What’s Up Wednesday

January 15, 2014January 15, 201451 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to.And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished Rebecca Behren‘s middle grade debut When Audrey Met Alice and oh my goodness… It was SO GOOD. One of the best middle grade novels I’ve read. Cute, cute, cute, and it makes me want to read an Alice Roosevelt biography! I’ll rave about it more in next week’s Bookanista post. Up next? These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.

What I’m Writing: I’m taking a break from my revision to beta read my friend Liz Parker‘s incredible YA manuscript. It’s a unique blend of history and fantasy and romance and adventure, and I’m pretty much the worst beta reader ever because almost all of my comments consist of the words awesome and love and wow. I hope at least some of my feedback helps Liz! I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to read for her because I’m learning tons about pacing, characterization, and stakes from her story. After this, I’m back to applying what I learned to my own manuscript. 🙂

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Cheering the Seattle Seahawks on to a win, for starters. Over the weekend, my brother came from Jacksonville to watch the game with us, and we made an event out of it. Beer, pizza, and wings. Good stuff.

He doesn’t have kids and isn’t nearly the Disney freak my girl and I are, but he (sort of) held his own during Head Bandz. 🙂

I finally baked in my new kitchen! Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies… The recipe I linked calls for chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but I was fresh out of those, so I used Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips. They turned out great!

Daphne the kitty is fitting into the Upperman family quite nicely. She’s super playful and sweet, incredibly patient with her six-year-old master, and (mostly) tolerant of Daisy, who really just wants to scarf down her cat food. We’re technically fostering Daphne to make sure she’s a “good fit” for our household, but on Saturday we get to sign official adoption paperwork!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Writing-wise, a recent post from my savvy and witty agent Victoria Marini titled On ALMOST Making It. Similarly-themed, a post from brilliant author Courtney Summers about Closed Doors. On the artistic front, I continue to be inspired by an experience we had when we were in New Orleans a few weeks ago. We visited Gallery Burguieres, a French Quarter gallery owned and operated by artist Ally Burguieres. We were only there for a short while, but I left feeling absolutely inspired. Ally’s paintings are gorgeous — cheery and colorful and whimsical — and Ally was charming. She welcomed us into her gallery and answered all of our art-ignorant questions. She even let us pet her sweet pup. If I had thousands of dollars to drop on original art, I’d totally invest in Ally’s. As it is, we’re on a budget, but we did splurge on an Alice in Wonderland print for C’s bedroom. It looks adorable hanging on her wall!

{Original art by Ally Burguieres}

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

January 8, 2014January 8, 201447 Comments

What I’m Reading: Oh, gosh. I wish I’d had more time to read so far this month. December was a great reading month (I recapped HERE), but my book time in January has been pretty sporadic, what with all the unpacking and settling in. I did read Butter, by Erin Jade Lange, a book with a unique and compelling concept, and now I’m reading Rebecca Behren‘s middle grade debut When Audrey Met Alice, which is out next month and absolutely adorable. I’m also beta reading a fabulously unique manuscript by my friend Liz Parker. I see such greatness in this story’s future!

What I’m Writing: *sigh* I’ve had to put my WiP revision on hold over the past few weeks, but now that we’re happy in our new house and my girl’s back in school, I’m looking forward to diving back in and polishing this story until it’s shiny. I’m hoping to finish mid-February so I can send it out for feedback.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Traveling. Settling. Exploring our new town. Want to see pictures from the last few weeks?

My husband graduated with a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School mid-December. We left Monterey the same afternoon.

First stop: San Diego’s SeaWorld, where we visited Shamu and Santa.

An Arizona sunset and an unbelievably blue New Mexico sky.

New Mexico’s Carlsbad Cavern, which was much cooler than I’d expected.

Christmas Day in San Antonio, a town we absolutely loved. That said, what we saw of The Alamo was slightly underwhelming.

My favorite activity of all… Trail riding in Austin!

Our first visit to New Orleans. Even though it poured rain most of the day, I kind of loved this city. Also, the beignets… Yum!

We got to celebrate New Year’s Eve in our new house, though we were all exhausted after spending the day moving in.

Scenes from our new area. The beaches are indescribably gorgeous.

