The Future of Us

     Road Trip Wednesday has been put off this week. Head over to YA Highway to find out why- they did a good post on censorship on the internet.
     I'm not going to say much except goodbye for the weekend. I hop on a plane early tomorrow morning heading to Ottawa, ON. My sister is getting married and I'm super excited. My family lives all over Canada and the US so I don't get to see them often. This weekend will be one of those rare reunions. Also, I love Ottawa, having lived there from grade 5 to grade 10. It's my favorite Canadian city and I get to see some old friends I haven't seen since high school (way back when).

     Since I'll probably finish this book sometime on my trip and won't get a chance to blog about it, I have to say how much I'm loving The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. I haven't been able to put it down. The characters have totally taken me in. Plus, it's fun to read about teenagers in a time where I was a teen. (Josh and I would be the same age- he graduates in '98) I laugh and say, I remember that! or I used to love that! Examples: Crash Into Me by The Dave Matthews Band, dying my hair (aka: turning it orange) with Sun-In, and getting email for the first time (I was 16 and I can't even remember the program I used but I do remember it was free). This is definitely a great read, I'd recommend it to all, but anyone around their 30s will especially love it!
     See you all next week!

Almost Lover

     I just have to share this new song I heard last week. I found this song when I was looking up YouTube videos for Marie Antoinette (don't ask). Love it love it love it. I chose the Marie Antoinette video because the official music video is a little boring (no offence to A Fine Frenzy).

Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy

     On to Teaser Tuesday. This week I'm pulling my teaser from The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler (love this book by the way).

pg 58: After she passes, a backdraft of coconut floats by my nose, snipping the threads holding my heart in my chest.
pg 100: During first period, I began a list called "I wonder what becomes of...?" So far I've written the names of eighteen people I want to search for on Emma's computer. The list includes a few of the smartest people in my grade. Maybe one of them finds a cure for AIDS or designs a car that doesn't run on gas. Maybe the president of drama club makes it to Broadway. And my first girlfriend, Rebecca Alvarez. What's she doing fifteen years from now?
     There are also the people too bizarre to ignore, like Kyle Simpson. Future male stripper.

Computer Dependency

So last Friday night, I shut down my computer- something I rarely do. When I went to start it up on Saturday morning, nothing. A big, fat, NOTHING. Crap.
My husband took it in and they said it wouldn't be looked at for at least a week.
Bigger crap.
But then... we got a call on Sunday of all days (who works on sundays???) and the guy said not only is the problem teeny, and inexpensive, and easily fixed, but we can pick the computer up... TODAY!!!
Yahoo'!
Calming down a little...
It's kinda ridiculous how much we depend on computers. I mean, I have most of my writing backed up (except for the editing I did last week), I have an iPad- what i'm using right this second, and really, I should be able to survive without a computer. Knowing that my computer can be fixed fast shouldn't be the best news I've heard since my last child was born. (Joking... sort of.) It's just plain ridiculous. But also inevitable.
Unless I start writing with pens and paper.

Random Thought Thursday

1. Watching Peter Firth in Northanger Abbey after seeing him in Spooks was just plain weird.

2. Hourlgass by Myra McEntire was an AWESOME book. Loved the time-travel twist (of course I would), loved the oh-so-handsome Michael, and loved how much Emerson kicked complete butt. Can't wait for the sequel! Why didn't I post about this?! The book deserves raves!

3. I'm not going to qualify this guy as crush of the week because I actually saw the movie last weekend, but I loved Jeremy Renner in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. There's something about that guy... Can't wait to see him in The Avengers.

4. Zombies are NOT sexy. Why are people trying to make them so? Yuck. Just yuck.

5. I CANNOT get my eating under control. It's not like I'm pigging out like a maniac or anything, but I want so much more than 1000 calories a day (or 20 weight watchers points).

6. After a break, I'm going back to Sway for some editing from my first reader (thanks Emily!).

7. I'll admit I first heard of the Vitamin String Quartet from Vampire Diaries, but I think they're awesome. Check them out doing Coldplay's Clocks.

