Mucho Contest-Os!!!

I've just got a mere few minutes before I have to take my kids to their last day of swimming lessons to say...

I made it into Xmas in July!!! Woot woot!!!

Okay, that's not all I was going to say. I also wanted to point out a few other things going on around the blogosphere.

First of all, YA Highway is celebrating their third anniversary with a seriously huge contest. LOTS of books and ARCS and critiques they're giving away so head on over there and enter. Or better yet, don't. Cuz then maybe I'll win! Haha.

If you've read Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, then like me, you probably majorly want to visit Prague. You can enter to win a trip to Prague here. No joke.

Want another contest??? Of course you do. Lisa Burstein, author of Pretty Amy- a book I've heard tons of buzz about and I'm waiting to get my hands on- is giving away chapter critiques from herself, her editor, and her agent!!! Go here to check it out.

It's Contests Galore!!! So what are you still doing here? Go enter!

A Movie That's Better Than the Book??? No Way!

I'm a little late today but I wanted to answer this week's Road Trip Wednesday question because it's a gooder:

What movie have you seen that actually (gasp!) improved on the book?

First, here are a few facts about me and movie adaptations:

1. If a movie is coming out that's based on a book I've heard of but haven't read yet, I'll wait until I can read and see the movie at the same time. Example: I've had One For the Money by Janet Evanovich sitting on my shelf for months but I'm waiting until the movie comes on TV, even though I heard it didn't do very well.

2. With series books/movies, I reread the series every time a new movie comes out. Example: Harry Potter (sniff, won't be able to do that anymore, sniff), Twilight, and Hunger Games. And soon... The Mortal Instruments! And I have to say that while the movies aren't as good as the books in all of the above examples, I still LOVE the movies like crazy. (Except Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I have serious issues with that movie.)

3. If I LOVED a book, I'll ALWAYS see the movie. I never expect it to be as good, but usually, the movie version makes me love the book even more.

I pointed these things out just to show the basic fact that I am not opposed to books being made into movies. Actually, I heartily and openly welcome them.

So, movies that have improved on the book? Here's some of my top picks:

1. Anything by Nicholas Sparks. For some reason, although I appreciate the books, I love the movies way more. The Notebook, and A Walk to Remember especially. The movies just do so much more for me and I really like the changes made.

2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I LOVE this movie. Love it. When I read the book, I was a bit disappointed. Mostly because there's a romantic element in the movie that just doesn't exist in the book.

3. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Don't hate me! Unlike most fans, I grew up watching the movies, NOT reading the books. So when I finally read them sometime in my twenties, I just wasn't enamored by them. I had the story fixed in my head as I knew it from the movies and it was hard not to see it played out the same way.

4. P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern. Much like Nicholas Sparks books, this book was great, but for some reason I loved the movie wayyyy more.

That's all I could think of. Except I need to give an honorable mention to one movie that isn't better than the book, but just as awesome:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The Colin Firth movie is just as amazing as the book is.

Any movie adaptations you think improved on the book?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday, hosted by Miz B. at Should Be Reading, is a weekly bookish meme. Anyone can play along.

Mine this week is from Timepiece by Myra McEntire, a book I've been waiting a loooong time for.  I just wish that while waiting I would have had the time to reread Hourglass. I've only read one chapter of Timepiece so far but I'm not remembering exactly what's going on. Oh well, I'm sure I'll figure it out. Here's my teaser:

Maybe getting drunk and dressing up like a pirate for the masquerade was a bad idea.

Okay, definitely a bad idea. At least the pirate part. (page 1)

Guilt

Who here has ever felt guilt, raise your hands.

Ooh, ooh, me, yes me!!!

I swear, guilt is like an every day thing for me. There's always something I could or should have done that I didn't get done in a day.

For the past two weeks, I've written a little over 500 words on my WIP. Guilt? Yep, there it is, glaring me in the face every time I see people on twitter say how they've written 3,000 words that day, or every time I open my blog and see the same 7k looking pathetically back at me.