We adopted a new family member… Meet Daphne Upperman!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: I’m sort of late to the party on this incredible blog post, but 2013: A Learning Year: Managing Expectations by author Jessica Spotswood is too good not to share. It’s a must-read for published and pre-published writers alike. If you’ve yet to check it out, please do! Also, the Goodreads 2014 Debut Author Challenge (YA/MG/NA) list has me all kinds of inspired. It’s so fun to see the names and books of my writing friends officially on Goodreads. Be sure to peruse this list and add the debuts that interest you to your To-Read list!

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

On Goals (& My 2014 Word)

January 3, 2014January 3, 201458 Comments

Happiest of New Years to you, friends! Can I just say how relieved I am to see 2014? I’m incredibly excited about this new year, a clean slate, and a fresh start.

You see, 2013 was not such a great year for me. While I had some wonderful moments with friends and family, when I look back on the last twelve months the overall tone is one of stagnancy. I’m standing in pretty much the same place today as I was this time last year. I’ve not achieved much of anything. I’ve grown very little as a human. It’s depressing, if I think too hard about it.

Lately, I’ve taken a step back and really reflected on the last year, and I’ve come to realize this bleak feeling that I’ve accomplished nothing stems from the “goals” I set at the beginning of 2013.

(Here’s where I get personal and possibly overshare a bit…)

My “goals” for 2013 were to 1) Sell a book, and 2) Get pregnant.

Simple, right? I wrote a fantastic story. I have an awesome agent. I’ve put in YEARS of writing time. And hello… I’ve already had one child. How hard can it possibly be to have another? People get pregnant every day!

*sniffle*

First, let’s address the obvious problem with my 2013 goals…

THEY’RE “GOALS” THAT ARE COMPLETELY OUT OF MY HANDS.

I can’t control publishing or editors or the literary market. And I can’t control chemistry or fertility. I broke big and obvious goal-setting rules, and I set myself up for failure right out of the gate. Of course I’m disheartened now. Of course. But at least I see the flaws of my ways. At least I can make changes now. At least I can look forward to the brightness of the future, to 2014.

My (attainable) goals for this year…

Revise and polish the manuscript I wrote last year.
Get CP/beta/agent feedback on said manuscript.
Face future submissions with a smile and a shrug and a “work harder” attitude.
Be the best CP/beta I can be, and learn from my friends’ writing.
Approach fitness differently; nourish and strengthen my body instead of beating it up.
Cherish time with my family. Be present in the moment.
Worry less; take deep breaths.

And with those goals in mind, I’ve decided on my focus word for 2014…

STOICISM

It’s an idea my husband and I both want to work toward this year. Living stoically basically means that we’ll try not to stress about things we have no power over. We’ll try not to let our emotions control our actions. We’ll live ethically, and with clear heads. Instead of getting upset, we’ll adjust our expectations and try to make the best of things.

Already, we’ve been reminding each other… “This isn’t very stoic of you,” I told my husband the other day when he was irritated about a move-damaged piece of furniture. “You’ve gotta know adversity,” he noted when I grumbled about how impossible it was to move a crazy-heavy armoire up four brick stairs. Sure, the reminders can be a little annoying, but they also make us laugh, and they help us take a step back from whatever situation is threatening to ruffle us.

Nothing like a cross-country move to put stoicism to the test. 🙂

So, that’s me. 2014 is going to be a good year.

Tell me… What are your goals for 2014. Do you have a focus word?

What’s Up Wednesday

December 11, 2013December 10, 201334 Comments

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to.And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished Carol Rifka Brunt’s Tell the Wolves I’m Home and I thought it was a beautiful story. That said, it’s not a book that would have normally attracted me, so I’m incredibly thankful for Corey Ann Haydu’s recommendation. I loved this novel! Now I’m (slowly) reading Lauren DeStefano’s Perfect Ruin. So far, I’m super impressed with the worldbuilding, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how the story plays out.

