Larissa's World

Book Lauches and Blogfests

2012-02-07T09:30:00.000-05:00

Last week I took a road trip with my favorite writer friends to go to Tampa for the launch of Kristen Simmon's debut novel Article 5!

Here's the cover and blurb:

ARTICLE 5, the first installment of a dystopian trilogy for teens. Major cities have been abandoned, the Bill of Rights has been revoked and replaced with the Moral Statutes, there are no more police – instead, only soldiers. Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that life in the United States used to be different. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. She has learned to keep a low profile, but then her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And what’s worse, one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

Jessica, Christina, Tara, and I had such a fantastic time!

From left to right, Tara, me, Jessica, Kristen, and Christina.

Kristen had lots of fun elements including cookies, 5 gum, raffles, and a reading!

We also met Sarah from The Book Life!

This was an amazing launch for an amazing book, and I am so glad I got to be a part of it! Go check out Article 5!!!

On another note, don't forget to sign up for the That's YA-more Blogfest! It's coming up soon--February 11-14--and I can't wait to read all the smoochy goodness. ;) Plus, if you enjoyed my almost-kisses from the No-Kiss Blogfest, then you'll really love my That's YA-more post.

Go here to sign up, and I will be visiting all the blogs during the blogfest. Can't wait!

No Kiss Blogfest!

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here it is! But, I had two almost-kisses, and I literally couldn't decide which I liked better, so ... you get both. I hope you enjoy them! And don't forget to stop by Frankie Diane Mallis's blog and click through some of the other participants!

These are both from my YA novel THAT SUCCS. In the first one, Emmy is nervous about going on her first date, and annoyed with Paul, who she really has a crush on.

Bythe time Paul came back, I wasn’t as nervous about later. In fact, I was excited. But I still reveled in the warmth when heslid next to me. Enjoying my improvedmood, I turned to smile at him, and he smiled back. I found myself trapped in his gaze—frozen.

I didn’t even realize I was leaningtoward him until I saw his pupils dilate. He had started to lean, too. Iwasn’t sure what I wanted, but I knew I didn’t want to stop, even though mymind was screaming something at me. Ourfaces were so close, I could feel his breath whisper across my lips. I inhaled, and a strangely familiar scentmade me lean closer. My lips parted.

The whistle to start the second halfbrought me back to myself. I shotstraight and pushed back, almost knocking into the girl I’d talked toearlier. Oh my God, I just almost kissed Paul. My heart pounded, and the butterflies in my stomach roiled. The craziest part was, I really, reallywanted to scoot back and continue where we’d left off. I was afraid to even look at him for fear hewas still sitting, ready to kiss me. Iwouldn’t be able to resist if he was.

In this second excerpt, Emmy has come to the library to cool off after an argument with her mom and her best friend. She runs into Paul and they start to work on their history project.

Paul turned, scooting his chair so it wasangled toward me. “Can I ask yousomething?” His brown eyes burned intomine, and my stomach flipped again.

“Um…okay.”

He dropped his eyes to his hands. “It’s … kind of personal, so you don’t haveto answer if you don’t want to.” Hepaused for so long, I wondered if he was going to continue, which made my heartpound, worrying about what personal question he could possibly want to ask me. Finally, he asked, “Why did you kiss Jake?”

I closed my eyes. I wasn’t expecting that question. What could Isay? I was jealous and upset? I sowasn’t telling him that. “I don’t reallyknow, Paul.” Why was everyone so damnobsessed with me kissing? My hand clenched into a fist as the anger I’d come tothe library to escape bubbled up again. Calm down. He’s not Mom or Lily, and he doesn’t know about any of that. Taking a deep breath, I relaxed my hand andopened my eyes, avoiding his. He’d kissedsomeone, too. I sighed. “Why did you kiss Meredith?”

He took my hand, startling me intolooking at him. “I don’t know. I didn’t want to, but when I saw you dancingwith Jake, I just … I don’t know.” Hedropped his gaze again and rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. It sent tingles up my arm and straight to mystomach.

Something strengthened inside me, and Ifelt bold. “I really wanted to kissyou.” I can’t believe I just said that out loud.

His eyes snapped up to mine, and theheat in them made me tremble. He’s going to kiss me. He leaned forward, eyes locked to mine,and I felt myself copying him. It wasjust like in the gym, only this time, there wasn’t a whistle to stop us, and Ididn’t want to stop.

As his breath touched my lips, thebutterflies in my stomach suddenly flew up to my throat. What ifthere’s a real reason for me to avoid kissing? What if Jake was my faultsomehow?

“I can’t.” I closed my eyes and pulled away from Paul, my heart protestingpainfully.

Coming Up in 2012

2011-12-31T12:39:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness! I have some good news! I FINALLY got a new computer! It's so shiny and pretty and new and I just LOVE IT! Yay!

Anyway, can you believe it is going to be 2012 TOMORROW? I barely can. It's so weird that another year is gone. Although, I teach and have three kids, so to me, "year" is relative, and more related to the school year than the calendar year. But anyway, I thought I would post about a couple of things that are coming up.

Firstly, THE END OF THE WORLD!!!

Just kidding. :D

Really, firstly, I've decided to participate in Frankie Diane Mallis's 3rd Annual NO KISS BLOGFEST! What this means is that on Monday, January 2, I will post an almost kiss from one of my manuscripts. If you'd like to participate, head on over to Frankie's blog and sign up on the linky. Then come back on Monday and check out my post! Yay!

And then, around February 14, in honor of Valentine's Day, I will be participating in Oasis for YA's That's YA-more Blogfest, for which I will post an ACTUAL KISS from one of my manuscripts.

Yay, kissing!

I'm sure there will be posts in between, but I wanted to let you know about those two. I can't wait!

So. Are you making any goals or resolutions for 2012? Let me know in the comments, and

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Heads Up!

2011-12-23T14:42:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I have two quick things and then I have to get back to Christmas preparations (before my kids drive me crazy).

First, the group blog I'm part of, Oasis for YA, is co-hosting a super fun blog hop. It's called the Mid-Winter's Eve Giveaway Hop, and it's all about giving away books! Go here, and hop around to enter to win books. So simple, and so awesome!

Also, I'd like to ask you a favor. My husband is in a competition for Florida's Best Artist, and I would be so grateful if you'd follow the link and click LIKE on his profile. You can see his art here (my background!), or here, or here. (And please ignore the terrible writing in his profiles, the contest people wrote them, and they're cringe-worthy.) Thanks!

Have a super wonderful holiday and New Year, everyone!

The Crabby Crabmonster

2011-12-01T08:57:00.000-05:00

(Crabby Bear by M.Hsu at Deviantart)

Do you ever feel like this? I know I do. Whether it's just a bad day, or sickness, or crazy kids, or your spouse/significant other/dog/goldfish being a butthead, the crabby crabmonster can sneak up on you and rain all over your day.

But then what do you do? One of the great things about social media is that when the crabby crabmonster shows up, there are people around to help cheer you up, or make you laugh, or just give you a cyber hug.

However, I have run into a couple of problems. First, my worlds are colliding. Too many of my in-person friends are now on twitter or facebook. I can't vent about someone if they'll see my vent! And a semi-vague vent isn't as cathartic. :( Plus, people ask what you're talking about, and you have to lie, or avoid the question, or private message them. It's just annoying.

My second problem is that with so many things going on in my life (I write, teach preschool, direct the handbell choirs at my church, teach Sunday School, am a Creative Memories Consultant, have three children, and am married (and a partridge in a pear tree)), I have stretches where I'm stressed, and the crabby crabmonster visits more often. But I don't want to flood my social media with negativity.

So, what do you do? Do you avoid social media when the crabby crabmonster visits?

And, to end on a positive note, if you celebrate Christmas, what are you hoping to get for Christmas, or what present are you excited to give? :)

My Thanksgiving Gift To You

2011-11-23T17:45:00.001-05:00

I had a different post planned out, but after spending THREE HOURS clicking around Cleolinda's HILARIOUS Twilight posts, I have decided to save my post for another day.

I found her posts especially amusing because my friend and critique partner J.A. Souders and I went to see Breaking Dawn yesterday. There were lots of amusing moments in the movie, particularly any scene with Charlie in it (LOVE HIM), and Emmett's wedding speech to Bella and Edward (which was basically like, "Get used to not sleeping." *nudge, nudge, wink, wink*). We also discovered the joy of scanning the credits for interesting names. Two notable ones: Booboo Stewart (this is the kid who plays werewolf Seth! For realz!), and Pharoah Barrett. Which caused Jess to dare me to name a character in one of my novels "Pharoah." I may take her up on this dare. :D

Anyway, go here and enjoy Cleolinda's recaps. Both her recaps of the movies, and her recaps of the books are worth it.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I Got What I Wanted, But...

2011-11-10T14:05:00.001-05:00

Wow. It's been a loooooooong time since I posted. *sheepish look*

My only excuse is that I have three part time jobs and three children, and I was finishing revisions on my manuscript. And, really, those are pretty good excuses, I think.

Okay, maybe not. But I have news! (No, sadly not that kind of news YET.) But it IS news I have been waiting 13 MONTHS to tell you.

Yes, THIRTEEN MONTHS.

I finally have internet at my house! *cue fanfare*

I can hardly believe I managed that long without internet at home. o.O

And, now that I have it, I ... don't want to use it that much.

*GASP*

I know. It's utterly weird. I do enjoy being able to type emails on a normal keyboard instead of with my thumbs. And it's nice to be able to click over to someone's blogpost from twitter and be able to actually read the blog, rather than having the right sidebar covering the words.

But.

I'm so used to my emails on my phone. And twitter on my phone. And even the Blueboards on my phone. I find the full sites overwhelming.

So. Weird.

I guess that means that I really could adapt to anything. LOL.

In other news, I'd like to point you to a few things going on around the web.

First, my crit partner and friend, JA Souders is having a BOOK DEAL CELEBRATION EXTRAVAGANZA! Head over and check it out.

Also, Jean Reidy is having an online auction to celebrate the release of her picture book, LIGHT UP THE NIGHT, and give books to a library in Uganda. Check that out and bid!

Tuesday Whatnot

2011-10-04T13:41:00.000-04:00

I only have a quick minute because I still don't have internet (it has now officially been a year. WOAH), but I wanted to post about a couple of things.

First, I'm posting at the Oasis today, giving away Jaclyn Dolamore's Between the Sea and Sky! You should go check it out!

Second, I'm a member of #WS4U (Writer's Support 4U), and many members do a weekly progress post. Normally, I don't have much of an update, but today I can say YAY! My manuscript is finished and with beta readers as I type! (EEEEK!) Cross your fingers that they LOVE it, and I can send that puppy out soon.

That's it! Do you have any progress you'd like to share? Tell me in the comments!

Help A Girl Out -- Twitter

2011-09-14T09:31:00.001-04:00

I am a big fan of twitter (random question: Should twitter be capitalized? It's not in the logo, but...). I love being able to check in with people I think are awesome and sortof be in the beat of the kidlit industry.

But I’m having a concern, and I wanted to see how otherpeople handle this.

So, I don’t auto-follow. But since I’m a bit of a people-pleaser, I have angst about it. I feel bad. I get all excited when someone follows me, and then I spend five to tenminutes (per person. O.o) trying to decide whether to follow them back ornot.

And I have gotten more stingy with my follows. I’m currently following 877 people. But often, when I only have ten or fifteenminutes to check twitter, I’m really interested in a select few. My crit partners, agents I like, my favoriteauthors, etc. Not that I don’t valueeveryone’s tweets, but the more people I add, the harder I have to work tocheck on my “regulars.”

Now, I know that I can make lists, and that there aretwitter clients what help organize feeds, etc. But I still don’t have internet at home, and mostly check twitter on myphone, so those things don’t really help too much.

So, I really have two (multi-layered) questions foryou. First, do you auto-follow? Why or why not? If you do, how do you keep track of your“regulars”? And second, if you use atwitter client (hoot suite, tweetdeck, etc.), which one do you use, and why doyou like it?

All About Me!

2011-09-06T14:15:00.000-04:00

I know, the post title is lame, but I'm a preschool teacher, and this is something I do every year at school. Since I'm being announced as the newest member of the OASIS FOR YA blog (YAYAYAYAYAY), I thought it would be a good time to give an Overview of Larissa for anyone new (or old and forgetful--lol).

Alrighty then. First, and foremost for this blog, I am a writer. I write YA Paranormal, and my current favorite books include (an exhaustive list would be ... uh, exhaustive): Rachel Hawkins' HEX HALL series (and I want to be Rachel when I grow up--she is awesomesauce), Rachel Vincent's SOUL SCREAMERS series (are we noticing I am a fan of series?), and JA Souders' ELYSIUM CHRONICLES (Ha! I've read it and you have to wait until next year! Muahahaha!).

Of course, I have other jobs, too (too many JOBS! OMG.) I also teach pre-k (that's the four-year-olds if you were wondering). I have FIFTEEN kids in my class, so I am pretty much always either exhausted or hopped up on massive amounts of caffeine. If you want to get on my good side, bring me Starbucks. PLUS, I am the Handbell Choir Director and teach 1st-3rd grade Sunday School at my church. Whee!

As if that weren't enough, I have THREE children, ages 8, 6, and 4. So ... yeah. O.o

Oh, and I haven't had internet at home for ELEVEN MONTHS because my wonderful husband didn't want to add another bill to the pile. I have been told this will soon be remedied, but I am not holding my breath. Again: O.o

If you want a taste of my sense of humor, check out this post, or this interview.

That's me! I'll be doing my first post at the Oasis Thursday, so I hope you'll come visit me there, too!

Ooh, and I almost forgot, you should definitely check out the Oasis today, because there's a GIVEAWAY!!!

My Summer Vacation Part 2: South Dakota!

2011-08-10T14:40:00.000-04:00

I have a lot more pictures for this post. If you've never been to South Dakota, it is really just a different kind of place. It's hard to describe, but I think some of these pictures will help.

Our traditional stop on the way into see my family at the ranch: AL'S OASIS.

And look what you can buy! RATTLESNAKE EGGS. Dude.

This is what the drive looks like pretty much all the way across the state. Along with the occasional herd of cattle and field of hay bales.

And when we arrived, we were invited to a wedding! A distant relative's wedding. In a bar. It was fun!

My uncle's cows.

I think this is the Little White River where it comes through my uncle's property.

Martin, SD. 'Nuff said.

This is an old truck on my uncle's farm. My husband desperately wants to come get it someday and rebuild it. But anyway this is how they do things in SD. When you're down with your truck, you park it somewhere on your property and go get a new one.

Here's a picture of my uncle baling. They cut the hay, then rake it into rows, and then bale it.

Here's my dad and one of the kids on a four-wheeler. My husband even got me to drive one. Wheeee!

We drove up to see Mt. Rushmore.

So that's South Dakota! It's really fun, and a unique place to go. I couldn't live there because of the weather 70% of the year (I hate snow), but I love to visit. I forgot how much I loved my uncle's ranch (formerly my grandma's ranch) until I got there. Even the smell was comforting and familiar.

My Summer Vacation Part 1: Vegas!

2011-08-02T17:42:00.000-04:00

What a crazy fun trip! First, being away for two weeks is just weird. Our house even smelled different when we got back.

Anyway, we began the trip in Las Vegas. My parents actually live in Henderson, which is a suburb.

Here’s the view from my parent’s backyard:

And here are some pictures from the window of the hotel my husband’s conference was at:

I tried to stop by the local high school from my parent’s, but no one was there. I did manage to take a few pics through the gates. As I thought, it’s a lot like some schools here in Florida—with open air hallways.

If you’ve never been to Vegas, it’s definitely an experience. The casinos are strange with flashing lights everywhere, but they feel like it’s night all the time. And you have no way of knowing what time it is, since there are no windows or clocks around the casino areas.

