A-Z Challenge: J is for Jar of Hearts

 

Last November, I did my first ever NaNoWriMo. Like, actually did it (won) even when I never thought I'd be able to. The manuscript I wrote is YA Magical Realism and, yep, it's called Jar of Hearts.
 
I haven't even glanced at it since typing "the end" but I've thought about it lots since. The whole thing is probably a big time mess, but one of these days I'm going to go back to it and REVISE REVISE REVISE. I have a few ideas that I want to incorporate when I do, exciting ideas.
 
And my J song for the day is obviously Jar of Hearts, the song that inspired the story idea in the first place.
 
Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri.
And if you haven't seen this video, WATCH IT. It's GORGEOUS.
(Click on the title link if the video doesn't work)

A-Z Challenge: I is for I Like To Dream Cast

Okay, my I is a bit of a stretch, I know. (I was going to do I is for Ice Cream and Other Desserts, but I'm trying to eat healthy and posting pics or even talking about yummy desserts is just going to make me hungry.)

Soooo, I is for I LIKE TO DREAM CAST. And you can't stop me! No matter what I write, I always like to find actors and actresses who I think would be best in the role. Someone who looks like the character does in my head and/or who would be able to pull of all the traits of my character. Sometimes I even base a character around an actor, or rather, an actor playing a specific character. For example...

Rupert Penry-Jones played Captain Wentworth in Persuasion (2007) so of course, who else could I imagine as my Eric in SWAY. And Josh Hutcherson as Peeta was total inspiration for my character Mark in EPONINE.

And some of the other actors/actresses I've cast in my three most recent books...
 
Yep, those are some of my characters. And now, my I songs for the day. A new(er) song I love and an old(er) song that I still love!

It's Time by Imagine Dragons
 
 











What's Up Wednesday and A-Z Blogging Challenge: H is for History

I'm combining my WUW and A-Z posts again today. Hopefully I can do a better job at making every WUW category relate better to my letter than I did last week!

H IS FOR HISTORY!!!

What I'm Reading
I'm reading The Lost Sisterhood by Anne Fortier and this book is soooo good. And totally fits with my H is for History thing because the book goes back and forth between present time and the Bronze Age with two interweaving stories about two different women. The present-day story involves a philologist (I wish someone would say that word to me out loud so I know how it's supposed to sound) searching around the world for clues about the Amazons, and the past story is a hunter's journey from Algeria to Crete, to Troy, and I'm not sure where else because I haven't gotten any further yet. Anne Fortier did this same past/present thing with her book Juliet (also SO GOOD) and she just does it so well. I really didn't describe the book very well, so go to Goodreads and check it out.

What I'm Writing
Nothing! I finished my revision for EPONINE and now it's in the hands of some very awesome readers (thank you thank you thank you!!!). I'm in the middle of two beta reads of my own with a third on the way so I think I'll stay away from my own writing for a bit and focus on these stories. History wise, one of these manuscripts takes place in Jamaica during the late 1700s (I think- the author never actually says).

What Inspires Me Right Now
History has always been an inspiration to me. I love historical novels, historical movies, historical anything. I love the clothes and the wars, the struggles, the loves, monarchy and anarchy and everything in between. Historical novels can sometimes be bland, but when they're not, they're my favorite! Although I'm not writing historical myself at the moment, I hope to be able to go back to my time-travel novel one day because I miss it!

What Else I've Been Up To
History wise? Nothing. Other wise? Also nothing. Nothing exciting, anyway.

And my H songs for the day...
 
And nothing to do with History but always makes me want to take a road trip when I hear it:
Home by Phillip Phillips

What have you been up to? And what's your H for today?





A-Z Challenge: G is for Graphic T-Shirts

I have this problem. And I just can't stop myself. It's getting a little out of hand but I don't know what to do. Maybe I need a support group or something. Someone who understands and can help me STOP.

I LOVE GRAPHIC T-SHIRTS!!!

It started out a long time ago when I got it into my head to collect Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts. I had three before my collection went defunct. I don't even know what happened to those t-shirts but I've never lost that insane desire to want ALL THE T-SHIRTS. So now...


