(More) Congratulations Are in Order!

Great things just keep happening for the girls in my writing group! This week, I'm tipping you off to the best book you'll ever read that hasn't been released yet! A book written by fellow YA author Melissa Landers.(Yeah, she has a pretty awesome first name, too.)

So hop on over to her blog and congratulate her! As we all know, the path to getting published is a tough one, and a fellow writer's support is always appreciated. No one deserves such great news more!

Congrats Melissa!

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to pop open some apple cider and celebrate!

More Big News!

So yesterday, I gave a huge congratulations to my friend Jessica on her big news (BTW - She's having a giveaway in honor of getting an agent, so go enter!). Today I have some news of my own.

Sadly, I do not have an agent announcement to make, but it's something just as exciting. I'm happy to say that in March my husband and I will be welcoming a little bookworm into our family!! A female bookworm, to be more specific!



I had a very rough time with the first 15 weeks and writing had to take a back seat to resting and just generally getting through the day. I seem to be over the hump now, so I'm hoping to get back to my writing and blogging - including reading other people's blogs. I have so many starred posts in my google reader that I need to go back and actually read now that I'm feeling better.

Even though I'm pregnant, and it's a big part of my life right now, I'll do my best to keep this blog as much about writing as possible.

On that note, here is THE PLAN:

• Step 1: Finish another round of editing on my WIP by the end of November.
  
• Step 2: Get some people reading it in December.
  
• Step 3: Another round of edits (hopefully the last) in January.
  
• Step 4: Final read by CP's and betas in February.
  
• Step 5: Query in the beginning of March.
  
• Step 6: Have baby in late March. Take query hiatus if no bites by then.
  
• Step 7: Query again in April.

I hope everyone is doing well and I can't wait to jump back in to the social aspect of writing. I miss you all!

Coming Out of Hiding

I'm back to blogging and with good reason! Not only do I have some good news, but my good friend/writing buddy/person who keeps me from deleting my WIP and giving up, has some amazing news. In an effort not to steal her thunder, please go visit Jess's blog and let her tell you for herself!


CONGRATS JESS!!!

P.S. stay tuned tomorrow for my big news.

8 Reasons to See Super 8

Over the weekend I saw the movie Super 8. As I expected, it was great. More than great. It was awesome. Here's eight reasons to see it.

1. JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg. Wowza, what a team.
   
2. Action sequences out the wahzoo. Things blowing up. Car crashes. General chaos.
   
3. Comic relief. I won't give away anything about the movie but there are several very tense moments and the stoner guy from the film store, Donny (played by David Gallagher from Seventh Heaven), fills those moments with some well-timed laughs.
   
4. The kids. This movie is like The Goonies on steroids. Every kid plays their role so well. I especially loved Ryan Lee's character. But who wouldn't love a kid that into pyrotechnics?
   
5. Zombies. Okay, so it's not about zombies, but there are a couple shots of the kids playing zombies.
   
6. Kyle Chandler. All I can say is sa-woon. He captured my heart as Coach Taylor and cemented himself there with his portrayal of the grief-stricken-no-idea-how-to-be-a-father Deputy Sheriff Lamb.
   
7. It touches every emotion. I laughed. I cried. I jumped. The story has something for everyone. Even if you think you're not into sci-fi.
   
8. The ending credits. Seriously, don't get up when the movie is over. I wound up standing in the aisle to watch the credit sequence.

If you want to know more about the movie, listen to Terry Gross interview JJ Abrams on Fresh Air. Need a better visual? See JJ's interview on The Daily Show. Still want more? Watch the trailer.

Friday Five

I didn't finish any books this week, so no time like the present to do a Friday Five instead.

1. I'm reading POSSESSION right now and loving it. Vi is an awesome character. I just wish I had more free time to read so I can find out what happens.
   
2. My WIP has stalled again. I need to write a new scene and I don't know how to start it. Everything I do seems lame. I think I just need to skip it and move on to some scenes that I can bang out. If nothing else, it will give me a confidence boost.
   
3. Tomorrow I'm hosting a college grad party for my sister-in-law. Which means I have to clean. I am NOT looking forward to tackling my office. I might need a haz-mat suit.
   
4. On Wednesday I ran a 3.5 mile race. I felt like the entire route was uphill. Needless to say, I did terrible. There's a 5K tomorrow in the next town and all the proceeds go to building a new playground, so I registered for that.
   