But there's a reason I haven't been a stellar writer. My kids. My four kids who now have no school and are home for the summer. We've been playing games like Life and Ticket to Ride, we've been playing in the backyard, my oldest daughter and I are watching the three Anne of Green Gables movies, there are trips to the spray park planned, boating, and maybe the Calgary Stampede. We've been, and will be, busy.

This isn't an excuse. It's just my life. I know I can make time for writing sometime. Most of my measly 500 words came yesterday when all four kids went to the park down the road. When writing becomes my job, I know things will be different. I will HAVE to make time. And that's okay. I WANT that. But for now, they're home. They're with me. They want to do things with me. And I can't feel guilty about spending time with them.

Will I still feel guilty over barely writing? Yes. Definitely. Especially when I read a blog post or hear on Twitter how much you've written lately. Yes you. I will try to carve out any time I can for putting more words to paper. But if my whole summer is spent laughing and playing with my children and I only get a few thousand words written, so be it.

So to guilt I say, and will keep saying: SHOVE IT.

Most Likely To...

I gotta be honest, I don't see this post up on YA Highway, but a few people have answered the question so I'm gonna go for it. Here's today's Road Trip Wednesday question (I think):

What yearbook "most" category (aka superlatives) would your character win?

I really tried to think of what classmates would have said about my characters, and not what they would have said about themselves. So...

Jessica from Daze and Knights and Daze of Thunder would be voted:

Most likely to space out during every major milestone of life.

Ava from Sway would be voted:

Most likely to get married right out of high school.

I'm working on a new WIP which I've been pretty mum about. I tend to do that until I've really gotten going on it, just in case it utterly bombs. Anyway, without divulging really anything, my MC Poni would be voted:

Most likely to become trailer trash.

However, if her best friend Mark were voting, he'd say:

Most likely to save the world.

So there you have it. These aren't exact representations of the characters, rather what people who went to high school with them would have thought.

*Note: pics are of Shanley Caswell, Alexis Bledel and Alexz Johnson

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday time! Check out Should Be Reading for all the other Teasers.

Here's mine from Nightshade by Andrea Cremer:

He rose, shutting his laptop and picking up his backpack. "I'm sorry, but I need to leave. There's too much..." He shook his head. "I need some time alone. But I'll be back here tomorrow."

I stayed still as he moved past me, wanting to go with him.

"And Calla." He bent down for a moment, whispering into my hair. "I don't think I'm the only one who's being lied to." (page 217)

Shelving

When do you shelve a manuscript?

I hear of many writers who last year were querying one book but this year they're querying a whole new book. They shelved the previous book after a few requests led to rejections.

I've been querying Daze for... oh, um, well... awhile. But I will admit here and now that I made a common writerly mistake and queried TOO SOON. Lately, I've had some requests. Some have led to R's, others I'm still waiting on. My plan is to give Daze another edit once I hear from these others and then send out another round of queries.

But should I? Or is it time to shelve it?

I know first books are rarely the ones that get published. But in my own defense, I've spent over two years making this book the best I can make it. I feel like this book is the "one." But maybe I'm just too attached? Maybe I need to just let go and I can't.

I feel like after one more round of queries, I probably will shelve it and focus on Sway. That's my plan for now, anyway. But I am wondering, when do you shelve? And what makes you shelve?  

Best Book of June

This week's Road Trip Wednesday question, since it's the last Wednesday of June, asks:

What was the best book you read in June?

Here's what I read this month, including one I'm in the middle of and will most likely finish before this weekend.

You know how much I groan picking favorites right? These were ALL great books. Only one of them I might not recommend simply because while it grabbed my attention in the beginning, it didn't quite hold it throughout, even though I finished it anyway.

I'm gonna give Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter my best book of the month. I love Ally Carter's books and I love this series. These books are so much fun and I love the whole idea of a school for girl spies. (I said love a lot there but it's true, I LOVE the Gallagher Girls.) City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare comes a close second. It's another series I ADORE.

I also want to give a shout-out to Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier because it surprised me. It has a great premise, and I'm into anything Time-travel. But I wasn't expecting a lot because it's a translation. I've read translated books before and couldn't quite get into them, I think because the voice was always a little off. Ruby Red wasn't like that at all and I've found myself still thinking about the book and the characters weeks later.

