Kicking my Crit Partner's Butt

One of my crit partners, Andy Thompson said I came to him in a dream the other night and literally beat him over the head with his future published book telling him to WRITE WRITE WRITE! (click on his name- he blogged about it!)  I told him it was my future self coming back from the future to tell him to write more.  I think Michael J Fox was with me too...in the DeLorean. 

Oh wait, wrong dream- okay here we go:

(I so hope he didn't picture me as one of the Sanderson sisters- doesn't his book look awesome though?)

I'm so glad I can have such an impact on my crit partners!  They love me so much that they dream about me beating them to a pulp with their future novels.  I feel so special.  No seriously, I do.  I can't really abuse them in real life, so coming to them in a dream is the next best thing (or from the future). 

I am so grateful I have my crit partners.  Andy and Colene are so encouraging and help me get through this crazy world of writing.  They each bring their own perspective and it's cool to see what they have to say about my work.  We can lament together about our anxieties about the publishing world, and we can relate and feel connected.  I can talk to Hubsies until he's blue in the face about my work and fears about being published, but it's different when you talk to someone going through the same thing.

And I know that they'd extend the same love and courtesy and beat me over the head with my future novel if I needed it.  And boy, do I need it sometimes.

And then, (because everything can be related to Back To The Future), I'll write a book about it, and it'll become a bestseller.

Help! Buffy Hates Me!

Holy pooper scooper, it's Monday at 7pm and I just NOW got done reading today's blogs (it took TWO HOURS).  And my computer (Buffy) hates me.  She's all loud and angry, radiating heat, trying to burn my fingers off the keyboard.  (honestly, I think its time to go to the doctor...she's on a hard surface, and plugged in but still gets so hot sometimes I literally have to stop using her and take a break)

I mean seriously, I love you guys so much, but I feel like I can't keep up!  I can't check the blogs I follow throughout the day because of work, so by the time I get home there are like a million blogs to read.  Then I try to catch up, but of course Little Monster is ready to play or eat or get ready for bed.  And then I go to bed practically right after her because I have to be at work at 7:30 (and if I don't get my full 8 hours...mama ain't happy)  And if I wait until the weekend...holy moley, it's like blogger threw up.

So how do you guys keep up with the blogs you are following?  It's so hard to keep up because of work, kids and actually trying to keep my house within sanitation codes, it's kinda overwhelming!  Oh and not to mention the book I'm writing, ms I'm critiquing, shows I'm watching and books on my TBR pile (um, and a husband in there somewhere). What's your blog schedule?  Do you have a routine for when you check blogs, and when you write blogs?  How do you not get so overwhelmed you just want to quit?

Okay I gotta go, Buffy's literally like, screaming at me and I think my wrists have third degree burns on them... 

OMG, a NaNoWriMo Blog Post...because everyone else is doing it...



(I think there was supposed to be a spider on this sign)

So I thought I'd jump in on the bandwagon and talk about NaNoWriMo.  For those of you who read my blog and might not know what it is, November is National Novel Writing Month.  So, for the whole month of November we have to crank out a 50,000 word novel.  Yeah, last year I got a whole 0 words written on that. 

So, this year, I've decided to call it NaNoFinMo.  National Novel Finishing Month.  My goal for November is to just FINISH this darn book.  I can see the end in sight, and it's making me crazy!  But I can't rush it- I can't pull a "Suzanne Collins" and rush to the end after my climax.  But I'm hoping I can discipline myself a little better and finish the 15k words I have left.  I can totally do that.

So instead of making myself crazy about NaNo, I'll just talk about Awards!

I got three awards from Maggie over at The Juniper Breeze is Blowing In!

Thank you so much Maggie!  Since I've gotten the first two and have given them out before, I'll focus on the third one- The Versatile Blogger Award.  For this one I must tell 7 facts about myself:
1. I am obsessed with the show How I Met Your Mother- I see SO MUCH of Lily and Marshall in Hubsies and I. 
2. This topic has come up a couple times in the past couple days- I laugh when Little Monster falls.  Sorry, but it's hilarious.  (I'm talking little like, tripping type falls and falling in the toilet (yes that's happened) not huge head-busting falls...c'mon I'm not that mean).  But I do love a good trip.
3.  I cry when I listen to Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth singing Defying Gravity from Wicked- it's so beautiful.
4.  We have an only child and it's totally our choice to have an only- and we LOVE it.
5.  I need "white noise" when I sleep
6.  I hate Mcalisters Sweet Tea *ducks*
7.  I like big teeth.  Like, it's weird. 

