their mutual attraction, they act like a couple of giddy schoolkids, profess their love, demand oaths of bloody revenge for wronged relatives (Beatrice), promise - after some fiery convincing - to exact said revenge (Benedick), take the time to solve a mystery Scooby-gang style, and through a bit of clever deception make absolutely certain that everything will turn out all right for everyone (not just themselves) in the end.

That's what I call romantic.

Don't believe me? Rent the Brannagh/Thompson movie and watch as these two go from adversarial, to goofy-smitten, to deadly serious, to giddy joy all in the name of love and honor.

And, I have to say, the scene where Beatrice is on the garden swing and Benedick is diving through the fountain is one of the all-time cinematic greatest visual representations of true love ever committed to celluloid, in my opinion!

Now... don't get me wrong. I still have to wring my hanky out after a good production of Romeo and Juliet - a good one mind you - I just think that, maybe it's reputation as Shakespeare's most romantic play might be a teensy bit misleading.

All that aside, and speaking of love... I LOVE Jillian Cantor. I LOVED her first book The September Sisters and I cannot wait to dive into The Life of Glass. Congratulations, Jillian, on the release of your second book. And for everyone reading this post - what are you waiting for!?!! Go leave a comment for a chance to win TLOG!

Have a Happy Valentine's Day kids! And - remember - don't listen to the crazy friar!
That whole "faking your own death" thing might sound like a good idea at the time but.....

It's Finally Here!!!!

2010-02-11T00:05:00.000-05:00

It has been so exciting to have my second book, THE LIFE OF GLASS, make its way into the world this week! And a huge thank you to my fellow Novel Girls for all their kind words and support.

The reason I picked the topic of love stories for the week is because the idea of love stories plays a big role in THE LIFE OF GLASS. The book takes place about a year and a half after 14-year-old Melissa loses her father to cancer. As she begins her freshman year of high school, all she has left of him is his journal of strange facts and interesting stories, a journal he’d been keeping as notes for a book before he died. As the book begins, Melissa’s mother decides it’s time to start dating again. And that’s when Melissa decides to start keeping her own journal, a journal of love stories, specifically, the love stories that make up her family history. She begins just as her mother goes on her first date, with the idea that, if she doesn’t write it down, her mother and father’s love story might disappear forever. Then there is also her grandparent’s love story, which seems especially important to record as her grandmother’s memory is slowly fading away due to Altzheimer’s.

Through the course of the book, Melissa questions the idea of love and what it means to love. Is her beautiful pageant-obsessed older sister, Ashley, really in love with the captain of the baseball team? Could her mother really be in love with this new guy, whom Melissa nicknames “the cowboy” because he lives on a ranch and rides horses? Could her best friend, Ryan, really be in love with Courtney, the deceptively beautiful new girl? And then there’s Melissa herself, who suddenly finds herself the object of Max Healy’s attention – one of the cutest and most popular guys at school. But is what she’s feeling for him really love?

Here’s a little excerpt from the book where Max notices Melissa for the first time:

Staring right at me, his big brown eyes all sparkly and sweet-looking, was Max Healy. “Hey there, Ashley’s sister.” He smiled. He had this sort of cocky smile that seemed to say he knew just how gorgeous and nice and funny he was, and if you couldn’t recognize it , well then, too bad. . .

“I have a name,” I said, surprised by the no-nonsense sound of my voice, because I hadn’t thought the words through before they popped out of my mouth.

“A secret name?”

I felt my neck getting hot, and I knew it would only be a matter of seconds before the flush spread across my face and I was completely bright red. “Melissa,” I finally mumbled, and then looked back into the locker as if I were searching for something very urgent, which, unless you were counting piles of old gum wrappers and balled up math homework, I wasn’t.

When I looked up again, he was gone.

If you want to know what happens in their love story, you’ll have to read the book! To read a longer excerpt from the book, you can click on over to the Harperteen site here.

I’m also giving away one signed copy of the THE LIFE OF GLASS, chosen at random, from everyone who leaves a comment all week long. So leave us a comment if you want to enter to win!

Way To Go, Jill!

2010-02-10T09:42:00.006-05:00

I can't talk about The Life Of Glass Release week without first taking a moment to give Jillian Cantor a huge, heartfelt congratulations. I'm always telling her she's the real deal. She can pump out a beautiful story in no time flat. Her writing is, well, superb and it seems to me that prose flows out of that girl as effortlessly as love does from a mom.

I'm going to head to Davis-Kidd, our Nashville indie, to pick up a copy of The Life of Glass today. The cover is ingenious but I'm sure it doesn't even compare to the brilliance inside. And every one of our wonderful NG followers has a chance to win a signed copy. All you have to do is post a comment. The more you post, the better chance you have of winning. So post, post, post!

Since "Love Stories" is the topic that Jillian has chosen for us to talk about this week, here's my two cents.

When I hear the words Love Story I can't help but think about Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal. I know it shows my age, but honestly if you grew up in the 70s this was THE movie of the decade. It evoked sobs, you know the messy-cry kind that before you know it, has your whole face smeared with nose fluid. Love Story's got all the makings of the perfect star-crossed, tragedy. Oliver, a Harvard pre-law, blue-blooded, hockey player and Jenny, an Italian/American, blue-collared, Radcliffe music student fall in love. Oliver's father is hell-bent to put the kibosh on the relationship. Then the unthinkable happens.

We know how the love story will end from the opening line of the film. Oliver narrates, looking back:

What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful and brilliant? That she loved Mozart and Bach, the Beatles, and me?

It's a little sappy, but if you like love stories, it's definitely worth a trip to Blockbuster or the 99 cent investment at Netflix. Or by all means, read the novel. I read it in a day, if I remember correctly.

This just dawned on me. Maybe my real Novel Girl roll is to educate all of our young followers on the comings and goings of the 70s. Tell me, has anyone out there seen Love Story? Does anyone out there even care about seeing Love Story? Go ahead and post. You'll be happy you did when The Life of Glass shows up in your mailbox!

Happy Birthday, The Life of Glass!

2010-02-09T10:04:00.003-05:00

It continues to amaze me that some of us have already graduated from our debut years, and are on to releasing our next books into the world. Jill is next up on that list, with the release of her second book, The Life of Glass. I get the privilege of posting on the book's actual release date, so make sure you head over to Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million or your local indie and order a copy!

This is usually the part where I say that I can't wait to read it, and that I'll be stalking my mailman until he delivers my copy. However, after much begging, cajoling and attempted bribery, Jill graciously sent me an ARC. So I can honestly, truly say that this book is wonderful. It's beautifully written, with a high-relatable main character dealing with realistic, real-life struggles as a teenager. The title relates to the narrative in such a unique way; here's the first sentence: "The last thing my father ever told me was that it takes glass a million years to decay."

I got about five pages in before I emailed Jill with something like this: "OMG! LOVE IT! SOOOO GOOD!" Clearly, I have difficulty articulating when excited.

My long-winded point is this: buy this book. Jill is also giving away a signed copy this week, to celebrate the release, so leave a comment to enter!

So this week, Jill chose Love Stories as the topic. For me, what really hits me square, aren't huge, romantic gestures between two characters. It's more the little, everyday things like a shared look, a slight arm nudge or a teasing smile. I think it's much more difficult (and much more realistic) to convey chemistry and love through two characters teasing each about about, say, rival sports teams, than through candles, champagne and flowers.

What about you guys? What works for you in love stories? Don't forget to comment to win a signed copy!

The Life of Glass Release Week!

2010-02-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

Wow, can you believe it? We have another TNG release to celebrate this week! Jillian Cantor's second novel, The Life of Glass, is available tomorrow--February 9th! Yay, Jillian!!!!!

I'm in love with the cover of this book and can't wait to delve into the story. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to read it right away (sob! double sob!) because I have other books to read first. Hey, I have to. They're contest books and I'm a judge. I promised I'd read them in a specific amount of time, so they are my first priority for reading time. As soon as I finish the last of those books; however, I'm going to jump into The Life of Glass with enthusiasm. Lots of enthusiasm!

To celebrate Jillian's release, she is giving away a signed copy of The Life of Glass. All you have to do is comment this week to be entered! And, as readers of this blog will know, we always have a special topic the week of a release. Jillian's topic of choice is Love Stories, which is fitting for the book but also with Valentine's Day right around the corner.

I'm a romance writer, so it should be pretty obvious to all that I love a good love story. Whether it's a true story being told to me by a friend, a fictionalized story in a book, TV show, or movie, I'm a goner. For one, I'm a romantic (duh), a softie (double duh), and am about as emotional as a person can get. My heart is touched easily and often, for which I'm ever grateful. I love being swept away.

And I think that's one of the reasons why love stories hold such appeal to so many people. We're able to become swept away, to fall in love again, to connect with the people we're reading about or watching on the screen. Love is an emotion that people can identify with--it truly needs no explanation--so we're able to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Those are the reasons why I love a good love story, but what about you? What makes one love story stand out above others? I admit I like a lot of humor, but a good tear-jerker will stay with me forever.

Don't forget to comment for a chance to win a signed copy of The Life of Glass! And huge congrats, Jillian!!!

Er... Food-related. Sort Of. Plus Bonus Snowy Digression!

2010-02-05T11:27:00.003-05:00

Hoo boy.

I got nothin', Girls.

My roasting pan is empty. The pilot light on my stove is out. The microwave is unplugged.

Recipes. Recipes... I know I've heard that word before... isn't that the term used for the series of numbers one punches into a telephone to make food appear at one's front door?

No?

I made "sloppy joes" once. They turned out pretty good, I seem to recall. I could really kind of go for one right about now, actually...

I know there was ground beef and a can of chicken gumbo soup involved in the process. Also dry mustard. And Lipton's onion soup mix. There might have been a dash of ketchup and some Worcestershire Sauce. Or maybe HP. I'm hazy on that detail. Maybe garlic powder.

And buns.

And I think I probably had to call my mom on the other side of the country to avert some sort of disaster mid-way through.

It's sad really. I missed last week's topic becaue I killed my laptop in the middle of Book 3 revisions - why yes, I was freaking out, thanks for asking! - and that was actually something I could have impressed y'all with.

Winter activities.

I skate. I ski. I pack a mean snowball. In university I took a weekend workshop and somehow wound up competing in the Senior Women's open catagory in Naturbahn Luge - yes, that's right, LUGE! - in the Alberta Wintersport Championship and, after only a couple of weeks of training, came in 7/10ths of a second away from a bronze medal.

Yup. I'm a demon on the slopes.

But I can't boil an egg without setting off the smoke detector.

My Dad's Foolproof Chili

2010-02-04T00:05:00.001-05:00

Recipes and I are not good friends. In fact, you may remember my post a while back about my continual mishaps with trying to make a pineapple upside down cake for my husband’s birthday. (This past year, by the way, I ordered a fabulous one from a bakery!)

I do like to cook, but I’m a big fan of raw foods (fruit and vegetable salads) and things that require very little ingredients to be good (roasting chicken, baked salmon). I have problems following recipes with a lot of ingredients and actually measuring it all out, and quite often I’ll make up my own recipes. I recently invented an eggplant parmagiana casserole that caused my husband to look for the takeout pizza menu as I was preparing it, but then, it turned out delicious, (and thus, he apologized and skeptically praised my culinary skills!)

So, like I said, there are very few recipes that I actually follow, but I do have my dad’s recipe for chili printed out and in the drawer in my kitchen, and whenever it’s chilly out, this is my favorite dish to make. (I’ve modified it, of course, and I approximate on the spices!). But here you go:

--2 lbs ground chicken or turkey (You could also use ground beef as the original recipes calls for, but I don’t eat ground beef, so I usually make it with the chicken.)
--1 large yellow onion, sliced or chopped
--3 cloves garlic, chopped (I usually cheat and substitute a few sprinkles of garlic powder.)
--2 15.5 oz cans kidney beans, drained
--1 28.5 oz can of whole tomatoes
--1 6 oz can tomato paste
--1/4 t Tabasco sauce (I’ve been leaving this out lately so my kids don’t complain it’s too spicy.)
--2 T Worcesteshire sauce
--2 t chili powder (I’ve been halving this lately to cut down on the spiciness)
--3 t cumin (I sometimes halve this as well.)
--2 T pickapepper sauce (This ingredient is extremely hard to find, but it makes the whole dish!)
--1 bottle dark beer or ale (I’ve been leaving this out since my kids have started eating it. I think the alcohol burns off, but still, the last thing I need is my toddler getting a beer buzz from the chili! Without the beer I sometimes add about a half cup of water so it doesn’t get too thick.)
--1/4 t black pepper
--1/2 t red pepper flakes
--1 bag corn chips
--1 16 oz bag grated chedder
--1 8 oz container of sour cream

Brown chicken (or meat) in a large pot with a small amount of oil. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion is soft, approx. 10 mins. Meanwhile remove tomatoes from can and cut into small pieces, reserve liquid. Add all other ingredients; the last two should be to add the juice from the tomatoes and then blend in tomato paste. Cover and bring to slow boil and cook for at least 30 mins. Serve with chips, sour cream, and sharp cheese.