               
This doesn't even include some of the random shirts I have like: Lucky Charms, Air Force, Nautilus, I Heart Paris, Firebird, USS Arizona, BYU, I Heart Canada... you get the idea. And not only those, but I just ordered 2 more all thanks to a blog I found during this A-Z challenge. I'm looking at you Tea and Kneesocks. ;) Just kidding, I'm so excited for my new shirts!!! Nexy up, I MUST have a Captain America t-shirt.
 
 Another problem-slash-obsession I have? Boy Bands. (I actually used to have a couple *NSYNC t-shirts but I don't know what happened to them.) I know I know, it doesn't start with G. But this song does...
(I used to looooove this song ;)


A-Z Challenge: F is for FRIENDS

Let me just start off by saying that I've been sort of breaking the rules a bit, because, yanno, I'm a huge rule breaker. That's right, I like to live on the edge. And if you knew me at all you'd be ROFLing right now.

ANYWAY, my rule breaking comes in the form of randomly checking out other A-Z posts instead of going down the list from my number on like I'm supposed to. But I swear, I have been checking out lots of other blog posts.

Okay, now that I got that out of the way. F is for FRIENDS. My all-time favourite TV show. The world just wouldn't be the same place without Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey. This show is THE BEST and I still laugh out loud when I watch it. Which actually isn't as annoying as when I quote the episodes almost line for line. You don't want to watch with me, trust me.

Instead of me going on and on and onnnn about how awesome it is, how about a clip? (It's SO HARD to pick just one.)
The one where Joey speaks French

And my F song for the day which really has nothing to do with Friends but it's still a great song by one of my fave bands:
Five Minutes To Midnight by Boys Like Girls

A-Z Challenge: E is for EPONINE

It seems obvious to pick EPONINE as my E post because it's also the name of my current manuscript.

Eponine has been my favourite Les Mis character ever since I learned to play On My Own on the piano as a teenager. There's something about pining after someone who doesn't really see you that most teenage girls can relate to. There's also something so heartbreaking in her story that I've never been able to shake and so I wanted to write my own version, told from her point of view. I decided to make it contemporary and then I went the Urban Fantasy route because, well, I've always been kind of a geek girl and into magic. This MS has been both difficult and fun. Most of the characters are different than ones I've written before. I've done Internet searches on some crazy things like the smell of crack and abandoned warehouses and RCMP uniforms and M16 machine guns. (I'm surprised the cops haven't dropped by to see what I've been up to.) I think I've found a good balance between making the story my own and yet keeping in references and characters from Les Mis. But I'm still working on making the story work. Once I'm done this read through, it will go off to a second round of CPs/beta readers. Hopefully, I've improved it some from my last draft! Fingers crossed!

I really wanted to choose an E song from my Eponine playlist but none of the songs or the artists start with E. BOO. So I'm kind of going to cheat a bit and pick two songs that have an E word somewhere in the title.
My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up) by Fall Out Boy
 
I Don't Wanna Love Somebody Else by A Great Big World
 

A-Z Challenge: D is for Daydreamin'

D is for DAYDREAMING. Obviously. Because it's what I do best! What I've always done. What I just can't stop doing.

I used to watch the movie Rudy all the time as a teenager, you know the one about Notre Dame football starring Sean Astin? Anyway, there's a quote from that movie that's always haunted stayed with me: "The problem with daydreamers? They're not doers."

And it's kinda true. I daydream all this crazy stuff, things that I'd like to do, places I'd like to go, jobs I'd like to have, people I'd like to meet. Daydreaming, not doing. It's taken me a long time to become sort of a doer. Even though I can't live it, I can write it. Maybe I'll never be on Broadway, or float down the streets of Venice in a gondola, or get my letter to Hogwarts, but I can write what I daydream. I can transfer those crazy stories from my head to paper and hopefully one day to a real live book. And even though I don't get to be the star of the show living it all, I get to be God creating it all. And that's not so bad.

Of course, my D song for the day is none other than...
Daydreamin' by Ariana Grande
(If the video doesn't work, click on the song title)

A-Z Challenge: C is for COVER REVEAL!!!


It's C day which is perfect because it's also the day of the big COVER REVEAL for a book I'm super excited about! It's by Michelle Merrill, one of my CP's made of extraordinary. Here's her bio:


Michelle Merrill loves kissing her hubby, snuggling her kids, eating candy, reading books, and writing first drafts. She names her computers after favorite fictional characters and fictional characters after favorite names. To learn more about her, visit www.authormichellemerrill.com

I've read this book twice and it is super good people, super good. Are you ready for the cover? Because it is beautiful:

 Gorgeous, amirite?

