What’s Up Wednesday

December 4, 2013December 4, 201346 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’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 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 30, 2013October 29, 201336 Comments

What I’m Reading: I finished Judy Blume’s Just as Long as We’re Together and loved it just as much as I did when I was a kid. Even though it was published way back in 1987, it’s still perfectly relevant. Recommend! I also read Veronica Roth’s Allegiant, a book that pretty much crushed me with feels. That ending… It hurt my heart, but I thought it was courageous, a fitting conclusion to a fantastic trilogy. Now I’m reading Katie Cotugno’s How To Love and oh my gosh… I love it SO MUCH. It’s such a Katy Book. Along with a spectacularly intense romance, there’s the bonus of an incredibly sweet and real mother-daughter relationship. I’m adoring everything about this one!

What I’m Writing: Guys. I am almost done with the first draft of my WiP. I’m two-and-a-half scenes from THE END (85K words… jeez!), and I’m beyond excited. I’m going to finish this thing tomorrow (Halloween!), and then I’m going to eat buckets of candy to celebrate. A little excerpt…

He pulled her close because he couldn’t stand a breath of space between them—not tonight, not when he needed her like this. He hid his face in hollow where her neck met her shoulder, where the scent of vanilla was so hypnotic he could hardly think straight. “I’m happy when I’m with you,” he said softly.

It was the absolute truth, as well as the biggest lie he’d ever told. Nobody in the world grounded him like Dylan—thrilled him like Dylan—but that didn’t mean her presence wasn’t comparable to excavating his heart with a rusty spoon.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Shopping for something to wear to the wedding we’re going to this weekend. It’s in Yosemite, which I’m excited about, but I haven’t been able to find the perfect dress yet. Wish me luck!

On Saturday I ran a 10K in Big Sur with some great friends. We all have girls in first grade, so it’s fun to trade stories about our daughters’ sassy moments. 🙂 The run was awesome, beautiful scenery and not too crowded, but most of it was through a campground and the campfire smoke was not exactly conducive to clean breathing. Still, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

I made Chewy Nutella Brownies, my very favorite brownie recipe. These babies include an entire jar of Nutella, four eggs, dark chocolate cocoa powder, mini chocolate chips, and espresso. They’re rich in the very best way. I firmly believe that homemade brownies are worth the extra time and effort. These are proof!

And… We carved pumpkins! Hard to tell, but that’s my attempt at Wonder Woman back there. She was a challenge, but my daughter requested her. Of course I fully support her love of superheroes and girl power.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: My upcoming revisions! My To-Do list is a mile long, and I can’t wait to dive in. While I find first-drafting ~~excruciating~~ challenging, I love to revise. Mostly because when it’s finally time to do so, I know my characters well and I’ve figured out lots of cool ways to add depth and texture to the story. Also, it’s so satisfying to fill plot holes! I’d much rather polish something that already exists than try to spin a story out of nowhere (and I call myself a writer…). Anyhow, my friend/CP Alison Miller and I decided to set some revision goals for the next month (or two?) and root each other on during the process (mostly because we REALLY want to read each other’s stories!). From time to time, we’ll blog about our progress and encourage each other, and anyone else who wants to join us. How about it? Are you up for NaNoReviseMo?

Also, this cutie pie inspires me every day. She’s so full of smiles and joy. Love her.

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…

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

October 9, 2013October 8, 201346 Comments

What I’m Reading: I finished April Genevieve Tucholke’s debut, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, which was unique and twisty, then moved on to Kimberly Derting’s Dead Silence. I’ve loved all of her Body Finder novels, and this one is no exception. These murder mysteries are spooky and super well done, and Jay, the series’ love interest, is adorable. Now I’m reading Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan. It’s a story that requires major suspension of disbelief (spellseekers and cursecasters!), but I’m invested in Stephen and Elizabeth’s story, so I’m not having trouble letting go of my skepticism.

What I’m Writing: Still plugging away at my WiP. I keep thinking the end is in near, but then… my word count keeps climbing. I am a wordy first drafter, that’s for sure, but I’m hoping to wrap up this first phase in the next few weeks so I can tackle the revisions I already know are needed, and then let my CPs take a look. Yesterday I posted about my writing goals for the remainder of the year, if you’re interested in taking a look.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Well, I tried to take my daughter apple picking, but unfortunately the orchard shut down its “you-pick” option two days ago. Mom fail! Luckily, we were able to buy a big bag of already-picked apples, so there’s still an apple pie in my family’s immediate future — yum!

There were pumpkins at the the apple orchard, so the day wasn’t a total bust.