I'd like to award this to Colene Murphy of The Journey (who is my awesome Crit Partner and has an awesome blog!), and then to some new blogs I've been following: Melissa at Through the Looking Glass, and Erica and Christy.  Susanne at SusanneWrites (because she just got a book deal!!), and Lisa Galek at Read.Write.Repeat (because she needs a little encouragement- go visit her blog!) 

And now to leave you with some fun fall colours in my neighborhood (I'm using the British spelling of colour because I think it looks sophisticated and regal, and sometimes we just need to feel a little British)  (I know you totally like to talk in a British accent in your head sometimes...like me.)



(Okay, so there aren't any real colours on this one but I just thought this looked a little creepy and cool)




(the "before" picture in front of my house)




(our "haunted house" as Little Monster calls it)



(the "after" picture)

 We had a really great fall weekend, and I hope everyone did too.  Back to the 'ol grind!

Speak UPdate!

So, remember the #Speakloudly campaign?  The one where a man from a small town in Missouri wanted three books removed from the public high school's library?  And one of those books was Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson?  And it was totally my town?  You can read about it here.

Well, do you also remember Laurie Halse Anderson said she would send 20 copies of each of the contested books to our area libraries in her op-ed piece here?

Guess what??

We got those books at our library the other day!



(The box of books courtesy of our awesome Collection Services department)

 

Thank you Ms Anderson!!  Our library greatly appreciates all these books, and man do we need them!  Our hold lists are out the whazoo!

And, I have an update courtesy of some inside sources (because you know, they never tell us parents anything) that all three books are back on the shelves in the school.  Slaughterhouse Five has even been put back on the reading list, as far as I know, and there will be a letter sent home with parents informing them of the book.  (of course this is just what I heard, but my sources are pretty reliable)

And a huge THANK YOU to all of you who spoke up about this issue!  It looks like (for now) the books are safe.

Sneak Peak At My New Novel!

So, in honor of Teen Read Week going on right now, I thought I'd tell you about my Vampire Zombie Emo Steampunk Fantasy Novel.  VZESFN for short.  It's truly a labor of love, and I can't tell you the trials and tribulations I've gone through to write the perfect "hot" novel right now.

This is an epic love story between a Zombie named Zelda and a Vampire named Victor, set in Victorian England.  They use steam-powered jet packs to travel around since the streets are teeming with hungry, lusty vampires and zombies who want to drink their blood and eat their brains (and totally make out with them any chance they get).  They are of course, angst-ridden teens whose only goal in life is to listen to sad music and die their hair black.  Zelda and Victor meet in an interesting turn of events, when all the adult vampires and zombies banish the teens to a desolate, bomb-ridden, nuclear wasteland because they are just too angsty and dramatic all the time.  The teens must fight for their lives, whilst fighting each other (and making out) all the while trying to make a life for themselves (because who wants to go back to their parents??).  Thrown together by chance, Zelda and Victor must determine what they want more- to stay with their own kind and live separate zombie and vampire existences , or throw away their un-lives and popularity for a chance at true love.

VZESFN is about 150,000 words and I'm about halfway through.  What do you think?

Okay you caught me...I really didn't write a book like that.  And I don't plan to.  Want to know why?  Because by the time I write that book, find an agent, sell it, and get it published, all those trends will be gone and something new will be in it's place.  (plus it totally sucks big time- who wants to date a zombie? Ew.)

That's why every agent, every author that's ever been published, and every editor say don't write the trends!  Because by the time you do, they'll be fizzled out.  Vampires are totally yesterday, Zombies are already on their way out and although Steampunk is getting up there, it'll lose its ahem...steam, by the time I get it out. 

Soo....Just write what you love, and what you are passionate about.  If it happens to be a trend, do it!  It just better be so darn stinkin good that agents will be knocking down your door for a chance to represent you.  It better be fresh.  Because they get HUNDREDS of queries a day for vampire, zombie and ghost books.  They are over it. Done. 