Now you want to know what the book is about, dontcha? Here's the blurb:

All Kate wants is to live. Battling cystic fibrosis is hard enough, dying from it is even harder. When her mom moves them closer to the hospital in the middle of her senior year, Kate’s determined to isolate herself—saving everyone the trouble of befriending a dying girl. It’s a difficult task when cheerful optimist Giana insists on being Kate’s friend. 

Kate’s resolve falters even more when curly-haired Kyler captivates her with his sweet melodies. As her emotional walls collapse, Kate realizes the people she’s been pushing away may be the ones giving her a reason to live. But it might be too late.

NOTE: Half of all proceeds will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

CHANGING FATE comes out on May 8, 2014. You can find Michelle on Twitter here on Facebook here or at her blog here. Can't wait to see this book as a real book! Congrats Michelle!

And for my C song of the day... one of my favorite Michael Buble songs, and one I could imagine Kyler singing. 
 
Close Your Eyes by Michael Buble

A-Z Challenge and What's Up Wednesday: B is for Boo-Yah!

I'm combining my A-Z and What's Up Wednesday posts today.

What I'm Reading
I read Reclaimed by Sarah Guillory which was like BAM, and WHOA, and HOLY CRAP. Now I'm reading When Audrey Met Alice by Rebecca Behrens which has been cute so far.

What I'm Writing Revising
BOO-YAH! I finished my very extensive revision of EPONINE (it took me like 3 months). Now I'm doing a read-thru to make sure it all makes sense before I send it to a new wave of readers. BTW, I'm looking for another beta reader. Anyone want to swap? (EPONINE is a YA Urban Fantasy)

What Inspires Me Right Now
My B song and what inspires me right now are one and the same:
 Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons is perfect for EPONINE.

What Else I've Been Up To
I saw Divergent on the weekend and I really liked it! Divergent was by far my favorite book out of the three, and the movie made me hopeful that I might like the next movies (if there are some) a bit better than the books.

A-Z Challenge: A is for... AAAAAHHHH!!! What Did I Get Myself Into?

I don't know if this A-Z thing is going to work when my computer REFUSES TO COOPERATE. The hubs showed me a way to reconnect the computer to our router and I'm like, okay, I can do that. But then today I clicked on Internet Explorer. Didn't work. Went to reconnect to the router and it's ALREADY CONNECTED. Now what am I supposed to do? At least Firefox is working. FOR NOW. It won't last, this I know.

I'm a little stressed about it right now, not gonna lie. Even when the internet is working, it's like my computer is possessed. I'll be in the middle of doing something and then BAM! The page I'm on suddenly turns into something else. I can't even click back to where I was, I have to close and reopen and RESTART.

Seriously. I need a new computer.

Anyway, I'm going to try my best with this A-Z challenge, despite my computer difficulties. I don't have a theme going, I'm flying by the seat of my pants with this. But I am going to post a song each day starting with that letter. So, for today...
A is for Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy (hey, they're both A's!)
Should I dedicate this song to the internet perhaps?
(*If the video doesn't work, click on the title link)


What's Up Wednesday: The Frustration Edition

What I'm Reading
I read Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys which was so good and then Brisingr by Christopher Paolini which was less so. I have so little patience left for this series but I just want to know how it ends. I've been tempted to ask the hubs who has already finished it just so I don't have to read the last book, but I won't. No idea why I'm stubbornly sticking to it. Next up, Reclaimed by Sarah Guillory.

What I'm Writing Revising
I'm hoping to be done my revision by the end of the week and then I'll have to do another read through to make sure it all makes sense before I send it off to beta readers. I'm also reading a CP's MS and I'm almost done that too.

What Inspires Me Right Now
I can tell you what DOESN'T inspire me, and that's crappy technology. First iTunes gave out on my computer, and now Internet Explorer and Google Chrome won't work either. So I'm doing this on Firefox which I've never used before and it's FRUSTRATING. My computer sucks bricks.
As for inspiration... sorry, I got nothing.

 
What Else I've Been Up To
Once I'm done typing up this post (it's actually Tuesday night right now) I'm going to watch the last episode of the first season of Being Erica which is a show I've totally enjoyed. Other than that, I haven't been up to much. I bought my tickets to see Divergent this weekend though and I'm psyched about that.