What I’m Writing: I’ve slacked on my revision over the last week, and I’m so bummed about it. I’ve just been so busy with the holidays and my husband’s upcoming grad school graduation and our impending move. I haven’t had time to sit down and focus on what my manuscript needs. Boo. I keep picturing myself all comfy on the couch in our new Florida home with my story document opened in front of me… Can. Not. Wait. In other news, I finished my blog posts for the Class of 2013: YA Superlatives Blogfest, which begins this Monday! Looking forward to sharing my favorite 2013 books with you, and to reading about the books you’ve fallen for this year!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Blah. Need you ask? Organizing, purging, packing. The moving truck comes Friday. We’re loading all weekend. We sign out of our house next Wednesday. I can’t wait to be done with this nonsense.

Some girlfriends and I hosted a graduation party for our husbands this weekend. Of course I put myself in charge of desserts. I took a break from packing and instead spent two full mornings baking. I was so happy!

I got the cutest winter mug for #SipSwap a few mornings ago. As soon as I unwrapped it, I fixed myself some tea and ate some M&Ms. Because I am a grown up. Thanks so much to Simon Clark for sending such an adorable mug!

My girl is *almost* as graceful as I am. Last week at school she hurt her face on the jungle gym (I still don’t completely understand how), but she’s healing quickly. When I told her to not to pick at the scab on her forehead because it would leave a scar, she got all excited and said, “Really? Like Harry Potter?!” And then I was the proudest mom ever.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: I watched The Descendants over the weekend, and I absolutely loved it. I’d heard it was good from several people and I’ve been intrigued by the trailer since I saw it ages ago (plus there’s the whole Oscars thing), but it’s one of those movies that somehow slipped by me. It’s finally on HBO (yay!) and I couldn’t pass it up. Oh, it was so, so good. Flawed but incredibly likable characters. Poignant, but with moments of perfect humor (Sid! The best!). A gorgeous setting (Hawaii!). And Shailene Woodley — what a talent. She’s going to rock Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars. If you’ve yet to see this one, I highly recommend it. Amazing and inspiring storytelling. Here’s the trailer…

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

December 4, 2013December 4, 201346 Comments

What I’m Reading: I’m still working on Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt, which is truly beautiful literary fiction. Here’s the summary from Goodreads: 1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart. At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he might be the one she needs the most.

What I’m Writing: I’m still plugging away at my revision. It’s slow and tedious, and I’m constantly jumping between being desperately in love with this story, and thinking it’s the most ridiculous bit of fiction ever. #WriterAngst During my revision breaks, I’ve been writing blog posts for the Class of 2013: YA Superlatives Blogfest. I can’t wait to share my favorite 2013 books with you, and read all about the books you’ve fallen in love with this year!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Packing, packing packing. It’s so dull and physically exhausting. I won’t bore you with the details, but yeah… Stuffing boxes with our worldly possessions is eating up my time and making me a little grouchy.

In more cheerful news, last Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving with a lovely afternoon filled with friends, laughter, and too much food. My favorite culinary venture was a Slab Apple Pie I made, which looked delightful and was very tasty. I used this recipe for the crust, and this recipe for the filling. Recommend!

Also, we saw Frozen! I’m a die-hard Disney fan, but to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t super pumped about this movie, initially. The trailer didn’t do much for me and Olaf, the little snowman, seemed cheesy. But after watching, my opinion changed completely… I loved Frozen! It was absolutely adorable. Heartwarming and beautifully animated, and Olaf turned out to be my favorite character of all.

Finally, we went ice skating. Every year a little ice rink goes up right next to the Monterey Bay and on Sunday we decided to take advantage. I’m a horrible skater (balance is not one of my gifts), but my husband is very good and he managed to teach our girl a thing or two. I love California; it’s fun to skate in t-shirts. 🙂

What’s Inspiring Me Now: The quote below, which makes me think of my husband and my daughter and my parents and my friends, not to mention my immensely talented and supportive CPs and beta readers. ♥

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

November 27, 2013November 26, 201332 Comments

What I’m Reading: I finished Sarah Guillory’s Reclaimed. Just when I thought I had it all figured out… Mind = Blown. I had to give up on my Fire audiobook, but only because I’m not in my car enough to get anywhere with the story. Luckily, I own a physical copy of the book, and I finished reading it yesterday. Fantasy is not usually my genre of choice, but I adore Kristin Cashore’s characters and writing and worldbuilding, and Fire is just so unbelievably, indescribably good. If you haven’t read the books of the Graceling Realm, you must. Now, I’ve started Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (an adult/YA crossover). So far, I’m mesmerized by the beautiful writing. I think this one’s going to be lovely.