There are slot machines in the grocery stores.

It is crazy hot. And dry.

We also drove about an hour and a half into the mountains to visit a friend of my dad, who has horses, donkeys, and chickens:

That’s pretty much it. Let me know if I can answer any questions!

Next: South Dakota!

Carrie's Night of the Giving Dead Auction

2011-07-23T01:10:00.000-04:00

Just a quick shout out to YA author Carrie Harris (who is awesomesauce and funny and amazing, and you should buy her super cool book BAD TASTE IN BOYS) is having an amazing auction to celebrate her book release!

GO HERE and check it out. The auction ends soon, so GO!

In other news, I am in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota, and I am not getting my emails on my phone. *cries*

Music Muse

2011-07-19T15:13:00.000-04:00

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I am enjoying my time in Vegas very much. I've seen a couple of things to help with setting in my novel, and will try to get to a high school tomorrow. Tonight, I'm staying on the strip with the hubs, and I'll be trying to figure out a few scenes that happen there. Before that, though, I have to go to a ranch that my dad's friend owns. I know that sounds kind of neat, and my kids will love it, but ... ugh. I'm not much of an outdoors person, and I'm allergic to most of the animals there. *sigh* So wish me luck.

Anyway, today I wanted to post about music. Do you listen to music when you write? I used to not be able to, but I've figured out how to make it work, and it really helps me now.

The songs below are on my playlist for my manuscript That Succs, which is the one set in and near Vegas. Some of the songs go together really well, and some may seem strange, but it works for me. (I'm linking (titles are links) to You Tube videos of the songs, but if there are any you like, please purchase them from your favorite music seller.)

I have some songs I listen to just in general:
Imaginary by Evanescence
Weight of the World by Evanescence
Lithium by Evanescence
Insatiable by The Rise of Defiance
Play Called Life by The Rise of Defiance
Misery by Maroon 5
Alice by Avril Lavigne

And I have some songs for specific characters:
Emmy (protagonist):
Good Enough by Evanescence
Hello by Evanescence
Bring Me to Life by Evanescence
Sally's Song by Amy Lee
Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri
Smile by Avril Lavigne

Lily (Emmy's best friend):
Peacock by Katy Perry (yeah, she's like that)
What the Hell? by Avril Lavigne

Paul (Emmy's crush):
Rocketeer by Far East Movement and Ryan Tedder
Careless Whisper by Seether

So what do you listen to when you write? Do you make playlists? Any music suggestions for me? :)

Larissa :)

Setting (and WINNERS)

2011-07-15T12:52:00.000-04:00

First, thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and commented on the SCBWI FL post. I love coming back and sharing tidbits with other writers. :)

Okay, so Random.org helped me out, and the winner of the signed copy of Fancy White Trash is Rachel R, and the winner of the signed copy of Skin Hunger is Theresa Milstein! I wish I could have gotten more books and stuff to give away! Winners, please email me at lchardesty at yahoo dot com with your addresses.

Anyway, on to setting!

I’m on a family vacation.

I’m both excited and annoyed. I have three children, so it’s prettyexhausting. Plus, the first stopis my parents’ house.

I adore my parents, but my mom likes to go, go, go, and I’mreally more of a homebody. I don’treally like to go on outings, just to go somewhere. Especially when I could be writing or something. Plus, my kids tend to realize that mymom will be quicker to get them snacks or something they want, so they bugher. If I do nothing but payattention to them, I can nip that in the bud before she gives in, but if I’m,say, WRITING or READING and not paying attention, she will give in and then eventually getannoyed that I’m not doing anything. *shakes head* Needless tosay, I don’t think I’m going to get much writing time on this trip. *SIGH*

BUT, I am excited because I am visiting the places two of mynovels are set in! YAY! My current WIP, That Succs, is set inand around Vegas, which is where my parents live (for two more weeks, and thenthey’re moving—lol). Then we areall going to South Dakota to visit my grandmothers. My completed novel, Lure, is set in Western South Dakota,basically where my mom’s mom lives (the middle of nowhere-ish).

I plan to do posts when I get back, highlighting bothplaces, but I wanted some advice first. What kinds of things do you think I should look for/at? If you have a novel or novel idea setin either of these places, what information would you want about them?

Larissa :)

SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop

2011-07-08T16:08:00.000-04:00

First off, don't forget to enter the giveaway for signed books!

Second--Dude. What happened to Blogger? I hate it when sites I use and am used to change layout and look. I get confused. *sigh*

Okay, down to business. Here are a few nuggets from the SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop. I attended the Novel Intensive and the YA track, so my tidbits are all from Marjetta Geerling, Kathleen Duey, and Michele Burke (editor at Knopf BFYR).

Filter everything through your character. -KD
An editor can take a MS that's 70% of the way there and take it the rest of the way. Editors can help you make your book better, but they can't do everything. -MB
Voice is innate. -MB
The reader shouldn't need to be told what the character is feeling--they should feel it with the character. -MB
After voice, setting is the #2 reason MB will put a MS down. Readers need something familiar to cling to--a seed of familiarity. -MB
Don't throw the reader into the middle of the action at the expense of clarity. -MB
Don't be deliberately mysterious and vague. -MB
Be invitingly different and comfortably familiar. Ground the reader in the familiar. -MB
You have to hook the reader right away, but there are 8 million kinds of bait. -KD
You need a striking and engaging beginning, but not action. - KD
Setting should do at least two things, and it's better if it's three or four. -MG (Not just establishing time/location/etc, but can add to characterization, pacing, mood, etc.)
Try to build your venue with an eyedropper, not a shovel. -KD
When revising, print out your story and read it without a pencil so you turn off your writer brain and turn on your reader brain. -KD

Finally, Marjetta did a mini-presentation based on research she did in her MFA program. It had to do with using a character's world-view and experiences to create unique language for that character (voice). It was a really fantastic presentation. Kathleen even talked about how awesome it was and that it wasn't something she'd thought of before.

Anyway, if you or someone you know is in charge of speakers for a writing group/conference, you should look into bringing Marjetta in. She is fantastic.

So, which piece of advice above speaks to you the most?

Larissa :)

Post-Conference Giveaway Time!

2011-07-06T21:10:00.000-04:00

This is a couple of weeks late, since the SCBWI Florida Mid-Year Workshop was June 24 and 25, but I'm hoping you'll forgive me due to my Internet-Impaired status. (Yes, still. Don't ask.)

Anyway, as usual, I purchased a couple of books by the presenters to give away here on my blog.

The Prizes:

A signed paperback of the amazing Kathleen Duey's Skin Hunger:

A signed hardcover of the brilliant Marjetta Geerling's Fancy White Trash:

The Rules:

1. Comment on this post:

-Current Followers (following before this is posted): 3 entries
-New Followers: 2 entries
-Non-Followers: 1 entry
2. Blog, tweet, or Facebook this contest: 2 entries per announcement (please leave links or @ me (@lchardesty) on twitter)
3. Add up your entries: 1 extra entry
4. Comment on my SCBWI Mid-Year Workshop post (posting Friday, July 8) for an extra entry per comment (I will count these, so you don't need to add them to your total on this post).
5. This contest will end at noon EST on Tuesday, July 12, 2011. I will announce winners on Friday, July 15.

Good luck, and thanks for reading! Be sure to come back this week Friday to read all about the amazing SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop!!!

Larissa :)

Sharing the SQUEE!

2011-06-09T14:28:00.000-04:00

So, my bff and crit partner Jessica Souders got a BOOK DEAL! Woo! You can read her announcement here and her how I got my editor story here.

She also just returned from the SCBWI NJ conference, and is going to be posting tidbits and a signed book giveaway in the coming week or so, in addition to an upcoming Book Deal Celebration giveaway.

So, go congratulate her!

(In other news, still no internet. I may go insane.)

Random Thoughts on a Thursday

2011-05-19T15:22:00.000-04:00

1. Oh, wow. It has been over a month since I blogged. :( I do have an excuse though, and it is

2. I still don't have internet at home. It has been over eight months. NO LIE. O.o There's really nothing else to say about that.

3. I would like for some scientists to do a study on Morning People compared to Night Owls. I'm particularly interested in whether either following or not following your natural bio-rhythms has an effect on health or life expectancy. (Seriously, guys. Getting up at 7am physically hurts me. Why hasn't someone jumped on my Night Owl Town idea? WHY?)

4. While I'm on the topic of weird-impossible-ideas-that-will-never-happen, I would like to have anonymous telepathy. Meaning, I would like to be able to talk inside other people's heads without them knowing it's me. No particular reason...

5. I am once again going to the SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop at Disney! There's still time to register if you want to come! As usual, I will get a couple of the presenters to sign books and give them away right here after the conference, and I will make posts about all of the awesomeness I learn. Okey-doke?

In the Comments: Tell me what you would do with Anonymous Telepathy. Also, if you have any preferences for the books I giveaway, check out the faculty list for the conference and let me know.

The Paranoid Writer's Guide to Being Home Alone

2011-04-10T14:44:00.000-04:00

This weekend, I was alone. My bff’s husband was taking three of his kids down to their property in the Everglades, and he invited my husband to bring our three kids. (It’s okay to be jealous.) They left at 4:30am Saturday, and will return around 10pm Sunday. (I know, I kinda hate me, too.)

I’m glorying in the ability to do whatever I need or want to do without having to either a) consider how I was going to accomplish said need or want with three children in tow or b) feel guilty about leaving husband with said three children for extended periods of time. However, I have learned a few things, and I will share them with you now.

The Paranoid Writer’s Guide to Being Home Alone

• Take a shower before your family leaves.

Otherwise, your imagination will play with you while you’re in the shower, and your imagination is sadistic. You will be forced to tell yourself that raising your arm to shave your armpit will not result in showing the serial killer standing outside the shower where you are standing so he can stab you. You are no Janet Leigh. There is no serial killer standing outside your shower.

After you check (because maybe there is, and looking will save you in some magical way—you throw a mean shampoo bottle, and your razor is kinda dull, so you wouldn’t mind scraping it down his face, although that might just make him mad … let’s move on), you then have to tell yourself that there will not be some strange animal (it changes over the last ten minutes of your shower—first a dog, then a cat, then some mixture. See what I mean? Sadistic.) standing outside the tub when you turn off the water and pull the curtain back. And even if the animal is staring at you in a strangely sentient, creepy way, what’s it going to do? Bite you? Okay, that might hurt, but it doesn’t matter because there isn’t an animal sitting there (you checked again, of course).

• Play music or have the T.V. on.

Your imagination will take any opportunity to play its sick games with you, and that goes double for the creepy creaks and moans a building makes. It will even try to trick you, starting the thought as, “Ooh, that’d be a great story idea.” Then before you know it, you become the protagonist in the horror story your imagination just concocted. The creak that your imagination told you was a great short story about sentient rats hiding in the walls waiting for the perfect moment to burst forth through the air ducts now means that SENTIENT RATS ARE HIDING IN THE WALLS WAITING FOR THE PERFECT MOMENT TO BURST FORTH THROUGH THE AIR DUCTS AND EAT YOU. See? Your imagination is not just sadistic, but crafty. Be very careful.

• DO NOT work on that scary short story you are writing.

As above, it will take your imagination very little effort to make you the protagonist in your story, and you will be doomed to a sleepless night of ever-worsening vignettes from your dear friend Imagination. At some point, it may even turn to horrors being visited upon your traveling family, and since you can’t pull back the shower curtain to prove it wrong, you may end up curled in a ball in the corner, rocking back and forth and sucking your thumb.

• Turn on all the lights and never put your back to a dark corner or open door.

After all, maybe it's not your imagination.

iClue

2011-04-01T14:12:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you've heard about this Contest O Awesome, but I wanted to share (and get extra entries, of course).

Clickety-click and enjoy!

Contests around the internetz

2011-03-22T17:52:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't been posting much...still no internet at home. BAH! I will probably start the heavy-duty nagging and complaining to DH soon. If I don't have home internet by Mother's Day, look for a giant explosion in the metro Orlando area. (Seriously. I think I have been MORE THAN PATIENT at this point.)

Anyhoo, there are some fun contests goign on around the blogosphere, and I thought I would share them with you. (Yes, I get extra entries for doing so, but that doesn't make them any less cool, right? Right.)

First, is this one: http://carol-in-print.blogspot.com/2011/03/so-i-have-some-news-and-mega-giveaway.html

This is a MEGA GIVEAWAY spanning MULTIPLE blogs. You definitely want to get in on this one.

Next, we have Cambria Dillon's ongoing contest here: http://www.cambriadillon.com/ New giveaways every day, and then a grand prize at the end of the week. SQUEE!

Third, Shelley Watters's epic followers contest: http://shelleywatters.blogspot.com/2011/03/epic-follower-blogfestcontest.html involving twitter pitches!

And last (for now), a first line contest: http://cherstinieveen.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/first-line-contest/

Are there any I missed? Tell me in the comments!

Larissa :)

Music Monday

2011-02-21T15:03:00.000-05:00

I feel like I should apologize for my short blog post on Thursday. I actually had more to say, and I was planning to add some lyrics from P!nk's song "F**kin' Perfect." Specifically, these lyrics:

"You're so mean, when you talk about yourself, you were wrong
Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead"

Which made me think of writing the first time I heard them, just like the Katy Perry lyrics.

But then I went off in search of the lyrics. And I went to P!nk's website where she had posted the video and blogged about why she made it.

"Its a problem, and its something we should talk about.

We can choose to ignore the problem, and therefore ignore this video, but that won't make it go away.

I don't support or encourage suicide or cutting.

I support the kids out there that feel so desperate/numb/powerless, that feel unseen and unheard, and can't see another way.. I want them to know I'm aware. I have been there. I see them.

Sometimes that's all it takes."
And I watched the video and sat there crying for at least five minutes after it ended.

Yeah.

Suddenly, using those lyrics to talk about having faith in my writing felt stupid and petty. (I know it's really not, but I just couldn't do it after watching the video.)

So instead, I want to share this incredibly powerful video with you. Be warned--there is sex, swearing, and cutting in this video, so it's not for the workplace, or where small children are present, or, I suppose, for the faint of heart.

But I think it's important. And maybe one of you knows someone who needs to hear this message. Pass it on.

Thursday Pick-Me-Up

2011-02-17T17:14:00.000-05:00

Ever since I first heard Katy Perry's song Firework, it has made me think of writing. In fact, I thought about posting it here, and in the trench on the Blueboards almost every time I heard it. Of course, since I have to go to Starbucks or work (during non-work time) to use the computer, I never got around to it.

But the wonderful Elana Johnson did, and I LOVE her post about it:

http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-we-can-learn-from-katy-perry.html

What songs inspire you?

Giveaway WINNERS!!!

2011-01-27T14:23:00.000-05:00

YAY! Thanks to everyone who entered! I know a lot of the entries came from Carrie Ryan tweeting about the ARC, and I know A LOT of you REALLY WANT that ARC. I truly wish I had more than one to give away. Especially because I just read it and it's FABULOUS. Of course, all of these books are fabulous, or I wouldn't be giving them away... :)

So, without further ado, here are the WINNERS!

Winner of the signed copy of A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Jen Daiker!!!

Winner of the signed copy of Skinned by Robin Wasserman

lexirylie!!!

Winner of the ARC of Shine by Lauren Myracle

http://www.iceybooks.com/

Winner of the ARC of The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

YA Bibliophile!!!

Winners, if you included your email in your comment, look for an email from me soon. If you did not include your email, please email me (you can find my email in my profile) with your mailing address!

Congrats to the winners, and thanks again to everyone for entering! I'm planning to attend the SCBWI FL Summer Workshop in June, and I'll have more books to give away then!

Larissa :)

SCBWI FL Conference Part 3 and one day left for the GIVEAWAY!

2011-01-24T17:07:00.000-05:00

I hope I can do this post justice, as I'm running out of computer time...