What have you been up to?

Mascara Mania

I'm going to deviate from my usually scheduled programming (ie: talking about books and writing) because I found THE MOST AMAZING mascara.

No, really. I did. And I swear I'm not selling the stuff or anything, so if this comes off sounding like some cheap ad, forgive me. It's just, I've been searching for the perfect mascara for forever and now that I found one that comes preeeeetty close, I just have to share it with the world (or, the girls out there).

I'm not much of a makeup person in general. I wear it more because I have to than because I want to. But mascara is my one must have. I constantly try new ones, each time foolishly believing that they will elongate or thicken or give me scandalous lashes. Bwaha. They never do. And then a facebook friend was having one of these online "parties" where they try to sell you stuff and I usually avoid that kind of thing but I couldn't help myself when I saw the before and after pictures. So I bought it just to try it out.

Here's my before and after:

This is me with normal mascara on. I've got regular length eyelashes, not really short but not really thick or long either.
And my after with my new fancy mascara. Just one coat, FYI.
Oh, and it's called Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes made by Younique
 
I'm gonna be honest about this stuff though. There are some downsides. First, it's expensive. It cost me $35 in Canada (it's $29 in the US) plus it's $10 for shipping. My sis-in-law ordered together so we would each only have to pay $5 shipping. They do free shipping for orders over $100 so next time we'll get another person in so we won't have to pay anything.
 
Second, this mascara takes time. You actually get two tubes when you buy it- one of gel, and one of fibers. You put on a coat of regular mascara first and let it dry. Then you put on a coat of gel, then right away a coat of fibers before the gel dries, then another coat of gel to set the fibers in place. See? Time. That's four coats of mascara per eye. Yeesh. And it's tricky to get the hang of the fibers which are basically little tiny black fuzzes or hairs that stick to your own lashes and make them look longer. I'm still trying to get the hang of it.
2 tubes and mascara case
 
Third, I find that some of the fibers get on my cheeks or on my brow bones during the day. The girl who sold it to me said this never happens to her (really?) and that I need to be putting on more 2nd coat gel. There isn't a lot of them, but it's still annoying to look in the mirror and see a tiny black bit on your face. (You do have to look really close though because they are teeny.)
 
My last thing isn't really a negative but a pet peeve. The tube says "water resistant." You can also go on YouTube and watch a ton of "how-to" videos for this stuff and they all say this mascara is waterproof. IT IS NOT. To me, waterproof means you can swim and it won't come off (or barely). As soon as you rub your eyes, this stuff starts coming off. Maybe if you cried but never touched your eyes it might be fine, but is that really possible? Or am I just an eye rubber? Ha. It doesn't bother me that it isn't waterproof, but DON'T SAY THAT IT IS.
 
Despite those negatives, I totally love this stuff. I don't wear it every day because it's too much work and my normal eyelashes aren't that bad. But once I have it on, I hate washing it off because my eyelashes look so pretty! Also, you can make them even longer with more coats which I did last Friday night. I swear, my eyelashes were almost to my eyebrows. I prefer a more natural look though so that wasn't really for me.
 
Anyway, amazing mascara. I love it. And now I'll stop talking about makeup. Okay, bye.

What's Up Wednesday: The Nervicited Edition

What I'm Reading
Last night I finished Infinite by Jodi Meadows which was a nice end to the Incarnate Trilogy (although I liked the first book best). Next up, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.

What I'm Writing Revising
Revisions are going good. I've got less than a hundred pages to go and I'm excited/nervous (I'm *NERVICITED!) about the changes I'm making. Still have a few things to change up though and I'm worried that I might miss tying up some loose ends. Eek.

What Inspires Me Right Now
This song from the soundtrack from SMASH season one. It easily applies to writers, too. (If the video doesn't work, click on the link below.)


Crazy Dreams sung by Megan Hilty


What Else I've Been Up To
I saw Need For Speed on the weekend which I thought was going to be totally lame. I didn't want to see it at all, but it ended up being better than I thought. Predictable and the plot was loose at times, but still, I was entertained.
Also, my sister had a baby boy on St. Patrick's Day, her first. She had a stressful pregnancy, had to be induced, and now the baby has been airlifted to another hospital because the docs think he has some kind of blockage in his esophagus- he can't keep milk down. My sister will be taken there tomorrow and she also has to remain in the hospital because her blood pressure is off the charts. I'm kinda freaking out a bit, not gonna lie, but I continue to pray and hope for the best. Hopefully I'll hear more soon. She lives across Canada from me so I have to rely on phone calls from my mom to keep me updated.