I love fantasy.  Particularly YA fantasy.  I think that genre has been pretty steady- it has had its ups and downs, but I think there will always be room for some kind of fantasy.  I hope there will, because that's what I plan to write.  That's my niche.  I LOVE to read it and have since elementary school.  I can't see myself writing anything other than fantasy, but don't quote me on that of course.  I could slip into the magical realism or paranormal if I think of something that will blow the socks off Ms. Meyer or Ms. Rowling.  Or at least blow the socks off their fans enough to read it. 

What do you think the next trend will be?  Are we going to go completely away from paranormal and into say, mysteries for teens?  Or are there going to be more genre-blending like VZESFN?  If you are going to write the next trend, don't think about what it might be and just write it.  Maybe your book will set it off.

The Big 5-0

I got my 50th follower today!  And guess who it is??

Alex J. Cavanaugh, whose debut novel CassaStar came out today!

Here is an excerpt from his blog:

To pilot the fleet’s finest ship…

Few options remain for Byron. A talented but stubborn young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude, his cockpit skills are his only hope. Slated to train as a Cosbolt fighter pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life as he sets off for the moon base of Guaard.

Much to Byron’s chagrin the toughest instructor in the fleet takes notice of the young pilot. Haunted by a past tragedy, Bassa eventually sees through Byron's tough exterior and insolence. When a secret talent is revealed during training, Bassa feels compelled to help Byron achieve his full potential.

As war brews on the edge of space, time is running short. Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive, and Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit?

(Doesn't this book look totally awesome?  SO glad Sci Fi is making a comeback.  I don't know why, but it kinda reminds me of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card which is one of my FAVORITE books ever.)

I feel so special!  (Okay, so I followed him first, but dude, he totally didn't have to follow me back).  Thanks Alex!  Drop by his blog and wish him good luck on his release today!

Great Scott!! 25 Years Already??

"Wait a minute, Doc. Ah... Are you telling me that you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?"
"The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?"




Doesn't that smile just melt your face off??

So, I'm still mad at my parents for not taking me to see Back To The Future when it came out in July of 1985.  Okay, so maybe I was 4.  But still...they should have taken me.  But I forgive them because they were chasing around a preschooler and a 1st grader all day, and well you know- I have a huge, forgiving heart.

Anyway, so Marty went back to 1955 on October 25, 1985.  And on midnight of October 25, 2010 Hubsies will be buying the 25th anniversary DVD edition of the Back To The Future trilogy for me.  Because he knows that if he doesn't, I'll be calling Darth Vadar from the planet Vulcan to come and melt his brain.


And to top it all off, you know how some things have an added bonus that makes things even awesomer?  Tomorrow is the 2010 Scream Awards on Spike TV (at 9/8pm).  If you don't know what the Scream Awards are, its an event honoring the best in Sci Fi, Fantasy, Comics and Horror.  And they are doing a tribute to Back To The Future with a cast reunion.  O.M.G.  I can't wait! 

And here's the best part: they filmed a shot-by-shot remake of the trailer you just saw above for the Scream Awards.  (Thank you SO much to Kelly over at Nerdville Rhapsody for bringing this to my attention!)  Our man doesn't look a day older than when he shot the original trailer in 1985. 



I have to admit, I got a bit verklempt over this.

Michael J Fox is one of those celebrities you wish could be your best friend.  He married his sweetheart back when he was on Family Ties, he's a huge family man, and he's fighting for his life but not complaining one bit.  He seems like he would be the same now as he was 25 years ago- so full of life and so cool.  I mean, look at Marty- he's the coolest guy around and totally knows it.  That's why Michael J Fox played him so well- he WAS Marty. 

So, all you BTTF fans- tune into Spike TV tomorrow to watch the tribute, buy the DVD next Tuesday and remember one of the greatest movies of all time.  Get that flux capacitor fluxing, because "If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious @#$%."

Awards to erm...Award

I love you guys SO much that I'm blogging from my desk at work, when I should be down in the break room staring blankly at the wall for 15 minutes.  But I'm slaving away, because you guys are so special to me.

I got another blog award!  My wonderful Critique Partner Colene over at The Journey gave it to me!  (BTW, she is an awesome blogger and finds the most awesome links and pictures, not to mention the most up-to-date news on Harry Potter 7!  Stop by her blog if you haven't already- I swear, you are missing out on some awesome bloggage.)  Thank you so much Colene!