What I’m Writing: Oh, you know… Still working on my revision. It’s a slow and tedious process, but I *think* it’s coming along. Only time (and feedback) will tell, I suppose. My savvy agent Victoria Marini tweeted this yesterday: Drafts: 1. get all the bulls**t out of your head. 2. figure out what you meant to say. 3. figure out how to say it. 4. properly. A great reminder that early drafts aren’t supposed to be perfect. Reassuring, because mine definitely are not.

Notes I leave myself while revising: I don’t like you, Scene. You are cheesy and you do not feel effortless. I finally had to let this one go and move on. Here’s hoping my CPs can help me fix it eventually.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: I’ve packed some things. Not many, but there are a few full boxes in my house. Baby steps. Also, we’re hosting Thanksgiving this year. My husband and I are making the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and some pies (obviously). Some of our favorite neighbors are coming over with plenty of their own culinary contributions (more pie!). We’re not near family this year, so we’re extra appreciative of our awesome friends.

I’ve been on a bit of a baking hiatus, but this weekend my girlie and I were craving a warm and sweet breakfast, so we made Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. While they do include yeast and require some rising, they’re relatively quick and they tasted incredibly yummy. Recommend.

I saw Catching Fire on Friday. Guys, I loved this movie! I thought it was better than The Hunger Games, and very true to the book. J-Law rocked, the pacing was awesome, and I was truly moved by several scenes. I want to see it again!

I’ve also been gearing up for the Class of 2013: YA Superlatives Blogfest, which begins December 16th and continues through December 19th. I’m co-hosting with Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, and Alison Miller for the 3rd consecutive year, and I can’t wait for the fun to begin. Four days, more than forty categories, and tons of fantastic book recommendations! Click on the button above for all the details. We’re hoping you’ll join us and help spread the word!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: A post by Mónica Bustamante Wagner called 4 Writing Tips to Show and Not Tell. It’s packed with timely reminders, particularly for those of us stuck in the throes of revisions. Also, some fabulous thoughts from YA Highway‘s Emilia Plater in a post titled In Defense of Solipsistic Teenage Girl.

I always feel inspired by my girl, but I’m especially thankful for her around the holidays. I found out I was pregnant with her on Thanksgiving seven years ago, so this particular holiday is an extra special time for my husband and me. Sadly, some of our closest friends are in the midst of an incredibly tragic loss, and I am beyond devastated for them. Their experience makes my heart hurt so badly, and it makes me want to scoop my daughter up and hold her close always and forever. Give your loved ones hugs and kisses every chance you get. ♡

Happy Thanksgiving to all who will celebrate tomorrow.
Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

November 20, 2013November 22, 201345 Comments

What I’m Reading: Over the weekend I read Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, and it was GOOD. Super twisty and dark, like a Courtney Summers novel merged with a fast-paced crime drama. I also started listening to an audiobook of Kristin Cashore’s Fire. I adore Graceling and Bitterblue, and it’s taken me way too long to get to Fire’s story, but I am loving it. She’s a fantastic protagonist, and the audio is very well done. As well as listening to Fire, I’m reading Sara Guillory’s Reclaimed. I’ve only just started, but so far, so good!

What I’m Writing: Still plugging away at my revision. I’m past the story’s midpoint and I’ve cut nearly 5K, which feels awesome. I love streamlining, “trimming the fat” as they say. Last night I came across a scene I’d forgotten all about (an anecdote I stole from my husband’s childhood) and it was really fun to reread. This manuscript is coming together, and I’m getting excited about the prospect of sending it off to my CPs. Hopefully that’ll be soon!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Wrapping my head around our big move to… Florida! We’re leaving California in thirty days and I have plenty to do. Good news: We found a lovely house with a kitchen perfect for baking. Bad news: We’re going to pack our household goods ourselves (instead of letting the Army hire movers to do it like usual) and I am up to my eyeballs in boxes.

