Category: Entertainment

Three Things I Love (And You Will Too!)

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I’m not normally a Saturday poster, but I’ve fallen in love with three (random) things that demand sharing, like, right this second:

1) Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me – I’m fairly well-versed in the world of middle grade fiction. I used to teach fifth grade, so I have a decent collection of Newbery Medal and Newbery Honor books, and I’ve read and reread many over the years (The Giver and Island of the Blue Dolphins are among my favorites). Since I started writing YA, I’ve focused my reading pretty much on that level, but when I saw When You Reach Me at the library, I knew I had to give it a go. I’ve seen it recommended up and down, and now I know why. It was AMAZING. Seriously. One of those books that gives you chills, moves you to tears, and won’t let you stop thinking about it. Even if you’re not a big middle grade reader, I still highly recommend you give this one a shot. You won’t be disappointed!


2) This adorable You Tube video, a tutorial on 25 Ways to Wear a Scarf. Even as an enthusiastic wearer of cute scarfs, when I first saw this on Lola Sharp’s Pinterest page, I thought well, that sounds sort of lame. No. It’s all kinds of fun, and quite informative too!

 

3) Dexter Season Six – Now, to be honest, I’m not newly discovering Dexter. I’ve been a super-fan for several years (my daughter even knows who Dexter is… *sigh*), but the first episode of Season Six, which aired last week, had me at religion (also, the creepy black snakes… yikes!). Because that’s what Dexter is exploring right now: God, right and wrong, what to expose his son to, how to incorporate spirituality and morals and ethics and theology into his own nontraditional (okay, warped) lifestyle. These are musings I can relate to (though I’m certainly not toting around a dark passenger), and that makes me even MORE excited for tomorrow night’s episode!


What had you excited this weekend?

A few random-ish things…

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Ahh, the start of a new week… I’ve got a few random things to share on this lovely Monday morning:

Last night I watched Disney’s Prom. I’ve wanted to see it since I caught the trailer ages ago, but I don’t make it to a lot of movies and when I have “free” time at home, I’m usually writing or cleaning or reading. So…


I finally got to spend a full ninety minutes lost in high school melodrama. It was glorious. Honestly, I’m partial to any movie set in a high school (The Breakfast Club, Clueless, The Girl Next Door, Grease, and Ten Things I Hate About You are a few of my favorites), and Prom was fairly average high school fare. A little slow, a little fluffy, but still cute enough to hold my attention and leave me with a tiny crush on Jesse, the movie’s bad-boy-heartthrob and, in my opinion, a baby Johnny Depp.


Tracey Neithercott’s Fall Book Club has officially begun! Click HERE for the official stuff (don’t worry, it’s all easy). Wondering what we’re reading?


Ransom Rigg’s Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. I started this weekend and yeah… absolutely loving it so far. I highly recommend you jump into the fun and join the Fall Book Club.

I’m revising again, this time with a heavy focus on pacing. I recently read James Scott Bell’s Plot and Structure (thanks for the recommendation, Jessi Kirby and Vickie Motter!) and it has been immensely helpful. Here’s what my copy looks like:


Sheesh. You’d think I’d never read a craft book! But there’s just something about James Scott Bell’s approach, his simple way of explaining what’s already trapped in the mind of any avid reader, that spoke to me. So, I highlighted the heck out of Plot and Structure, then drafted a revision plan that’s working miracles. Yippee!

Over the  last month I’ve become obsessed with this:


Best workout DVD ever. Seriously. I happily hop out of bed a half-hour early each morning to do it. I love Jillian Michaels’ no-nonsense approach. I love how I feel when I’m done. I love that my daughter now knows what “Down Dog” is. And the results! I’m seeing them! It’s so motivating!

And, finally, these photographs beg to be shared:


That’s my husband there on the left–you know, the deliciously handsome one :)–and that’s the Washington State University flag he and his buddy are raising in Afghanistan. Yep, our beloved Cougs are representing half-way around the world. Crazy to think about, right?

And one final, incredibly important thing: Happy birthday, Dad! Love you!

So, how was your weekend?

RTW: A Dark (YA) Passenger

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Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where the ladies at YA Highway post a weekly writing- or reading-related question for participants to respond to on their own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

Today’s Topic: What non-YA character would you love to see star in a YA book as themselves?

Oh, this is SO easy…


Dexter Morgan is the most complex character I’ve ever known. He’s a blood spatter analyst, brother, father, husband, rescuer, friend, vigilante and… serial killer. He does it all with a certain flair for the dramatics, a very dark sense of humor, and an intensity that borders on terrifying. Plus, um, he’s pretty hot.

I’d love to know Dexter as a teenager. His childhood was less than enviable, his sister is a bit of a mess, and his relationship with his father, Harry, is all kinds of complicated. He’d make fascinating young adult character because even as a grown man, he’s constantly questioning who he is and trying to balance all the facets of his personality. Imagine all the angst he’d bring to a YA novel!

And can I just mention that Showtime will begin airing the newest season of Dexter in LESS THAN A MONTH?! So excited!

So, what non-YA character would you love to meet in a YA story?

The day I fell for RPatz…

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Heads Up! The following post may or may not contain a Twilight: Breaking Dawn spoiler or two. If you’ve yet to read the book and want to be surprised upon seeing the movie, turn back. Quick!

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’ll make no secret of the fact that while I read the first three books of the Twilight series and enjoyed them for what they were, Breaking Dawn–for me–was a big ‘ol fail. There are lots of plot-arc-motivation-payoff-spawn reasons I won’t delve into here, but suffice to say: I’ve got all kinds of problems with the final installment of Bella and Edward’s story. And, since the literary version of Breaking Dawn wasn’t for me, I wasn’t all that excited about the movie’s November release.

Then this arrived in my mailbox:

I'll refrain from commenting on the intense awkwardness of this image...

I read the enclosed interview (featuring Kristin Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and director Bill Condon) with vague curiosity. I mean, these books and movies are a cultural phenomenon. I couldn’t just skip over it, right?

Oh boy… I’m so glad I didn’t because I discovered that Robert Pattinson is a freaking crack up! Who would’ve thought? I mean, call me crazy, but I do not find him attractive at all.*

What, exactly, do you think was going on in his head when this photo was snapped?

He’s so rumpled and clueless, and he’s always smoking and wearing that distantly befuddled expression. But then–in an Entertainment Weekly interview for a movie he’s supposed to be PROMOTING–he says his character acts like… an incredibly hideous P-word for wimp. Really, RPatz? Wow.

I’ve got to say, I dig a guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously. And, clearly, Robert Pattinson doesn’t take himself or epic vampire love stories seriously AT ALL. I love that! More of his choice quotes from the interview:

On Kristin Stewart getting emotional about filming the wedding: [laughing] I wanted to go down and say, “Stop being ridiculous.”

On what he wishes Edward could have said after the honeymoon night: “I bit through all the pillows. Every. Single. One.” And then he’d start crying.

On Jacob and “imprinting”: I have to say, it’s pretty creepy.

On Edward’s role during Bella’s pregnancy: And I’m just sitting there, like, with a bucket, collecting [Bella’s] vomit.

On speaking to Stephenie Meyer about the childbirth scene: What am I actually chewing through?

Seriously. If Robert Pattinson is always this funny and irreverent, I think I might like to start hanging out with him, maybe at one of the dumpy bars I suspect he frequents. Wrinkly clothes, unruly hair, cigarettes, and all.

*Okay, wait... this might be a *little* bit attractive.

Breaking Dawn… Your thoughts?

Phoenix Discoveries…

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I spent last week in Phoenix visiting my parents. My daughter came too (of course!) and had all kinds of fun being spoiled by her Nana and Poppy. We’re paying for the over-indulgences now, but it’s all good. The sun, the swimming, the ice cream, and the family time make it all worthwhile. Turns out I learned a few things over the course of my stay in the Valley of the Sun. Here’s what…

-My daughter looks great in orange. Also, she’s extra adorable when giggling.

-It is far too hot in Phoenix to run outdoors. At 6:30 in the morning it was 87 degrees. I tried once, then wised up. The next morning I hit the air-conditioned fitness center.

-Almond milk is yummier than regular milk. It also has fewer calories and more calcium. Who knew? (Thanks for introducing me, Mom!)

-Three novels and a nonfiction are too many books for five days. I did get through two though (Room and Bird by Bird). They were both excellent.

-CBS’s Big Brother is better when watched with people who are ready and willing to slam it. (Ugh… am I the only one who hates Rachel? Am I the only one who watches even though I’m super embarrassed about it?)

-A girl can never have too many swimsuits.

-Dairy Queen’s Peanut Buster Parfaits can be made at home with vanilla ice cream, good hot fudge, and Spanish peanuts.

–Naartjie carries the cutest kids’ clothes ever. Why oh why can’t there be a store closer to me? (Actually, it’s probably best there’s not. :))

-Parents flying with preschoolers should not expect to get any legitimate work done. Instead, prepare yourself for loads of coloring.

-Editing is way more fun when the comments in the review field are funny/spot-on/complimentary/honest/thoughtful/helpful/sprinkled with smiley faces.

-I didn’t actually discover this while in Phoenix, but it’s worth repeating: My daughter is my very favorite person. She constantly makes me smile.

What have you discovered this summer?

Thankful Thursday

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Oasis for YA knows that the surest way to get good things in life is to be thankful for what you have.  So why not encourage a group thankful-fest once a week in which we all send out good energy and hope to get some back in return? Plus, participating in Thankful Thursday is a great way to connect with other writers.

Here are the rules:
1.  Do your own blog post on what you’re thankful for today.  It doesn’t have to be book or publishing related (but it can be!).
2.  Be sure to grab our badge and include it in your post.
3.  Post a link to your blog in the comments here so that others can find you.
4.  Go forth and share your gratitude!  (And when friending new blogs, be sure to let them know you found them because of their participation in the meme.)

This week I’m thankful for nonsensical, mind-numbing reality TV. My husband is gone way too much, and I often need a little bit of empty entertainment to fill my evenings. Plus, let’s be honest: There’s something about reality TV that makes us “normal” folk feel really good about our lives. 

Here’s what I’m watching these days:

Sixteen and Pregnant – Equal parts riveting and depressing. Also, excellent birth control.

Pregnant in Heels – I rolled my eyes at the preview clips, but I have to say, Pregnant in Heels is so much better than I thought it would be. Rosie the ‘maternity concierge’ is quite knowledgable and very likeable.

 America’s Next Top Model – A tried and true favorite, although Tyra Banks grates my nerves more with every season. I watch this one with my neighbor (who walks down the street in PJs, often toting yummy flavored vodka to join me…  a true friend if ever there was one!).

Addicted to Food – Rehab for people with various eating disorders on OWN. Seriously fascinating.


Real Housewives of Orange County – I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I watch this, but I do and I love it. The amount of pointless drama these women conjur up is mesmerizing.

Top Chef Masters – Can you tell I have a thing for Bravo? I love the Top Chef franchise because I love food, competition, and the theatrics and excitement of it all. Recommend!


So, what are you thankful for this week?

The Versatile Blogger :)

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Yay! The lovely Sophia Richardson (of My Fleet-Footed Self) has passed The Versatile Blogger award to me. I’m honored and excited–my very first blog award! 🙂 Thanks so much, Sophia!

Here are the rules of the award:
1. Thank the person who gave you this award (of course!).
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason.
4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.

So, um… seven things about myself. Why do I feel so much pressure to be entertaining?!

1. I started out a reluctant blogger. Basically, my critique partners applied some gentle pressure (okay, they may have hounded me) to which I finally succumbed. That was about a year ago. Somehow, I’ve morphed into an enthusiastic blogger–so much so that sometimes I’m blogging when I should be writing.

2. I’m an unapologetic Disney-aholic. I’ve passed on my love of the parks, the characters, and the movies to my daughter. Now, we’re a team capable of hounding my husband into watching Princess movies on Friday nights and taking multiple trips to Disney World when he swore he’d only go once a decade.  Yeah, right.

3. I’m a country music freak, and I absolutely love going to concerts. There’s nothing better than seeing Kenny Chesney or Tim McGraw or Sugarland perform live. My obsession began when we lived near Nashville, and has only grown since. Next on my must-see list? Zac Brown Band.

4. I’m most inspired by the writing and storytelling of Jandy Nelson, Melina Marchetta, Gayle Forman, Judy Blume, JK Rowling, Curtis Sittenfield and Ken Follett.

5. Michael C. Hall is, in my humble opinion, the best actor EVER. Loved him as David on Six Feet Under, adore him as Dexter.

6. I’m reluctant to the most trivial kinds of change. I eat the exact same breakfast every day. I drive the original route I learned to get someplace, even if I later learn a quicker or easier way. I hate starting new books and getting to know new characters . I plan my days, weeks, and months in advance as carefully as possible. I’ve always been this way, but I think my “condition” has been exacerbated by my constantly changing Army wife lifestyle. When your husband gets shipped out on a moment’s notice and you’re forced to move every two or three years, you learn to grasp on to the little things you can control.

7. I used to teach fifth grade. At the time, I loved it and poured everything I had into it. Now, I have absolutely no desire to go back. Ever since my daughter was born, I’ve stopped caring about other people’s children. Is that terrible?

And ten fantastic bloggers I’d like to share this award with:

Heather Howland
Jessica Love
Katharine Owens
Amie Kaufman
Caroline Tung Richmond
Tracey Neithercott
Erin Bowman
Rebecca Behrens
June Goodwin
Brenda Drake

RTW: Howdy, Neighbor!

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Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival,” where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: Which book character would you like most as a next door neighbor?

When I read this question, an immediate answer popped into my head. Then I spent a few hours trying to think of something different, because I figured I wouldn’t be the only one with this answer. But, I couldn’t come up with better. Really, I couldn’t come up with anything else at all, which tells me that going with my first instinct, original or not, is the way to go today. 🙂


My dream next door neighbors would be the entire Weasley clan, which means I’d get to live adjacent to the fantastic Burrow! The Weasleys’ house is one of my favorite settings from Harry Potter. It’s just so quirky. So magical, and full of warmth and love. While some might say its curb appeal is a little… shoddy, I think there’s a lot to love about the unique (um, crooked?) architecture, the wide open spaces, the orchard and the corn fields, not to mention the population of garden gnomes who reside on the property.

How cool would it be to live next door to whole family of wizards and witches? Quirky Arthur, maternal Molly, brave Bill, the outlandish twins, bumbling Ron, and Ginny, who I still can’t quite peg. And Harry, Hermione and the many members of The Order of the Phoenix are constant visitors. Plus, there’s the delicious food, the owl post, the Quidditch and the magic wands… too much awesome to list!

Who would you choose for literary next door neighbors?

Tuesday Tunes: I May Hate Myself in the Morning…

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My favorite songs are those with an underlying sense of longing. While Lee Ann Womack’s I May Hate Myself in the Morning is a bit of an oldie (2005), it’s got that wistful “I love you but I’ll never have you” feeling I love. Lee Ann is gorgeous, and the video is fabulous. Here it is, with lyrics below.

Ain’t it just like one of us
To pick up the phone and call after a couple drinks
Say how ya been I’ve been wondering if maybe you’ve been thinking ’bout me
And somewhere in the conversation
An ole familiar invitation always arrives
I may hate myself in the morning
But I’m gonna love you tonight

Everyone’s known someone that they just can’t help but want
Even though we just can’t make it work out
Well the want to lingers on
So once again we wind up in each other’s arms pretending that it’s right
I may hate myself in the morning
But I’m gonna love you tonight

I know it’s wrong
But it ain’t easy moving on
So why can’t two friends
Remember the good times once again

Tomorrow when I wake up I’ll be feeling a little guilty, a little sad
Thinking how it used to be before everything went bad
I guess that’s what is
In lonely late night calls like this that we try to find
I may hate myself in the morning but I’m gonna love you tonight

I may hate myself in the morning but I’m gonna love you tonight

*Lyrics by Odie Blackmon

Sunday’s Super Seven

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Lately, I’ve needed lists to organize my thoughts. That might be because I’m smack in the middle of an epic WIP rewrite (WIP’s scenes, characters, GCMs and all the other tiny details are sorted into lists, might I add) so my head is sort of jumbled. In that spirit, what better day to post a list of super things than boring old Sunday?

1) Words With Friends – Last weekend, my sister-in-law oh-so-innocently asked, “Hey, Katy, have you bought Words With Friends yet?” To which I replied, “No, I sure haven’t. What is it?” She went on to explain that it’s like Scrabble, only you can play on your phone with real friends who play on their phones, or you can start games with random strangers.

SOLD! Scrabble is my very favorite game, and let’s be honest: I’m all about procrastination tools that suck up huge amounts of time before you ever even realize it. Long story short, I bought the app and now I’m in the midst of about eight different games–some with real friends and some with strangers I’ll never meet. I couldn’t be more joyful.

2) Borders – Speaking of joyful, last week I went to Borders and got four new books! (Elizabeth Scott’s The Unwritten Rule, Sarah Ockler’s Fixing Delilah, Deb Caletti’s Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, and Courtney Summer’s Fall For Anything, in case you’re wondering. I’m on a contemporary kick.) As I was perusing, my husband kept our daughter busy, so tolerant and sweet. Mid-browse, I suddenly  realized something: Borders is my happy place.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I find great delight in my family, friends and (most of my) daily activities. But there’s something about walking into Borders with the goal of buying new books that makes me particularly blissful. Do you know what DOESN’T make me blissful? All this talk of Borders going under. I’m not sure if they make 12-Step programs for obsessive book-buyers like me, but I’ll tell you what–if the Borders in my city closes down, things might get ugly.  *Edited February 17th: While Borders has officially filed for bankruptcy, the store in my town is NOT among those listed as closing. What a relief!

3) Craft Quickies – My talented CP, Heather Howland, has started a new series on her blog: Craft Quickies. They’re short posts covering craft issues (obviously) that can trip some (all?) writers up. So far she’s covered dialogue tag abuse (I went through my manuscript with a fine-tooth comb after reading this one) and the stress-inducing possible sequel. Rumor has it she’ll be tackling verb modifiers soon. I highly recommend you check Craft Quickies out.  

4) The Walking Dead – Have you seen this AMC show? From what I’ve heard, it’s an adaptation of a graphic novel and it is the epitome of ridiculousness. Still, I kind of love it.

Hey, girl with the baseball bat: Good luck to you.

We’ve had all seven Season One episodes sitting in our DVR for months and just recently got around to watching them. (I freely admit that we watched with our three-year-old daughter present. She loved it. “Mommy, why are all those zombies eating that horse?” Our status as Parents of the Year may be in question…) Anyway, I love watching The Walking Dead for the very same reason I love watching Dexter and The Vampire Diaries: Something major happens in every. Single. Episode. There are no lags, no weeks and weeks of I know where they’re going with this and I wish they’d just hurry up and get there. Nope. It’s fast paced and exciting and I can’t wait to find out what happens to those crazy zombie fighters next season.

My daughter pretending to be a zombie. In a Princess shirt.

5) Phrase Frequency Counter – The perfect writing tool for closet OCDers like me. Much like Wordle, you can paste in as much or as little text as you want, choose the number of words-in-phrases you’d like the Frequency Counter to check (two-word phrases, three-word phrases, and so on), and then sit back and let the magic happen. The most common phrases in my WIP were things like “I said” and “he said,” but I also noticed that I used “took a long swallow” and “took a long sip” and “took a long drink” three times each. That’s nine times. Clearly, I’m writing about a couple of lushes.

6) Across the Universe  by Beth Revis – As a rule, I don’t read science fiction. I know, I know… I shouldn’t wall myself off completely from any one genre. The thing is, aliens, space travel, cryogenics, and otherworldly futures just don’t interest me. Then Twitter went abuzz about Across the Universe. I became curious. Rave reviews started pouring in. I became intrigued. Some of my CPs read it and couldn’t stop gushing. I knew I had to check it out. So I bought Across the Universe (See  #2 above… I have a problem.), and I am SO glad I did. It’s sci-fi, but it’s accessible. Relatable. Really cool. I’m somewhere around half-way through and I’m totally into it. But now I’m starting to love it so much that I’m stressing about the ending being a disappointment. Ugh. Please, Beth Revis. Please make the end of your book stand up to the fabulous beginning! 

I love this cover...

7) That’s YAmore – In case you haven’t heard: I’m a participant in Oasis for YA’s “That’s YAmore” blogfest. It has been so much fun reading all of the sweet, romantic, steamy entries. If you’re interested in reading my contribution, you can find it HERE. And please visit the That’s YAmore Blogfest page to check out the other participants. You’ll be glad you did. 🙂