What's In A Name

     Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This Week's Topic

If you couldn't use your own name, what would your pseudonym or penname be?

 

     Um, no idea. Really. No. Idea. I've toyed with using my first initials before like M. M. Stanford. Or just Mel Stanford. But picking a whole new name? Not a clue. I actually like my name. I hated it when I was younger, I wanted to be named something pretty like Ariel or Arianna. And my (maiden) last name wasn't so hot either. "Burt" is an easy target for kids.

     So anyway, since I've never chosen my own pseudonym (if it weren't for the word above, I'd never be able to spell that myself), I'm going to let the Fake Name Generator do it for me. So here's my new pseudonym:

Ivy A. Naylor

      So that's me. Ivy Naylor. Do you have any pennames picked out?

RAH for YA

     There's a lot of buzz and this and that going on through the blogosphere and the internet. People hating on YA, people defending YA... I was going to write my own long post about it but I decided not to.
     Instead, I just want to say,
     Can't we all just get along?
     Haha. Seriously, I've written about four different posts and then deleted them because I just don't think I want to go there.
     Instead, I will officially and loudly declare my LOVE for YA books of all shapes, sizes, kinds, and genres. YA is awesome, YA writers are awesome, and the YA part of me wants to cheerleader shout a loud "rah" for all things YA. RAH! (Can you tell I was never a cheerleader?)
     And that's all I'm going to say about that.
     Except that I'm going to further show my YA love, by doing Teaser Tuesday, hosted by Should Be Reading. This week's book: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter. (pg 30)

     "Tell me you didn't feel a rush when we carried those paintings out of the museum's front door... Tell me there wasn't a high when you swiped a Cezanne under the noses of half the KGB... No wonder you aren't taking Hale with you." She shook her head. "Sometimes boys are far easier to deal with when they're on the other side of the world."

On Beta-ing

     Yesterday I was asked by someone at church if I did any writing over Christmas and my answer was, "actually, no."
     Did I feel guilty about this response?
     Actually, no.
     Why? Because I've been busy beta-ing for someone else. I know many people out there can write and beta at the same time. I can too except that I tend to be a slow beta-er. If I feel any guilt at all its because of that and not because I haven't been writing.
     I strongly advise not only to get your own stuff read by others (preferably strangers) but to read for others yourself. Beta-ing is like teaching. The teacher gets as much, sometimes more, than the student. I notice things when I beta and then say to myself, I've got to watch out for that in my own MS. These are things I probably wouldn't notice in my own MS in the first place.
     My point here (since I can't seem to find the right words this Monday morning) is that beta-ing helps teach you the craft of writing. It's helpful to a writer in all the right ways. So take the time and do it.

Please Advise Me, Oh Smarty-Pantsers Out There

     Here's a question for all those smarter and/or more experienced writers than me, or for those who have just gone through this particular problem before.
     I sent a query to a specific agent, followed all the guidelines, and never got a response. On their website it says that if you don't hear from them after eight weeks, you can resend. So I did. Again- after eight weeks- no response.
     What do I do? Do I send it for a third time? That seems almost pushy to me. Or, do I try a different agent within the agency? Or is that bad form. I don't know what to do and I don't want to be a pest.
     Any advice?

Random Thought Thursday

1. I wanted to read 100 books in 2011. I only made it to 89. Sigh.
2. Goal for 2012: Read 100 books. :)

3. I LOVE period movies (and no, I don't mean movies about feminine issues). Most recent love affair? North and South starring Richard Armitage and... you know, a bunch of other people. (FYI- this isn't a movie about the civil war.)

4. With the above love comes the wish that I could wear dresses that look like this:

It's no wonder I like to write time-travel novels

5. Just Dance is a great workout. And fun too! I totally rocked the Bollywood number this morning.

6. My mom makes the BEST chocolates in the world. Her fondant is AMAZING. Since I ate a bazillion of them over the holidays, it's a good thing I'm back to working out every day.