On Sunday night I went to The Night of Writing Dangerously, held in the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco. It was so amazing! I got tons of revising done, chatted with like-minded writers, met my awesome Twitter friend Kristen Rudd (who graciously invited me as her guest), and heard YA author Gennifer Albin give a heartfelt and inspiring speech — “Your story matters!” All in all, it was a fabulous event. If you’re ever presented with the opportunity to attend, do!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: A repost by Becca Puglisi at Writers Helping Writers called Conflict vs. Tension. It talks about how the two terms are related but not always synonymous. Great food for thought as I revise my manuscript. Also, a post by romance author Roni Loren entitled My Promise When I Review or Recommend Books. She says: If I don’t like something or have neutral feelings on it, you’ll just never hear about. The books I recommend or rate highly on Goodreads are books I honestly loved… This is exactly how I feel about public reviews. My blog is a positive place where I choose to promote books I sincerely enjoy. Those that don’t resonate with me don’t get a lot of attention, and those with which I can’t find anything good to say don’t get any attention at all. So, if I rave about a book, it’s one that made a true impact on me, one that I’ll recommend to anyone who’ll listen. What’s your book review policy?

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

November 13, 2013November 13, 201352 Comments

What I’m Reading: I finished Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything and while I really enjoyed it, I wanted a different ending for the characters. Totally a personal preference thing, but yeah… Have you read it? What did you think of the conclusion? I also read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black, and I thought it was fantastic. Part of me is surprised because it’s a novel about vampires and that’s not really my thing. But then, I’ve heard awesome things about Holly Black’s writing, and this story totally lives up to the hype. Now I’m reading Leah Raeder’s Unteachable (thanks for the rec, Dahlia!) and I’ve gotta say… I’m loving it. It’s a tough story and it’s making me all kinds of uncomfortable, but the writing is gorgeous and the emotion is raw and so intense. It’s unputdownable, and I cannot wait to see how it wraps up.

What I’m Writing: I’ve started to poke away at my revision. It’s extensive, to be honest, and quite daunting, but I’m finding that my early chapters aren’t nearly as bad as I thought they were. There are even bits of unintentional foreshadowing that really work… Win! I want so badly for this story to be the sort of amazing I envision, and that alone is motivating. I love this stage of the process: the sorting out and the tying together and the prettifying.

Quality control.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: House hunting. We’re looking for a place to rent in Awesome Secret City, and it’s really hard! We’re currently very far away, so we have to take what we can get as far as information available on the Internet. I’m not super comfortable signing a lease sight-unseen, but it looks like that might be what we end up doing. And it’s not just the house we have to take into account — we’ve got to consider schools, shopping, commute times, neighborhoods, and a host of other craziness. I forgot what a challenge moving can be.

So… I’ve been baking and drinking! I’ve posted my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe here before, but it’s worth repeating. These are the perfect cookies, guys. Especially when consumed with an icy cold Bud Light (or milk — pick your poison).

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Contemporary YA Week over at Stacked, which started Monday and is still going strong. From librarian/blogger Kelly Jensen: I have a nice array of guest posts from contemporary YA authors. We’re going to travel across the globe to talk about Australian contemporary YA, we’ll talk about mental illness in contemporary YA, humor in contemporary YA, and much, much more. In fact, I have 7 guest posts lined up, along with a host of book lists. I thought that in addition to new posts, I’d rerun some older content, as well, in order to give a huge range of voices and insights into contemporary YA. Fantastic, yes? As a huge fan of contemporary YA, I’m so enjoying this series.

Additionally, I’m finding this post entitled The Four Types of Character Flaws from Writers Helping Writers to be incredibly timely and very helpful. Tons of awesome character-related advice to consider as I tackle my revision. (Also, I love Writers Helping Writers. If you’re not following this blog, you should be!)

And, finally, the mama in me got all teary paging through photographer Jenny Lewis‘s One Day Young series. She captured images of mamas and their babies within 24 hours of birth, her aim being to express the extraordinary bonding, tenderness and strength between mother and infant. The photographs are beautiful and heartwarming, and I hope you’ll check them out.