So the rules of this award, is I have to answer this question:

If I had the chance to go back and change one thing in my life, would I and what would it be?

I don't have many regrets in my life.  I'm a firm believer that what happens happens, and you shouldn't worry about changing it.  Everything I've done has led me to the point I am right now, and I like where I'm at.  So if I changed anything- even the bad stuff- I wouldn't have turned out where I am right now.

And besides, time travel is not a reality right now.  So, really I'll just let it up to my future self to go back and change things if I absolutely have to.  Anywho, so I think I would change the way I treated one of my best friends in high school.  I always say this, and I still think about it a lot.  She is one of my best friends now, but we had a little rough patch when we went to Europe with school.  Jut think high school drama...in Europe... and you're there. 

Or, I'd go back and not throw away that sports almanac that gave scores from the future thus giving Biff the chance to snatch it up and create an alternate 2010.  Oh wait, that wasn't me...

So, now (I'm changing this up a little to make it fun) I have to give this award out to 5 people I haven't given an award to yet:

Sam at Onesparklingstar

Library Gal at Lost In The Library

Lydia Kang at The Word is My Oyster

Anne at Writers Quandary

Shallee at Life Universe and Writing

Go check out their blogs- they're the bee's knees!

Thanks again to Colene for being awesome and getting this award in the first place, and then turning it around to me. 

Next week: stay tuned for a tribute to my all time favorite movie and trilogy in the whole world (hint: I reference to it in this post).  There will also be a special message from the time traveler himself!

Look At Yourself...Now, Look At Me

So, many of you know I work at a library.  I love when I tell people I work there, because they always go "OMG, I would LOVE to work at a library!  I'd be able to just sit and read all day, and help people find books!"  Wrong.  Boy, would that be awesome if I could do that all day.  Instead, we get to do things like watch the creepy guy in the corner with the wandering eye, help a lady find info about the growth on her butt, and herd people in and out of the computers all day.  Well, I don't technically do that anymore- I am more "behind-the-scenes" (translation- hiding in an office away from the patrons- but I totally still love you, I promise!).  But seriously, we love what we do.  And we really do help all kinds of people with all sorts of information.  Because dude..it's a library- anything you want to know?  We'll help you find it (well, our Reference staff will...don't call me, I'm too busy).  We have knowledge for FREE.  (okay, well, not technically free since your taxes pay for us...but still, awesomely pretty-much free). 

Anyway, so we found this video BYU made to promote their library.  O.M.G.  It's hilarious. 



So THEN, my good friend Sarah from the GreenBeanTeenQueen posted this on her facebook page, and I just about died.  Grover has always been my favorite and this video proves how awesome he is (and it's totally made BY Sesame Street)




So I really have no point to this post, except to say how awesome libraries, Sesame Street and Old Spice are.  They relate to each other somehow, I swear.

It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

This weekend we went to the pumpkin patch!  It's a tradition we do every year with my family, and we go to the same pumpkin patch/orchard to pick our own pumpkin.  It was a little warm (okay, I sweated my pumpkins off) but we still had a lot of fun.  We took a hay ride out to the patch:



 And then proceeded to look for the BIGGEST PUMPKIN EVER (and of course it had to be in the BACK of the pumpkin patch).  Little Monster wanted a big one, so naturally we found two.  Hubsies then proceeded to break his back carrying those two pumpkins all the way back to the tractor.  I think it was literally a mile.



Grrrr...Argh...

After approximately 10 hours out in the patch (I think I lost 10 pounds just from sweat), we made it back to the hayride.  Thankfully, our hayride had gone already (actually I think 3 had come and gone by the time we were done) and there was a covered wagon type thing in its place.  It didn't have any hay, but it had a roof, which was awesome.  So we rode back to the front to pay for our pumpkins.



Little Monster with her baby cousin

  Then we proceeded to take 10 million pictures of the kids in front of the pumpkins.  Then the kids in front of the wagon wheels.  Then in front of the gourds.  Then in front another wheel.  Oh, and don't forget Grandma and Grandpa.  Then various mommies and daddies.  Oh, and then the sisters.  Ooh, don't forget the bigger cousins together.  So FINALLY, we were ready to...