I left off right before the Editor Panel about Fantasy (Fantasy Isn't Just For Wizards). The editors (Kate Jacobs, Krista Marino, and Arianne Lewin) talked about what fantasy is (worlds not bound by our laws, fiction of the impossible) and about how there is a spectrum with realistic and fantasy on opposite ends. They handed out a list of different fantasy genres and examples of each. If you are curious about their examples for any category, let me know. The panel also emphasized how much personal taste comes into publishing. For example, Krista said she is pretty much over dystopian, but Arianne said she loves it. :)

The last presentation on Saturday was Robin Wasserman. Her talk was called Two Truths and a Lie, and it was about using reality/truth to make your story believable. She said all good fiction is realistic, and that the stories we love are ones we believe in. She said when writing, bring in two truths: factual/concrete truth (can be from research) and emotional truth. Then when you add the made up stuff, it feels real. She also gave two resources to Google: "Slanguage: Teen Voices and Teen Vernaculars" by Scott Westerfeld and "Patricia Wrede Worldbuilding" (an exhaustive list of worldbuilding questions to ask yourself).

After that, it was time for critiques and then the Dragonslayers Ball! Here are a few pictures from the Dragonslayers Ball.

This is me (as Toothless the dragon from How To Train Your Dragon), Christy Farley, and Jessica Souders

Karen Strong rocking the Viking look.

Christy taking a picture of me taking a picture--lol. But look! It's Harley May! :)

So, in other words, the Dragonslayers Ball was great fun.

On Sunday, we had small workshops before the end of the conference. My first workshop was with Arianne Lewin (Executive Editor at Putnam). It was about self-revising, and it was fantastic! First, she talked about how she revises with authors:
-She usually does at least three revisions before the book goes to copy-editing.
-She thinks pretty extensively about revisions before acquiring the novel.
-She said don't do revisions for someone, do them for the book.
-Her average editorial letter is 6-7 pages.
-And she said not to work on the book if you are waiting on an editorial letter.
Then she had us go through some of our own writing looking for things like exposition, non-said dialogue tags, etc. She was using the book Self-Editing for Fiction Writers for examples and such, and highly recommended it. Since I have had others recommend it to me, I actually stopped on the way home and bought it. LOL.

Overall, it was an amazing conference. I obviously can't share everything with you, but I hope you picked up a helpful nugget or two, and I hope I've encouraged you to consider attending a local conference of your own!

Don't forget, my giveaway ends tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon EST, so make sure you've entered!

Larissa :)

SCBWI FL Conference Day 2

2011-01-21T17:28:00.000-05:00

Saturday at the conference opened with an amazing presentation by Bruce Hale. It was called: Writer's Mind, Warrior's Mind - Toughing it out and getting published, and it was fantastic.

Here are a few takeaways from his talk:
-Writing is a game of head and heart.
-Writing is not for sissies.
-Art is war.
-Steps to take to get there:
1. Start a good habit habit: Look at things that are keeping you from writing and try to cut the time you spend on them.
2. Write like your hair was on fire: Write with passion.
3. Think it through, take the big view: Think strategically.
4. Teamwork makes the dream work: Cultivate support for your writing (family, friends, critique groups, etc.).
5. Face the iron tiger (fear): Fear is just resistance. Work on a small thing you're afraid of, and build up.
6. Beat resistance with persistance: Most people give up when they're just about to achieve success.

He finished by singing "You Gotta Be" and it was awesome! The conference was off to an amazing start!

Next, Rubin Pfeffer talked about the digital revolution. What I loved about this talk was how positive it was. Rather than the normal doom and gloom "books are dying" stuff that often accompanies discussions of digital publishing, he said "it's not instead of, it's in addition to." It was a great talk.

Then we had an agent panel with Erin Murphy, Michael Bourret, and Sarah Davies. Great takeaways from this panel were:
-There's no one measuring unit for measuring success.
-Be happy with your writing and keep growing.
-You are your own best advocate.
-Publishing is both bigger and smaller than you think. (This was where they mentioned Verla Kay's Blueboards multiple times. They said they go there, and they see what people say about them and about themselves.)
-Often, rewriting can be better than revising.
-Titles can be very important to what happens to your book.
-Take everything one step at a time.

Next was a First Pages Panel. The only thing I wrote down from this was "Make sure your descriptions are clear--especially in fantasy or non-contemporary."

The next presenter was Cinda Williams Chima. She was fantastic, and I must have been so captivated that I didn't write anything down. However, she has lots of great resources for writers on her website, so you should check it out: http://www.cindachima.com/.

Okay, I'm going to stop here, because I have three-four more presentations to talk about, plus the Dragonslayer's Ball pictures! I will try to post the rest tomorrow. Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Larissa :)

SCBWI FL Regional Conference Day 1: Novel Intensive

2011-01-20T14:36:00.000-05:00

This was my fourth SCBWI FL conference, and I swear they get better every time. I absolutely ADORE the Florida SCBWI chapter, and our Regional Advisor, Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld, gets AMAZING speakers.

The first day of the conference, I attended the Novel Intensive, lead by Joyce Sweeney, Erin Murphy, and Krista Marino (here is a link to everyone's bios).

The day started with Erin Murphy talking about obstacles. She had us imagine our ideal writing life, and then think about what obstacles keep us from that writing life. Some of those obstacles are unavoidable, but some can be altered or adjusted. She also had us write down resources we have to support our writing, both within ourselves (strengths/talents), and outside of ourselves (support systems). Erin told us about a blog her clients are doing called Emu's Debuts, where some of her debut clients are going to blog about their experience from being agented to holding a published book in their hands. Check it out!

Next, Joyce Sweeney tackled the scene. She gave a fantastic example of the importance of staying in scene and avoiding narrative, as well as how every scene should have a full arc, just like the entire novel: orient the reader, inciting event, rising tension, turning point, raising the stakes, climax, & resolution and promise. It was very eye-opening, and something I will be using to pick my WIP apart. :)

Then Krista Marino talked about voice. She gave a list of elements that contribute to voice: diction, perspective, characterization, and dialogue. She emphasized that a great story needs voice and plot, and that an authentic teen voice/perspective is key. She gave the example of two movies which demonstrate the difference between teen and adult perspectives: 17 Again, and Big. She said, "When you're young, everything feels like the end of the world." And, "Your goal [as a writer] needs to be to erase your worldliness." Finally, Krista emphasized the importance of inner monologue. She said many of her editorial notes focus on this. She wants to always know what the protagonist's thoughts and reactions are to what is happening to him/her.

At the end of the session, Erin Murphy talked about revision. She emphasized getting distance and objectivity before starting a revision, and she gave some tricks some of her clients use to see big pictures in their manuscripts: shrunken manuscript (print four or more pages per sheet and lay them out on the floor), color coding for different story elements, using a spreadsheet to keep track of different elements and/or character arcs. She also recommended making an outline after you write (if you're a pantser), changing the font and layout when you revise, read it out loud, keep a Dead Babies file for things you may need to cut but love too much to delete fully, and make or find checklists that work for you.

And that was the Novel Intensive! They also read everyone's first page and critiqued them. If you ever have an opportunity to listen to a first pages session, you should. It's very eye-opening to hear agents' and editors' first reactions to a first page.

What did you think? Did you read anything here you hadn't heard before? Don't forget to enter my Book Giveaway, and comment here to get an extra entry. I'll be blogging about the second day of the conference tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Larissa :)

I'm back! And that means...

2011-01-18T16:04:00.000-05:00

It's time for the GIVEAWAY!!!

You are super lucky, too, because not only did I purchase two books to give away (and I had them signed!), but I got TWO ARCS at the conference, and I'm giving them away, too!

Here are the books you can win:

Signed copy of A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Signed copy of Skinned by Robin Wasserman

ARC of Shine by Lauren Myracle

ARC of The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

I know, right?

Alrighty. Here's how to enter:

1. Comment on this post:
-Current Followers (following before this is posted): 3 entries
-New Followers: 2 entries
-Non-Followers: 1 entry

2. Blog, tweet, or Facebook this contest: 2 entries per announcement (please leave links)

3. Add up your entries: 1 extra entry

4. Comment on my SCBWI Conference Round-up posts for an extra entry per comment (I will count these, so you don't need to add them to your total on this post).

5. This contest will end at noon EST on Tuesday, January 25, 2011. I will announce winners on Thursday, January 27.

Good luck, and thanks for reading! Be sure to come back this week (most likely Thursday and Friday) to read all about the amazing SCBWI FL Regional Conference. It was AMAZING!!!

Larissa :)

New Year, New Blog Design

2011-01-04T17:18:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing holiday. Luckily, I still have the rest of the week before I have to go back to work. Yay! I have been SUPER enjoying sleeping in.

As you can see, I have decided to switch templates for the new year. I liked the pink and orange swirly background, but it's time for a change. What do you think? Do you like the fire?

If I ever get internet hooked up at home (grrrr), I have a picture that I might try to upload for the background instead...

This background/design thing is hard! How do/did you choose your blog and/or website design?

Anyway, don't forget I have the SCBWI FL Regional Conference coming up in less than two weeks! Yay! And that means tidbits and signed book giveaways for you when I get back. If you know anyone who'd be interested, send them my way. Remember, followers before the giveaway is posted get extra points. :)

Larissa :)

Long time, no see

2010-12-07T16:53:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted in over a month and a half! But I've noticed quite a few bloggers I follow have taken hiatuses (hiati? what is the plural of hiatus?), so I don't feel so bad. (No, I still feel bad.)

I have been working (working working working), and I still don't have internet at home (SIGH). If I don't get internet for Christmas, I may hurt someone.

Anyway, I have been spending my babysitter-time today trying to catch up on some blog reading (since I can't do that very well on my phone), and basically just playing around online. I should be writing, but I've hit a blah. I'm not blocked, per say, but I feel blah, and I just can't get into my writing. I think it's a combination of too much going on (three jobs, three kids, NO INTERNET, etc.) and exhaustion and no real routine writing time. I only have eight more school days before I have three weeks off, so I'm hoping to shake the blah off then.

So, I was wondering, what do you do when you hit a blah? How do you get past it?

Also, I'm super excited to be going to the SCBWI FL Regional Conference in Miami again next month! As usual, I will be giving away two or three of the conference faculty's books (signed!) here on the blog when I get back. Since I'm hoping to get some bookstore gift cards for Christmas and use them to buy the books, now is your chance to tell me which books you'd like to have the opportunity to win! Go here to see the faculty line up, and let me know in the comments which books you think I should give away.

Larissa :-)

Acronyms

2010-10-18T14:55:00.000-04:00

Bit of a random drive-by post today, sorry. I'm going a bit nutty getting ready for the Silent Auction, promoting the online auction (today and tomorrow! Critiques from agents and authors! Go check it out! Pass it on to your friends!), and not having internet at home (I'll be getting it soon, though).

Anyway, I was thinking about acronyms the other day. Sometimes, when I see an aconym, I think the actual words it stands for, and other times, I think the letters. Do you do that? Or do you always hear an acronym one way or the other?

For example, when I see LOL, I think "LOL." I don't think "laughing out loud." But when I see MG, I think "middle grade."

When I see "FYI," I think "FYI," but if I see "BTW," I think "by the way."

Am I weird, or do any of you do that, too?

Hope to be back online soon, so I can catch up with all the blogs I missed!

Check out the online auction and spread the word!

Larissa :-)

Online Auction with CRITIQUES!

2010-10-14T15:49:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! Long time, no see!

Obviously, I don't have my beloved home internet access back yet, but I should have it soon! I also got a promotion this week, which is both good and bad. It's good, because I get a raise with it. It's bad because I lose the one day a week I had off, and I have added responsibilities (I'm now the VPK teacher at my preschool instead of the co-teacher for the Mother's Morning Out). *sigh* Hopefully I can adjust my schedule *again* and find writing time somewhere...

On top of that (which was a sort of, "you start tomorrow" kind of thing - yay), one of my crowns broke, and I now get to wear a retainer-ish thing all day. The dentist said I'd get used to it, but it's been almost a week, and I'm still hating it. We'll see....

Anyway, the actual point of this post was to let you know about the super-cool online auction starting on Saturday. As you may know, I am the Silent Auction Chairperson for the Florida Writers Foundation. The Conference where the Silent Auction will be held is next week (aaahhhh - I have about 100 items to prepare, print bid sheets for, etc. before then). But I wanted to do an online auction beforehand, so that everyone could participate!

So, if you go here: http://fwa2010conference.blogspot.com/search/label/Online%20Auction you will see the items available for online bidding. Bidding will open on Saturday, October 16 at 10am Est., and close on Tuesday, October 19 at 10pm Est. Please note that the FWF is a 501(c)3 charity benefitting literacy.

Critiques are available from Jaclyn Dolamore, J.A. Souders, Elana Johnson, Myra McEntire, Georgia McBride, Agent Elana Roth, Agent Natalie Fischer, Gwenda Bond, Shelli Johannes-Wells, and C.A. Marshall!!!

Head over and check it out, and get ready to get your bid on!!!

Linky Love for Elissa

2010-09-27T19:46:00.000-04:00

My friend Elissa is having a Blogaversary contest!

So go over and say hi and tell her I sent you. She 's been on sub for a long time and needs some love. (((((hugs to E)))))

As for me, the no internet thing sucks. A lot. I'm at work right now, but I have to go. This is literally all I had time to do! AAAHHHHH!

In happier news, there will be a super awesome online auction for some fantastic critiques in a few weeks, so start savin' up!

Talk to you all soon! Miss ya!

Larissa :-)

Awesome Contest at The Bookshelf Muse

2010-09-21T14:19:00.001-04:00

The amazing Angela Ackerman at The Bookshelf Muse is having an awesome contest!

Go check it out and enter!

Oh, and if you don't follow her, you totally should. Her Emotion and Setting Thesauruses (Thesauri?) are AMAZING resources. :)

Still internetless here. Not crazy yet, but getting close...

Warning: Sporadic Blogging Ahead

2010-09-04T16:34:00.000-04:00

So ... remember when my laptop died? And then the replacement laptop had a virus?

Well guess what?

Now Replacement Laptop won't start.

Yes, I'm serious.

Oh, and I had spent at least two and a half hours revising the day before. I have been backing up, but not every day, and unfortunately, that was one of the days I skipped. *HEAVY SIGH*

So, between that and the fact that we're finally going to be moving into our house, blogging will be sporadic. I have also recently been informed that we will be cable and internetless for a while upon moving in (yay.), so that adds even more complications.

Anyway, I'm still collecting donations for the FWF Silent Auction. If you'd like to donate anything let me know!

And, to kill two birds with one stone, I give you The Broken House: A Story in Pictures AND my entry into Kiersten White's PARANORMALCY Contest!

June 2008

What's that? Oh, it's a tree. ON MY HOUSE.

They came to take the tree off the house. The guy took one look at the tree and said, "I'm gonna need the bigger crane. Be right back."

Sorry that one's sideways, but you get it, right?

About three months later, after much arguing with insurance company, the house smelled mildewy, so we decided to move out (October 1, 2008). After all, if the insurance company has to pay for a hotel and food, they'll get their butts in gear, right?

Our first Christmas out of the house (this is in the Residence Inn, our home for 4 1/2 months):

We had packed all of our Christmas stuff in the POD, so we had to make ornaments for the little tree we bought.

I don't know why that one's sideways...*shakes head*
Anyway, shortly after we moved out, my kids coined the term "the broken house" for our house. We still call it that, even though it's not so broken anymore...

So, in February, 2009, the insurance company decided we were wasting money living in the hotel. We needed a rental house! And they found one. Right next door to the broken house! YAY!

This was also the time my husband contacted the Insurance Commissioner about the lack of movement on our claim. Things finally got rolling in that regard in June 2009.

The roof came off.