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

November 6, 2013November 5, 201340 Comments

What I’m Reading: Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything, which is witty and thought-provoking and highly entertaining. It’s taking me awhile to get through because I’ve been busy, but in no way does that speak to its quality. Up next… I don’t know! I’ve read through my TBR pile and I’ve got nothing on-deck. That gives me a weirdly anxious feeling. Anyone have a great recommendation?

What I’m Writing: Not much because… I finished my WiP! Yep, on Halloween I officially typed The End, concluding the first draft of the story I started in April.

Over the weekend, I took a much-needed writing break, though I did think about my upcoming revision A LOT. My To-Do list is extensive and I’ve got tons of work ahead of me, but I *think* I know what needs to be done to make my story readable. I love revising, so I’m very happy to be at this stage of the game.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Over the weekend, my husband, daughter, and I took a trip to Yosemite National Park. None of us had been before and we weren’t sure what to expect. Yosemite did not disappoint. In fact, it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. We had an amazing time hiking and adventuring. Plus, we got to attend the wedding of two great friends, which made the trip even more awesome. Obviously I took zillions of pictures…

Tunnel View, without any sort of filter. The park is this stunning naturally.

Yosemite sky, also without filter. It was so blue. And I kind of love the “Speeding Kills Bears” signs, which were everywhere. There’s something oddly charming about them. We didn’t see any real bears, so the signs were the next best thing.

My girl had a great time! She got a kick out of the snow and the incredible views.

We hiked four strenuous uphill miles to get to Nevada Falls, then four more miles back to the truck, and I’m proud to report that my daughter rocked it. My husband and I were wiped by the end and she had to have been too, but there was absolutely no complaining. She’s a little soldier. 😉

With my favorite girl at the hotel (we stayed at the Tenaya Lodge, which was fantastic) and out among the sequoias.

And, with my handsome husband at the wedding. Congrats to Ryan and Johanna!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: A post from writer Anya Monroe about the NaNo Pep Talk she gave 125 eighth graders who are participating this year, and the ways she connected with them through writing and books. Also, a super short and heartwarming story about the Xhosa culture and their I am because we are philosophy. Definitely worth the read. And finally…

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

October 23, 2013October 23, 201334 Comments

What I’m Reading: I finished Fault Line by Christa Desir and posted my Debut Author Challenge write-up HERE. I also read Lauren Myracle’s Shine, which was gripping, beautifully written, and incredibly unique. I loved it. My girlie and I read Dav Pilkey’s The Adventures of Captain Underpants together. She thought it was extraordinary. I thought it was super silly and very clever. Now, I’m rereading one of my favorite childhood books, Just as Long as We’re Together by Judy Blume. Pretty sure the people at my gym are judging me as I read it on the Stair Master, but I don’t care because it’s just as fab as I remember.

What I’m Writing: I love Scrivener. Like, so much. On Sunday, I took a good hard look at my WiP’s format and current outline, and realized that several scenes needed shifting. What would have taken me hours to copy and paste using Word took all of ten minutes to adjust using Scrivener. The cork board is most definitely my new best friend. As well as revising my outline, I wrote somewhere around 4K words over the last week. I have approximately ten scenes left to write before this first draft is done. Mostly, they’re the story’s climax and conclusion, and their pacing should be fast. Hopefully they’ll come easily and I’ll be writing THE END by Halloween. (Holy hell… That would be amazing!)

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Uh, signing up for #SipSwap, that’s what! Last year I had a blast participating in the mug exchange dreamed up by Jessica Love and Kelsey Macke, and I can’t wait to do it again this year.

You should definitely join in on the fun. Sign up HERE.

Over the weekend, we took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. I have a soft spot for the patch we used to visit in Washington, but our California patch, Hollister’s Swank Farms, is truly awesome. We had tons of fun navigating the corn maze, sling-shotting gourds, and picking pumpkins with our friends. Bonus… We ate yummy Mexican food after. 🙂

What’s Inspiring Me Now: Fantastic writing advice from Richard Price… “The bigger the issue, the smaller you write. Remember that. You don’t write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid’s burnt socks lying on the road. You pick the smallest manageable part of the big thing, and you work off the resonance.” Amazing, right? Also, this quote from Chuck Palahniuk…