5. Sunday I'm going to see SUPER 8 with my husband, even though I have no idea what it's about. That's okay though because I totally worship at the altar of JJ Abrams.
   

Doing anything fun this weekend? Let me know about it!

X-Men: First Class

To celebrate meeting my goals for the week (more on that tomorrow), the hubs and I went to see a movie last night. At first I wasn't sure if I'd like X-Men: First Class because I never read the comics or watched the TV show, but wow, was this movie good.

If you're a fan of the previous movies, you will definitely like it and if you haven't seen any of the movies and don't even know what the X-Men are, you could still appreciate the movie as a great action flick.

My only problem was January Jones. I was first introduced to her in Mad Men as the character Betty Draper. For those not familiar, this character is a housewife in the '60s. Now, I always thought January Jones played Betty very flat and unemotional - almost robotlike. But I wrote it off as the type of character that Betty Draper was. More a less a drone expected to love and obey her husband and not be suspicious of his ten billion affairs.

Fast forward to the new X-Men movie. January's delivery for the character Emma Frost was EXACTLY THE SAME even when she's supposed to be this sexy seductress. It's like she has no range at all.

Despite her terrible acting, I'd give this movie a solid A. It's made me want to go back and read the X-Men comics. Any readers have a suggestion on where to start? I found a few articles around the internet that recommended Astonishing X-Men (written by Joss Whedon!!).

So how was your weekend??

Tuesday Ten: Distractions

Distractions. Thanks to the internet, there are TONS of things to keep us from our writing. Here are ten things I usually find myself doing when I'm SUPPOSED to be writing.

• Twitter. It's so easy to lose an hour on twitter. All I have to do is look through my feed for something interesting and I'm off on an expedition around the web.
  
• The Onion AV club. This offshoot of The Onion posts reviews of tv shows, movies, books, music and more. I generally stick to the TV section. The reviews are funny and usually get right to the point. And when I say they review EVERY show, I'm not kidding. Everything I watch is on there. They've even started reviewing older shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I love this site!
  
• Netflix. This goes hand in hand with the above. I can't read the reviews if I don't watch the shows to begin with! I can often spend hours rearranging my queue or finding new things to add to the watch instantly section.
  
• Word Bubbles. We've entered the realm of addicting games. Once I start playing this, I am in it for the long haul. Every time I finish, I'm convinced I can beat the score when I play again.
  
• Plants vs. Zombies. Another addicting game. My husband has the full version on his computer, but I usually end up playing the online one on my laptop. Yeah, the ads are annoying, but remember I originally start out editing or writing and float over to something else.
  
• Making playlists on iTunes. Every night before I write I probably spend 10-15 minutes getting together a playlist. Unlike a lot of people, I don't have songs inspired by my WIP. I like to listen to music that matches my mood. It makes it easier for me to write.
  
• Recipe Blogs. Mmmmm. Food. These are bad when it's close to dinner time and I'm hungry and waiting for my husband to get home so we can eat together. Major time waster.
  
• Gardening Blogs. I just started a veggie garden outside and I'm obsessed with it. I'm always looking up plant diseases, ways to make things grow bigger, and anything else that has to do with my plants.
  
• Commenting on other Writing Blogs. I wouldn't really call this a time suck, because I like commenting on people's blogs, but there are definitely times when I'll spend way more time than I need to hopping from blog to blog. I've tried to curb this by setting up a MUST READ section in my google reader. I try to focus on those, and go to the others when I have extra time.
  
• DiceWars. My husband got me hooked on this one. At first I thought it was dumb, but then I learned how to play and I always have a game open so I can play a few rounds. It's sort of like Risk.
  

What are your favorites distractions around the web? (As if I need any more!!)

Play Ball?

I know today is supposed to be book review day, but since it's also a VERY SPECIAL occasion, the review is being postponed.



That's right - today is opening day for the Philadelphia Phillies! Whooohooo! I love baseball for two reasons - it's the one sport that I know pretty much all the rules, and for the simple fact that baseball means warm weather is here! Right?

Uhhhhh.....not exactly.

As I write this post, it's snowing outside. Yes. Snowing. The news says it's supposed to stop before game time, but it's looking pretty nasty out.

And to all my Philly readers, if you have an extra ticket to the game I'd LOVE to take it off your hands!

GO PHILS!