This chili recipe has been in our family for as long as I can remember, and I have to say, the best part about it is that even if you mess around with the ingredients, it always comes out tasting good – and those are really the only kinds of recipes I can live with!

I'd Rather Eat Fun Food

2010-02-03T09:45:00.004-05:00

I love to cook fun food. I think that's been one of my biggest cooking issues over the years. I'd rather cook a fun appetizer or a dessert than a main course. Probably because I prefer that kind of food. So here's a couple of my favorite "fun foods"! Hope you enjoy . . .

The first recipe is for a very delicious CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE! My children beg for these all year long.

In a Large Bowl or Mixer
1 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
Cream all the above ingredients together and sit aside.

Mix in separate bowl
2 cups flour
2 eggs room temp
2 1/2 cups oats (powdered in the blender)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 T vanilla

Mix the 2 bowls of ingredients together. I use my hands.

Stir in 4 oz melted Hershey bar
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
12 oz. chocolate chips

Roll batter into small balls the size of golf balls.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for 10 - 13 minutes depending on degree of crispiness you desire and your oven.

And finally, I love GUACAMOLE. Here's a delicious recipe

6 small avocados (don't get the big ones. They have no taste)
1 small red onion chopped fine
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
juice of half lime
juice of 1/4 orange
2-3 garlic cloves minced, depending on taste
1/2 small jalapeno pepper finely chopped (more or less depending on taste)
Salt (I use sea salt) to taste

Mash avocados together. I like to keep them a little chunky.
Add all other ingredients together. Add your favorite tortilla chip and VOILA!!

I'd keep tasting as you add the ingredients, just to make sure you like the taste.

Oh and one more tip. Keep the avocado seed in the bowl. It will keep it from turning brown.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week! See ya next Wednesday.

Comfort Foods for the Long Winter

2010-02-02T09:48:00.002-05:00

I thought long and hard about which recipe to post this week. Since we're in the middle of winter, I've been making lots of warm comfort food lately. Last night, we had fake Chipotle burrito bowls that I made with lime-cilantro rice. (Sounds really fancy, but really it's just rice with fresh-squeezed lime juice and some chopped cilantro thrown in.) We usually throw some black beans, jarred green salsa, sour cream, cheese and homemade guacamole into it.

Tonight, I'm making a beef stew. I found some great grass-fed, organic beef stew meat, so I'm going to let of pot of beef, carrots, onions and celery simmer all day on the stove. Yum!

But, I must admit, my favorite winter recipes involve sugar, flour, and chocolate in cupcake form. I just love firing up that Kitchenaid countertop mixer and making my own frosting. There's nothing like enjoying a truly homemade, warm, freshly-frosted cupcake while the snow rages outside.

One of my favorite cupcake recipes comes from The Pioneer Woman. If you guys haven't checked out her blog, definitely give it a look. Her recipes are strictly of the comfort-food variety, although reader be warned--she uses just as much butter as Paula Deen.

Here is the recipe for The Pioneer Woman's Yellow Cupcakes with Sticky Chocolate Icing:
(Recipe can be found on her blog here.)

2 cups Cake Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
¾ teaspoons Salt
½ cups Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 cup Sugar
3 whole Eggs Room Temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla
¾ cups (plus A Tad More) Whole Milk
_____
FOR THE ICING:
¾ cups Sweetened, Condensed Milk
6 ounces, weight Semi-sweet Chocolate
2 Tablespoons Butter

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
With an electric mixer, mix butter and sugar on high speed until fluffy. Scrape sides of bowl and mix for a few more seconds. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Mix to combine.
Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk in three batches, mixing for a few seconds after each addition. Scrape sides of bowl, then mix one final time.
Fill paper-lined muffin tins 3/4 full with batter. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until poufy but not brown. Cool before icing.

Sticky Chocolate Icing: Mix ingredients together in a small/medium saucepan. Melt ingredients over medium low heat, stirring gently. Icing is ready when all ingredients are melted and combined.
Spoon warm icing over warm cupcakes, stirring icing to smooth after every third cupcake or so. Allow iced cupcakes to sit at least ten minutes before serving.

Like Mother Like Daughter

2010-02-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

Nowadays, most of the time I'm rushing to get dinner on the table, which means that a great majority of the meals I serve are of the easy-to-prepare variety. I make use of the slow cooker a lot in the fall and winter, and the grill in the spring and summer. And while a lot of these quick dishes are also tasty, very few of them fall within the category of my favorite recipes.

Most of what I consider my (and my family's) favorites are actually recipes that I grew up with. Dishes my mother made, to be exact. And while none of them are overly difficult, they're also slightly more time consuming than my average get-on-the-table-fast dinners. In fact, a lot of my favorite recipes that originated from my childhood are the same dishes my children choose for their birthday dinners. Isn't that cool?

I thought a lot about which recipe to share with you all, and after talking with my kids, the recipe that everyone loves the most is my mother's version of enchiladas. While this recipe is definitely an Americanized version of enchiladas, they're also the recipe most asked for by my family and friends.

I should point out that I don't really know the precise amount of some of the ingredients, as (with a lot of my mother's recipes) it's a lot of "what looks right," and "what tastes right," but I don't think anyone will have any problems recreating these enchiladas in their kitchen...so here we go: Krystene's Enchilada Recipe:

1 to 1.5 pounds of ground beef (depending how meaty you like your enchiladas)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced (or more if you really like garlic)
Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (this is the what looks/tastes right portion of the recipe)
2 small cans of enchilada sauce (mild, medium, or hot--your choice. We use mild or medium)
1 package of flour tortillas (10 to 12), around six inches in diameter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic on medium heat until the meat is fully cooked. Drain off the fat. In the same skillet, mix in approximately 1 cup of the cheddar cheese (more or less as you prefer) and stir until the cheese is melted and evenly distributed throughout the meat/onion/garlic mixture.

In a 9x15-inch baking dish, spread one can of enchilada sauce along the bottom. Spoon the enchilada filling into the tortillas, roll, and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Coat with the second can of enchilada sauce, and then sprinkle additional cheddar cheese over the enchiladas (approximately 1/2 cup).

Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

----

You can serve the enchiladas with sour cream or as is. Rice and a salad are our normal side dishes for this meal, depending on how many folks we have over for dinner, but honestly--they're a meal in themselves and make excellent leftovers.

Okay, there you have it--one of my family's favorite recipes, and while they're not completely homemade (I have no clue how to make homeade tortillas or enchilada sauce!), these enchiladas have proven to be a crowd pleaser time and time again.

If you decide to make them, let me know how they turn out!

My Favorite Season

2010-01-28T00:05:00.000-05:00

Whenever we have these weather topics on The Novel Girls, I’m always the odd one out! Yes, living in Arizona I have a weird backwards concept of winter and summer. I know this for sure because somewhere, way back in the deep part of my mind, I remember what real winters are like; I remember those bone-chillingly cold and icy walks around campus in college, where I was bundled up so tightly in my thick parka that you could barely see my eyes. I remember these things. But only faintly. Because now I love winters. I live for winters. On June days when it’s 110 degrees and we’re stuck inside the house, I fantasize about beautiful December days when we get to run around the park and take walks outside. These are my winter activities: outdoor things. Parks. Zoos. Power walks.

Lately, though, we’ve had a lot of rain, and even some colder weather (Ok, I know 40 isn’t cold to most of the rest of the world, but to me, it feels cold). It puts a damper on my outside exercise and my kids’ time at the park. And this makes me mad. I don’t live through the hideously hot summers for temperatures that barely hit the 50s, and rainy days.

But I can’t complain too much, as most days in the winter we still get our choice of outside activities, and not the kind where you have to wear a heavy coat and ski boots either. The kind where you wear short sleeves and maybe a sweatshirt – the kind where you bask in the beautiful sunny afternoon and marvel at how gorgeous the winter is in the desert. And then we get to call our friends and relatives on the east coast and brag about said activities. (Of course, they get us back in July!)

Aside from the weather, these past two winters I’ve had books come out, which means my activities have been nearly all book/promotion related. The launch of a book feels like a season in itself, one filled with excitement and joy and, sometimes, anxiety. But lucky for me, I can, whenever I need to re-charge, go and take a nice relaxing walk in the sunshine. And that’s a winter activity I wouldn’t trade for the world!

Is Shoveling Your Car Out of the Snow Considered a Winter Activity?

2010-01-27T10:30:00.002-05:00

To be honest, I can't say that I know all that much about many "winter activities" but there is one that I know about with absolute certainty. You can't bury somebody up North in the wintertime.

If you happen to be as uninformed as I was of this mind-blowing fact, please, please stand up. BTW, the italicized statement in the first paragraph also happens to be the first line of my novel, Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter - set in snowy Vermont where the daily highs are oftentimes sub-zero for weeks and weeks at a time. I remember living there in January and the temp never made it past -25 every morning at 9:00 am when I took my boys to school. I had no earthly idea that Vermonters don't bury their dead in the winter. It never once crossed my mind. But they don't. The Vermonters keep their dead in a mausoleum until what they call, "The Thaw". Then they get buried. Then their families have to grieve all over again. That's, that's . . . well, that's just not for me.

Winter activities, winter activities, come now Lisa there must be something that pops into your mind! Honestly, I can't think of any southern winter activities but there are so many that take place in Vermont. Vermonters ice skate on ponds (not that I would ever consider doing that), they ski, they snowshoe, they even ice-fish. They also shovel alleys of snow around their cars so the snow plow can get the car out - an activity that takes Leelee Satterfield, the heroine of my book and a transplanted Southerner, five hours to complete. They use snow blowers to clear their walkways and get this - roof rakes to clean their roofs.

If any of these pastimes seem seem like they might take an extended adjustment period to get used to, you're not alone. Leelee Satterfield never got the hang of any of them. Here in the South, winter activities are more like winter blah-tivities. We don't really do all that much in January except hope for days like last Saturday when it was 60 something. Today it's back down to 30 something and the biting wind is ridiculous.

I do love a fire in the winter. Not that that's an activity or anything, but I love to sit next to one. As a matter of fact, I'm sitting next to a nice one right now at the Brentwood Library while writing my sequel to Dixie and I better get back to it if I'm going to remain a Novel Girl.

What's my cure for the winter blahs. I say take off and head to the beach! I'll be doing just that next week when I go to Rosemary Beach near Panama City, Florida for Girl's Getaway Weekend. And I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

Love and Hate.

2010-01-26T10:42:00.003-05:00

Like Tracy, I think winter is the perfect excuse to snuggle indoors under a blanket with a cup of hot tea and a good book. (As you might remember from a few weeks ago, my TBR pile is quite towering, so I definitely have my pick of fabulous reads!) It's sometimes difficult, though, to appreciate this cold weather. Mainly because our cold nights aren't just chilly--they're downright frostbite-inducing. For instance, I remember getting a day off school in high school because the wind chill was something like -50.

And our Winter Weather Advisories don't just mean a few snowflakes. It's more like a foot of snow, with a layer of ice, making the roads extra fun for rush hour travel. And, being the hearty Midwesterners that we are, we won't even cancel school or close offices.

But, enough about the weather. I think the winter brings a very special opportunity for me: the chance to take a breather. After the craziness of the holiday season, we still have at least two months of hardcore winter. It's chance to regroup, recharge our batteries and slow down a bit before the craziness of the summer starts up again.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite winter activity: skiing. Last year, my family and I journeyed out to Keystone, Colorado for a long weekend filled with skiing, snowboarding, eating and ice-skating. We ate dinner at a fondue restaurant at the mountain's peak. Let me just say, there is nothing quite like sitting next to fire and sipping wine at Lord-knows-how-many-thousands-of-feet up. It's a beautiful, magical place, and one where I hope to visit again this year.

So I think what all this means is that I have a pretty firm love/hate relationship with winter. And I'm hoping that this year, I can focus on the "love" part a bit more!

Winter Fun and Relaxation

2010-01-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

Winter is my second favorite season, but not because of all the snow--though I do think it's very pretty when it's falling. I just hate driving in it, but since I work at home, I don't have to drive in it all that often, so it's not a huge worry for me.

I've always preferred cooler weather to warmer weather, mostly because I find it easier to warm up than I do to cool down, but I'd be lying if I said that my favorite activites were winter activities. I like taking walks, something that isn't that easy to do in the winter when you're a bit on klutzy side like I am, I like swimming, camping, outdoor barbeques, and the like. But I hate the heat of summer.

