GOOD LUCK!
Monday, October 31, 2011
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
I posted an article on FB recently that supposedly "explains" away symptoms of a haunted house.
It was pretty funny. I don't think it was meant to be.
From ages 5 through 9 I lived in an ancient old house on the west side of Cleveland. Creepy, lots of dark wood, and a cellar with rats. Yes, rats.
That was not the house that was haunted, however. My haunted house was the cute little suburban bungalow I lived in after that, till I graduated from nursing school and moved out on my own.
The article said--ridiculously enough--that doors that shut by themselves are aided by "drafts." That doesn't explain how a door that slams shut can, a moment later, open again on its own.
Footsteps you hear are supposedly caused by the "settling" of the house. Oh, yes--because the settling of a house sounds exactly like someone walking up and down the hall directly over your head. Not. Any idiot knows the difference.
The article also didn't explain how, when you are alone in the basement, a hand can reach out and gently squeeze your shoulder.
Or how a sound can repeatedly sweep through your house, a high-pitched, almost electrical wail--a sound that you never heard before and never experienced since.
Or how a voice can wake you up out of a sound sleep to the glowing image at the foot of your bed.
You either believe or you don't believe. But no one can explain it away. Those who haven't experienced it really shouldn't try.
It was pretty funny. I don't think it was meant to be.
From ages 5 through 9 I lived in an ancient old house on the west side of Cleveland. Creepy, lots of dark wood, and a cellar with rats. Yes, rats.
That was not the house that was haunted, however. My haunted house was the cute little suburban bungalow I lived in after that, till I graduated from nursing school and moved out on my own.
The article said--ridiculously enough--that doors that shut by themselves are aided by "drafts." That doesn't explain how a door that slams shut can, a moment later, open again on its own.
Footsteps you hear are supposedly caused by the "settling" of the house. Oh, yes--because the settling of a house sounds exactly like someone walking up and down the hall directly over your head. Not. Any idiot knows the difference.
The article also didn't explain how, when you are alone in the basement, a hand can reach out and gently squeeze your shoulder.
Or how a sound can repeatedly sweep through your house, a high-pitched, almost electrical wail--a sound that you never heard before and never experienced since.
Or how a voice can wake you up out of a sound sleep to the glowing image at the foot of your bed.
You either believe or you don't believe. But no one can explain it away. Those who haven't experienced it really shouldn't try.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Thankful Thursday
I am thankful that I have two adult kids living at home who work full-time, don't come home drunk or high, ask me for money, party all night, or talk to me like I'm an idiot.
I LOVE YOU GUYS!
P.S. These are not my children. I just like the picture.
I LOVE YOU GUYS!
P.S. These are not my children. I just like the picture.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
A Thought on Validation
Lauren Myracle on the NBA fiasco.
Lauren says of her intense disappointment: “…it's just one more reminder not to be so invested in validation from external sources.”
So very true. Yet, as writers, from the moment we begin to put words on a page, that same validation is exactly what we crave. Validation from our first readers. From agents. From editors at publishing houses. From friends, family, and peers. From reviewers. Does it ever end? Sometimes we need to take a step back and feast, gratefully, on our accomplishments—whether it's our writing, or something else...whether humble or heroic—instead of depending so much on the praise and opinions of others.
Best, best comment ever from @librarianlost: “Husband thinks Abrams should make sticker for cover that reads: Erroneously Nominated for NBA."
Still smiling at that one. :-)
Lauren says of her intense disappointment: “…it's just one more reminder not to be so invested in validation from external sources.”
So very true. Yet, as writers, from the moment we begin to put words on a page, that same validation is exactly what we crave. Validation from our first readers. From agents. From editors at publishing houses. From friends, family, and peers. From reviewers. Does it ever end? Sometimes we need to take a step back and feast, gratefully, on our accomplishments—whether it's our writing, or something else...whether humble or heroic—instead of depending so much on the praise and opinions of others.
Best, best comment ever from @librarianlost: “Husband thinks Abrams should make sticker for cover that reads: Erroneously Nominated for NBA."