Cover Love: Lola and Crossed

In case you missed it last week, two beautiful covers were revealed for two books I can't wait to get my hands on.



First up is Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. I like how this cover echoes the playfulness of the cover for Anna and the French Kiss but it's also unique. And who doesn't LOVE Lola's purple hair? I mean, c'mon!

Next to that is another breathtaking cover for Crossed by Ally Condie. I love how the girl is breaking out of the bubble, like it's a hint of what's to come for Cassia as she continues on her quest.

Do you judge a book by its cover? What do you think of these?

RELATED LINKS

• Preorder your copies of Lola and the Boy Next Door and Crossed on Amazon today!
  
• See the authors's blogs for the original announcements: Stephanie Perkins | Ally Condie
  
• Add the books to your goodreads shelf: Lola and The Boy Next Door | Crossed

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Since this is a blog about writing books for kids, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Dr. Seuss's birthday!

Every child grows up reading and watching stories dreamt up by this man. It's been a long time since I sat down and read one of his books, but I still remember some of rhymes. I feel like the words of Seuss are forever emblazoned in my brain.

There are so many books, but I'd have to say my favorite is The Lorax. I know he's not as popular as Horton, or the Grinch, but I still love him for his message.

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

That's the thing with Dr. Seuss books. At first glance it seems like they're for kids, but really, the books contain valuable lessons we could all benefit from. Not convinced? Here are some others:

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas: materialism
  
• Horton Hears a Who: prejudice
  
• Oh, The Places You'll Go: overcoming life's challenges
  

What's your favorite Seuss book?

Tuesday Ten: Music

Happy Tuesday, everyone. Hope you didn't get eaten by the Monday Dragon! Being swamped at work has put the serious kabash on my creativity, so my Tuesday ten is rather blah this week. Enjoy these music related facts.

1. Favorite band of all time: Death Cab for Cutie (yay! new music coming in May!)
   
2. Most played artist according to iTunes: Kelly Clarkson (she's one of my many guilty pleasures. I have all her albums.Yes, I'm a total fangirl.)
   
3. Newest obsession: Bruno Mars
   
4. Wedding song: Better Together by Jack Johnson
   
5. Best use of a song in a television program: Freaks and Geeks opening theme (EDITOR's NOTE: A close runner up was Veronica Mars.)
   
6. Song I could listen to over and over again and not get tired of:Grapevine Fires
   
7. Last album I purchased: Young the Giant (buy it! It's awesome!)
   
8. Favorite song to car-dance/sing to: Forget You by Cee Lo Green
   
9. Band I'm over: Green Day
   
10. If this song comes on, I will ALWAYS change the station: Anything Bob Marley.
    

What's your favorite song? Have any guilty pleasures you're willing to fess up to?

There's still time to enter my giveaway. Win a copy of The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson! Click here to fill out the form.

Another Underrated Show Installment - My So-Called Life

Last week I posted about how Arrested Development was one of the most underrated shows of all time. Some people commented about other underrated shows. Two of which I've watched before, and one that I've never seen. Thanks to those recommendations, I've decided to do a first watch of My So-Called Life. Lucky for me, it's available on hulu, because it's not currently part of the Watch Instantly selection on Netflix.

Here's a summary from Hulu:

MSCL follows Angela Chase, a neurotic, touching and funny 15-year-old as she chronicles the ever-present trials and tribulations of adolescence. No matter the fixation, Angela finds extraordinary drama within ordinary situations as she navigates discovering who she is and where she belongs.

For those of you who haven't watched it before and want to join in, I'll be posting my recaps every Wednesday. And of course, anyone who wants to re-watch it, that would be awesome, too.

I'd like to stay spoiler-free, so just remember that the only thing I know about this show is that the main character is named Angela and she has red hair. Oh, and pre 30 Seconds to Mars Jared Leto is in it.

I hope to see you back here next Wednesday!

Last Night At The Coffeehouse...

Normally Fridays are reserved for book reviews, but since I did a pseudo-review of The Book Thief on Tuesday, I thought I'd talk about what I did last night at the local coffeehouse.

I went to a meeting for a local writer's group --- and I totally didn't die! And guess what, none of them bit me either!

My point is, if you have a local writer's group that you're afraid to attend because you're an awkward turtle like me, I urge you to try it. It wasn't scary at all, and it motivated me to stay on track with my edits. Everyone is supportive and reading work out loud is encouraged. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday night!