The new trusses went up.

Oh, look! A new roof! And it's wrapped! Woo!

And there will eventually be an upstairs!

Second Christmas out of our house (this is in the rental house):

And now, finally, it is done enough that we can move in. Because we upgraded some things, the insurance company thought we should have been done in November 2009, so that's when they stopped paying for the rental house. So, even though it's not completely the way we want it (the upstairs won't be done for a while, so we'll be sharing two bedrooms between five of us) we're moving in, baby!

Look at my AMAZING new kitchen! The floor will eventually be tiled, but it's still awesome!

OOOOH! AAAAHHH! (Hubby is going to build columns around those supports in the front).

My soon-to-be dining room! Evie from Paranormalcy thought the accent wall should be pink, but my hubby disagreed. Sorry, Evie.

Evie is also super-impressed with my ginormic new refrigerator. I am, too, to be honest.

So there you have it! The Saga of the Broken House. Hope you enjoyed!

Larissa :-)

P.S. My hubby did most of the work himself, which was how we were able to afford the upgrading. And he's an artist, too. It's okay to be jealous--I would be. :P

Young At Heart

2010-08-23T16:45:00.000-04:00

Do you ever feel like you can't possibly be as old as you are?

I often have a sort of flashback to high school feeling, where, even though I'm an adult, I feel like I'm not in control of my life. Like I still have a bunch of people older than me telling me what to do.

Do any of you ever feel that way, or am I just weird?

I'm not sure what it is. It could just be normal, but I wonder if that feeling is part of why I write for teens. In a way, I still kind of feel like one.

For example, the other day I had a friend telling me about problems she was having with her teen. Now, this person is close to my age, and I'm a parent, too (though my kids aren't teens yet), so I should have sympathized with her. I did, a little, but I mostly found myself feeling bad for the teen. Now, I don't know this teen personally, and I don't know the whole story. But it was weird.

So I wonder, is it just me, or is this normal, or is this what makes us successful at writing for teens/children? A sort of eternally youthful outlook, or something.

Are you young at heart?

Back to School Monday: Whining edition

2010-08-16T14:09:00.000-04:00

*Heavy sigh*

Today was the first day of school. The preschool I teach at goes 9-12 this first week, so it's not long ... except when you have a child who doesn't stop crying THE ENTIRE TIME.

Then, as of last Tuesday, I was going to be working Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I'd have three days to myself (for writing, mostly, but also ~~keeping up with housework, grocery shopping alone~~, okay, so I'd probably only use it for writing). Anyway, by Wednesday, I was working Mondays, too, and today they added Friday. I have no doubt that Wednesdays will be added within the month.

What to do? I could do what my hubby suggested and tell them that I can only work three days. There is another teacher that could pick up Tues/Thurs, but then I might not be able to send youngest on Tues/Thurs, which sort of defeats the purpose of not teaching on those days. Plus, we need the money, pitiful as it is.

My other option is to try to regement my writing time. I could try to do all email/blog/twitter stuff between the end of preschool and picking the older two up from elementary, focus on the house and the kiddos from then until after dinner, and then forego my beloved tv shows for evening writing time.

So, what do you think? When do you find time for writing?

Also, prayers for this kid to get comfortable in school and stop screaming in my ear are greatly appreciated. ;)

Larissa

P.S. Don't forget that I am in desperate need of donations for the FWF Silent Auction. See this post for details.

I need your help!

2010-08-09T09:46:00.000-04:00

So, I got myself appointed the Florida Writers Foundation Silent Auction Chairperson. The Silent Auction is an annual fundraiser for the FWF (which is the charity arm of the Florida Writers Association), a non profit 501 (c) 3 benefitting literacy.

The Silent Auction is held at the annual FWA Conference in Lake Mary, FL (October 22-24, 2010). Because it's pretty close to Christmas, many attendees use the auction for Christmas shopping, so literally any donation is useful. I will take some of the smaller donations to make larger baskets, and some will be used for a raffle.

However, I'd love to get a bunch of critiques and other writerly prizes and auction those online a couple of weeks before the conference so everyone can bid! Yay!

So how can you help? Spread the word! Send me donations!

I plan to choose one critique or prize for the online auction and put it up for raffle. Anyone who spreads the word (blog post, tweet, message board post, etc.) will get a free ticket for that raffle.

Please help!

Here is the donation letter:

And the donation form:

Thanks! :-)

Winners! And other contests!

2010-08-02T16:38:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much for all the love on my Blogaversary, everyone! You are all so so awesome!

The ever-useful Random.org has chosen winners! And guess what? Jackie gave me another ARC, so I decided to add it in the mix! (I am going to read it first, so it may ship out a few days later than the others - lol).

Without further ado, I give you the WINNERS!!!!

Winner of signed ARC of FIRELIGHT is...

Sarah Olutola!

Winner of ARC of Low Red Moon is...

Christina Farley!

Winner of 50-page critique by me is...

Michelle!

And NEW! Winner of ARC of Tyger, Tyger is...

Llehn!

Winners, email me at lchardesty at yahoo dot com with your address. Also, as a favor, ARC winners, please try to post a review of the book, or at least rate it on Goodreads, especially if you like it. That's the purpose of ARCs, after all.

Other contests! Woohoo!

The amazing Rose Cooper and Matthew Rush are having a query crit contest!

Casey is having a contest on her blog, too. You can win a critique, and we all know those are invaluable!

Amie is having a contest, too! Check out her pretty new blog!

And Jessie is having a contest for the ARC of Siren! Go follow her and tell her I sent you. ;-)

Know of any other awesome contests? Tell me about them in the comments!

Also, I'm trying to write my promised blog post about the Saga of the Broken House, but I'm having trouble with how in-depth to go. So, what would you like, lovely readers? The full version, which promises to be looong (this has been an ongoing saga for over two years - seriously), or the quick version told mostly in pictures? I'll take the majority vote, and post later this week.

Thanks for reading and congrats to the winners!

Larissa :)

Last day for a great contest!

2010-07-31T10:36:00.000-04:00

Thanks for entering my Blogaversary Giveaway, everyone!

I will count up the entries and let Random.org help me choose winners later today, and post them Monday.

Today, I'd like to point you to the lovely Candyland's super giveaway. It's for a great cause, and today is the last day to enter. The prizes are FANTASTIC! Check it out!

See you Monday! :)

Tuesday Tunes

2010-07-27T15:35:00.000-04:00

Have you entered my giveaway? What are you waiting for?

So today, I'd love to talk music. Do you listen to music when you write? What do you listen to? Do you have a playlist per ms, per character, per scene? Tell me in the comments!

As of right now, I have two playlists. I do a playlist for each manuscript.

The playlist for LURE is mostly by my brother's band, The Rise of Defiance. Here are a couple of my favorites. (These are just simple videos with a static image of their album cover. They are working on making real videos.)

The only other songs on the LURE playlist are a few of my favorite Evanescence songs.

Happily, my new wip also called for Evanescence. It's playlist consists of Evanescence's The Open Door, and Flyleaf's Memento Mori, with a few extras thrown in. When I get some more money, I will probably add more Evanescence and some Paramore, because that's how this ms rolls. Here are a couple of favorites.

Tell me about your favorites in the comments!

Larissa

WooHoo! Blogaversary and 100 Followers GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-07-25T16:41:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, today is my one-year blogaversary! And, as luck would have it, I am also at 100 followers exactly! SQUEE!

In celebration of those two awesomesauce events, I'm having a GIVEAWAY!

My amazing friend Jackie Dolamore recently went to BEA and ALA, and brought back a ton of ARCs. She gave two to me, and now I will pass them on to you (of course I read them first - lol).

The first is FIRELIGHT by Sophie Jordan.

The second is LOW RED MOON by Ivy Devlin.

There's a third prize! I'm also giving away a 50-page critique by yours truly!

So, how to enter:
- You must comment on this post to enter and leave some way for me to contact you. Please also tell me if you have a particular prize you are or are not interested in. +1
- Current followers: +5
- New followers: +2
- Spread the word (blog, twitter, facebook): +3 for each, please leave a link. I'm @lchardesty on twitter.
- Total your points: +1

Maximum entries possible: 16
Giveaway ends Friday, July 30 at 10pm est.

Before I leave you to it, I'd like to give a shout out to two people:

Tara McClendon was my very first follower! Hi Tara! You should go check out her blog!

And, of course, my lovely 100th follower: The Brad. Thanks so much for following, Brad! Check him out at bradmouth.com, he's hilarious!

That's it! Thanks so much for reading! I love you guys!

Larissa

Crazy Summer

2010-07-20T12:22:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

I have been having the most insane time with computers this summer. You may recall that my laptop crashed. Then a lovely friend gave me an old laptop she doesn't use anymore, and I was super excited!

Then, that laptop had a virus on it. A horribly icky bad, bad virus that required complete wiping of the computer. UGH. So I was back to using my iPod Touch for email access for about two weeks.

The laptop is back now, but I have to reupload Office onto it if I want to use it for writing, it's okay for blogging and email checking, but not safe for any type of financial online activity, and (this isn't new, but it's annoying) the keyboard kinda sticks, and I've had to retype half of this post because of missing letters and particularly spaces.

Anyway, enough complaining. Maybe I'll sell a book and I'll be able to get a MacBook and a laser printer (my printer is broken, too - no, I'm not kidding).

So, in the comments, please let me know if there were any amazing blog posts I missed in the last two weeks. If something was tweeted, I may have seen it, but looking at things on that tiny screen is frustrating, so it had to sound super fascinating for me to click through. LOL.

Coming up: I will share the amazingly crazy story of why I have been living out of my house for almost two years. Hint: my kids call it "The Broken House."

Also, my one-year-blogaversary is coming up. I just checked, and I posted my first blog on July 25! Wow. I'm also very very close to 100 followers, so if I get to 100 followers by my blogaversary, I guess I'll have to do a contest, right? ;) I do have a couple of signed ARCs...and I could probably do a critique, too...hmmmm...

Larissa

Perseverance

2010-07-05T11:53:00.000-04:00

I have good news and bad news. The good news is, I am not posting from my iPod! YAY! The bad news is that my laptop is completely dead. I've got my desktop computer, and an AWESOME, AMAZING friend gave me an old laptop. Another AWESOME, AMAZING friend's AWESOME, AMAZING husband retrieved everything from my old hard drive, too. I am really, really blessed.

But that isn't what I want to talk about today. I want to talk about sticking it out on this completely crazy road to representation/publication. Not the whole "Publishing takes forever and it takes the average writer ten years to get published" stuff, because as far as I'm concerned, that's just depressing. I mean, I get that, yes, this is hard work, and you have to have patience. But. I think that sometimes we get too caught up in "keeping it real" that we forget to be encouraging.

With that in mind, I'd like to point you to the lovely Tawna Fenske's post about drawer novels. Sure, most published authors have drawer novels (I guess the average is seven?), but that doesn't mean that the novel you're working on RIGHT NOW isn't the one for you, whether it's your sixth or your first. No one can tell you that without reading it (and you definitely need feedback from others, but you already knew that, right?).

And then, the always amazing Maggie Stiefvater posted about the odds of getting published vs. the odds of getting killed by a ham sandwich. It's a brilliant post.

Finally, I am a big fan of So You Think You Can Dance. If you watched last week, ballet dancer Alex got assigned a hip hop routine with one of the best hip hop dancers they've had on the show, Twitch. It should have been a train wreck, or at least mildly uncomfortable to watch. But it wasn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WghpdgPc-24 (Sorry, Embedding is disabled, but it's worth clicking, I promise).

If you saw the show, it kind of *was* a train wreck at first (they show some rehearsal footage before each performance). But Alex had PERSEVERANCE. He probably worked on it every spare second he had that week, and it paid off. Big time.

All that to say, don't give up. Like Maggie said, you're probably already ahead of the game – don't quit. You can move on, work on something else, but don't give up. Everyone's path to publication is different, so forge your own.

What do you think? Have you seen any inspiring posts lately? Share with me in the comments!

Larissa

Public Service Announcement

2010-06-27T14:43:00.000-04:00

Hello bloggy friends! You'll never guess where I'm posting this from.

Go ahead-guess.

Here's a hint: I am still in my house.

NO! I'm not posting from the bathroom! Ew!

Give up?

I'm posting from my iPod touch.

Why?!?

Because my beloved laptop died yesterday. *moment of silence*

The motherboard is fried, which costs $400 to fix. Or $500 plus $100 to transfer my hard drive to a new laptop. Thankfully, I have a desktop computer. It is slightly overloaded, though, so I am spending my day trying to clean it out to make room for my writing folders from poor laptop.

Then I'll have to move the computer to the living room to hook it up to the interwebz, which will make concentrating difficult. *sigh*

My point, dear friends, is:

FOR THE LOVE OF BLOGS (and other social media) BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER!!!!!

That is all.

Weekend Wrap-Up

2010-06-19T16:50:00.001-04:00

Happy weekend, everyone! Can you believe it is mid-June already? Where is the time going?

I've won a blog award (yay!) from Jessie and Jessica! It's the Versatile Blogger award. Isn't it cute?

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order…)
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Without further ado, here are 7 things about me (which you may or may not already know).

I lived in a hotel for four and a half months (including Christmas), and am still living in a rental house next door to my real house. We've been out of our house since October 1, 2008. With three small children. Oy.
I have 11,000 pictures on my laptop and 15,000 pictures on my desktop computer. Very few are duplicates, and all are from 2003 and later. (Yikes!)
Aside from YA and MG novels, I love to read paranormal romance.
In college, I double-majored in elementary education and music. I studied vocal performance and viola, and ignored the one conducting class I took. I now direct two handbell choirs at my church.
I am a night owl, and want to start a new town where nothing starts earlier than 10am. I named this (imaginary) place Strigifor.
I took my avatar picture myself.
I hate seafood.

Okay, 15 blogs I love (some you may have heard of, and some not, but they are all awesome)!

Before I go, here are two things I think you should check out.

Maggie Stiefvater's awesome series on revising. I'm linking you to the third post, because it has links to the first two. Come back and tell me your favorite part!

I've seen this too many places around the blogosphere not to share it. If you haven't seen it, you are in for a treat. If you have, watch it again!

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!

Larissa

Monday Mayhem (AND WINNERS)

2010-06-14T14:10:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday, everyone!!!

First, I would like to point you to an interview of yours truly by the lovely Dorothy Dreyer. Please stop by and say hi!

Second, have you heard the amazing news? Some fantastic authors are throwing a FREE online kidlit conference. With TONS of agents and everything. I know! So you should go here or here or here or here or here or here to find out about it. I mention all of those places because most of the organizers are having giveaways on their blogs to celebrate the announcement! SQUEE!

Countdown Creator Progreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

Okay, here's the moment you've all been waiting for. THE WINNERS!

Winner of Cynthia Leitich Smith's ETERNAL is

Karen Strong!

Winner of Terri Farley's THE WILD ONE is

D.M. Cunningham!

Winner of Tammi Sauer
and Dan Santat's CHICKEN DANCE is

Aimee Bussard!

Congrats to the winners! Email me your physical address at lchardesty at yahoo dot com.

Thanks to everyone for all the entries, shoutouts, and blogs. I really appreciate it.

Talk to you soon!

Larissa

SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop Part 3

2010-06-11T13:20:00.001-04:00

Saturday was the last day for the conference. It started with a general assembly, which is where I got all the books signed for my GIVEAWAY! (Did you enter yet?)

Then I headed to the Picture Book Track. There was some great information in this session, some even applicable to novel writing!

First up was Alexandra Cooper from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. She talked about getting out of the slush, and her first point was to know who you're pitching to. Then she went through all the imprints at S&S, talking about what they focus on. She also said they recently had a visit from the head buyer for Borders. The buyer said that they are not looking for anymore bedtime books or "it's okay to be me" books. They are interested in good read alouds with big illustrations. (Alexandra emphasized that since Borders isn't interested in something, an editor is unlikely to acquire it). Alexandra said she loves funny books, and she's always looking for a book that has a new way of looking at things.