7. The Liar Society is an AWESOME book so far. Lisa and Laura Roecker- can I be your friend?

8. Another AMAZING thing? The new Sherlock Holmes movie. Just as good as the first. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have excellent chemistry together.

9.  I have an unnatural chipperness going on with me this morning. Who knows why. Or how long it will last.

Writing Retreat of Dreams

     This week's Road Trip Wednesday prompt:

Describe your dream writing retreat. Where would you go? Who and what would you bring?

     Aaahhh, I'm already there in my mind. My writing retreat would look something like this:

(I was here just over a month ago)



     Warm, white sandy beaches, a cloudless sky, clear turquoise water sparkling in the sun, and a slight breeze blowing across my face. I don't even care what part of the world it would be, as long as it's quiet. Not a lot of tourists. I wouldn't bring anyone (sorry fam-damily but I can't get any writing done with you around). I would just bring my iPad to write on, my earphones (plugged into my iPad) to listen to music, and lots and lots of water. Oh and I'd probably need sunscreen.
     Please, can I go there now?

Eyes Wide Open

     Do you ever watch a movie, or hear a song, or even just see someone on the street and think, I could write a whole book right around that person or that one line?
     I get that all the time. Of course those teeny ideas don't usually translate into anything. I'm not the type who can write five books at once. And it's not like I see/hear these things and have an automatic plot. Mostly it's just the thought of that one line would make a really great scene or that person would make an awesome character. Sometimes, they already are characters but I want to remake them for my own.

     Like yesterday, I watched a Brit teen movie called Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging (what a title, right?). The love interest in this movie, one Aaron Johnson, was just oozing teen dreaminess. I wanted to immediately sit down and write his story- but my way. Not the movie way, and not his real life way, my way. Dream up my own teen love story full of angst and mishaps and craziness but where the girl gets the boy in the end.

     The point here is to always keep your eyes open for ideas. Watch the world around you, read like crazy, and even movies can give you inspiration for your own stories. Even though a lot of these ideas haven't translated into stories for me- yet- I know they will one day. Or at least bits of stories, ideas for stories, and characters for stories. So the next time you walk by someone and think, wow that person has some very interesting features... take notes. Because you might want to use them one day.

Winner Change and Crush of the Week

     I hereby officially change one of my faves from my last post. My eight-year-old daughter Jade got the movie Monte Carlo for Christmas and yesterday I watched it with her. So, sorry to the movie Prom, but Monte Carlo beats you out in my view. Mostly because it takes place in Europe (please please please can I go to Paris one day?!) and because the guys are way cuter than the ones in Prom (accents are way cuter than long hair any day). If you've got any tween girls, let them watch this movie because it's fun and supercute. And so is he:

Pierre Boulanger

Best of 2011

     I already gave my top fave books of the year but I thought I'd round out every category (that I can think of) and mention all my faves of 2011.

     Book of the Year: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

     Best Book- Paranormal: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

     Best Book- Dystopian: It's a tie between Divergent by Veronica Roth and Matched by Ally Condie

     Best Book- Fantasy: I actually didn't read any real, high fantasy this year (shocker!)

     Best Book- Classic: Persuasion by Jane Austen

     Best Book- Adult: Juliet by Anne Fortier

     Movie of the Year: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

     Best Superhero Movie: Captain America

     Best Chick Flick: Footloose

     Best Teen Movie: Prom

     Best Kids Movie: Tangled (I know, I know, it came out late in 2010 but I don't care!)

     Best New TV Show: Once Upon A Time

     Best Drama TV Show: The Vampire Diaries

     Best Comedy TV Show: The Big Bang Theory

     Best Reality TV Show: So You Think You Can Dance

     Best Newly Discovered TV Show: Spooks, AKA MI-5

     Best Album: Adele 21

     Best Newly Discovered Music Artist: It's a tie between Vega 4 RyanDan

     Best Song: Skyscraper by Demi Lovato (oooh, that one was so hard to choose)

     Best Remake of a Song: Holding Out For A Hero by Ella Mae Bowen

     That's all I can think of. You can tell I have tons of favorites! What are your Best's of 2011? Happy New Year!
    