Buy some apples.  But the long line was totally worth it because they have the BEST apples ever.  And they  make this slushy apple cider YUM.  Oh, and their pumpkin pie was delish.  And their kettlecorn of course.  And, I think hubs tried the caramel apple too. 

So, after a long day of hayrides, pumpkin pickin' and pictures, were were FINALLY ready to...

see the teeny piglets.

So...that one with the white stripe was totally trying to suckle the one in the back.  Poor Browny was screaming it's head off while Stripey was nipping at him.  But he didn't do anything to get him to stop.  He just let him do it, and continued to sound like he was pretty much dying.  Fight back man!  Stop the bullying!  Or dude, just run away.

Anyway, so we left the pigs to "play" (I wouldn't be surprised if later on, Stripey had put poor Browny's head on a stick and danced a tribal dance around him) and finally went home.

It was a great weekend, and we always have fun when we go.  We also picked up an awesome pukey-greenish color gourd thing so I can paint a zombie face from Plants vs Zombies on it.  Little Monster is SO excited about that.

Now we just need to find time to carry on the tradition of mutilating our pumpkins and scooping the guts out.  Happy Fall!

Do You Whistle While You Work?

So, do you guys listen to music while you write?  I think I am pretty much the only writer that doesn't listen to music while I work on my projects.  I have to have complete silence, or else I can't concentrate.  Here is what my book would look like if I listened to music while writing:


Gaga Nuala kept very still.  She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.  Something was wrong.  She could feel it in the deep morning air; the faintest stirring, like a bad romance rustle of wind in the trees.  But there was no wind.  She opened her eyes and looked at the bright sun, as it began its ascent into the sky.  Her poker face eyes dropped, and she surveyed the land around her. 

Yeah...so no music for me.

But music does inspire me sometimes. 




 Like when Selena Gomez's song Naturally came out, I envisioned my book being played out during the song like a trailor for a movie (in slow motion and very dramatic of course).  But then my mind took it a step further and envisioned Selena Gomez singing every song in the movie, and of course the movie would be a made-for-tv Disney flick starring none other than...Selena Gomez.  And then I threw up in my mouth a little. 







But, I do listen to music in my office at the library while I work.  There, I have to have it.  My boss and I can pretend we can sit in companionable silence, but in reality it's just that awesome awkward silence that happens when there is just two of you in a small space, with the clacking of keyboards and crunching of candy (okay, that would be me).  So we listen to the radio. 

But that's different.  I have no one in the room with me when I write, and anything can be a distraction for me, including music (and coffee houses or libraries for that matter- those small sounds magnefy 100 times for me...which is interesting since I'm pretty much deaf). 

Thats why I also can't write while Little Monster is awake because this is what happens when she is:

Me: (finally finished cleaning or watching a show, I creep into my room while Little Monster has been quietly playing for a whole 30 minutes...finally I can get some work done)
I hear a rush of wind next to my ear just as I open my laptop
Little Monster: (appearing out of nowhere- grinning at me, her face an inch from mine)  Watchya doing?
Me: um, some work.
Little Monster: (hovers her chocolate-covered fingers over my keyboard (where'd she get the chocolate??) Can I have something to eat???
Me: Um...weren't you playing in the other room for like, 30 minutes while I was sitting on the couch?  You could have asked me then.
Little Monster: (stands and just stares at me with that huge grin still plastered on her face) Can you write, 'I tooted' on your screen? (she breaks into hysterical laughter, flinging herself across me and my keyboard, successfully wiping out whatever I had written in the two seconds before she found me)
Me: (sighing) Okay, lets get you something to eat

Yeah, so no writing while other things are going on in my house.

So, my writing regime: I need complete silence, and basically for everyone to be either a)gone from the house, or b) asleep.  So its a small window of opportunity, but I make it work.  It's what I have to do for the time being, and I can deal with that.

So what's your regime?  Do you listen to music while you work?  Do you need to be alone, in your room with no distractions?  Or can you go to a cafe or library and write there?

Interview With Aspiring Author Maggie Osborn

Today's interview is with Maggie Osborn over at The Juniper Breeze is Blowing In.  She is a passionate Junior in high school whose blog has wonderful things like author interviews, music recommendations, and all around cool stuff about books and anything to do with writing and of course...books.

Thanks for doing this interview Maggie!