Important point – Picture books being acquired now are 500 words and under, even as low as 250-100 words. So cut, cut, cut!

Finally, Alexandra said that they sometimes will reject a perfectly good manuscript that just isn't a good fit (which goes back to the "know who you're pitching to" comment).

Tammi Sauer was up next, and she had some great lists of things she makes sure are in her manuscript before she sends it out. She had three lists, and here they are:

Does my manuscript:

offer a variety of scenes?

have a rhythmic feel?

have a read it again quality?

rely on pictures to tell the story?

cut to the chase (not bogged down by description.dialogue)?

have a universal theme?

warrant someone spending ~$20 per copy?

10 Must-Have Ingredients:

Emotion

Characters people can relate to

Plot

Words that sing

Good pacing

Page turn-ability

Humor

Low word count

Plenty of illustration possibilities

Originality

Tammi's Top Ten Secrets (I'm not going to give all of these, since they're SEKRIT, but I'll give my four favorites):

The right character is ARF: Active, Relatable, and Flawed

The problem or conflict has to be a BIG DEAL to the main character.

Up the tension: Follow the story arc: Problem, Obstacle 1, Obstacle 2, Obstacle 3, BLACK MOMENT, Climax, Resolution (with change/growth)

Amp up the humor – but realize that sometimes too funny is less funny.

Tammi also said, Ask yourself, "What could go wrong?" and then "How can I make it worse?"

Try to tell as much as possible in as little as possible.

(One of my favorites for the day) If you're thinking about writing a rhyming picture book: "Try it in prose to see where it goes." (Awesome)

Finally, Dan Santat gave us a mini book trailer training! Yay!

He started by saying that no book trailer will make someone buy a book, but it will make them AWARE of the book.

If you're confused or having trouble, look for tutorials on You Tube.

You can find some hints on his website: www.dantat.com

Always end the trailer with the release date, cover of the book, and website (if applicable).

Step 1: Insert raw footage.

Step 2: Trim out useless bits. Also, if using stills, it's always better to have a still move (called the Ken Burns effect).

Step 3: Add text.

Step 4: Add sound (voice-overs add a nice touch).

After the group closing, it was time for the critiques. I had two.

My picture book was with Alex Flinn, who's book Beastly has been made into a movie coming soon! Woo! After the picture book day, I knew my PB wasn't ready, but Alex did like the premise and the main character. So, yay! Not a total throwaway. LOL.

Then came my critique with the amazing Cynthia Leitich Smith. I was sooooo nervous about this one. Happily, she LOVED the first 10 pages of LURE. YAY! She had a couple of minor suggestions, but mostly thought it was great. She even asked if I had an agent yet. I was so excited! She is so super nice. If you have a chance to attend a conference where she's speaking, you should GO!

So there are my notes from Saturday. I hope you find some of that helpful. Tell me in the comments what your favorite nugget is!

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! It ends at midnight TOMORROW!

Here are a couple of friends' blog posts from the conference. You should follow them! J

Karen Strong (her first page summary)

Sylvia

Cynthia Leitich Smith
Harley May

See you on Monday with GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!!

Larissa

SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop Part 2

2010-06-09T15:32:00.001-04:00

As promised, here are my notes from the Novel Intensive, featuring Kathleen Duey, Alvina Ling from Little, Brown, and Stephanie Owens Lurie from Disney/Hyperion.

It was amazing and inspiring. Hopefully, I can convey some of that to you, but I would like to encourage you to attend a writer's conference near you if you can at all afford to. Even just being around other writers is inspiring and freeing. No one at a writers conference will think you're weird when you talk about your characters like they're real people. ;)

The first topic the Thrilling Three covered was Character.

Alvina Ling – Character is Voice, Beliefs, and Experiences. You need to know these things about your character.

Kathleen Duey – To get a character to talk to you, try interviewing him/her. Not one of those questionnaires, but a conversation. Type a question and let the character answer you. She said it feels strange, but if it works for you, it will change your world. J

Try to get out of your character's way.

Get to your art and your craft will take you the rest of the way.

There are no rules except you want to write your book in such a way that people can't put it down.

Get out of your writing cave and observe children. She recommends mall food courts. You can hear kids talking when they don't think anyone is listening.

Character is the spine of everything.

(When talking about characters talking to the writer and doing unexpected things) All writing is paranormal. (I love this.)

Try writing from your secondary characters' POVs to get to know them and their motivation better.

Then we had a writing exercise to introduce a character in half a page or less. Both Alvina and Stephanie read examples of strong character introductions aloud. Then some volunteers read their introductions (written on the spot). What I got from this exercise is that a great character is distinct and interesting. The more the reader is pulled into the character's head, the better. Stephanie said she wants to either feel she IS the character or that she COULD BE the character.

*They liked my character introduction, which was a new story I've been thinking about. I guess I should start that one, huh?*

Next was Setting.

Kathleen Duey – Be careful to stay in viewpoint when describing setting (if you're in first person, the character isn't going to describe his room when he enters it. He already knows what his room looks like.)

Tiny details can be more interesting and telling.

Spend time on things the reader will not assume.

Magic has to be flawed in and of itself. There has to be a kryptonite (Superman wouldn't have been interesting if he could conquer everything).

Stephanie Lurie – Avoid vampires or werewolves.

Right now, apocalyptic/dystopian is hot.

Next is angels (mostly fallen).

She sees a lot of girls who died and are coming back.

She needs more MG (standalone or series). *yay*

Alvina Ling – Would love a sci fi (more space opera than dystopian).

Regarding Plot – Kathleen Duey – There is no magic formula (or if it exists, you don't want it).

The Thrilling Three also read first pages and queries.

Kathleen Duey – In queries and synopses, try not to name anyone but the MC because you'll be compelled to describe them. Do that with two or three side characters, and you've added an unnecessary paragraph. She recommended leaving other names off completely at first (use BFF or the like), and then add names if they are necessary. She also said in a synopsis, to tell both plot and emotional arcs.

Alvina Ling and Stephanie Lurie said that in a query, social networking is of interest (blog, twitter, etc), but conference attendance not necessary. They like "Readers of _____ will enjoy my book." But make sure the titles are current, in the same genre, and not blockbusters.

Alvina said she's looking for something familiar but fresh.

Stephanie said if you can give her the one-sentence pitch, the query summary (like jacket copy), and a great synopsis, she'll love it. She needs all three to acquire your book.

As a final note, Kathleen said that it's the subtle things that make a book believable or not.

So there are my notes from Friday. I hope you find some of that helpful. Tell me in the comments what your favorite nugget is!

And don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!

Here are a couple of friends' blog posts from the conference. You should follow them! J

Karen Strong

Sylvia

See you on Friday with my notes from the Picture Book Track and my critiques!

Larissa

SCBWI FL Mid-Year Workshop Part 1 + GIVEAWAY!

2010-06-07T17:33:00.001-04:00

This conference was AMAZING. Words cannot express how amazing, but I shall humbly try.

My conference experience started with picking up Kathleen Duey from the airport (I KNOW, right?). I have said before that she is the single most inspiring person I have ever met, and she is even more so now. She is so genuinely nice, helpful, and just fun to be around. You can tell she's really listening to you when you talk to her, and that she truly cares about everyone.

I brought the fabulous Jackie Dolamore with me to pick Kathleen up, since they had wanted to get together while she was in town. At the hotel, we joined the other speakers and volunteers for dinner, where I got to sit next to the lovely Terri Farley, whose book I am giving away shortly. She is really a wonderful person. Very sweet and fun to talk to.

The next day was the unbelievably awesome Novel Intensive.

But I'm going to make you wait to hear about it. I know, I'm mean. *evil grin*

Actually, I'm trying to be nice. I'm going to start the giveaway today (see rules below), and it will continue through Friday. On Wednesday, I will post about the Novel Intensive, and on Friday I will post about the Picture Book track and my critiques AND I WILL GIVE YOU EXTRA ENTRIES FOR COMMENTING ON THOSE POSTS. That's right. I'm giving you easy extra entries. *waits for applause and squeeing to die down*

Here are the awesome books you can win!

Eternal SIGNED by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The Wild One (Phantom Stallion #1) SIGNED by Terri Farley

(I am having trouble getting a picture of this book to work on here. Sorry!)

AND (I know, I said only two, but I'm too generous)

Chicken Dance SIGNED by Tammi Sauer AND Dan Santat

Here are the rulez:

1. You must comment here to be entered in the drawing (1 entry).

2. Old followers (following before June 6) get two additional entries.

3. New followers get one additional entry.

4. Tweeting/facebooking/blogging this giveaway earns you 2 additional entries for each instance (please include link in your comment, and if tweeting, use @lchardesty).

5. Follow me on twitter! One additional entry

6. You will get one additional entry each for commenting on Wednesday and Friday's posts.

6. Include your email in your comment.

7. Please add up your entries in your comment.

8. Giveaway ends at midnight EST on Saturday, June 12, and winners will be posted by Monday, June 14.

CONTEST CLOSED

Ready, set, go! And thanks for reading. It really means a lot.

Larissa

Getting Ready!

2010-06-01T14:19:00.000-04:00

Hello my lovelies!

I am getting ready for the conference this weekend. Sooooo excited! I've polished my first pages until they shine. :) I've purchased my books for myself and for YOU! Yay!

And just so I stay grounded, some pipes at my house are clogged, so we have no toilets or other water (dishes and laundry - not that I do them like I should, but, uh, running out of clean clothes over here), and my youngest dd has bronchitis and won't take her meds. Woohoo!

I also would like to point you to the fun new badge I added at the top right. This is a new blog by some fabulous authors, and they are starting off with a GIVEAWAY! Check it out by clicking the badge.

So, while I get ready to have a fabulous time (and deal with awesome real life), I thought I'd leave you with this fantastic video by Jackson Pearce. Enjoy!

I'll be back with notes from the conference, and signed BOOKS FOR YOU! Stay tuned!

Monday Mayhem (and vote now!)

2010-05-10T16:41:00.000-04:00

While perusing my blogroll, I came across an absolute GEM from the amazing Carrie Harris, and I just HAD to share. This is so hilarious, I have no words.

I give you the Sleep Talkin' Man. (Sorry, embedding is disabled).

You can thank me later.

You should follow Carrie if you aren't already. She comes up with genius like this all the time. (For further info on awesome people you should follow, see my fun interview with Heather Kelly).

Finally, I'm going to another conference! Squee! The SCBWI FL Summer Workshop is June 4-5. I'm soooooo excited. I'm going to the Novel intensive with Kathleen Duey (the genius) and Alvina Ling (HELLLOOOOOO), and the Picture Book track with Tammi Sauer and Dan Santat (no, I'm not kidding). Can you feel the awesome? Oh, yeah.

So, if you recall, last time I went to a conference I brought back books for you! Yay! I've decided to make this a habit. Every time I go to a conference, I will bring back books for you. Because I'm so nice (and awesome). :)

This time, I'm going to let you vote! So. Look at the line up here and tell me in the comments which author and book you'd like to see me giveaway. I will pick the top two. (I know I gave away three last time, but summer is coming and three of my four jobs stop over the summer).

Okay, go! :)

ETA: I'm entering Maggie's contest for Linger stuff. If you haven't seen the new trailer for Linger, you must watch it now. It is AMAZING. She also did four making-of posts on her blog. Super cool!

Do The Write Thing For Nashville (or where have you been, under a rock?!?)

2010-05-08T13:06:00.000-04:00

Okay, so unless you've been hiding under a rock, you probably already know about the Do the Write Thing for Nashville blog auction. It is going EXTREMELY well, and there are some FANTASTIC items up for bidding. Critiques, phone calls with agents, signed books, and more.

Last night, I went a little crazy and bid on a bunch of stuff. In case you missed it, I have FOUR PART-TIME JOBS. Yeah, so not rolling in the money around here. One item I bid on was a 30-minute phone call with agent Michelle Wolfson. She added a query or 10-page critique if the bidding got to $375, so I bid it. I figured someone would certainly outbid me, since the bidding was close to $375 already.

Ha. The bidding on that item ends tonight at midnight CDT, and no one has outbid me yet. Now, if I win, I will gladly take the crit and phone call. Woohoo! However, my marriage might be better off if someone else wins. LOL. (Hubby actually said he'd rather spend the $ on a babysitter for me to have writing time this summer, which I could DEFINITELY use).

Anyway, go. Bid. But be careful what you bid on...you just might win it! Hahahahaha. :)

Speaking of critiques, head over to Stephanie Theban's blog. She's giving away a 5-page critique for free! :)

I've been interviewed!

2010-04-30T16:13:00.000-04:00

Hooray! I've been interviewed by the super awesome Heather Kelly!

Stop by and say hi! :)

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

2010-04-27T21:21:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to tell you that you should check out Jackson Pearce's Sisters Red when it comes out in June.

Seriously. Check her out:

And also (one of my favorites):

How could you not want to read her books?!? Look how funny and cute she is! Plus, look at Sisters Red!:

Just sayin'.

Friday Flashback

2010-04-23T22:31:00.000-04:00

(What? It's totally still Friday ... for 1 and a half more hours ... and more than that where some of you live ... shut up.)

This post is inspired by Jessie Harrell's Friday Flashback post. Jessie is awesome, and you should check out her blog. :)

Anyway, Jessie posted about high school heartbreak and using it to fuel your YA writing. I thought I would share my response here.

Ah. Young love. I fell in love with a guy on an overnight orchestra trip. We just clicked, even though we'd been in orchestra together for three + years at that point. Anyway, I remember the tingly, excited feeling of cuddling with him on the bus, and desperately wanting him to kiss me (if only we had been alone!).

When we arrived back at school, I asked him what the deal was with us (did he want to "go out" with me?!?). He told me he did want to go out with me, but he had asked someone else out right before the trip. *stab* He felt he had to try it with her since he had asked her first. The hardest part was that I could see he wanted me, too (I think he even had tears in his eyes - for reals).

Oh, I was sooooo heartbroken. I couldn't even eat for a week. I remember this freshman boy from orchestra would buy me lunch and try to make me eat (I think he had a crush on me, himself). I pined for him for about a month. I remember he told me that he wasn't sure things were working out with the other girl right before prom, and that he was considering breaking up with her after prom. I later found out that was because she wasn't putting out. Well, she did put out for prom, and he didn't break up with her...she got pregnant.

I still look back on that whole thing as a dodged bomb. What if he had chosen me, and *I* had ended up pg? I met my current (only) husband less than a year later. It would have changed *everything.*

So, how about you? Did you have a high school heartbreak moment that still stays with you?

Interested in moving?

2010-04-12T18:23:00.000-04:00

Ah. Spring Break. A whole week of not having to get up. A whole week of staying up until 2am and sleeping in until 10 or 11am.

:( Now Spring Break is over and I had to get up at 7am. Boo. I realized over Spring Break that I feel better when I follow my natural daily rhythm (the sleeping from 2am to 10am thing). I drink less coffee. I'm happier. I'm more creative. I have heard from many people who feel this way.

So why the ^&*% does the world start its day so blankety-blank early?!?

In light of my Spring Break epiphany, I plan to found a new town. I will find some land somewhere in FL, or at least on the East Coast (but no further north than North Carolina - I hate snow). This town will be called Strigifor (bonus points if you can figure out the reason for the name), and it will operate on West Coast time. So instead of school starting at 8:30am, it will start at 11:30am and end at 6:30pm. Nothing will have to open before 10am and everything will be open until midnight.

I predict a huge increase in productivity and school achievement. Who's with me?

ED ASS IS GIVING AWAY A CRIT!!!