Sooo, what's up with you?

*Bonus points if you know where I got the word NERVICITED.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Nope, I'm not Irish, not even a little bit. So I thought I'd celebrate the day (since I don't drink and all) with some gifs of famous dudes who claim to be Irish. (Or the internet claims them to be. If I'm wrong, I apologize to all of Ireland. Feel free to drink my share.)

Niall Horan. Definitely Irish
 
Jonathan Rhys Meyers: both creepy and cutie (cutie here)
 
Michael Fassbender, my fave Mr. Rochester. (And I can't wait for the new X-Men!)
 
Zachary Quinto. Not Spock.
 
HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!
 
 
 
 
 

What's Up Wednesday: Endings and Beginnings

What I'm Reading
I read The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson this past week which was, of course, really good and also heart-wrenching. Next up, Infinite by Jodi Meadows.

What I'm Writing Revising
Still plugging away at my revisions. Nothing new to report there except my word count is steadily climbing. I finished my first draft at 61k and I'm at 72k right now.

What Inspires Me Right Now
The Impossible Knife of Memory was inspiring to me because the MC in that book is similar in a lot of ways to my own MC right now. They don't have the same backstory, and the books aren't remotely the same, but they've both gone through a lot with their parents and I really found the voice in the book so well done. (Not to mention the dialogue was excellent.) It made me want to go back through my MS and add in the little details that will hopefully help readers to understand my MC better.

What Else I've Been Up To
I finished the last season of Merlin last weekend. That final episode... augh! What I wanted to happen happened, but something else happened that I didn't want AT ALL which bummed me out. (I know, I know, it's just a show.) I also watched the new Romeo and Juliet which I thought was fantastic. My new treadmill show: Being Erica, a Canadian drama about a 32-year-old woman whose therapist sends her back in time so she can fix all the mistakes she made when she was younger. First episode was great so I'm looking forward to more.
 
What have you been up to this week?

What's Up Wednesday: AUGH!

What I'm Reading
I finished Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein last night and augh. AUGH. Her books. Seriously. They are just SO MUCH I don't have the words. I will add that I don't think this book is quite as good as Code Name Verity but it's still SO GOOD. And note to self: don't read books about concentration camps right before bed because you won't get much sleep.

What I'm Writing Revising
I've made good progress on EPONINE. I'm right in the middle section now and this is the stuff that needs the most work. Yesterday I cut cut cut and combined a bit and today I've got some new-fangled scenes to write. Yeehaw!

What Inspires Me Right Now
I was listening to this song yesterday and suddenly the words jumped right out at me and I had to replay and replay because I could totally place it in a specific spot in EPONINE. Love that!
If this video doesn't work, check out this link on YouTube:

What Else I've Been Up To
The hubs and I took the kids to The Lego Movie on the weekend and I hate to say I was disappointed. The kids thought it was great, the guy next to me was howling, but I just... didn't. The graphics of the lego building were pretty cool (and they had DUMBLEDORE for a split second and with a weird voice) but that's about it. There's so many other good kids movies these days that this one just didn't live up. Sorry, Lego Movie but everything is not awesome.
What is awesome? MERLIN. I'm on season five and I love it and I'll be SO SAD when it's over. Also (mini-spoiler coming), Arthur better figure out Merlin has magic before the season ends or I'm going to have a hernia. AUGH!

What have you been up to?

Best Book of February

I kinda bombed a little at #WriterRecharge this month, coming nowhere near close to my goal (although I did some). I did, however, read a lot in February.