Still smiling at that one. :-)
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
My AWESOME Box of Books!
ENVY (arc) by Gregg Olsen
DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS by C.J. Omololu
AFTER OBSESSION by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel
WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, BREATHLESS, and BETWEEN by Jessica Warman
BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY by Jaclyn Dolamore
SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD by Lindsey Leavitt
THE PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES (arc) by Wendy Wunder
AFTER THE KISS by Terra Elan McVoy
HAUNTING VIOLET by Alyxandra Harvey
SMALL TOWN SINNERS by Melissa Walker
SUGAR AND ICE by Kate Messner
THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST by Sarvenaz Tash
TAKING OFF by Jenny Moss
DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS by C.J. Omololu
AFTER OBSESSION by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel
WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, BREATHLESS, and BETWEEN by Jessica Warman
BETWEEN THE SEA AND SKY by Jaclyn Dolamore
SEAN GRISWOLD'S HEAD by Lindsey Leavitt
THE PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES (arc) by Wendy Wunder
AFTER THE KISS by Terra Elan McVoy
HAUNTING VIOLET by Alyxandra Harvey
SMALL TOWN SINNERS by Melissa Walker
SUGAR AND ICE by Kate Messner
THE MAPMAKER AND THE GHOST by Sarvenaz Tash
TAKING OFF by Jenny Moss
Methodical Elimination of Suckage
I love when someone can read my wip and totally open my eyes to the suckage. :) (Thank you, Tina)
So I'm currently rewriting 100 pages and trying to go in a completely different direction. I can tell already it's the right decision.
Hopefully I can get through this revision before November 1st, because you know what November 1st is, don't you?
With Borders now gone *sob* I've been writing at Panera. The good thing about Panera's is free coffee refills.
The bad thing about Panera is the food. Cuz it's everywhere. Lots of it.
My faves:
Tuna sandwich
French onion soup
Danish
CINNAMON CRUNCH BAGELS!
Maybe I should switch to the library...
So I'm currently rewriting 100 pages and trying to go in a completely different direction. I can tell already it's the right decision.
Hopefully I can get through this revision before November 1st, because you know what November 1st is, don't you?
With Borders now gone *sob* I've been writing at Panera. The good thing about Panera's is free coffee refills.
The bad thing about Panera is the food. Cuz it's everywhere. Lots of it.
My faves:
Tuna sandwich
French onion soup
Danish
CINNAMON CRUNCH BAGELS!
Maybe I should switch to the library...
Monday, October 17, 2011
Un-F***ing-Believable
Libba Bray tells it like it is. Hats off to Lauren Myracle for defining the word "class."
ENVY by Gregg Olsen
LOOK AT THIS COVER!
How can anyone resist it???
ENVY by Gregg Olsen
From Amazon: New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with EMPTY COFFIN, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch.
Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.
Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined.
Based on the shocking true crime about cyber-bullying, Envy will take you to the edge--and push you right over.
Reading the ARC now!
How can anyone resist it???
ENVY by Gregg Olsen
From Amazon: New York Times bestselling adult true crime author Gregg Olsen makes his YA debut with EMPTY COFFIN, a gripping new fiction series for teens based on ripped-from-the-headlines stories…with a paranormal touch.
Crime lives--and dies--in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen--and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits.
Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out--and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined.
Based on the shocking true crime about cyber-bullying, Envy will take you to the edge--and push you right over.
Reading the ARC now!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Friday 5
1. I guess the subtle change in my hair color is too subtle to...um, notice. :(
2. How can anyone be this excited about rewriting 100 pages?
3. Yes, I am going to THE 7 FLOORS OF HELL!
4. Current read: WHERE THE TRUTH LIES by Jessica Warman
5. Working all weekend...see you guys next week!
2. How can anyone be this excited about rewriting 100 pages?
3. Yes, I am going to THE 7 FLOORS OF HELL!
4. Current read: WHERE THE TRUTH LIES by Jessica Warman
5. Working all weekend...see you guys next week!
:) :) :)
BEST
PERK
OF
BEING AN AUTHOR:
FREE BOOKS!!!