2010-03-30T16:45:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the shouting, but this is BIG NEWS!!! Go on over to Moonrat's Blog and enter. And, if you haven't been following Moonie's blog, SHAME ON YOU!! :P

MishMash

2010-03-29T17:13:00.000-04:00

So, I changed my template. What do you think? Too bright? Too busy? Like? Tell me in the comments!

I am plain old DYING right now with lack of time. I think I have mentioned before that I lost my writing time after being hired two extra days at the preschool. I realized today that I haven't really written or done a good revision since that happened. ARGH! Of course, my husband is completely unhelpful - "Just tell them no." Right.

Anyway, Spring Break is coming up, and I think I am going to try to hire a babysitter for at least one day so I can work. I have decided to take a day off in mid-April, as well. Here's hoping I can get LOTS of work done! Oh, and if you see me online between the hours of 9am and 3pm est. on April 23, please feel free to yell at me. Profusely.

Here are a couple of fun posts I found today. You should check them out.

Carrie Harris posts an interview with Kody Keplinger and some links to more interviews.

Jenny Bent posts on rejection.

Jim at Dystel and Goderich Literary Agency Blog will tell you what to read next if you tell him the last five books you read.

Enjoy those!

Also, my brother's band, The Rise of Defiance, released their CD last weekend. They are working on getting it on iTunes this week. My middle child sings on the first track and it is AWESOME! If you like metal/rock you should check them out!

A Guest Post! By Mike Jung!

2010-03-24T14:38:00.000-04:00

Yay!

Mike was the winner of GONE by Michael Grant in my recent contest. When I mailed him the book, I asked if he'd like to do a guest post here, and HE SAID YES!

I am excited to present you with Mike's guest post -- via vlog!!! **applause**

So, what do you think about series? I love reading series, but I'm not sure I'd love writing them. I can see my current ms having series potential, but I'm not sure if I'd like, you know, HAVING to come up with a new storyline for this character.

Thanks so much, Mike! You are awesome!!!

The Future is NOW

2010-03-16T21:12:00.000-04:00

Compare. This GE Commercial:

With this:

I can't wait to get some Tribbles! LOL.

Kids are funny

2010-03-14T21:36:00.001-04:00

Well, I wanted to post something all writerly, but, then this happened, and I had to share it instead.

DD1 (5yo): If you don't wear green on Leprechaun Day, the leprechaun will sneak up and pinch you.

DS (7yo): Well I will *squish* that leprechaun!

DD1 & DD2 in unison: NOOOOOO!!! DON'T SQUISH THE LEPRECHAUN!!!

What funny things do your kids (or kids you know) say?

Contests! Contests!

2010-03-08T14:26:00.000-05:00

Hooray for more contests!

Suzette and Bethany are having a followers giveaway with a prize from agent Suzie Townsend of FinePrintLit! ZOMG!

Elana Johnson is having a followers giveaway, too! Squee!

Go enter! :)

"That was my idea!"

2010-02-26T16:37:00.000-05:00

CKHB just posted this fun video (there is an f-bomb, just fyi) and linked to a blog post by Aprilynne Pike. We've all heard agents and other say it: There are no new ideas.

I had previously seen this video (mild language) of the same idea, which is hilarious.

What are some examples of overused plot devices you've seen used in a unique way? What do you think of the "there are no new ideas" mantra?

The Hive Mind

2010-02-23T17:15:00.000-05:00

Isn't it interesting how some topics seem to pop up all over the place at the same time? Here I was, having a down kinda week, and I come across a bunch of blog posts about rejection and/or bumming. I liked them, so I thought I'd share.

At The Merry Sisters of Fate blog, we learn that even published authors get that slimy feeling. (You mean a book deal doesn't solve all of your problems?!? Crap.)

In a guest post on Kate Schafer Testerman's Ask Daphne blog, author Sara Beitia blogs about her publishing journey. This is one of my favorite "how I got published" stories of all time.

Finally, a funny one. The Rejectionist posted an email from a friend about an envelope he received from an agency. I laughed until my sides hurt. For real.

Have you seen any other posts on rejection lately? How do you perk yourself up when you're feeling down?

ETA - A few more links I forgot I had saved:

Yasmine Galenorn

Laurell K. Hamilton

R.K. Charron

Myra McEntire

and one from Lisa Green in the comments

New Agency Blog

2010-02-19T16:21:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

The McVeigh Agency is starting a blog and they want lots of new followers! They are doing a 15 minute phone or skype chat with anyone who brings in 10 new followers! Cool, right? So, please go follow the blog here, and then comment on this blog post to tell me so.

If you follow The McVeigh Agency Blog and come back to tell me, I will enter you in a drawing for a 2 chapter critique. Don't get excited - it's by me, but I have been told that I give good, helpful critiques...

Happy Friday! :)

Larissa

Giveaway Awesomeness by Maggie

2010-02-15T12:31:00.000-05:00

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

Seriously, Paramount?

2010-02-09T19:45:00.000-05:00

I went to a movie recently and was excited to see a semi-preview for Avatar: The Last Airbender, the movie. If you aren't familiar with it, go here. My son started watching this show, and I found myself getting caught up in it. Great graphics, great story. I thought, Oooh, this oughta be great as a movie! The trailer was pretty generic, showing more effects and cinematic views than characters, so I didn't realize it had been whitewashed until today.

I came across Moonrat's post titled whitewashing The Last Airbender, which pointed me to Ellen Oh's blog post Whitewashing is Racist. After which, in tears, I followed links to sign a petition boycotting the movie.

Please, go read Ellen's post. And pass it on.

Review of TIMEKEEPER'S MOON ARC

2010-02-06T18:23:00.000-05:00

Keeping in mind that I am not a professional reviewer, here we go.

This post will contain spoilers for the first book, The Farwalker's Quest. If you want to read that first, go do so. You can always come back! ;) Plus, the paperback just came out! Lucky you!

The Timekeeper's Moon is the sequel to Joni Sensel's The Farwalker's Quest. In it, Ariel Farwalker hears the call of the moon and sets out on a journey. She and her guardian, Scarl, must follow a mysterious map found at the Tree-Singer's Abbey.

I really enjoyed this book. A lot. Beyond the fantastic description and amazing characters, these two books are a must-read for anyone writing a series. The first book can stand alone. There are no cliffhangers, there is no question it is a complete story in and of itself. It's awesome. Finding out The Timekeeper's Moon is the second book is like finding out you have a whole 'nother pack of cookies after you thought you ate the last one. You mean there's more?!? SWEET! But better.

Then, Joni does flawlessly what many others fail at, which is giving the reminders/backstory of the first book, so that readers who read The Farwalker's Quest a year ago will remember what happened. There was no info dump. There was no yeah, yeah, read this before, I remember, let's move on skipping ahead (which I do a lot, because I read A LOT of series, and I get sick of it). Seriously, Joni - standing ovation on that.

So, besides the sheer awesomeness of the story, the beautiful descriptions, and the fun little tidbits from our world (the books are set in the far, far future), my favorite part of this book was the relationship between Ariel and Scarl. What a beautiful, complex relationship!

If you are interested in reading this ARC, go here and enter to get a chance! Hurry! Otherwise, buy it when it releases in March!

Larissa :)

My first blog award!!!

2010-02-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

I got my FIRST BLOG AWARD!!! How cool is that?!? Thanks to Kasie West for giving it to me. I'm not sure about how I do everything, but I will say that there is a ginormous pile of laundry taking over my bedroom. But if I told you the SAGA OF THE BROKEN HOUSE, you'd freak (hint: it has to do with my answer about TV).

Rules: Answer the following questions with Single Word answers then pass this along to 5 other bloggers. Make sure you let them know about it though.

Your Cell Phone? Ancient
Your Hair? Blondish
Your Mother? Generous
Your Father? Amazing
Your Favorite Food? Pizza
Your Dream Last Night? Nope
Your Favorite Drink? COFFEE
Your Dream/Goal? Published
What Room Are You In? Kitchen
Your Hobby? Scrapbooking
Your Fear? Loss
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Relaxed-er
Where Were You Last Night? Couch
Something That You Aren't? Neat
Muffins? Sometimes
Wish List Item? BookshelveS
Where Did You Grow Up? Wisconsin
Last Thing You Did? Nap
What Are You Wearing? Clothes
Your TV? Storage
Your Pets? None
Friends? Plenty
Your Life? crazy
Your Mood? Pissed
Missing Someone? No
Vehicle? MDX
Something You Aren't Wearing? shoes
Your Favorite Store? Bookstore
Your Favorite Color? Green
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? Earlier
Last Time You Cried? Rarely
Your Best Friend? Regina
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Blueboards
Facebook? Occasionally
Favorite Place To Eat? Tepanyaki

Okay, that was fun. I pass this award to:

Paul Michael Murphy: Because he makes me laugh.

Heather Kelly: Because she is fun and fantastic and I love her Friday Feature!

Natalie Whipple: Because I want to see if she'll do it.

Kiersten White: Because her answers will be hilarious (no pressure, Kiersten)!

Carrie Harris: Because I want to see how she'll incorporate zombies into her answers. ;)

So there you have it! Go check out their answers!

Look for an upcoming review of THE TIMEKEEPER'S MOON by Joni Sensel (I got to read the ARC - WOOHOO)!

Larissa :)

WINNERS! And PICTURES!

2010-01-26T15:49:00.000-05:00

Winners are posted below, and I just have to say, you are in for a TREAT! I loved all three of these books, so I really hope you enjoy them.

Of course, I promised some pictures from the conference, so I'll post those first (insert evil laugh here). I also left off a really great comment Kathleen Duey made.

First, the comment. Kathleen was describing how to plot, and specifically how to handle the beginning and the ending. Besides the genius picking-up-a-puppy analogy, she spoke of plot like a roller coaster. She warned not to start with your biggest thrill at the beginning. You build, fall, careen around, and toward the end hit that highest thrill. Then coast gently to a stop. Don't jerk to a halt, and don't coast for miles. She even described this with movement and sound effects - which was AWESOME. Anyway, I'm not sure if I described it right, but it was a great analogy.

Okay, pics.

Kathleen Duey, Richard Peck, and Kadir Nelson at Books and Books:

Me and Jackie Dolamore:

Me and Kathleen Duey:

Me and Michael Grant:

I don't think those lined up the way I wanted them, but oh well. I am still getting used to blogger.

WINNERS!

With the help of Random.org, here are the winners:

Winner of a signed copy of Kathleen Duey's SKIN HUNGER:

LAURA RENEGAR!!!

Winner of a signed copy of Michael Grant's GONE:

MIKE JUNG (AKA Captain Stupendous)!!!

Winner of a signed copy of Jaclyn Dolamore's MAGIC UNDER GLASS:

TERRYLYNNJOHNSON!!!

I will be emailing you for your addresses! Congrats to the winners!

Larissa :)

SCBWI FL Conference Wrap Up!

2010-01-21T10:58:00.000-05:00

Before I start, if you haven't attended a writing conference, find a way to do it. It is such an amazing experience, and you learn so much. It's worth the registration fee just to be around other serious writers and to be able to talk about writing with people who get it. If you're in FL or would like to come here :) the summer workshop is scheduled for June 4 & 5 at Disney.

Thursday night, there was a pre-conference book signing, which was when I got the books for my giveaway signed. If you haven't entered, GO ENTER!

I was going to go through day by day, but I think that will take too long. LOL. I'm just going to list the takeaway quotes (paraphrased) that stuck with me enough that I wrote them down. There is just no way to capture the spirit of a writing conference in words (haha). It's like inspiration and encouragement float in the air, and you breathe them in every moment. Anyway, here are the important notes I wrote down.

Richard Peck: I never wrote a word of fiction before I was 37 years old.

Kathleen Duey: Those amazing debut books (S. Meyer, J.K. Rowling) are a fluke. Deciding to do that is like deciding to be struck by lightning and working toward that.

Kathleen Duey: Don't ask what should happen next in your story. Ask yourself what your protagonist would do next.

Richard Peck (via Kathleen Duey): Take yourself out of your manuscript.

Kathleen Duey: Raise the climax by making more subtle what precedes it.

Kathleen Duey: Give yourself cues for your work: workspace, music, food/drink, smells, and change them if you are working on two projects to help move between projects.

Kathleen Duey: Anyone can be a great critiquer if you have them use the BCD method - mark in the ms where they are Bored, Confused, or Don't believe it.

Kathleen Duey: The only rule is there are no rules.

Kathleen Duey: You don't have to start with a bang. You have to start with a reason to turn the page.

Kathleen Duey: Talk to strangers. (when and where it is safe to do so)

Kathleen Duey: When you're having trouble with your character, sit down and type an interview. Not a set of questions, but a conversation, like you're talking to a child (your mc) you haven't met.

Kathleen Duey: When you have a great writing day, figure out why and do that again.

Kathleen Duey: Gag your inner parent.

Kathleen Duey: Don't let your characters choose between something easy and something hard (that's boring - give them a difficult choice).

Richard Peck: Humor is anger that went to finishing school.

Richard Peck: There never was a writer who was not a reader.

Jill Santapolo: Inject emotion organically with: actions, word choice and syntax, objective correlative (put emotion to an object - winter tree looks dead to someone facing hardship, etc. [explanation and example are mine]), and dialogue.

Alexandra Flinn: Write what you're on fire about.

Kathleen Duey: To write a good synopsis, don't name anyone but the MC. It's too easy to go on a tangent if you focus on anyone else.

Kathleen Duey: On where to start your story: It's like picking up a puppy. In front of the middle, but not too far.

Kathleen Duey: On revision: Before revising, sit down and recall your reason for writing the story - the spark. Write it down and post it somewhere. Revise to enhance that.

You may notice that most of those are from Kathleen Duey. Yes. She is absolutely amazing. I have never been more inspired by a person in my life. If you ever have a chance to hear her speak, DO IT. (Oh, and she's coming back to FL in June...just sayin').

So, those are the takeaways I wrote down. If I can figure out a way to coherently write down more of the experience, I will. I will also point you to some other blogs with wrap-ups, since different people may have honed in on different points. Here's one: Mindy Alyse Weiss.

I will try to post pictures this weekend, and I am expecting my turn with the ARC of Timekeeper's Moon by Joni Sensel, so look for my review of that.

Larissa :)

It's Time - My First Book Giveaway!

2010-01-18T15:07:00.000-05:00

WOW.

I just got back from the SCBWI FL Conference, and all I can say is WOW.

What an amazing experience!

I will blog all about it, including some takeaways and pictures (!!!) later this week. For now, let's get started with the GIVEAWAY!

So, I bought three books to give away:
Jaclyn Dolamore's MAGIC UNDER GLASS
Michael Grant's GONE
and Kathleen Duey's SKIN HUNGER.

They have all three been signed just for you! Yay!

Here are the rules:
1. You must comment here to be entered in the drawing (1 point).
2. Current followers (following before I post this) get two additional entries.
3. New followers get one additional entry.
4. Tweeting/facebooking/blogging this giveaway earns you 2 additional entries for each instance (please include link in your comment, and if tweeting, use @lchardesty).
5. Include your email in your comment.
6. Please add up your entries in your comment.

Contest will close Monday, January 25, and I will post the winners (one for each book) on Tuesday, January 26.

I'm so excited! These are FANTASTIC books, and I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing their authors are.

Stay tuned for the following: My SCBWI FL wrap up, and my TIMEKEEPER'S MOON review (I was chosen as the next Farwalker's Apprentice, detailed here).

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

Larissa :)

Prepare Ye, O My Followers

2010-01-05T12:35:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned, I am heading to Miami for the SCBWI FL Conference next week (SQUEE! AGAIN!). In preparation for the awesomeness, I will be heading to the bookstore with my own hard-earned gift cards (one was a gift, and TWO were won in blog contests - thanks again Blee and Rhonda).

What will I buy with my shiny new gift cards, you ask?