On Saturday, my husband and I headed up to Berkeley to watch our Cougs play Cal. We had such an awesome day! We met up with some friends from college, drank cheap beer, and cheered WSU on to victory even though it was hot, hot, HOT in the stadium. Sometimes it’s fun to pretend we’re still wee college kids. 😉

Sunday morning I had some bananas to use up, so I searched online for a banana-y cookie. I came across a recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies and whipped up a batch. I substituted an extra banana for the stick of butter and threw in some peanut butter chips, and they turned out tasty. Though they do have sugar in them, these cookies have enough healthy ingredients (bananas, peanut butter, oats) to be considered breakfast, too.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: A post from agent Jennifer Laughran about common manuscript problems, specifically show-don’t-tell spoilers and rhetorical questions, called Nutshell Spoilers and the Rhetorical No-No. Come revision time, her tips will help me to take an extra critical look at my writing.

Also, one of my daughter’s best school friends is a little girl from Pakistan. Her mom invited me and a few other ladies over for lunch the other day and the food was aMaZiNg. Like, indescribably so. The conversation was fascinating as well. Hearing stories about life in Pakistan was incredibly inspiring and eye-opening. One of my favorite things about Army Life is meeting new people and learning about cultures that are different from my own.

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday (And Superlatives!)

October 2, 2013October 1, 201346 Comments

Before I get to my What’s Up Wednesday post, I’d like to take a moment to feature one of my favorite annual blogging events — one that’s coming up soon!

For the last two years, Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and I have hosted The YA Superlatives Blogfest, an interactive way to highlight our favorite YA novels, covers, characters, and story elements of the year. (My previous Superlative posts are HERE and HERE.) We’ve had a fantastic group of bloggers sign on to participate in the past, and it’s so much fun to hop from blog to blog to find out how our friends awarded their superlatives.

Jess, Tracey, Alison, and I have had such a great time talking about awesome books and getting to know new bloggers through this blogfest, we’ve decided to do it again! There will be lots more information about the specifics of the The Class of 2013: YA Superlatives Blogfest in the coming weeks (I can tell you that it will take place during the third week of December), but we wanted to give you a heads up now, so you have plenty of time to beef up your books-published-in-2013 reading list (there’s a comprehensive catalog of titles HERE).

Just like 2011 and 2012, the The Class of 2013: YA Superlatives Blogfest will be all about FUN and promoting fantastic novels! Don’t worry if your 2013 reading list is on the short side, or if you don’t have a book/character/cover/element for each category; we just want you to jump in and participate any way you can! Happy reading!

“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…

What I’m Reading: I finished Bennett Madison’s September Girls, and now I understand why this is such a polarizing novel. It’s graphic and it’s haunting and it’s obviously not for everyone, but I loved it. It’s a surreal, trippy sort of story, beautifully written, and with a setting that felt both dreamlike and entirely real. Plus, main character Sam’s voice… Wow. Now, I’m reading April Genevieve Tucholke’s debut, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, a novel with one of the best settings I’ve seen in a while. I would love to visit Echo and the Citizen!

What I’m Writing: My WiP! You know how when you take an extended break from a project, it’s really had to pick it back up again? Well, my WiP and I have had a bit of a hiatus over the last few weeks, and I was dreading that moment when I’d have no more excuses and would have to sit down and attempt to recover the groove I once had. Last week I finally bit the bullet and dove back into the story and guess what? My groove has been recovered safe and sound! I’ve written about 6,000 words over the last seven days, and I’m thinking I have about 10K left to go.

My story is told in a rather untraditional format. Most of it takes place over the course of a year, but there are scenes from one transcendental present-tense night sprinkled throughout, a now-and-then structure, if you will. I am *almost* done with the “then” scenes (which make up about 85% of the story) and I can’t wait to get started on the “now” scenes. Progress!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Mostly, I’ve been reading and writing and hanging out in the kitchen. This week I made Lentil Soup, a family favorite, plus Snickerdoodles and a Hootenanny (a really easy melding of a pancake and French toast that bakes in the oven). I also indulged in another fall dessert…

Apple Crumb Cake, which I thought was tasty and my daughter loved. She even ate it for breakfast (there’s fruit in it — why not?). My always-honest husband, on the other hand, declared this “not a favorite” of the treats I bake. He’s a peanut-butter-and-chocolate kind of guy, though, so let’s take his opinion with a grain of salt, shall we?