Oh, and I'll also mention that this knocks off one of my 2011 goals (which coincidentally was the topic of the meeting) to join a local writing group. Go me!

Happy Friday! I hope you all have a great weekend.

The Most Underrated Show of All Time

Okay, maybe it's not really the most underrated show, but it certainly ranks right up there. I'm talking about Arrested Development. The show lasted only three seasons (which is two longer than Freaks and Geeks...but I won't get into that now), so I'm guessing some people never got to see it.



I was first introduced to the show after two seasons had already aired. One day I was flipping through the channels and FX had a marathon of the first two seasons on. Since I was in college, and had tons of studying nothing better to do, I watched the whole thing. After seeing the first few episodes I became an addict.

So what's this show about, you ask? Well, it centers around Michael Bluth (played by the always adorable Jason Bateman) and his family. His father has been put in jail for defrauding investors, and Michael is left to run the company while his dysfunctional family tries to run it further into the ground.

Actually, dysfunctional doesn't even begin to describe them. First there's Lucille, Michael's mom, who is so used to her decadent lifestyle, she sees nothing wrong with using the company credit card for spa treatments & three martini lunches. Don't forget Michael's siblings - twin sister Lindsay who is just as out of touch as her mother, older brother Gob, a magician illusionist, and younger brother Buster, the professional student.

Then there's the kids - George Michael (Michael's son) and Maeby (Lindsay's daughter). George Michael is played by the awkwardly cute Michael Cera. Check him out because he SHINES in this role.

Some of my favorite lines

Michael Bluth: What have we always said is the most important thing?
George Michael Bluth: Breakfast
Michael Bluth: No...Family
George Michael Bluth: Oh, right. Family. I thought you meant of the things you eat.

Gob: You know, I sorta thought my contribution... could be a magic show!
Michael: Hey, that's great! That's perfect, Gob! Oh, wait, I just remembered, Dad's retiring, not turning six.

Michael: Okay, guys, um... they are going to keep Dad in prison at least until this gets all sorted out. Also, the attorney said that they’re going to have to put a halt on the company’s expense account. [The others gasp.] Interesting. I would’ve expected that after "They’re keeping Dad in jail."

These quotes don't really do the show justice. Most of the funny moments are due to the excellent comedic timing and running gags. So if you're looking for something funny and just a tad inappropriate to watch, this is your show.

Some episodes and clips are available on hulu, so check it out!

Do you have a favorite TV show that was cancelled before it's time?

Snow and Writerly Links!

It's a snow day here in South Jersey today. The roads are plowed, but not that well, so I'm at home. Yay! But I still have to work. Boo! But it means I can get a lot of writing done tonight when I would normally be commuting. Yay!

Since it might be a day off for a lot of you, I thought I'd post a round-up of some of my favorite blog posts from the last few days.

Editing and Getting Critiqued
- Handling Criticism at Querytracker.
- How to Start Your Book by Elana Johnson
- A three part series on Editing by Chuck Wendig (***WARNING - This is NSFW***) - Part 1 (the copy edit) | Part 2 (content) | Part 3 (Context)

Query Letters
- A two parter from Shannon Messenger on how to write a good one- Part One and Part Two
- One of the best rule breaking queries I've read.

Blogging
- How to Write a Good Blog Comment by Nathan Bransford
- Can Blogging Train Your Muse? by Jami Gold

Read any good blog posts recently? Leave a link below!

Ten Things I Love About... Winter!

It's Tuesday so that means another list of ten things I love. Thanks to all this snow, I've got winter on the brain. Here are ten things I love about it:

• Boots. I love boots. They keep my feet and legs warm, and they're cute.
  
• Scarves. I have a pretty extensive collection of scarves, but my new favorites are definitely the Gryffindor scarf my husband got me for Christmas and the scarf my sister in law brought me back from Italy while she was studying abroad. Both are really thick and perfect for cold weather.
  
• Oregon Chai Organic Peppermint Chai. Okay, my favorite winter drink is a peppermint mocha, but they have way too many calories, so I opt for something a little lighter. If I make the chai with 1/2 cup of 1% milk, it's only 150 calories. Unless I add whipped cream!
  
• Snow Days. And boy have we been having a lot of them lately. I have the capability of working from home on those days, so it's not an official "day off", but it's still nice to work in sweat pants!
  
• The Holidays. I know they've already passed, but I still love getting together with family and friends over those couple weeks in December.
  