What was the best book you read in June?

Teaser Tuesday

I'm getting today's Teaser Tuesday, hosted by Miz B., from Gilt by Katherine Longshore. First, a synopsis from Goodreads:

When Kitty Tylney’s best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII’s heart and brings Kitty to court, she’s thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat’s shadow, Kitty’s now caught between two men—the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat’s meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

And here's my teaser (page 62-63):

"I need your help, Kitty. Please. Make sure no one from this household ever breathes a word of my life here. It's your duty. To our friendship. To our sisterhood. The men of my past must vanish."

She let go and I swallowed.

"What men?" I whispered.

"Good girl."

The Best TV This Summer

Who says there's nothing to watch on TV in the summer? Some of my favorite shows are on right now.

Wait, I'm supposed to talk about writing, you say?

Too bad.

There have been so many great things on TV that I've been crazy for lately that I just can't help sharing them.

1. So You Think You Can Dance

If you don't watch this show, you really should. Okay, maybe dancing isn't your thing. Maybe Mary Murphy and her screams annoy you a little. But then again, you can see awesome dance numbers like this one, one of my faves from last season:

2. Hell's Kitchen

Yes, Gordon Ramsay bleeps a lot. And he's so mean. He would make me cry in about two seconds flat. Actually, if I ever just walked into his kitchen I'd probably cry if he so much as looked at me. But this show is so darn entertaining, it's awesome. And it makes me want to eat Risotto and Beef Wellington.

3. Breaking Pointe

Again, if you don't like dance, chances are you won't like this show either. But I have to mention how much I LOVE it. Yes, it can be cliched at times, but it's real dancers dealing with real problems. I absolutely love the dynamic between the dancers and seeing the world of ballet from backstage is super exciting.

And my absolute fave this summer, which actually isn't on TV right now, but who cares...

4. Downton Abbey

What took me so long to watch this show??? It is AWESOME. So addicting. I started watching it while on the treadmill but couldn't stop and ended up finishing both seasons in one week. I've got just the Christmas Special left to watch and then it'll be one very long wait until January for next season. ARRRGGGH! (That's me dying over here.)

Season One Trailer

Season Two Trailer

A Winner!!!

I've picked a winner for my 200 follower giveaway. And I did it in the newfangled and very technical way of writing all the names on a piece of paper and two of my daughters each picking a name which they had lots of fun with, although it didn't last long enough for them and they wanted to keep picking names. Haha.

Anyway, the winner of City of Lost Souls is Krista McLaughlin.

The winner of Insurgent is Sara Biren.

Congraaaaaaatulations!!! (I'm totally hearing that in my head like that boxing announcer dude.)

I'll be stopping by your blogs to let you know so you can email me your addresses.

Now, instead of writing an actual post, I'm going back to Downton Abbey. My mom lent me the DVDs and I'm kinda obsessed. Have a great weekend!

The Summer After Grad

Today's YA Highway Road Trip Wednesday question is:

How did you spend/how will you spend the summer after graduation?

I wish I could say I took a road trip with friends or backpacked across Europe. Truthfully, I did, oh, um, not much.

However, the April before I graduated, I took a trip to a small town in France called Perigueux. There I visited places like this:

(kinda wish the dates weren't on them all)

There is one thing I did the summer before I headed off to BYU. I was in a community production of West Side Story. It was a lot of fun. I got to play both a Jet girl and a Shark girl, wear an awful wig, and one of my handful of lines was, "Ooh, ooh, oobley-ooh." I sang some songs (no solos) and danced a whole bunch. It was a blast and I'm still sad that I never got my hands on the DVD. All of my pics are of us doing crazy things backstage, so this is the only one I'm gonna share.

That's me on the right with my fugtastic wig.

What did you do the summer after grad? Anyone have more interesting stories than me? It's not hard...

And don't forget, if you're a follower, go to my Monday's post and enter to win a copy of Insurgent or City of Lost Souls!