Some wonderful things for myself, of course, but also - PRESENTS FOR YOU!!!

That's right! I am driving down and rooming with the awesome Jaclyn Dolamore, author of MAGIC UNDER GLASS, and I just found out my critique session is with Danielle Joseph, author of SHRINKING VIOLET. PLUS, there will be a special booksigning the night before the conference starts, and Michael Grant, author of GONE will be there!

So, I am going to take my shiny new gift cards, and I am going to buy an extra copy of each of these books (GONE will be paperback - it just released in PB, and it helps me afford this contest). I am going to take them with me and get them signed. Then, I am going to have a giveaway, right here on my blog. My very first giveaway.

Yes, I am awesome. Also, you're welcome.

So, what this means for you right now: I am giving all of my followers BEFORE I post the actual giveaway an extra entry (that means you, if your cute little picture is over in that box on the left). Do you have friends you think would like that extra entry? Send them over and tell them to click the follow box. If they comment here and tell me you sent them, you get an extra 2 entries (on top of the one for following). Ooh, I'm generous.

Speaking of contests and contest awesomeness, check out this one from Valerie:
http://valeriekwrites.blogspot.com/2010/01/happy-2010-and-200-followers-contest.html

You may now sing my praises in the comments. :P

Larissa

Yet another awesome contest for you to enter

2010-01-04T17:08:00.000-05:00

You can win a 5 page crit or signed copy of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain here:

http://suzettesaxton.blogspot.com/2010/01/suzette-and-bethanys-wicked-awesome.html

Good luck! :)

Getting Ready for a Conference

2010-01-03T17:06:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

I'm getting SUPER DUPER excited to go to the SCBWI FL conference in Miami in about a week and a half. Yay! Plus, I'm driving down and rooming with debut YA novelist Jaclyn Dolamore (MAGIC UNDER GLASS - Go buy it)! I'm so lucky!

Anyway, I am doing the usual preparations: going over my ms one more time, printing my first pages, getting my notebooks and tote bag all ready, ordering my Blueboarder pin.

Then, someone on the Blueboard posted a question that reminded me of some comics Debbie Ohi created in preparation for her first trip to the SCBWI National Summer Conference. I just reread them, and they're hilarious! I thought I would share them with you:

http://www.inkygirl.com/writers-conference-newbie-comics/

So, besides NOT bringing my 642,000 word epic vampire wizard fantasy, anyone have any other advice for me? (Yes, I do plan to blog about the conference, so stay tuned for that!)

So You Think You Can Write?

2010-01-02T12:14:00.001-05:00

Yay! Another contest! Agent Mary Kole is having another contest on her KidLit Blog!

It is for the first paragraph/500 words of your YA or MG novel. The winner will get a 15 page critique, so go enter! Yippee!

Mary's Contest

The Start of Something New

2009-12-30T16:35:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again! The time of year when many sit down and come up with goals or resolutions for the coming year.

I'm actually not a goal-setter. I don't recall making resolutions before, and if I did, I certainly never wrote them down. However, I think I'm ready to take that step this year. I may even come back and cross them off as I accomplish them. ;-)

Per Maggie Stiefvater's recommendations (on her own recent goal setting blog post, which was awesome, by the way…go read it) I am going to try to stick to goals that I can control.

My goals for 2010:

1. Finish YA WIP (was supposed to be my NaNo novel, but I never got further than 1K - lol).

2. Revise other YA again and submit (I'm letting it sit right now).

3. Draft other YA idea.

4. Polish at least three PBs and submit.

5. Blog at least once per week.

My two goals for next year that I can't control are to get an agent and to get something published.

Here is a great article on writing resolutions, too: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/10/AR2009121003658.html

So, what are your writerly goals for 2010? Let's cheer each other on!

Larissa

More Contest Awesomeness

2009-12-12T17:57:00.000-05:00

Wow! The following contest is for a LOT of great YA books! You should go enter!

http://lushbudgetproduction.blogspot.com/2009/12/contest-full-of-ninja-awesomeness.html

(Keep an eye on this post. I will use it to post any other contests I see this week...)

OMG, OMG, OMG - I just found another contest (I told you I would)!

This one is just so neat and so much fun, I cannot even describe it! Go now and check it out! (It involves sending ARCs of The Timekeeper's Moon by Joni Sensel on a quest - woot!)

http://authorwithin.livejournal.com/59719.html

Found another at Sharon Loves Books and Cats!

http://www.sharonlovesbooksandcats.com/2009/12/loading.html

Here's another:

http://susanadrian.blogspot.com/2009/12/interview-giveaway-with-author-kelly.html

And another! Yay for new books!

http://teddyree-theeclecticreader.blogspot.com/2009/12/decemberjanuary-giveaway-2-winners-your.html

Funny Parenting Moment

2009-12-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I just wanted to share this funny exchange between my husband and my six-year-old son. Enjoy!

*Son running around.*
DH: Son, come here.
*Son still running around.*
DH: Come over here! What are you supposed to do when I say something to you?
Son: Stop.
DH: Then what?
Son: Drop and roll?

--Yes, I had to leave the room, I was laughing so hard.--

Give Up the Ghost Trailer and Contest

2009-12-02T15:17:00.000-05:00

Check out the cool trailer for Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe! She's having a contest here: http://www.megancrewe.com/blog/?p=635

Enjoy! :)

Tidbit and Twilight Tuesday

2009-12-01T15:15:00.000-05:00

Hello all! Just a quick post today, since I don't feel wonderful.

I thought I'd post two snippits from LURE for your enjoyment, since I just posted them in Kiersten White's GiveAWAY contest.

Lemme know what you think!

"Let me tell you – walking into a movie theater with no popcorn smell is like walking into your favorite restaurant and smelling dog poo. It just doesn’t work."

-and-

“If you want to read it so bad, then just read it already,” I snapped without looking at her. “As soon as we get Dad some help, we’ll go back to my house, I’ll give you your copy back, and you can become a book zombie like everyone else. Just don’t expect me to clean up your pee.”

I also promised you some Twilight funnies, so here they are:

Buffy vs. Edward

New Moon Action Figure re-enactment (it's spoilery if you haven't read the book/seen the movie)

How Twilight Should Have Ended

Thanks for stopping by! I love comments, too...

Another Contest!

2009-11-25T15:07:00.000-05:00

This is a fun one! The Enchanted Inkpot is giving away a smorgasboard of books!

First row - Basket 1 - FAIRY TALES AND FOLKLORE
Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagen
The Runaway Dragon by Kate Coombs
The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs
Shadow (ARC) by Jenny Moss
Faery Rebels by RJ Anderson
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Ash by Malinda Lo
Second row - Basket 2 - ADVENTURE AND WITCHCRAFT
The Emerald Tablet by PJ Hoover
The Navel of the World by PJ Hoover
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Unnameables by Ellen Booraem
Wicked 1 by Nancy Holder
Wicked 2 by Nancy Holder
Wicked : Resurrection by Nancy Holder
Betraying Season by Marissa Doyle
Third row - Basket 3 - ANCIENT CURSES, MODERN GHOSTS, POST-APOCALYPTIC
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
The Owl Keepers (ARC) by Christine Brodien-Jones
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by RL Lafevers
Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris by RL Lafevers
Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus by RL Lafevers
There will be a grand prize winner and 2 runner ups. Winners will be based on the following criteria:
1. The Grand Prize winner will have first pick and choose one of the book gift baskets AND will also win a $25 gift card to Powell’s Books AND a copy of ICE by Sarah Beth Durst. The winner will be chosen based on who provides the most online promotion points for our contest, via blog, facebook, twitter, etc. One point is awarded for the type of promotion and the number of times such promotion is provided. For example, a person who tweets and blogs about it for all 14 days of the contest will earn 28 points. Honor system is in place so you will be required to tally up your points yourself and we’ll check’em. YOU MUST COMMENT ONLY ON THIS ORIGINAL CONTEST POST IN ORDER TO QUALIFY.
2. Second runner up will choose from the remaining 2 baskets. The winner will be the person who comes in second with the most online promotion points.
3. Third runner up will win the last remaining book gift basket and will be chosen from a lottery. Anyone can enter the third prize drawing. All you have to do is answer one of the following questions. What MG/YA fantasy would you like to read over the holiday break? What fantasy book most reminds you of the Holiday or New Year season?
Contest ends on December 9th, 2009. And our apologies, but due to the large size of the prizes, the contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. Don’t forget, all contest entries are accepted only in the comments section of this contest post. Comment as much as you like and help spread the word!

Go here: http://community.livejournal.com/enchantedinkpot/37038.html?view=445102#t445102

Let’s Be Thankful

2009-11-25T11:50:00.001-05:00

Again with the interrupting of my planned post, but yanno, things happen. Oh, and this may be a bit random, but that's how I roll.

So, it has been a bit of a depressing week in some circles I frequent. First, there was a post about quitting on the Blueboards. Then, another post about losing faith in your writing on the Blueboards. And, even Natalie Whipple is feeling it!

The nice thing about all of these is how we writers rally around each other. There is lots of morale-boosting in those posts. I had a bit of a rough week, myself. I got a rejection that was a little tough because I had high hopes for that query. *sigh* Amazingly, I checked my blog roll shortly after getting the R and found this post by Maggie Stiefvater. Who knew Maggie was psychic?

Anyway, one of the best ways to fight the blues is to concentrate on what we are thankful for. So, I am posting five things I am thankful for – one set for writing, and one set for just me. J

Things About Writing I Am Thankful For:

The Blueboard Community: I have never seen a more supportive and helpful community anywhere. Someone on the BBs once mentioned that we are essentially each others' competition, and yet it doesn't feel like that at all. I don't think I would be writing if not for the Blueboards.
A Creative Outlet: I am not one of those writers who has been writing my whole life. I am relatively new to it. But now that I've started, I don't think I could stop! It is such a great outlet for my creative energy (I have been told how creative I am my entire life). Plus, I have always had these random thoughts floating through my mind: imagined conversations, weird scenarios, etc. How awesome to discover a purpose for them!
Learning: I literally learn something new everyday. Whether it is about my writing, writing in general, publishing, or even myself. I love to learn! (I actually went straight from graduating from college into classes for my Master's – over the summer - simply because I liked learning).
Blogs: This kind of falls under learning, and it is a bit of a community itself. I love reading your blogs, and the ones on my sidebar, and lots more that don't fit over there (I think I follow over 100). It is fun, informative, and great to support and get support from others!
Twitter: There is a fun community on twitter, as well. Many of these communities overlap, but my favorite thing about twitter is the speed of it. It's super great for when I am feeling stuck or frustrated with my writing. I can just click over to twitter, read my feed for a bit, and then jump back into my WIP.

Things About My Life I Am Thankful For:

My husband: Of course. He is so loving and understanding. I am the world's worst housekeeper, and he comes from a family of OCD super cleaners, but he only complains about once a month. He works uber-hard to support us and give both me and the kids things that we want (not just things that we need). Amazing doesn't even begin to describe him.
My children: Three energetic mini-tornados. They are almost always happy and cheerful. They play together more smoothly than I have ever seen siblings play. They have the best smiles and give the best hugs.
My parents: They are so generous and supportive. They are really the best parents I have ever seen. I am so lucky to have had them raise me.
My jobs: I grumble occasionally because they take me away from writing, but they also provide a break and the funds to allow me to attend conferences and buy new books.
My laptop: (I had to be a little materialistic). As an example of #3, my laptop was a gift from my parents. I use it almost all day everyday. Whether going to the three places mentioned in my writing thanks, playing itunes, composing a new story, or allowing the kids to watch a DVD, I don't know what I would do without it.

So, I will leave you with those and ask you to leave 5 things you are thankful for.

Thanks for reading!

Larissa

P.S. Check back tomorrow for three funny videos poking fun at Twilight…

Contests!

2009-11-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Okay - sorry to post twice in one day, but I have some fun contests I would like to share with you (although if you win, I will be mad - just kidding)!

First, the contest at The Bookshelf Muse. If you don't follow them, you should. They have some great resources on their blog! Here's a link to the contest: http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/2009/11/massive-followers-contest.html

Adding more contests in a sec...

'Kay - here's another - Number One Novels - a blog supporting debut novelists (how awesome is that?). They are giving away Kelly Meding's new novel THREE DAYS TO DEAD:
http://numberonenovels.blogspot.com/2009/11/kelly-meding-three-days-to-dead.html

I may find more...

Shelli at Market My Words is having a fun contest, too! Go follow her and enter! http://faeriality.blogspot.com/2009/11/thanks-for-following-this-turkey.html

Found another! Agent Suzie Townsend is giving away a signed copy of PEACE, LOVE, AND BABY DUCKS by Lauren Myracle on her blog: http://confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com/2009/11/happy-holidays-giveaway-1-peace-love.html Oh, and if you enter, tell her I told you about it, and we each get three extra entries! Woot!

Titles

2009-11-23T15:03:00.001-05:00

I was planning to post something else, but title talk is all over the internets, so I thought I'd join in. J

Basically, the point of most of the talk is that your title is your first impression. Whether we're talking about a query to an agent, a submission to an editor, or even the book on the shelf, the Title is one of the first things people are going to notice about your book.

Jill Corcoran calls titles and covers "your book's billboard." There are some great links and great information (there's even a graph!) in this post. She also links to the Editorial Anonymous post on titles, in which Ed Anon breaks down what will happen to your manuscript based on the awesomeness (or lack thereof) of your title. What I love about Ed Anon is how she can cover an important topic in a humorous way.

Apparently I missed it, but back at the beginning of October, Jean Reidy posted about titles, too. I love her point that a title is "a promise of the story to come." She has a fun exercise and three more links in her post, as well!

I agree with the points made in the posts linked here, but I have also heard that many times titles are changed either by the agent or the editor. Agent Elana Roth commented in a kidlitchat on Twitter that she had changed the titles of almost every book she'd sold.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't try to find the best title possible for your story. Absolutely, you should. But – maybe try not to get super attached to it. LOL.

Okay, now I am going to ask for your help, readers. All this title talk has reminded me of title issues I have with my novel. When I started writing it, I had one title in mind. Then, a couple of writerly friends commented that it maybe wasn't a good title, so I changed it. Unfortunately, I cannot get the first title out of my mind. I still like it better than the current title. So, I am going to post my pitch and the two titles, and you can give me your opinion. (And I really appreciate it!)

Pitch (Upper MG):

Yet another idiotic book has taken over Mitch's hometown. Just another craze, he hopes, like last year's obsession with vampires, because Mitch would rather pound a nail through his thumb than read. He's got better things to do, like hang out with Jen, or work on the shelf he's building for her in his workshop.

But then, even the people he loves most get sucked into the book. His dad, for instance. Mitch has to pull him out from under a fallen truss while he--and everyone else on the construction site--continues to read. And even when Mitch and Jen realize people are reading themselves to death, Jen succumbs to the book's mysterious pull. With Jen now under its spell, Mitch is the only one left to find some way to break the obsession...before he loses everyone he loves.

Titles (The title of the book in the story and the novel itself are the same):

First title: THE BOOK

Current title: LURE

Thoughts? Opinions? Also, if you have any good links about titles, please share!

Thanks!

Larissa

ETA - Found another link to share: Lisa Schroeder talks about Titles: http://lisa-schroeder.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-title-really-that-important-in-word.html

Thoughts on Writing – Part Two

2009-11-12T14:38:00.001-05:00

Today I want to share three interesting posts about Critique Groups. Now, we all know that having another person or persons read your writing before you send it out into the world is essential, right? We know this, and yet, it seems to be so hard to find the right people or the right combination or the right personalities…Oy!

Tara McClendon recently had a great post on her blog about this, and about what type of group one should be looking for. I love her distinction between a cheerleading group and a critique group. I have definitely met those people who are looking for a cheerleader rather than a critique.