When did you realize you wanted to be an author?
You know, my answer is super lame, but I don't really know. I started reading back a couple years ago--sometime just before my freshmen year--and it was soon after that that I started writing. I first did fanfiction, and then, after my friend showed me her first serious story, I realized that teens do write. And not just silly stories using others' characters, but a whole story, thought up all on my own. Like, whoa, Pivotal Moment!


What genre do you like to write?
Victorian romance, of course! Er, no. Definitely YA. And I write both paranormal and contemporary. I can basically think up anything though, if you allow me to add a cute boy into the story.


What authors inspire you?
Jandy Nelson, Maggie Stiefvater, Suzanne Collins, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, JK Rowling, Lucy Christopher, Kristin Cashore, Heidi Kling, Melissa Marr, Carrie Ryan, Melina Marchetta... I think the better question is, what authors don't inspire me! I think they're all crazy wonderful.


How often do you write?
Oh man. I'm lucky enough (hah!) to be a junior this year, and it's proved to be my hardest yet. Basically whenever I'm not studying or doing homework (HAH!) or trying to catch up on my TBR pile, I'm writing. Which is, really, not very often lately. During the weekends though, I'm all over it like Nutella on bread! (yum)


Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Pantserrrrr. I tried plotting once and ahem it didn't turn out too hot. I cannot function under an outline without going crazy. Even if I just spent hours working on the outline, by the time I'm finished I'll be so sick of my ideas that I have to writing something from the seatz of me pantz, or else I just sit there and cry. And I'm a dramatic crier. You don't want me to cry.


Where do you write best, and do you listen to music while you write?
Music is a hugely important thing in my life; I honestly cannot focus without it. Anytime I write I've always got something playing, whether it be a song that fits the mood, or one that pulls me out of my I-can't-think-of-anything-I-suck-at-writing-GAH depression. :P Or, you know, I just like the song.

As for where I work, I really only ever write sitting at the end of my bed. One, because I tend to write at night; insomnia is good for one thing, at least. Two, my charger is plugged in near there and I spend so much time staring at the computer, feeling frustrated, that if I didn't have it charging, it world die before I got two words down. Yes, I am that good. *headdesk*



What is on your TBR pile?
So. Insanely. Much. I'm a Gateway Reader Selector, so I've been working my way through the 26 books on the list and rating them. I also have this problem where I have to enter a bookstore, and then buy a minimum of two books. I've got quite a few that I've bought but haven't read yet. That's prob why I have no money... dang.


If Stephanie Meyer and JK Rowling got in a cat fight, who would win?
I'm sorry Meyer fans, but I think JK Rowling, hands down. She's one classy lady, but I think if she had to, she could make one mega-brawl go down. Also, I'd just like to add that if you were to arrange such an event, I'd totally pay for front row seats.


What is your “day” job?
Ugh, highschool. (Blarghskdjf!) Does that count? I'm still looking for a job-job, but right now I also babysit.


What can you not leave home without? (cell phones are off limits- NO ONE can leave home without one of those)
Keys. Walking is good for the environment and all, but I hate getting out of bed, let alone moving. So I can't leave without my car keys, yo. Haha, I also have to have my iPod.


Mac or PC?
I've never had a Mac, but when I was in Journalism, the Mac computers kind of confused me. So PC FTW!


Favorite dessert?
Strawberry ice-cream. OhmygoodnessDELISH. Any kind of ice-cream, really. I just really, extremely love it.


Favorite desert?
Yeah, I didn't do very well when I studied geography. Um, what about the Sahara Desert? It is quite ginormous.


Where is your dream vacation?
Ooh, I'm not picky! I'll go anywhere. Unless they have huge, man-eating, furry, fang loaded, green-eyed spiders. Those scare me. However, I'd love to backpack through Europe. Europe's cool.


Finally, link us to your website, blog, fb, twitter and anything else you might like to shamelessly plug for yourself
Shameless plugs? Those are my favorite!
Twitter: @maggiesmoment
Blog: juniper-breeze.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for interviewing me, Abby! I had a ton of fun. <33

A Saturday Full of Momish Things... and Gaga

I think this past Saturday was one of those eye-openers for me.  You know, like you are going through life blissfully unaware of something and then BAM, it smacks you in the face. 