Teaser Tuesday

It's Teaser Tuesday time, hosted by Miz B. Today's teaser is from The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa:

"I warned you this was no simple quest. I told you before, you and Goodfellow have no idea what lies ahead." He twitched an ear and shifted on the rock, still watching the fire. "You feel it, do you not? The anger. The darkness." I blinked in surprise, but Grimalkin paid no heed. "It will only get worse the farther we go." (page 56)

So what are you reading right now?

And don't forget to go to yesterday's post here to enter to win Insurgent or City of Lost Souls for my 200th follower giveaway!

It's Giveaway Day!

Yep, I've reached 200 followers!!! So it's Giveaway Day!!!

So, if you want to win one of these shiny, new, never-been-read books, all you have to do is be a follower and comment on this post! Let me know which book you'd prefer as well. On Friday I'll randomly draw two names and then announce the winner on my blog, as well as hopping to the winner's blog to give them a heads up!

Oh, keep in mind- in case you've been living under a rock or something- these books are in the middle of their series, just in case you haven't read the first one(s).

Good luck! And happy Monday!

Just Keep Reading, Just Keep Reading

Today I've got a question for you:

If you're not loving a first, even second, chapter of a book, do you give up on it?

I'm thinking about this because yesterday I started Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. Now, I'm NOT the kind of person who gives up on books. I can think of maybe five instances IN MY LIFE when I've done this, three recently. Four out of the five of those times I decided not to read the book because I didn't care for the subject matter. The fifth, I took a chance, bought a book, and just couldn't get into it.

Most of the time though, even if I'm not gung-ho about a book, or even if I'm like, ah, I should read because I gotta finish this book already so I can get to something really great, I still finish. There's a book I read recently that, well actually it started great but I fast grew sick of the author's style. I seriously wanted to chuck that book across the room. But I didn't, I finished it, because I was interested enough to know how the story ended. Another read took me almost halfway in to really understand what was going on and get into it. It turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read.

So yesterday I started Ruby Red and wasn't blown away by the first chapter. I set it down and did other things. During the day when I thought, I could read right now, I just didn't. I wasn't anxious or eager to pick up the book again. When I finally picked it up last night for my usual before-bed reading time, I read. And I read. And I read. By the end of the second chapter I was into it. I didn't want to put it down.

It just got me thinking that if I was the kind of person who gives up on books because the first chapter isn't automatically enticing, look what I would have missed out on! Just the thought of starting and not finishing a book is almost foreign to me. It's VERY difficult for me to do.

So I'm really wondering if I'm a minority, or if people really do axe a book if it hasn't won them over almost right away.

Do you?

GIVEAWAY!!!

I'm one follower away from 200!!! I've got two shiny and awesome new books just waiting to be given away so this is just a heads up- as soon as I hit 200, there will be a giveaway!!!

Okay, I'm kinda excited about this for some reason! Maybe because it's the first giveaway I've ever done. I wish I had some great ARCs or a fab contest with an agent or two but alas... Unfortunately I'm not THAT cool.

Anyway, keep your eyes open because you could win one of two books that I don't even own myself- I borrowed them from the library to read. Except, of course I own them now, temporarily, but I haven't even cracked them open because soon they'll be YOURS!!!

That's it. I'm done with all the exclamation points.

Writing Retreat

Today's Road Trip Wednesday question, hosted by YA Highway is:

If you could go on a writing retreat anywhere, where would you go & who would you bring? If time and money were no object, where would you shut yourself away to write the great American novel? And what friends, crit partners, or inspiring authors (living or dead!) would you bring along?
Oh this question is so so easy (and I think I've answered it before...)

While there are many places in the world I wish to travel, there is only one place that would be my dream writing retreat. In fact, it would be my dream living spot. It's not actually a specific place but there are certain things I want there:

1. Hot weather. Lots of sun. A light breeze (not major wind).

2. A beach.

3. Soft sand.

4. Warm ocean (or lake) for writing breaks.

And that's it. That's all I ask. Who would I bring? Um, no one? (Ha, sorry family.) If I was living there, obviously I'd want my family there. But if I'm just going to write, if I'm "shutting myself away to write the great American Canadian novel," then I'd rather be alone. No interruptions. No distractions. No worrying that one of my kids is gonna drown in said ocean. Even other authors, or crit partners, or anyone really would be distracting. Because then you'd get to chatting... and laughing... and not writing. I'd want perfect and complete PEACE. (Probably because I never get it.)