But then, sometimes even when you are ready for a true critique, it is hard to find the right group or partner. You have to find someone who "gets" your writing (style, genre, voice, etc.) and who can give you helpful information in the critique. You have to find someone who is available for critique on the same or a similar schedule as you. It can really be overwhelming! Natalie Whipple recently posted some great tips on finding a critique group, and I think her tips on what to look for in a crit partner are spot-on.

What I have found amazing (although I probably shouldn't have been surprised by it), is how diverse opinions really are. I have an online critique group, and I was shocked that one member just really didn't like my main character, Mitch. He said he found the best friend, Jen, much more interesting. But then I had other members telling me they love Mitch. So, what to do?

Well, Tara McClendon had another great post on what to do when you get a critique. She had some great "What if?" questions to ask yourself after a critique. She also emphasizes looking at the comments objectively, which can sometimes take a day or so of "cooling off" to accomplish.

What I think is important to note is that you can learn something from just about every critique. Even if you disagree with the comments. A couple of great things can happen if you disagree with the comments a critique partner makes.

You can gain renewed confidence in what you've written. Take my example above. I listened to what that one member said about Mitch, and I looked at Mitch again as a character and why he was the way he was. And I decided that I was happy with Mitch as he was, and that he needed to be that way for the story to work. I actually gained confidence in my character because the critique questioned him.
You can disagree with the specific comment, but realize that something in your manuscript made the reader feel that way and perhaps make a different change that improves your manuscript. I had a critique once that said the reader felt that two of my characters were too similar – they seemed like the same person. Well, I super-duper disagreed with that! LOL. But, there had to be a reason that person felt that way, so I went back and looked deeper at the characterization of both and also scenes where they were together. I realized that while in my head I had been writing from one POV, in reality, I had slipped a little into another. When I fixed that, my story and my characters were able to shine through more clearly.

So, what kinds of "AHA" moments have you had from critiques? Have you ever felt you learned from a critique you disagreed with?

Thoughts on Writing – Part One

2009-11-06T17:32:00.001-05:00

Hello Readers! Sorry I haven't been a very good blogger lately. I'm really new to this, so I hope you'll cut me a little slack.

Anyway, I am going to try to be better about posting regularly, and hopefully not so randomly. (Seriously, though, if you look at my profile description, how could I possibly be anything other than random? I have four part-time jobs, plus writing, and THREE small children. My brain works in random, mysterious ways. I blame that on God, who also works in mysterious ways. Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh, right…less randomness.)

Today I'd like to start with some great recent blog posts about writing. They aren't MY blog posts (obviously), but they are awesome, and I will add a thought or two with each link.

Now, you may be thinking, "Gee, Larissa, this is awesome! Thanks for all the great info!" OR you may be thinking, "Darn it, Larissa, I read all of these yesterday (or the day before)." If you're thinking the first, you're welcome. J If you're thinking the second, great! I would love to know your thoughts on those posts. Also, I am partially doing this out of selfishness. If I post all of these on my blog, I will have a great reference if I ever need it! ;)

So, to the blogs of awesome we go!

I'm going to start with this one by Natalie Whipple.

I found this post very interesting, because I have fallen prey to this "good enough" syndrome myself. Of course, I also found myself asking the obvious next question, which luckily Natalie answered over the next two days. First by addressing self esteem and then how you know you're ready. (Hint – it has a lot to do with your gut). I really feel like I needed to read all three of these posts together. And, together, they are super-duper awesome (yes, I really like the word awesome and I use it too much. No, I'm not going to stop).

Here is my favorite part of what Natalie wrote: "Don't tie your writing talent to your writing skill. Because talent is something innate inside of you that will never burn out. It's where your ideas come from, your voice, your passion. You can have confidence in that. Hold on to it and cherish it. And it is, though sometimes it might not feel like it, separate from your writing skill.

And therein lies the beauty of all this—you can always get more skill."

I really think that sums it up right there. Thanks, Natalie!

Well, I was going to include a few other posts about writing, but I think today's post is long enough! I will post more thoughts on writing tomorrow. Please leave YOUR thoughts on writing in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Larissa

Banned Books Week

2009-09-29T12:37:00.001-04:00

I've been following a bit of drama the past couple of weeks regarding banned books, mostly involving banning of books my Ellen Hopkins and Laurie Halse Anderson (you can read more about their stories on their blogs, linked in their names). I was mostly watching the events unfold via these authors' twitter feeds (@EllenHopkinsYA and @halseanderson), in which they linked to blog posts describing their experiences with banning, and even news stories about the bans. Each time I read another instance of banning or watched a newscast about it on You Tube, I rolled my eyes and shook my head at the ridiculousness of it all.

Then, last night, I was shocked to hear a news teaser about a local attempted banning (story here). I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. I watched the story (even though DH really, really wanted to change the channel), and I think my mouth just dropped more and more as the story continued. Book banning makes me mad, period, but I really lost my cool when a woman came on and said (paraphrased), "I don't want my daughter reading that kind of stuff."

I actually yelled at the TV at that point, and I think DH thought I was nuts.

How is it a library's responsibility to control what *your* child is reading? What happened to actually *parenting* your own child?

Bottom line, I think that this is exactly what is wrong with society today, in general. People are lazy. They want others to control what their child reads. If their child isn't doing well in school, the school is failing the child. People want everything handed to them without doing any of the work themselves.

Ironically, the lead story on another news channel was a child who died from an overdose, and 8^th grade girls who overdosed on prescription meds at school. But, no, these kids are too young to read books about the consequences of doing drugs.

Anyway, go out and read a few banned books this week!

They Cut the Climax!

2009-09-17T13:51:00.001-04:00

I was flipping channels the other night, and go ridiculously excited when I saw that Spacecamp was on. So I made Son watch his show (iCarly – I think he has a crush on Miranda Cosgrove) in another room so I could watch Spacecamp.

Now, I know as well as anyone that when they put a movie on TV, they edit for time and content. I expect it. What I didn't expect was for them to cut one of the most important scenes in the movie. Lemme say that again.

They cut one of the most important scenes in the movie!!!

At the end, as they have to re-enter the atmosphere, Kathryn (the female main character) is piloting because Andie (their instructor) got hurt. The ship goes into a flat spin, which is the situation Kathryn was unable to handle in the simulator and the multi=axis trainer during camp. Kathryn's big triumph is that she gets them out of the flat spin and gets them home, proving to herself that she can do it, and that she is meant to be a pilot (something she fights throughout the movie).

Yeah. They cut that. They cut the whole flat spin.

Hel-looooooo? Why would you do that? Why cut there? It makes no sense.

Oh, and they also cut one of my favorite lines of all time. Kelly Preston plays Tish – a be-bangled and be-jeweled poster child for 80's Valley Girl. When NASA finally responds to her Morse Code, she says, "Whip me, beat me, take away my charge card – NASA's talking!" Classic.

In which I sing the praises of Walgreens

2009-09-11T17:08:00.000-04:00

Today I’d like to take a moment to talk about the awesomeness that is Walgreens. Seriously. It is my absolute favorite store. You can get just about anything you need there.

Run out of diapers? They’ve got ‘em.

Basic condiments? Check.

Lotion? Check.

Cosmetics? Check.

OTC meds? Check.

Prescriptions? Check.

Photo developing? Check.

Need a gift? They’ve got gift cards for just about anywhere, cute seasonal items, toys, cards, and even gift wrap.

Don’t know what to make for dinner? They’ve got canned and boxed solutions and even frozen foods (pizza, anyone?).

You might argue that I can get the same things at Target or Walmart, and you’d be right. Except. Both of those stores are something like five times bigger than Walgreens…at least. It would take a person at least three times longer to run into Target or Walmart to grab something as it takes to run into Walgreens. Another argument against the bigger stores is exactly their largeness. I can’t go into Target without spending at least $100 and well over an hour of my time. Walgreens has lots of cute stuff, but I just don’t find myself grabbing it and throwing it into my cart like I do at Target. I can walk through Walgreens with a list and leave with only the things on my list. As far as Walmart…well, I’m just not a fan. We’ll leave it at that.

Plus, Walgreens has great prices and awesome specials, including the amazing monthly Easy Saver catalog. There have been months where I have gotten $35+ back on products I was already buying.

At this point you’re probably thinking, Wow, is she getting paid by Walgreens or something? No. Just thought I’d share the awesomeness. If you don’t shop at Walgreens, you should. :)

Best Writing Compliment So Far

2009-09-01T16:37:00.000-04:00

I just got the biggest compliment I have had so far in my writing career! I'm so ridiculously excited!
One of my critique group members told me that she was so into reading the first three chapters of my story, she almost fell out of her chair when the phone rang!

Hooray!

(How pathetic am I?) LOL.

Off to write more gripping stuff! :)

The Muse

2009-08-24T16:11:00.000-04:00

So, someone on the blueboards posted this link to a speech by Elizabeth Gilbert:

I watched it last week, and really enjoyed it. Then, it happened to me!

Last night, I went to bed around midnight. I had to get up at 7am for the first day of school for everyone (me included - I teach 2 year olds). Suddenly, As I was trying to fall asleep, full portions of text and dialogue for my wip popped into my head. I'm not talking about a quick idea or something. I mean two full on word-by-word passages in the story.

Are you kidding me?!?

I seriously contemplated getting up to write, but then I wondered if I'd ever get back to bed. So, I tried what Elizabeth had said in her talk. I actually addressed my muse/inspiration/whatever directly.

"Now is not the time. I appreciate the great ideas, but if you could hold that thought and come back tomorrow afternoon, that'd be fantastic."

I'm about to hit my wip now, so here's hoping it listened! LOL

What do you do when the muse/inspiration appears at an inconvenient time? Do you give in and write? Ask it to come back later? Ignore it and hope you remember the ideas later? Other?

Radom Funnies

2009-08-21T12:09:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Anne for posting these. Hysterical! Comment on your favorites!

Thanks to Aaron Karo at Ruminations for these gems. I'm still laughing over #8...

1. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.
2. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.
3. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
4. I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?
5. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you’re going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you’re crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
6. That’s enough, Nickelback.
7. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
8. The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase “Regards” again.
9. Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s. We just figured it out. Today’s kids are soft.
10. There is a great need for sarcasm font.
11. Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the hell was going on when I first saw it.
12. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I’ll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone’s laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I’m still the only one who really, really gets it.
13. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
14. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
15. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
16. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.
17. A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.
18. Was learning cursive really necessary?
19. Lol has gone from meaning, “laugh out loud” to “I have nothing else to say”.
20. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
21. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.
22. Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.
23. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?
24. Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using ‘as in’ examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss’s last name to an attorney and said “Yes that’s G as in…(10 second lapse)..ummm…Goonies”
25. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?
26. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it…thanks Mario Kart.
27. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
28. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
29. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.
30. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
31. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.
32. Bad decisions make good stories.
33. Whenever I’m Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don’t mind if I do!
34. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.
35. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I’m from, this shouldn’t be a problem….
36. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you’ve made up your mind that you just aren’t doing anything productive for the rest of the day.
37. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don’t want to have to restart my collection.
38. There’s no worse feeling than that millisecond you’re sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
39. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
40. “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this ever.
41. I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There’s so much pressure. ‘I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren’t watching this. It’s only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?’
42. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Aghh!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What’d you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?
43. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
44. When I meet a new girl, I’m terrified of mentioning something she hasn’t already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.
45. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it’s on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.
46. Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles…
47. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.
48. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
49. It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.
50. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
51. Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn’t know what do to with it.
52. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time…
53. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day “Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?” How the hell do I respond to that?
54. It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.
55. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
56. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
57. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.
58. The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself.

BALLAD trailer

2009-08-18T14:54:00.000-04:00

Check out the trailer for BALLAD by Maggie Steifvater!! Yay!

Bookshelf Muse Zombie Haiku contest!

2009-08-17T09:48:00.001-04:00

How fun is this? Write a zombie haiku. You'll thank me later.

Warning: Zombies Ahead

Guurrgh....uuurgh...brrraiiins.... sllluurp.

Translation: Angela is in Idaho, amassing a zombie horde for world domination vacationing with her family. Normal Thesaurus posts will be suspended until her return August 16th.

Lucky for you, she's left a few of her favorite lieutenant zombies in charge, and our first official act is to announce a little contest. We think you'll like it.

First Annual Zombie Haiku Contest

Oh yes--you read correctly. Sure, Zombies eat brains. But don't we also have an inner soul, a burning desire to unleash pent up emotions in the form of, erm...poetry?

Let's face it--Zombies? Poetry? Someone needed to go there. Angela is that person. The question is, are you up to the challenge? Can you get in touch of your inner Zombie and make Angela tear up or better yet, laugh out loud? We hope so, because you could win an in depth first chapter critique.

This is quite possibly the most awesome contest on the web. In fact, we wouldn't be surprised at all if the talent rolling in is so gut-spittingly awesome that more than one critique will have to be awarded.

So for the Haiku challenged, the format is scary simple: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. Like so:

Hungry moans outside
Fingers scrabble at the door
Time to get the axe
--
Look, the ice cream man
Only has one flavor left
What's Head Cheese Surprise?
--
My silent boyfriend
We hold hands in the moonlight
Likes me for my brain

Is there a Zombie Epic inside you, longing to burst out? Set it free and post your haiku in your comment section! The contest will run until Angela returns, dead or alive. Followers can enter as many zombie haikus as they like.

For extra chances to win, post a link to this contest on your blog and let me know in the comments section where you spread the word. Each time you post a link to this contest you'll earn an additional chance to win a bonus critique!

So, what are you waiting for? Let's see some poetry, people!

Crash!

2009-08-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

My husband's stupid alarm went off this morning, and he was, of course, in the other room because V had woken up in the middle of the night. So, I push myself out of the covers and set my left leg on the floor to stand up. Crash. My leg goes right out from under me.

It must have been asleep - so asleep that it wasn't even tingling. It took me a good minute to minute and a half of flailing around to even be able to stand up (on the other leg) and hobble to his phone to turn the stupid alarm off.

When I managed to get to him to let him know his alarm had gone off, I told him what had happened. His response? "Oh, that happens to me all the time."

Really? Really?!? No concern for your poor wife? Plus, I have never seen you flopping around on the floor like a fish, unable to stand up. Seriously!

I'm okay, by the way. My ankle is a little bruised, but overall I'm fine. Thanks for asking.

HILARIOUS

2009-08-11T16:51:00.000-04:00

OMG - this blog is hilarious!

Go check it out, and then come back and tell me what you thought!

http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/

Win a 10,000 word Edit from Tara M!!!

2009-08-06T18:01:00.000-04:00

Win a 10,000 Word Edit

I know that many of the people following this blog are fellow writers, and I’m excited to be a part of this online community. So, I’m going to offer my first contest. That’s right. I’m giving away a 10,000 word edit, which equates to a $300 value. I’m going to host this for an entire month, so I’ll draw a winner on September 1, 2009.

Here’s how you enter:

You must sign up to follow my blog. (If you’re already signed up—a huge thankful for finding me interesting, and consider this step done.)

Leave a comment on this blog stating that you’d like to be entered.

This will get you one entry into a drawing to win a 10,000 word edit.

Want a second entry?
Post about this contest on your blog, and I’ll enter you a second time. If you don’t have a blog, but can post this on a forum, leave me a comment, and I’ll include you for a second entry. (And yes, I’m working on the honor system, so don’t disappoint.)

Rules and Qualifications:

The 10,000 word edit applies to one work in progress. (A WIP less than 10,000 words can qualify, but the edit will be for the word count of the work.)

Please no poetry. (I love to read it, but it isn’t my forte as an editor.)

I have the right to refuse the edit based on content. If a replacement work isn’t available, I’ll draw another name. Examples of work that would fall into this category include Satanism and erotica.

To see my qualifications as an editor, feel free to visit my bio at Inspiration for Writers.