Best Books of 2011

     Well I'm here today for Road Trip Wednesday. I'm actually at my parents house so I'm attempting to do this post on my iPad and with my new teeny iPad keyboard that I got for Christmas and I'm psyched about but it's really small and some of the buttons are in the wrong spot so it's going to take some getting used to.
     Anyway, this weeks Road Trip Wednesday question is:
What were your top five best books of 2011?
     (Why are you making me choose? Please don't make me pick my favorites! I'm terrible at it!)
Okay, so nobody's making me. I want to do this post. Looking back on the books I've read this year, it was really hard to come up with my favorites. First off, I'm not going to count the beloved faves I reread this year like the Harry Potter series, Twilight saga or Persuasion. Because let's face it, that wouldn't be fair to the rest of the books. I loved a lot of the books I read, but not a lot of them really stood out to me as favorites. So I might break some rules as I go along.
    It was actually really easy to pick my first one. I already had my favorite book of the year all picked out. And since I'm breaking the rules, I'm going to put two books in my top spot because they're by the same author.

     #1. Anna and the French Kiss AND Lola and the Boy Next Door

     I LOVED these books. Even though it has been awhile since I've read either, I still think about them and I itch almost daily to reread them. Just yesterday I was thinking randomly about Cricket Bell. I do the same thing with Anna, Lola, and Etienne. These are characters that I love and that have obviously stayed with me.

#2. Juliet by Anne Fortier

     This is another book I'd like to reread. I loved the back and forth between now and the past, I loved the tie-in with Romeo and Juliet, and I loved the love story. It was EXACTLY my kind of book.

#3. Timeless by Alexandra Monir

     One of the reasons I loved this book was because it reminded me of my own Jessica books. They're not very similar, but I couldn't help but be drawn in my a character who falls in love with a guy from the past. I loved the history in this book and the MC's love of music. I really connected with this book and have been anxiously awaiting the sequel.

#4. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

     I read a TON of paranormal this year. Lots were good. For some reason, and I don't think I can pinpoint that reason, this book really stood out to me. Maybe it's because it's from a boy's POV. Maybe because his love interest is not that perfect, unattainable character. Maybe I just liked the magic powers. Definitely I liked the historical references and flashbacks. Whatever the reason, probably all of the above, this was my favorite paranormal of the year.
     Here's where I break the rules. There were a few books I read this year that really taught me something. They stuck with me. None of them were light or fun or entertaining really. I don't know if I'll reread them a lot if at all. But they were the kinds of books that I think EVERYONE should read because they must. Here they are.

#5. Speak and Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

So what are your top five books of the year? I wouldn't mind adding to my TBR pile.

Merry Christmas!

    

     Like everyone else, I'm signing off for... well I don't know how long. Maybe I'll post next week, maybe not. Most likely not since to Grandmother's house we will go. So I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Happy Kwanzaa, a Happy Festivus... or whatever it is you celebrate. And my advice to one and all? Take a break from your writing/editing/revising/beta-ing and spend time with your family. And I'll try to take my own advice.
    

Book Buying

     This week's Road Trip Wednesday is a straight forward and easy question:

Where do you buy most of your books? No one is judging!

     First I look at Walmart. Their books are 30% off, but you can only get them when they first come out and there are only few to choose from. Superstore is the same way- 25% off, but little choice.

Ditto to Costco. They have great prices but you have to get the books right when they're there because it doesn't take long for them to disappear. When those places fail, or when I'm trying to buy a book that's older or less popular, I buy from Chapters/Indigo. I'm Canadian and that's our main Canadian bookseller.

    
     Speaking of books, I got hardly any chick lit recommendations yesterday. Anyone else have any to recommend for me?