Mine was the fact that I'm a mom of a kindergartner.  Like total, volunteer PTO, school t-shirt wearing, donating food, making-small-talk-with-other-moms, mom.  And that's weird for me.  Because this is more what I'm used to:

Dressing up with Little Monster and dancing to this lady's music:

Yes, that is REAL meat.  Yum.

But she's like old now, and actually doing school stuff and I can do it with her.  Which is totally cool.  I figure, I better do all this stuff now, while I'm cool because in approximately 8 years I will be the dorky old mom that embarrasses her in front of her class because I volunteered at the book sale at her school.

THEN I'll be really floored- I'll realize OMG, I'm the dorky old mom.  (But I swear to all that is holy, I will NOT get a minivan.  If I do- you have my permission to shun me from the cool-mom AND the dorky-mom club)

But for now, I'll blissfully go through life thinking I'm awesome to my 5-year old by visiting her at her school,  volunteering with the PTO, taking her to gymnastics and having playdates.  But the really cool thing?  I can also do not-so-mom-like things with her like staying up late to watch a movie, eat cookie dough, and dance to Gaga.  I don't have to sacrifice who I am just because I'm a mom.

Even though I feel like I'm all about the momish duties right now, I know Little Monster and I will never stop dancing.

P.S. I got my first blog award!!  Colene Murphy from The Journey *gave it to me!  Thank you so much!  I've only been doing this for a month, and I can't believe how many readers I have so far.  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog.  Even if I never get published, having a readers and followers on here is enough.  Thanks for making me feel legit!

*And I totally give this back to Colene- she has a WONDERFUL blog (okay, not giving back like not wanting it, but giving back like rewarding it back to her... because she gave it to me...and she's awesome..erm, you get the idea)

The rule is, I need to pass it on to 5 people.  Here are the ones that I frequently stalk and am giving this award to:

Andy at Writing Myself Crazy (okay I know you are a boy, and this is kind of girly, but you are totally my crit partner, PLUS you have an awesome blog!)

Maggie at The Juniper Breeze is Blowing In

Rhiannon Hart (who totally just sold her debut novel!!  Woot!)

Angela Darling at Chasing Fairydust

Classics Schmassics

So, I was sitting here during Banned Books Week wondering which book I should read (and realizing it's almost over, and I have to wait several months to get my copies of Speak, Twenty Boy Summer and Slaughterhouse Five).  So I go to my awesome built-in bookshelf (because my house was built circa the-stone-ages), because I figure, I'm sure I've got at least one banned book in here, or maybe even a classic.

And this is what I find:



(this is just two shelves worth of books....I think a small child may have been swallowed up in there)

Yikes...ahem, I guess I haven't straightened them in a while...

Anyway, this brings me to a topic brought up by a friend who had an infuriating (yet totally awesome and lively) debate with another friend about what constitutes a "classic", and are all classics crap because they were written by a bunch of old white males?

What defines a "classic"?  Does it have to be written pre-1980, by an old white dude, with tons of literary metaphors and a huge moral at the end that you kind of have to figure out by yourself?

Or can it be an urban contemporary that threatens to break that fine line between fiction and reality?

Or is it just a bestseller- that book that EVERYONE owns, and has sold a million copies?

And...must a book be contested or banned before it earns the right to be called a classic?

My answer is- I have no idea.  Can we even decide what a classic would be today?  Can we really sit down and say "This book is going to be a classic."?  It's so subjective- what one person thinks is a great work of literature, another thinks is a piece of crap.  Plus, how long do we have to wait before it earns that all-powerful recognition of being a CLASSIC? 

This industry is just too subjective.  It's too opinionated.  It can't be put in a definite black and white, this-is-the-best-book-ever-and-you-are-wrong-if-you-don't-like-it category.  That's why, when you are looking for an agent, or an editor, your book may not speak to the first 50 agents you query.  But that 51st agent?  She might totally get your voice, and want to read that book so much that she doesn't eat or sleep for a whole day.  So how can we decide what a "classic" is and what isn't?

Anyway, since I couldn't find any banned books or classics to read in that book black hole (I'm sure they're in there somewhere), I found this at the library:


Two male penguins fall in love and decide they want to have a baby

 I have it on hold and should be getting it shortly.  I plan on reading it to Little Monster.  Mr. Scroggins would LOVE this book.

Happy Banned Books Week!