• Work is slow. This is the slowest time of the year in the industry I work in. Unfortunately, it's also known as the calm before the storm. I've been spending most of my days doing budgeting and billing, which isn't very exciting, but I love being able to leave at 5:30 every day!
  
• Shoveling all that snow forces me to exercise. This time of year I find it hard to get motivated. It's dark and cold in the morning, so I find myself sleeping in as late as possible. By the time I get home from work, I just want to lounge on the couch. Shoveling forces me to get in some upper body workouts.
  
• Knee socks! Who doesn't love socks? My obsession with socks is almost greater than scarves. The only thing I don't like are those toe-socks. Ugh, they creep me out!
  
• Cats sleeping in the bed. When it's cold, my cats are more likely to cuddle up with me in the bed. I know it's just because they want to get warm, but I like to pretend it's because they love me.
  
• Curling up by the fire with books that were/are being released during the winter: Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers (Dec 21), Across the Universe by Beth Revis (Jan 11), Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins (Feb 15) and XVI by Julia Karr (Jan 6).
  

What are your favorite things about winter? Any books you can't wait to curl up with?

How I Spent my Winter Vacation

I took the entire week between Christmas and January 1 off from work. I had the time, and my husband was off, too, so I figured, what the heck? My initial intention during this time off was to plow through the revisions on my WIP, Twisted Fate. While that sort of happened, (I got through and sent out two chapters for feedback, and am just about through the next two.) I really just ended up watching a ton of movies and TV shows. There were some board games in there, too.

Here's a recap of all the movies/TV I watched:

The Duchess starring Kiera Knightley and Ralph Fiennes
If you liked Marie Antoinette you'll probably like this movie. Also a true story, it was almost painful to watch how horribly the Duke of Devonshire treated her. If you're not into movies, this was based off the biography written by Amanda Foreman.
Verdict: Not bad, but there are more cheerful movies to watch out there. Would be a great one to pick up for history buffs.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo
Summary: A Christmas classic, so I'll skip the summary.
Verdict: No matter how many times I see this movie, it cracks me up every time.

Easy A starring Emma Stone and Stanley Tucci
Tagline: A comedy about a good girl, a small favor and a BIG rumor.
The Verdict:A very funny movie, reminiscent of the style of Ten Things I Hate About You. I'm sorry I didn't see this one earlier.

Exit Through the Gift Shop (documentary)
Summary:The story of how an eccentric French shop keeper and amateur film maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, one of the most successful graffiti artists, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner.
The Verdict: I watched this taking it for what it is - a documentary. Apparently, there is some speculation as to whether the whole movie is a manufactured prank by Banksy. There were a few moments where I didn't really understand why these guys would let the main character film them, but all in all it was an entertaining film.

Black Swan starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis
Summary: ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan, but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like the evil twin sister of the White Swan, the Black Swan.
The Verdict: This film messes with your mind. There were a few cringeworthy partys, but overall one of the best movies I saw out of the bunch. Mila Kunis was pretty amazing in a non-comedic role.

The Princess and the Frog by Disney
Summary: A fairy tale set in Jazz Age-era New Orleans and centered on a young girl named Tiana and her fateful kiss with a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again.
The Verdict: Disney never disappoints. I liked the setting of the story as well as the twist.

Toy Story 3 - voices by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen
Summary: The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.
The Verdict: Another excellent Disney/Pixar collab. A great way to end the series, although I'm not sure it was aimed at kids. There are some plot points that made me uncomfortable even as an adult.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett
Summary: Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.
The Verdict: Ugh. This was possibly the worst movie I've seen all year. It was SO SLOW. After a hour, my husband and I agreed to just turn it off. You'd probably be better off with F. Scott Fitzgerald's version.

Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges
Summary: When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.
The Verdict: This movie was LONG, but good. I'm usually not one for action movies, but this one kept me interested from start to finish.

The first 12 episodes of Friday Night Lights: Season 1
Verdict: I'm not summarizing because I'm afraid I'll find a spoiler, but if you like teen dramas and football, you'll love this show. The scenes with Coach Taylor, his wife and high school daughter Julie are THE BEST!

The last half of Party Down: Season 2
Summary: A group of actors move to LA to make it big, but end up working as caterers.
Verdict: This show is great. Another one that's been cancelled before it's time.

Phew! That's a lot of TV!

Watched anything good recently?