No one could ever accuse me of not reading all different genres!
(Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magical Realism, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Non Fic, Sci-Fi/Dystopian, UF)
 
Aside from Save the Cat which was a great non-fic book but I don't think really counts... I'd have to give my fave to Across A Star-Swept Sea. This book is a sequel (sort-of) to For Darkness Shows the Stars. The first book is a redux of Persuasion, this one is a redux of The Scarlet Pimpernel. It was sooo good. I'm not a big dystopian or sci-fi fan and I'd consider this book a mix of both, but the world she created is interesting and different but more important her characters jump off the page. I loved the MC Persis Blake- spoiled socialite who only cares about clothes on the outside hiding the brilliant and brave girl who is fighting to save her country. It was a great book and I really hope the author has a third planned. 
I'd give second place to Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney because I loved her concept of art coming to life and the beautiful love story going on. I will say that all of these books are really good- the only one I was not as into was Eldest because it was a reread and I felt a lot could have been cut out.
What did you read this month?

What's Up Wednesday: Revisions and Reading and Releases, Oh My!

What I'm Reading
I finished Across A Star-Swept Sea which I LOVED. I heart everything I've ever read by Diana Peterfreund. I also finished Save the Cat finally. Now I'm reading Transparent by Natalie Whipple, another UF similar to my WIP with great world building, and I'm starting Story Engineering by Larry Brooks.

What I'm Writing Revising
On Monday I did chapters 1-4 again- reading through and adding a few bits. Then on Tuesday I had a lot of revisions to do on chapters 4-7. Today, chapter 8, which will take awhile because I need to add a brand new scene which I'm not too sure on at the moment, I just know I need it there.

What Inspires Me Right Now
There's a few books coming out this year that I've had the privilege to read before they were actual books. I swear I'm probably as excited about these books getting published as I will be when one of my own gets there. Check out Behind the Scenes by Dahlia Adler and Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke on Goodreads. Also, my CP Michelle Merrill over at Perfecting the Craft is self-publishing her YA novel called Changing Fate about a girl with cystic fibrosis in May. I can't wait until these books come out!

What Else I've Been Up To
I forgot all about Valentine's Day in last weeks post even though I got my favoritest present ever- chocolate covered strawberries. Yum! The hubs and I also went out and saw The Monuments Men which was a great story even though it felt a bit choppy to me. Last week, I took the kids to my parents house so we could hang out with my mom before her hip surgery which was on Friday. It went well and she should be leaving the hospital today. Hopefully, this surgery will make the pain she has been suffering through for months finally go away.
Also, I finished season 4 of Downton Abbey and started a new show Star-Crossed because, yanno, the CW is like a drug to me. (Not gonna lie, I totally heard Edward Cullen's voice in my head right then. "The CW is like my own personal brand of heroine.") Also, Matt Lanter.
Enough said.

Writer Recharge Update: Week Three

I feel like I've failed this Writer Recharge thing. I forgot to check in last week, and I've barely got anything done. I'm nowhere near my goal of finishing this gigantic revision. I kinda figured I wouldn't and yet I thought I'd be a bit further along...

There's actually writing on these cards, even though you can't see it
As you can see, my first Act is set. It's the rest that needs work
 
 
I did get something done last week despite the fact that I was at my parents house from Sunday through Thursday. I beated out EPONINE using Save the Cat's 15 beats. And then on Friday I got me some index cards and tried to divide my scenes up into three acts (something new for me). I'm having problems with my middle and I was hoping this would help me to make connections between my characters and fill in my middle section. I *think* it worked. I have a plan anyway and now I'm going to continue on with the revisions- I think I'm on chapter 6. I still don't have the middle scenes laid out in detail, but at least I know what I want to happen now.

Here's hoping March is a much better month.

What's Up Wednesday: Not A Whole Lot

What I'm Reading
I just finished Cinderella Screwed Me Over which was such a fun chick lit read by Cindi Madsen. Now I'm reading Across A Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund which I'm super excited about.

What I'm Writing Revising
I missed my weekly check-in for Writer Recharge on Monday because I'm at my parents house this week with the kids. Because of that, I haven't done much revising although while reading Save the Cat yesterday, I wrote out the 15 beats for EPONINE. I think this will help me figure out some of my problems with the middle.

What Inspires Me Right Now
The Olympics are still inspiring the heck out of me. I mean, how can they not? I'm still trying to find some Team Canada mittens though. I'm too lazy to drive into the big city to get them.

What Else I've Been Up To
I finished the last episode of the last season of Smallville last week and I really thought I'd go through withdrawals except I've had so much other stuff to watch that it didn't really happen. I'm back on Merlin- I've got two seasons of that left, and I'm also in the middle of Downton Abbey. British TV is the best, FYI.

What have you been up to this week?