Winter, on the other hand, is my season of curling up on the couch with a blanket and a book, watching movies, playing Wii and board games with the family, and other assorted indoor activities. Except for the few times each year my kids convince me to go sledding, build a snowman, or have a snowball fight. And I have fun with these activities when I do them, but not enough fun to think of heading out into the freezing cold on my own.

I'm far too clumsy to ever attempt ice skating--can you say broken ankle/knee/nose (because I am quite sure I'd fall on my face), but I love to watch other people ice skating.

I suppose another reason why winter is my second favorite season is because I am a relatively lazy person, and if it's all icy and cold and stuff outside, then I don't have to feel guilty for staying inside with a thick blanket, a cup of hot tea/coffee/cocoa, and a book. In fact, I think I'm going to spend this evening doing just that.

What about you? Are you an indoor or outdoor winter activity person, or maybe a bit of both? What are your favorite winter activities?

On another topic, I wanted to let everyone know that I'll be sharing the first scene from my May release, A BREATH OF MAGIC, this Friday on my personal blog, and another scene every Friday over the next four weeks.

Ten YEARS ago...?

2010-01-23T14:55:00.003-05:00

I can barely remember ten MINUTES ago.

Seriously.

The last ten years have been so packed with stuff that every time something new happens, it pushes something old out of my brain. It's like this--you can really only fit so many clowns into the clown car before they eventually start pouring out the other side. You know?

Let's see... I do know that I didn't have a publishing contract ten years ago... I don't even think I had a finished book. John and I didn't have a house. We didn't have a herd of cats....

We did have the theatre company. I was writing. We were as acutely busy as we are now (well... maybe not quite--but close). But the rest is kind of a blur--a continuum of activity that I find hard to differentiate into 'events'. Believe me when I say that I would make a terrible memoir writer.

That's why it's hard for me to think in terms of a linear progression of what has happened in those ten years. I know the decade started with the fact that the world didn't end with the dreaded Y2K flip-over, much to the chagrin of the disaster-preparedness people in the office where I worked. They were so sure. Heh. Buncha clowns...

What's happened in the interim? Things have gone on.

I know we lost people from our lives.
And, along the way, we gained some too.

I know that all the significant things that happened to me over the last decade have led me to this place that I'm at, even if I can't list specifically what all those things are. But I have a suspicion that, even more than the significant things, it's the utterly insignificant (seeming--at the time) things that have led me here. I guess that's why it's impossible for me to catalog them. I don't really do milestones. I'm terrible at remembering birthdays and anniversaries. Sometimes, I actully have to ask other people how old I am. Because I honestly can't remember.

What I do know, beyond all shadow of doubt is that the last ten years have been extremely good to me. As I sit here in my nook, working on my revisions for my third book, contemplating the fact that I just announced my deal for a fourth in a whole new project, I cannot help but think that the next ten have got some pretty big shoes to fill. Clown-shoes big.

Shiny red clown-shoes. And I kinda like that idea--even if clowns do kinda freak me out.
Cue the circus music... and ask me again in another ten years.

A Year of Milestones

2010-01-21T00:05:00.000-05:00

When I think of my life in ten year chunks, it makes me feel insanely old, especially because, looking back, 2000 was a big year for me, and it doesn’t feel far enough to be ten years in the distance. So here I’ll recount for you some of the milestones that happened for me that year:

Ten years ago I. . . graduated college. Exactly ten years ago from now, I believe I was just starting my final semester of my senior year which was a pretty easy one, if I recall. I think I only took three courses and one was a fiction workshop and one was my honor’s thesis credits. I can’t remember what the third one was, but it might have been a women’s studies class that focused on women writers. This was the life, I’ll tell you! In addition to these three classes, my only other responsibility was a job I had tutoring at the campus writing center!

Ten years ago I. . . got married. We got married in the summer, so it hasn’t been exactly ten years yet, but almost. This time ten years ago I was in wedding planning hell, which included a bunch of family fights whenever my now-husband and I would attempt to coordinate things with both families and/or do something “simple” like decide where people were sitting during the reception. Ten years later we both still concur that if we had to do it all over again, clearly an elopement would’ve been the wiser and more fun choice.

Ten years ago I . . . moved across the country. Also, this happened in the summer, so it hasn’t been exactly ten years. This time, ten years ago, I was weighing my graduate school acceptances and trying to decide where to go. I ended up picking Arizona because they also offered me a teaching position, and so my husband reluctantly agreed it was my best choice. Neither one of us were big fans of Arizona when we first came to visit, and we swore we’d only be here for two years, tops. Ten years later, and we are still here. What can I say? It grew on us!

Ten years ago I. . .hadn’t ever written anything longer than a short story, and I was working on a small collection of them for my honor’s thesis. My writing goal was to go to graduate school, write more stories, get some published in journals, and then get a story collection published. (I never did any of this, by the way, as I would soon discover that I liked writing novels much better.)

Ten years ago. . .my only “child” was one mildly overweight two year old grey tabby. Today, he is one of four cat children, mildly obese, and prone to some senior moments. (Also, he’s very frightened of the two human children in the house!)

It was a big year, a milestone year. I think I spent a good portion of it stressed (Graduating college, moving across the country, and getting married all at once will do that to a person), but I also spent a good porton of it elated, excited for the future, feeling as if my life were just about to begin.

So what about you? What were you doing ten years ago?

What A Difference A Decade Makes

2010-01-20T10:52:00.008-05:00

I love this week's topic. I'm not even sure who suggested it but here's a big huge thank you to my fellow brilliant Novel Girl.

Ten Years Ago I . . .

Worked as a personal assistant to a very talented singer/songwriter, Michael McDonald. He's the former lead singer of the Dobbie Brothers, you know "What A Fool Believes," "Taking it to the Streets," "I Keep Forgettin'."

Arrived in Los Angeles for a huge tribute concert for Michael. Yamaha Corporation, who makes a fantastic grand piano, honored Michael by producing a concert with all of his fellow musical friends and contemporaries. It was a dynamic evening with Ray Charles, Kim Carnes, Patti LaBelle, The Doobie Brothers, Jeff Bridges, Steve Windwood, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, James Ingram and many more. In fact there's a video of the event floating around out there called "A Gathering of Friends." You can see me dancing at the very end of the show.

Juggled life, work, and raising two young boys who were 9 and 11 all by myself. Whew. Need I say anything more?

Moved two weeks earlier into a new home in a "neighborhood." My young sons had been begging me to move from our historic 120 year-old-home and move to a more kid-friendly place. It was a tough one for me since I love older homes but I've never regretted making them happy. Plus I moved in next door to my PIC and one of my very best friends in the world, Kathy "G" Peabody.