I’ve also been hanging with this girl, who plays soccer like her mama used to — timidly and lackadaisically. Contact sports have never been my thing (I swam in high school and now I run), and I’m pretty sure they won’t be my daughter’s either. Nevertheless, my husband and I have been working on the fundamentals of soccer with her. We’re trying to teach her how to be aggressive without being a jerk. It’s a pretty fine line when you’re six.

What’s Inspiring Me Now: The incomparable Laini Taylor‘s thoughts on Writing and “Found” Objects and Beachcombing, or why it’s awesome to be a plotter and a pantser all at once, as well as 2014 debut author Sara B. Larson‘s honest and thoughtful post On Overcoming Doubt…

Oddly enough, television has also been inspiring me. I don’t watch TV much, but I’m a faithful fan of a few shows — Breaking Bad being my favorite. Sunday night was the series finale, and I can’t express how anxious and sad I felt in the hours leading up to that last episode. I’ve grown so invested in Walt and Jesse and Skyler and Marie, and I’m continually blown away by the show’s amazing writing and no-holds-barred take on storytelling. There will be no finale spoilers here, but I will say that I was extraordinarily satisfied with the way the series wrapped up. For me, it was perfection. And on the other end of the television spectrum, the Uppermans have started watching The Voice, which is one of those rare shows that’s perfect for family viewing. My daughter loves it for the singing and the young talent, and I love it because it’s positive and clean and stresses the importance of hard work and perseverance. Even my husband, who was skeptical at first, is charmed by the humor of the coaches. I totally recommend The Voice if you’ve been living under a rock (like me) and have yet to catch an episode.

Tell me: What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

September 25, 2013September 24, 201347 Comments

What I’m Reading: This week I finished Jessica Verdi’s debut My Life After Now and enjoyed it. It read as a very entertaining PSA, and featured a protagonist who experienced some profound personal growth. I also read Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular Now, which I adored. It’s a raw, real story about a teen alcoholic who has deluded himself into believing he’s the life of every party, and that he’s helping (rather than corrupting) the shy girl who’s falling for him. Now that I’ve finished, I want to see the movie EVEN MORE. Check out my friend Erin Bowman‘s fantastic review of the novel and film. Now, I’ve started Bennett Madison’s September Girls, which has received some rather controversial reviews, but sounds mesmerizing. I’m excited to see what it’s all about!

What I’m Writing: I didn’t do much in terms of word count this week, but I did thoughtfully reassess the last several to-be-written scenes in my outline. I brainstormed some ways to raise the stakes, as well as streamlined things a bit. Now that I know exactly where I’m headed, I’m really excited to draft through the end of my manuscript. Of course, once the draft is finished, it’s going to need TONS of work (I’ve discovered a lot about these characters through the drafting process and have a long To-Do list in terms of revisions), but more often than not, I think this story has potential. Yay!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Over the last few days, my husband, daughter, and I have played tourists in the area surrounding our town — a little “stay-cation” if you will. Now that our time in California is winding down, we’re trying to pack in all the fun things we’ve yet to do. Since Sunday, we’ve visited…

California’s Great America, a sweeping and surprisingly clean amusement park in Santa Clara, with lots of kickass roller coasters, and Snoopy!

The Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, a “gravitational anomaly” amongst the redwoods which was, in a word, weird.

Also, we toured Alcatraz and checked out the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco — both very cool. It’s been an incredible few days, but I’m exhausted! This old lady is ready for a few days of relaxation at home.

In other news… I baked my first pumpkin-y dessert of fall, Pumpkin Pecan Bars, which tasted warm and homey and sweet and amazing. My husband is a big pumpkin fan and he devoured these treats, as did my daughter and I. Yum!

Also, my parents visited over the weekend. My girlie is the only granddaughter on my side of the family, so I’m sure you can imagine the abundance of spoiling that occurs when Nana and Poppy are in town. We had a great time!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: A fantastic post from my friend Jaime Morrow (What’s Up Wednesday co-creator) about taking a break from writing to appreciate everything else about life (without guilt!). This one hits close to home because I always feel like I should be putting writing before everything else. Jaime made me feel better, and much more normal! Also, this cheeky post from Bethany Myers: Top Nine Signs You’re Living in a YA Novel. Totally made me laugh. 🙂 And, as always, gorgeous California scenery…

Tell me… What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

September 18, 2013September 18, 201344 Comments

What I’m Reading: Over the weekend I read The Truth About You & Me by Amanda Grace (Mandy Hubbard) and I thought it was excellent. I’ll post more about my thoughts in tomorrow’s Bookanista recommendation. Yesterday I finished Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, which I loved more than I can adequately express. This book is everything I enjoy about contemporary YA/NA, with even more unfathomable amazingness heaped on top. These characters… they are my people. I adore them — Cath and Levi especially, but Reagan and Wren and Cath’s dad too. I’ll try to speak more coherently about this incredible novel in next week’s Bookanista recommendation. I just started reading My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi, and I’m already hooked. Can’t wait to see how it pans out!