I kid you not. Total awesomeness. I'm still blown away when someone sends me a book of the blue. Getting a box of them is just like Christmas! :)
PERK
OF
BEING AN AUTHOR:
FREE BOOKS!!!
I kid you not. Total awesomeness. I'm still blown away when someone sends me a book of the blue. Getting a box of them is just like Christmas! :)
Dirty Little Secrets
OK, so I go from a meh book to a WOW book in less than a week:
DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS by C.J. Omololu:
From Amazon: Everyone has a secret. But Lucy's is bigger and dirtier than most. It's one she's been hiding for years-that her mom's out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. Tackling an increasingly discussed topic that is both fascinating and disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy's desperate attempt to save her family. Readers join Lucy on a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen's life will have them completely hooked.
I was hooked, from page one, and read it in one day.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go clean something...
Grape Rating
Full bunch: X
Half bunch:
Single grape:
Stem:
DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS by C.J. Omololu:
From Amazon: Everyone has a secret. But Lucy's is bigger and dirtier than most. It's one she's been hiding for years-that her mom's out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. Tackling an increasingly discussed topic that is both fascinating and disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy's desperate attempt to save her family. Readers join Lucy on a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen's life will have them completely hooked.
I was hooked, from page one, and read it in one day.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go clean something...
Grape Rating
Full bunch: X
Half bunch:
Single grape:
Stem:
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Stolen Innocence
I generally don't do book reviews because I hate knocking someone else's book. Yeah, I know. Luckily most books I read are pretty good. STOLEN INNOCENCE looked interesting, and it was one of the first ones I downloaded on my Nook.
"This is the shocking, timely, and inspirational memoir of Elissa Wall, the former member of the FLDS polygamist sect whose powerful courtroom testimony helped convict controversial sect leader Warren Jeffs in September 2007. Detailing how Jeffs forced her into an unwanted marriage at age 14, Elissa speaks candidly about the horrifying reality she faced as a young teenager in a devastating marriage to a man five years her senior. But what began as tragic tale of forced marriage quickly descended into madness, as Elissa's troubled relationship spiraled out of control before her vows were even spoken.The end result of the union was a nightmare of rape and abuse that Elissa suffered at the hands of her Church-appointed husband and in the name of God. Offering an unfettered glimpse into the world of the FLDS she explains how the confines of her dangerous marriage and surroundings left her with few options. Pushed out of her home by abuse, she began living in her car to avoid the crushing realities of her situation. And yet somehow, in face of this bleak reality, she never gave up on the hope that she would some day find a way out. But though Elissa won her freedom from the FLDS, she had yet to earn her victory, and here she illustrates how she used her newfound freedom to put Warren Jeffs behind bars."
However, it took me ages to get through it. And, to me, it's a pretty good example of how not to write a memoir.
Boring. Boring.
Did I mention...boring?
"This is the shocking, timely, and inspirational memoir of Elissa Wall, the former member of the FLDS polygamist sect whose powerful courtroom testimony helped convict controversial sect leader Warren Jeffs in September 2007. Detailing how Jeffs forced her into an unwanted marriage at age 14, Elissa speaks candidly about the horrifying reality she faced as a young teenager in a devastating marriage to a man five years her senior. But what began as tragic tale of forced marriage quickly descended into madness, as Elissa's troubled relationship spiraled out of control before her vows were even spoken.The end result of the union was a nightmare of rape and abuse that Elissa suffered at the hands of her Church-appointed husband and in the name of God. Offering an unfettered glimpse into the world of the FLDS she explains how the confines of her dangerous marriage and surroundings left her with few options. Pushed out of her home by abuse, she began living in her car to avoid the crushing realities of her situation. And yet somehow, in face of this bleak reality, she never gave up on the hope that she would some day find a way out. But though Elissa won her freedom from the FLDS, she had yet to earn her victory, and here she illustrates how she used her newfound freedom to put Warren Jeffs behind bars."
However, it took me ages to get through it. And, to me, it's a pretty good example of how not to write a memoir.
Boring. Boring.
Did I mention...boring?
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