Calling All Readers of Chick Lit

(I don't have this book but I thought it was funny)

     They say to read the genre you're writing, right? I remember reading that bit of advice when I'd just finished my first draft of Daze and Knights. Up until then, the only YA I'd read was Twilight and Harry Potter (if you can count the latter- I suppose it starts off as more middle grade). Maybe you could include Eragon and Narnia in that category as well. But that was it. So began a love affair with YA (I can't believe what I was missing! I don't think I ever read YA, not even as a teen!). YA will probably be my genre of choice for a long time.
     But. Now I've finished my first draft of Sway and I find myself in exactly the same position. I've hardly read any chick lit. Sophie Kinsella. I think that's it. Oh, and I read Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin and P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern (although is the latter chick lit? Don't know.) I've got The Devil Wears Prada on my TBR pile. The only other books that may apply are Jane Austen-related. Like Austenland, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, etc.

     So. I need some recommendations. What's good? Who's good? What will I LOVE? Please help expand my already huge TBR pile (haha)!
     On to Teaser Tuesday. I'm only picking one sentence this week because it's a long one!

Despite the fact that he no longer dressed like the big dork he did then, despite the fact that he'd swapped the nerd wear for some much cooler clothes, despite the fact that he'd let his hair go all shaggy and loose to the point where it curved down into his face in that cool guy, slightly windswept, effortless way, despite the fact that every time I looked into his brilliant blue eyes I was totally reminded of the Zac Efron poster that used to hang on my old bedroom wall, it still didn't make it okay for him to laugh at me the way he did.

Shimmer, by Alyson Noel, page 10

The Next Door Boys

   
     Last night I finished reading The Next Door Boys by Jolene Perry. It was a great read and I have to recommend it to everyone. It's fun reading a book by someone I know. Okay, I don't actually know Jolene. But her blog was one of the first I followed over a year ago so I feel like I can claim that.
     The Next Door Boys is about Leigh- a girl recovering from cancer who just wants to live a normal life and be on her own. So she goes to BYU but still has to deal with her overprotective brother and the fact that her body isn't fully recovered. And she has to deal with all these boys liking her.
     I don't read a lot of LDS novels (even though I am LDS), but I found it fun to read about things I could personally relate to. Not the cancer of course, but going to BYU and the marriage craziness and just the little things that reminded me of my time there. Mostly I loved the love story and watching it unfold slowly. I loved how the characters were really rounded out. I found that while I didn't personally relate to Leigh in a lot of ways (the cancer, she sews, and *gasp* she doesn't like chick flicks), I still connected to her. Most of all, I loved Brian. But sheesh- what's not to love about the guy?
     Anyway, read it, especially if you're LDS and even if you're not because it's a great story. And then stop by Jolene Perry's blog if you don't already follow her. You won't regret it.

Matched

   
    I'm seriously busy today but I HAVE to take a moment and declare the AWESOMENESS that is MATCHED by Ally Condie. I'm not a Dystopian fan but there was something about this book and I couldn't put it down. Can't wait to read Crossed! Put it on the top of your TBR pile if you haven't read it yet.
     That's it! Have a great weekend and hopefully I won't get so stressed out that I can somehow enjoy mine too.

Random Thought Thursday

     It's been awhile since I've done Random Thought Thursday, but my brain is especially immersed in randomness today so...

1. I watched Battle: Los Angeles last night and was surprised that it didn't totally suck.

2. I'm still pretty cheesed off that Catching Fire has yet to come out in Paperback. What is the deal?

3. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer was a great book. Weird. But good.

4. Ditto to Supernaturally. Not weird, but a great sequel. I love Kiersten White's voice.

5. I have a big weekend coming up (tons of family in my not-so-big house) and I refuse to let myself become stressed about it. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

6. I'm getting excited for this new story idea that's flittering around in my brain. YA Fantasy- here I come!

7. It's A Wonderful Life makes me cry, Every. Single. Year.

8. I'm reading Matched by Ally Condie right now and LOVING it! (Even though I don't like Dystopian much.)

9. Michael Buble's new Christmas CD has gotta be my favorite one ever. Although I do love me the classics (Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como).

10. Two of my daughter's birthdays and Christmas all happen in the space of two and a half weeks. Sheesh. Busy, much?

     What about you? Any random thoughts to share?