A few other things I'd need there:

1. Phone, iPad, iPod. For music and research. Not to go on twitter or play games or anything like that, I swear.

2. Someone to feed me and bring me drinks. Like a hot cabana boy. Just kidding. Or not.

3. Books to read, for other writing breaks and inspiration.

Where would you go? Would you bring someone with you?

Teaser Tuesday

It's Teaser Tuesday time, hosted by Miz B. at Should Be Reading.

I finished Hallowed by Cynthia Hand last night (amidst lots of tears and snot) which is a sequel to her first novel Unearthly. So today I just randomly opened the book and picked a bit. Which actually is what you're supposed to do for the teaser but usually I pick a bit I've read recently that I really liked. Anyway, here's my teaser for this week:

There are a lot of words I'd use to describe Christian Prescott: mystery, enigma, conundrum, destiny, terrifying, and, well, just plain hot, if I'm being honest, but the word idiot has never crossed my mind. Except maybe that one time at prom. (page 114)

What are you reading right now?

The Booker Award

I was all prepared to blog about something "serious" today. Something "meaningful." Something "smart."

Well, I got saved by the blog award! Ha!

My newest CP Dahlia (you can find her here) has awarded me the Booker award. Thanks Dahlia! And by the way, you should check her out because I just read her MS and it was HAWESOME! (No I didn't misspell, that is hot and awesome all mashed into one super-word.)

The Booker Award is an award given to book bloggers provided they blog at least 50% about books, including reading or writing. The rules, because there's always rules with blog awards for some reason... Anyway, the rules are that I have to name my top five favorite books.

TOP FIVE FAVE BOOKS OF ALL TIME:

You know I can't pick, right? It's IMPOSSIBLE. Okay, I'll try.

1. Harry Potter books 1-7 by JK Rowling. I know, I know, that's seven books right there. But these are books I could reread and reread and reread (and I have). We all know why these are the BEST BOOKS EVER, so I don't think I have to explain myself.

2. Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Again, this is... I don't even know how many books are out there now. I'm refusing to read any more of them until they are ALL out and the series is over. Then I will read them all from start to finish. I used to restart the series every time a new book had come out but I've stopped doing that since there's A LOT and they are VERY long.

There have been lots of complaints about these books and I often agree with them. However, I love and have always loved the fantasy world Jordan created and the oh-so-awesome characters. These books were really my first book LOVES and we never forget our first love, do we?

3. A recent love is another obvious one: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I could read this book over and over and over. In fact, I've been dying to reread it but there's just too many books on my TBR pile.

4. The complete works of Jane Austen. Yep, I'm an Austen fan. Her books rock! Pride and Prejudice has always been a fave, and Persuasion comes a close second.

5. Everything by Meg Cabot and Ally Carter. Their books are so much fun. Light, funny, and entertaining. Exactly what I love and look for in a book.

Okay, so I kinda listed fave authors more than books so I completely broke the rules. Oh well.

WIP Songs

Guess what? I'm thisclose to finishing my sequel to Daze and Knights. And let me tell you, I'll breathe a massive sigh of relief when it's done because I've been working (on and off) on this thing for TWO YEARS. I haven't given it priority because I know that writing a sequel to a book that isn't published (or may never be published) is kinda a waste of time. But then I say it isn't, because hey- I'm WRITING. No writing is a waste of time.

There's been this one song that has really helped me push through the troubles I've been having. Every time I listen to it I suddenly get new scenes in my head. It has been a life-saver book-saver for me. I just had to share:



There are a few other songs that I either mention in my sequel, or have also inspired it. This one has felt like the soundtrack for the entire novel:

There's one scene with dancing... cuz you know I love dancing and I can't help putting it in somewhere... Anyway, it's in a forest but Jess hears these two songs in her head. The first one she's dancing alone and celebrating something, and the second, she's dancing with a certain gentleman.



(This is the only clip I could find that would play)

(LOVE Michael Buble)

What songs inspire your WIP? I always love hearing new music...