Tuesday Tunes – If I Die Young

November 2, 2010November 2, 20105 Comments

The Band Perry is a fairly new group out of East Tennessee. There first big hit, If I Die Young, was written by lead singer Kimberly Perry for their debut album. This song is thought-provoking, haunting, and moving–all the things I want my WIP, Where Poppies Bloom to be. If I Die Young is a constant on my play list these days. Here’s the video, and below are the lyrics in full.

“If I Die Young”

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh, uh oh

Lord make me a rainbow, I’ll shine down on my mother
She’ll know I’m safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh and
Life ain’t always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain’t even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had, just enough time

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had, just enough time

And I’ll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom
I’m as green as the ring on my little, cold finger, I’ve
Never known the lovin’ of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand, there’s a
Boy here in town says he’ll, love my forever
Who would have thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had, just enough time

So put on your best boys and I’ll wear my pearls
What I never did is done

A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I’ll sell them for a dollar
They’re worth so much more after I’m a goner
And maybe then you’ll hear the words I been singin’
Funny when your dead how people start listenin’

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh (uh, oh)
The ballad of a dove Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep ’em in your pocket
Save them for a time when your really gonna need them, oh

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I’ve had, just enough time

So put on your best boys and I’ll wear my pearls

*Written by Kimberly Perry

What about you? Any songs that have been particularly moving or inspirational lately?

And for your viewing pleasure, my cutie pie, Claire, as Dorothy, and me as Hermione Granger on Halloween 🙂

RTW: Comparables

October 20, 2010October 19, 20107 Comments

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 own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

Today’s Topic: Who are your comp titles/authors?

Though I know it’s important to know who you compare to within your particular genre, I sort of hate this question. It feels so arrogant to measure my work up against anything already out there, particularly books that I love. But, whenever I am asked what books my manuscript Loving Max Holden compares to, I reference Sarah Ockler’s Twenty Boy Summer and Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty. (Just realized both of these books take place during the summer. Max takes place during the winter. Hmm…)

I reference these books not only because they are awesome, (:)) but because I feel they’re similar to Max both in their realistic teen girl voice, and in the way that they deal with family dynamics. Max also shares the general mood, tone, and voice of some of Sarah Dessen’s books (in my opinion Max is steamier!), but I never use her as a comp because it feels too obvious. Lots of contemporary YA fiction is sort of Sarah Dessen-esque, right?

As far as Where Poppies Bloom, um… can I pass? Poppies is still a work-in-process (though I am about 2/3 of the way through the first draft–yay!) and although I’ve been reading quite a bit of paranormal romance lately, I’ve yet to find anything I’m comfortable comparing it to. If you have any great paranormal romance recommendations (particularly those that might deal with ghosts!), I’d love if you’d leave the titles in the comments.

Friday Five – What’s awesome this week?

October 15, 2010October 14, 20102 Comments

It’s a random Friday. I’m knee-deep in WIP, and therefore not reading a lot or watching much TV. But, I have gotten out a little and here are the things that make my awesome list this week. 🙂

1) Okay, movies first. I saw two last weekend and they both rocked (the Munchkin slept over at Mimi and Baba’s and my husband and I pulled a double feature!).

The Social Network – Fast paced, funny, and completely relevant. I was in college when Napster came out (I may or may not have had a few free songs downloaded on my computer. Shhh…) and have had Facebook for a few years now. The Social Network is a story of friendship, money and betrayal, and the impact of technology on masses of people. There’s really no good guy in this movie; at times, I was sympathetic to all of the main characters. The Social Network is proof that good ideas are a dime a dozen. Actually being able to execute them WELL is what’s important.

AND It’s Kind of a Funny Story – Based on a YA novel, It’s Kind of a Funny Story reminded me of Little Miss Sunshine, a movie I adore. It’s a little bit dark, a little bit funny, and a lot heartfelt. The actors are adorable, and the movie focuses on a realistic teen with realistic problems (pressure at school, unrequited love, feelings of isolation). At times, it’s a little heavy-handed on its lesson (things are never as bad as they seem), but I still loved it.

2) I found a local independent new/used bookstore! A Good Book Cafe in Sumner, Washington might just be my new favorite place to buy books. They have a huge selection of all genres and are willing to special order anything they don’t stock. Plus, they took two huge boxes of old books off my hands in exchange for discounts and store credit. Yay!

3) Vampire Diaries – I know it’s aimed at teens, blah, blah, blah, but I think Vampire Diaries is one of the best shows on TV. It’s steamy, with super sharp dialogue, new twists and turns in every episode, and a freakishly attractive cast. If you’re not watching, start with Season One. Too much goes on in each and every scene to jump in mid-Season Two. But do watch–definitely!

4) I found the perfect actor to play the romantic interest in the movie of my WIP, Where Poppies Bloom (hey, a girl can dream!). Meet Alex Pettyfer. Yeah. I know.

5) Last but not least, I have found my new favorite non-writing/non-publishing blog ever – www.whatclaudiawore.com. I have to admit, I was intensely fanatical about The Baby-Sitters Club when I was a kid. Not only did I read every. Single. Book, but, I owned most of the too. Silly as they seem now, I was an uberfan. My favorite character was Claudia Kishi, the Asian American girl with the almond-shaped eyes. So what if she sucked at school and had an insane candy addiction? She was arty and unique and she wore–seriously–the coolest clothes ever. Somehow I’ve managed to stumble across a blog written by a twenty-something who shares in my previously dormant Claudia obsession. Her posts are snarky and fun, featuring the way-too detailed descriptions of Claud’s outfits straight from the books’ text, with her witty commentary laced it. Lately, she’s been doing her take on the book covers too, which are nothing short of hilarious. Yep. Check it out! 🙂

(Kristy pic from http://incredulouskristy.tumblr.com/, also worth checking out!)