Wrecked an old boyfriend's sports car while on the way to the local Federal Express office to send him an overnight "Dear John" letter. Whoops, I won't go into more detail about that one for obvious "World Wide Web" reasons.

Had a hard time accepting my age. (What in the world was I worried about?)

Had a half-written manuscript called Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter that spent all its time in my drawer.

Spent the millennium New Year's Eve in the ER because I slammed the tailgate of my jeep onto my head.

Enjoyed a full ten days in Hawaii, jumping off cliffs, surfing, snorkling and making my sons happy. . . a nice, big perk of my job with Michael McDonald.

Missed all my girlfriends from Memphis as I still do - every single day.

Dared to dream of one day becoming a published author. Oh what a difference a decade makes.

So Very Different

2010-01-19T10:02:00.003-05:00

10 years ago, in January of 2000, I was in the second semester of my junior year in college. And yes, my life was SO very different! I hadn't met my husband yet--that would come the following year--and I lived on a diet of beer and pizza. I viewed an early bedtime as anything before two in the morning, and a night out was always less than $20. I had a horrid fake ID that I bought on the internet, that said I was from Vermont, but was never questioned.

I remember that I laughed a lot, as I had some of the best roommates and friends. Five of us lived in a two-bedroom apartment with a tiny walk-through kitchen. Sure we'd have fights over who didn't do their dishes and the amount of the electric bill, but it was a small trade-off to be continually surrounded by my best friends. And yes, many stories from this time period have made it into my books, in one incarnation or another and I gave my roommates proper credit in the acknowledgements of both.

At twenty years old, my dreams of publication continued to grow. I had no idea what I wanted to do after graduation, but I knew someday, I would be a writer. I figured I'd write a book when I had something more to "say" and when I had more free time. (Insert laughter here, as I had about four million more minutes of free time than I do now!)

I was an avid reader, although that nasty thing called school work often got in the way. It was around this time that I first read Marian Keyes' Watermelon, a book that really changed the way I viewed the publishing industry. Her book reminded me that writing should be fun, rather than a vicious, difficult process. (Although it still is, many times.)

I think the most surprising thing is that, although my life has changed in so many ways via a husband, toddler, mortgage, book deal, I'm still pretty similar to the girl who sat in her apartment ten years ago, eating Papa John's pizza and watching Friends. When I recently visited my sister at school, the same school I attended, I wanted to ask all of her friends what they were doing on campus, as they were clearly too young to be in college. My friends and I are supposed to be the ones bar-hopping and walking to class, right?

But then, true to sister-form, she reminded me that I'm thirty years old now, and have a child, so I should feel lucky that I even blend in with the real college students. I think I ignored her and ordered a pizza.

A List of 10!

2010-01-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

This is going to be a quick one, as I'm literally going to type the first 10 things that come to mind. Ready? Okay, then:

10 years ago, I...

Had just moved back to Ohio from Oregon. I miss Portland, but I'm also happy here. I like that my family is close, and I like that my kids get to experience family holidays, grandparents at their birthdays/graduations/etc.
Bought a black lab puppy from a local breeder. Sadie is still with us and doing pretty well, but the poor dog has some arthritis in her hips. She's also the size of a small bear (thyroid issues), but she's loving and sweet, and she's an important part of our family.
Had a wedding. It was a small wedding, but attended by those closest to us, and with our 10-year anniversary approaching (we were married on my grandmother's birthday), I'm trying to plan something special.
Worked a full-time job as a manager of a CPA firm (I do not miss tax season at all, btw). Seriously. Not at all.
Only had 2 children (my boys are 7!). It's difficult to imagine our family without the twins, but ten years ago, they weren't even a thought in either of our minds. And honestly, if someone had told me ten years ago that we were going to have twins, I think I would have choked on my coffee. But wow, they make me smile every single day.
Had yet to go to my first RWA conference (though I'd been a member of RWA for several years). I always thought I shouldn't go to the national conference until I thought I was close to publishing, and back then, I worked way too many hours to fit much writing time in, so I kept putting it off. My first national conference was a mere three years ago, and I sold less than a year after that. Hmm, maybe I should have went earlier!
Had yet to join my local RWA chapter. I can't imagine not being a part of this terrific group, but a decade ago, I don't think I even realized there was a local chapter here.
Watched very little TV, but never missed Friends. Sigh. I still miss this show.
Hadn't yet read any of the "In Death" series by JD Robb. This is one of the very few series I'm happy to buy in hardcover the minute a new book comes out. But ten years ago, I didn't think I'd like the futuristic component of these books, so hadn't even given them a try. Silly me.
Was 10 years younger... Yeah. Enough said!

When I think of all the changes this last decade has brought, I'm amazed. When I consider how quickly that decade went, I'm shocked. Time really does fly!

I can honestly say that I'm *mostly* pleased with where my life has gone over the past ten years. Sure, there are a few things that I sometimes wish I'd done differently, but who knows where I'd be today if I had, and right now, my life is good.

What about you? Share a few things about you from 10 years ago! Would you change anything if you could?

Launch Week Mayhem and Madness!

2010-01-17T14:07:00.003-05:00

It has been a week of crazy for me. Maybe the most crazy, ever.

Not that I'm complaining.

I had my launch party for DARKLIGHT last week and it was one of the best nights of my life! Not only was it my birthday, as well, but my mom was able to fly out from British Columbia to help me celebrate and we also premiered the book trailer for DARKLIGHT at what turned out to be one heck of a party!

I'm immensely proud of the work that was put into this video and I really want to share it with all of you. So, without further ado, I give you.....

DARKLIGHT: the trailer

Here are some shots from the party:

Check out this cake made of pure awesome!

The party in full swing!

Me trying to sign legibly (with varying degrees of success!)

Reading from the book!

And that's the back of my mom's head in that last shot as she watches her daughter read from her second published novel. Thanks for all your support through out the years, Mom! I couldn't have done it without you!

(PS - for the record, TNG Readers, my top books of last year spots were all thoroughly occupied by the works of my fellow girls. But I also enjoyed Suzanne Collins HUNGER GAMES books, Jim Butcher's TURN COAT, RJ Anderson's FAERY REBELS and Adrienne Kress's TIMOTHY AND THE DRAGON'S GATE! ANd right now I'm reading a lovely MG novel by Helen Dunsmore - THE CROSSING OF INGO which I started in late December - so I'm counting it!!)

My Top Five

2010-01-14T00:25:00.004-05:00

Like the other girls, I also have that enormous pile of books on my nightstand. And the truth is, I’m usually so tired when I get into bed at night these days, I rarely ever do more with that pile than use it as a place to put my glasses and my iPod down. But, in 2009, I discovered the Kindle. (And I fell in love!) So I foresee a lessening of this pile in the near future. Just another reason why I love my Kindle – very compact!

Despite that massive pile, as I’m looking back now, I’m realizing I did actually read a wide variety of books (many of them on the Kindle, some from the library, very few from that pile on my night table.) But here are the ones that were most memorable to me (aside from the Novel Girls’ books, of course!):

1.) If I Stay by Gayle Forman: I read it all in one sitting. It’s just lovely and sad and compelling all at the same time. The characters have stuck with me long after.

2.) When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead: I put off reading this for a while, since it’s technically classified as a “middle grade” book. But I heard so many great things, that I finally broke down and checked it out. It’s a really interesting coming of age story with time travel and an ending that blew me away (I’m very particular about endings – so this doesn’t happen too much.) I could see why kids would enjoy this book, but it’s definitely for adults, too. I made my mom read it when I was finished!

3.) The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie: This book is about a widow who finds her “dead” husband on her doorstep one night. Is he real? A ghost? A figment of her imagination? (He died in a boating accident, and his body was never discovered.) You don’t find out the truth until the very end, and I could not put this book down!

4.) Shelter Me by Juliette Fay: This book is also about a widow, but very different than The Widow’s Season, as it focuses more on a young mother’s journey back to life after being widowed. The characters and the world of the book were so real and absorbing, and I really thought it was one of the best love stories I’ve read in a long time.

5.) Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin: Just so you don't think I spent all year reading about widows and death, I'll end my list with this one! It wasn’t published in 2009, but I just finally read it near the end of the year. I knew it was a women’s fiction standard, and a bestseller so I felt like it was something I should have already read. This book is about a woman who falls in love with her best friend’s fiancée, but I loved the way Emily Giffin really made you root for the woman in spite of this (or maybe even because of it).

So there you have it! What are your top five reads from 2009?

I'm Vowing To Do Better This Year

2010-01-13T09:52:00.004-05:00

If it weren't for my fellow Novel Girl's debut novels, I would not have read many books at all in 2009. It was not my year for pleasure reading. Just wasn't. I'm happy Jillian, Lesley, Maureen and Tracy are in my life for many reasons and reading their books brought me much joy. They are all delightful. All so different. All so memorable.

Like Maureen, my nightstand just keeps getting taller and taller. It's toppled over a few times so I had no choice but to turn my one stack into three. Here's a list of a few more of the few books I did find time to squeeze in last year. And I loved every one of them!

Pat Conroy's South of Broad.

Adriana Trigiani's Very Valentine.

Katie Crouch's Girl's in Trucks

Susan Gregg Gilmore's Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen.

and most recently . . .

Rebecca Wells' The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

Now that I'm 13 days into 2010 I'm hoping my resolution to be more organized will kick into gear and that I'll soon be able to take a load off my nightstand. What's weighting down yours?

My 2009 Favorites

2010-01-12T10:06:00.003-05:00

If there's one thing that remains a constant in my life, it's an enormous TBR pile on my nightstand. I'm not kidding, there's eight books currently sitting in a stack, patiently awaiting their turn. And Christmas didn't help any, as I got six new books to add to the pile. 2009 was truly the year of the self-regenerating TBR pile.

Let me start off with saying that I loved, loved, loved each and every Novel Girl book this year. I think it's really neat how we all share this common bond, yet each of our books and, thus, our writing styles are so different. But I truly enjoyed them all, so Thank You!

As for non-Novel Girl books that I loved in 2009, there have also been a few. Here's just a sampling:

1. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. I know I've mentioned this one before, but I was astounded by this book. It's about a woman who moves into her grandmother's home to help clear it out for sale, and finds an ancient key in an old Bible with a piece of paper stuck to it, bearing the words Deliverance Dane. This book combines tons of historical information about the Salem Witch trials, told in such an interesting way, along with a fun narrative.

2. Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch. This book is about Jillian, a discontented wife and mother, who one day wakes up seven years in her past and gets to make all of her important life choices over again--getting married, leaving her job, moving out of the city. It's sort of Peggy Sue Gets Married meets Family Man, if that makes any sense. I loved that it combined a commercial, high-concept with truly beautiful writing. (And I think Allison is just one of the nicest people ever!)

3. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. I've been a fan of Sophie Kinsella since the first Shopaholic book--which I just found out there will be another one releasing later this year (Squee!). This book is about a woman who wakes up one day to find that she not only has amnesia, but that her life is...better. She's married to a man with movie-star looks, has the perfect body, lives in a mansion and has a closetful of designer clothes. A fun beach read, I breezed right through it and laughed a bunch of times along the way.

4. Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink. This was my favorite YA book in 2009. I don't want to give too much away, but it's a haunting, creepy Gothic historical about twin sisters and an ancient prophecy that is awakened on the night their father passes away. I cannot wait for the second book.

5. The Pat Conroy Cookbook by Pat Conroy. This isn't a new book, but I've been a huge Pat Conroy fan for nearly ten years. I've had this book for awhile, but never cracked it open. When I did, I fell in love. The book intertwines Pat's life stories with some of his favorite recipes, many French-inspired. As a writer, I loved the sections where Pat talked about how he broke in to publishing. Here's a quick one: apparently, when Pat received his first-ever offer on a book, he countered that he could have the book printed for much less than the sum mentioned by the publisher. As in, he thought that amount was what he had to pay the publisher to put his book out.

Happy reading!

My Favorite 2009 Reads

2010-01-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

I read so many great books in 2009, I don't really know where to start. Choosing my favorite reads for the year is tough, but I have to start with each of the books my fellow Novel Girls wrote. I truly loved every one of these stories, and they exemplify (in my opinion) some of the best reads out there.

However, in addition to these terrific books, I also read quite a few other wonderful books in 2009. Here is a list of those favorites and why:

Remembrance by Jude Deveraux: This is not a new book, as it was published in 2004, but it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. The story centers around a romance writer (!) who is unable to find true, everlasting love in her life, but then, when she begins a new novel, becomes fixated on her fictional hero. As the story progresses, we learn that her hero isn't fictional at all, but rather, a memory of an everlasting love from one of the heroine's prior lives. I loved every word of this story.

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult: Again, not a 2009 release, but a story that has stayed with me for months after reading it. This story takes place mostly in the world of the Amish, and when a newborn infant is found dead on an Amish farm, questions are raised. Who does the baby belong to? The suspense is riveting and well-paced, but I really enjoyed diving into a world I was mostly unfamiliar with.

WITSEC: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program by Pete Earley: This is also not a 2009 release and it's not a fiction book, but I've been considering writing a novel where one of my characters is in WITSEC, so I read this for research purposes. It's an engrossing read, and there's a lot of information to be gleamed from it. I can truly say that while a lot of this info was on the gruesome side, it was also compelling. I learned a lot about the program and the criminals that made the program a necessity.

La Vida Vampire by Nancy Haddock: This is a wonderful debut novel about a vampire who was trapped for over 200 years and then found during the renovation of a Victorian mansion. This is not your typical vampire story! It's light, humorous, and while there are some spine-tingling moments, it's a ton of fun to read.

The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax: This is the last book I read in 2009, and it's easily one of my top favorites. I loved it so much, I immediately ordered the rest of this author's back list. For anyone who wonders what it's like to be a published author, this is a must read, as it covers everything from the worst of circumstances to the best of the best in the world of publishing. Plus, the strong bonds of friendship between the four main characters (all writers) felt very real to me.

In addition the above, JD Robb's In Death series is always a favorite of mine, and 2009 brought two new titles to the series. I've had a great year of reading, and can't wait to see what books fill me with happiness in 2010. What about you? Do you have any favorites from 2009? Share, please! I'm always happy to buy more books...

"The road goes ever on and on..."

2010-01-08T13:03:00.003-05:00

"...Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say..."

Thus Bilbo Baggins, leaving Bag End.

I love adventure. I love the beginnings of new adventures - as scary and queasy-making as they can be in those first few fresh steps - and that's sort of what this feels like for me. Well... it does and it doesn't.

Truthfully, last year this time was closer to the beginning of my adventure - not just a writer but an author. This year, I am no longer a debut author. And, for some reason, that makes it feel like the road is finally reeling out in front of me. Like I'm stepping off the gravel track onto the asphalt! It's scary and exhilirating, full of unseen destinations and encounters. And I can't. hardly. wait.

My first book is doing wonderfully thanks to all of you out there whove taken care of it and given it a home, or at least a place to stay for awhile. My second book, DARKLIGHT, is just now beginning its adventure out in the world. My editor will be sending back my edits on Book the Third in the series and I am breathless with anticipation. I have new projects on the go, and a brain full of stories, and a waiting keyboard, and the best story-sounding-board of a guy ever to help me find the right paths to take. I have the best agent in the world riding shotgun with me. I have family and friends lining the road flag-waving and cheering me on.

2010? Bring it. I have excellent walking shoes and I'm looking for the sign that says "Adventure --> THATAWAY"

2010, I Already Love You!

2010-01-07T00:05:00.002-05:00

I’m not a big New Year’s resolution maker, mainly because I always end up breaking them fairly quickly. But this year, I made myself one giant resolution, and that is to keep a positive attitude and just enjoy life. In doing so I have convinced myself already that 2010 is going to be an amazing year, and why shouldn’t it be? I have a lot to look forward to!

On the writing front I’ve got two, yes, two books releasing this year! In February, my second YA book, THE LIFE OF GLASS, will be out. And some time in the fall my first book for adults, THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS, will be out. Rather than feel stressed, scared, or overwhelmed (as I might have done last year when THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS came out), I have decided to simply be excited. No, thrilled, really. Just three short years ago, I greeted the new year with nothing but an unsold manuscript and some rejection letters, so two books out in one year is more than a dream come true for me. I’m also looking forward to all that comes with it, book signings and book sightings, and really, going from a debut author to the author of three published books, in just a few short months.

I’m also looking forward to finishing up my second adult book (which is in the final stages of revision right now) and hopefully finding a home for my third YA book. In between all my promoting and, you know, positive thinking, I would like to also find the time to start my next book. (I already have the idea, of course!)

On the personal front, this is the year I’ll celebrate my ten-year-anniversary with my husband and we’ll take our much-discussed vacation to celebrate (our first kid-free trip since our kids were born– we’ve had the grandparents booked already for three years!). Vegas, here we come! My oldest son will start going to school all day, and my youngest son will hopefully finally leave toddler-hood, tantrums, and diapers behind.

I know it’s going to be a busy year, and it’ll probably fly by, maybe too fast. But I’m also looking forward to enjoying the ride!

Looking Ahead

2010-01-05T10:36:00.002-05:00

Forgive me, but I'm in a bit of a haze today. 2010 greeted my son and I with a wallop of a cold, so I spent much of last night surrounded by tissues, cold medicine and cough drops. To everyone out there who has kids, you know that it's one thing to be sick yourself, but it's quite another to have a germ-y child running around.

But, despite the not-so-warm welcome into this year, I have an inkling that 2010 will be the best year yet for all of us Novel Girls. 2010 is really the year where we move from debut writers to career writers, and I know it's going to be filled with lots of blessings.

Of course, I'm excited about launching my next book on May 25, Not Ready for Mom Jeans. I've said it before, but I'm having trouble realizing that it's time to get back into promo mode, since I'll soon have two babies out there. I hope that the world is just as kind to my second book as it has been to my first. I do wonder if it will be easier or harder to launch a book that isn't my "debut," but I guess I'll find out soon!

I'm also looking forward to turning in my option book, In My Life. I'm in the middle of doing a big revision due to some pretty awesome agent notes, so hopefully 2010 will be gentle and allow me to coast right through 'em!

On the personal side, in 2010 my energetic toddler will turn three. I'm hoping the terrible twos will taper off as his birthday grows near! Lately, I've had to drag him out of bookstores, kicking and screaming, more times than I care to share. (You would think that it's a good idea for Barnes and Noble to have a Thomas the Train playset. You would be wrong, as it only leads to toddler furor when it's time to leave.)

I'm also looking forward to taking some trips this year. My husband and I will most likely make the trip out west and go skiing in Colorado again, and we'll shoot on down south to Hilton Head, South Carolina sometime this summer. I'm sure we'll also make a few weekend trips up to Wisconsin, to enjoy all of the beer, cheese, snow and water sports that are just an hour away.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I'm looking forward to reading even MORE books by my fellow Novel Girls. I love pointing to your books and declaring to everyone I know that, "I KNOW her! No, really!"

Cheers!