What I’m Writing: Ugh… I’ve been a total writing loser this week. I turned in my revision, and then I slack-slack-slacked. I’ve been thinking about my WiP, and I’ve been reading some truly inspiring contemporary YA (see above), but I haven’t made actual word count progress. I promise to do better next week!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Well… Last week I tried to double a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies and, like a jackass, I accidentally quadrupled the sugar. Rather than starting over, I just went ahead and quadrupled the whole recipe. After hours of baking, I had, like, eleven dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies. My neighbors benefitted. (My waistline did not.)

Is there such a thing as too many cookies?

This girl had a busy week. An American Pride assembly, and a soccer game. Plus…

Nana is visiting!

What’s Inspiring Me Now: This fantastic post from Chuck Wendig: 25 Steps to Edit the Unmerciful Suck Out of Your Manuscript, which I’ve read, and bookmarked to read again once I’m ready to begin revising. Also, the beautiful views I’ve encountered during my morning runs over the last few days.

Tell me: What’s up with you today?

What’s Up Wednesday

September 11, 2013September 11, 201336 Comments

What I’m Reading: I finished And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, which was less like a novel, and more like a series of short stories about several loosely related people. It’s a beautifully written story about family and friendship, identity and loyalty, and while it was excellent, I didn’t love it *quite* as much as A Thousand Splendid Suns.

I’m currently reading Canary by Rachel Alpine, which I’ll review next week for Bookanistas and The Debut Author Challenge. Also, I’m in the middle of reading my CP Temre Beltz‘s middle grade manuscript (the one she wrote during Ready. Set. Write!), a tragic sort of story that’s so surreal and darkly funny and gorgeously written, it’s hard to put its awesomeness into words. I am a lucky CP!

What I’m Writing: I finished my “light” revision, and was reminded, yet again, that no revision is ever actually light. Funny how tweaking one tiny thread can wreak havoc on an entire story! But, it’s done, and it’s better, and I’m excited! Also, the story scored a cool new title — thank you for helping me brainstorm, Temre and Alison! So… want to read a bit of what I’ve been working on?

He stretches out next to me and I reach for him, trailing my hand up and down his forearm. He’s watching me, and his expression… It’s awed and disarming and adoring. No one’s ever looked at me the way he’s looking at me now, and for a moment I’m overwhelmed by the intense physicality of my feelings for him. I’ve heard love talked about a million times, in a million different ways, but I’ve never imagined it like this, a raw, all-consuming need.

“Thank you for today,” I say to him. “For everything.”

He smiles, his hand wandering over to rest on my stomach. His fingertips drift under my shirt and trace circles over my skin, slowly, higher and higher. His touch makes me shiver.

Like the gentleman he was raised to be, he stops. “I won’t push you.”

“You’re not.”

“Not yet,” he says with a wink.

Aww… I kind of love these characters. ♡

Now that my revised manuscript is in my agent’s hands, I get to dive back into the WiP I started working on during Ready. Set. Write! I’ve had some time to think it through, and I’m pretty sure I know where it needs to go. Back to drafting!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Getting ready for my parents to visit. My mom is coming on Saturday, and my dad is joining her later in the week. We haven’t seen them since April, and we’re looking forward to a great visit. Also, we’re gearing up for my girlie’s first soccer game. Should be fun!

Over the weekend, my husband and I had a rare date night. We went to The Inn at Spanish Bay (part of Pebble Beach) for drinks and to watch their famous bagpiper play during sunset. It was glorious! If you’re ever in the Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur area, check it out. We also had a leisurely dinner at a new restaurant, thanks to our awesome friends who offered to to let our kiddo play at their house for the evening. Such a treat!

We’ve been taking “family runs” lately, which basically consist of my husband and me trying to keep up with our daughter (on foot) while she flies down the waterfront trail on her bike for six miles. It’s quite a workout, and we often reward ourselves with donuts after. 🙂

What’s Inspiring Me Now: This quote from Alan Bennet (most recently shared by illustrator Simini Blocker in her review of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl):

The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.”

Because, yes, I have had several such moments while reading, and they never fail to give me chills. As a writer, I long to have a similar impact on readers.

Tell me: What’s up with you today?