Friday Five: What my WIP is teaching me…

October 8, 2010October 7, 20106 Comments

So, I’m somewhere around half-way through draft one of my WIP, Where Poppies Bloom. It’s been a learning experience, to say the least. It’s the third full-length YA novel I’ve tackled, and for whatever reason, everything that worked for me while writing the first two is NOT working for me this time around. It’s a learning experience, and a definite labor of love. Here’s what I’ve picked up at this stage of the game.

1) I’m a romance writer, through and through. WIP’s original outline started out with very little romance, and even that didn’t come until the end. It was so not working for me. I’ve made some adjustments. Now, my two main characters realize their feelings for each other earlier, and it’s so much more fun to sit down and spend my afternoon working on their relationship with them. I’m inspired again. *whew!*

2) I’m an unapologetic lover of adverbs. Yeah, I know. Don’t use them, it’s amateur, they’re a crutch, blah, blah… Whatever. I dig them AND I use them. Of course, many are edited out at a later stage of the game, but in the first draft I drop them in without inhibition. Why? Because they’re easy. They say what I want to say quickly, and I can revise later if I need to. They help set a mood. And I think adverbs–when used thoughtfully–are capable of making a YA voice just a little more authentic.

3) I’m capable of writing scenes out-of-order. Who would have thought?! Oh, my last manuscript was so easy. Seriously… effortless as far as getting the words down on paper. I outlined scene by scene, then I wrote that sucker, scene by scene. There was no jumping ahead, no backtracking. This WIP… not so much. It’s a struggle. Like pulling teeth some days. So I skip around. I write what I’m feeling, what I can’t get out of my head. Then I go back fifty pages and stick in a new scene that just randomly popped into my head. And it’s okay! (I have to keep reminding my OCD of this.) Writing fiction is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. (And this.) The manuscript will survive! (And this.) After all, that’s what revisions are for, right? Smoothing it all out, plugging holes, and shining it up.

4) Speaking of revisions, I love them so much more than writing the first draft. Yep. It’s true. It’s HARD getting the story down on paper. I’d so much rather make something that already exists pretty. I love to edit. I love to revise. I can’t wait until I get to that phase.

5) Setting is really important, and fun to create! I’ve created a whole town for Where Poppies Bloom. It’s called Bell Cove. It’s on the Oregon coast. And it’s beautiful. Most importantly, it plays a big part in the story, much like a character. All these events that take place? They can only happen in Bell Cove. It’s quaint and touristy and quiet. I sort of want to live there someday. And this house that my main character is living in? It’s spooky and historical and in the midst of a remodel. Awesome. And the beach? Well, I didn’t create the beach, but it’s lovely and sort of symbolic and it’s really fun to write the scenes that take place there.

So yes, WIP is giving me fits, but she’s fun and I’m learning, and that’s why I keep going back for more. What about you? What has your WIP taught you lately?

RTW – The Feel Good Decade

September 15, 2010September 22, 20106 Comments

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

This Week’s Topic: If you could travel back to any historical era for research purposes, which would you choose?

This one’s easy for me! I’ve been researching the 1970s for the last few weeks for my WIP, Where Poppies Bloom, which features a ghost who’s been dead since 1977. Not sure the ’70s qualify as a “historical era” (I think historical is technically anything before the 1900s, right?) but I’m chosing The Feel Good Decade anyway, because it’s just so groovy. 🙂 The Vietnam War was over and the draft was done . Civil Rights was the law. Protesting was coming to an end. People just wanted to be happy! Why else would they have worn bell bottom pants and disco-ed till they dropped?

Just check out this awesomeness!

Thanks for another fun topic, YA Highway! Looking forward to next week!

What’s New?

September 7, 2010September 22, 2010

I recently realized that I haven’t done an update post in a while, and thought this might be a good time. But, before we begin, if you haven’t had a chance to take a look at the improvements I’ve made to this little corner of the internet, please do. Above, I’ve added ABOUT ME, LOVING MAX HOLDEN, and WHERE POPPIES BLOOM tabs. Check ’em out!

First, I’m stilling querying and waiting on replies for my YA romance, Loving Max Holden. I’ve had some good responses and have gotten several requests for pages. I’m currently waiting to hear back about two full submissions (both requested from partials) and two partial submissions. My absolute dream agent is currently reading my full. I can’t fully express how much this both terrifies and thrills me. I also have four recent queries still out and am hoping for more requests. Fingers crossed!

Second, I’m beginning a mentorship program through Savvy Authors with romance writer Lori Wilde. During the six month program, my classmates and I will: Learn the nuts and bolts of creating a novel from start to finish, emerge from the class with a completed, revised novel, learn the ins and outs of marketing our fiction, and have fun while developing new writing skills. I’ll be working on my new paranormal YA romance, Where Poppies Bloom, and I’m so excited to begin. I’m absolutely thrilled about getting feedback from an author with so much experience and success. If you’re interested in learning more, click HERE.

Finally, I just got home from a mini-vacation with my husband and daughter. We drove about four hours southwest to the Oregon coast where we enjoyed fun in the sun, sandcastle building, kite flying, yummy food, and great shopping. This trip was two-fold. First, we packed in some lovely family time, and second, I saw first hand the small, touristy coastal towns I’ve based the setting of my next book on. Astoria, Seaside, and Cannon Beach were all on my radar when I started building fictional Bell Cove for Where Poppies Bloom. Now that I’ve spent time in each of these cities and absorbed their ambience, I’m certain I’m on the right track. We detoured to Portland on the way home, specifically to visit Powell’s Bookstore, an enormous independent new and used bookstore. One word: AMAZING. Now that I’ve been, I’ll be tempted to drive south for all of my book buying. Anyway, here are some inspirational photos from our trip: