FRECKLE HEAD

Happy Keyboard

2012-01-28T18:14:00.002-05:00

I found this keyboard idea on this blog.

You put colored masking tape on your keys.

I'm now obsessed with it.

I want to do it soooo bad!

What's not to love about a happy keyboard!?!

Walk a Mile in My Shoes...Errr...Read a Mile in My Shoes!

2012-01-27T05:32:00.000-05:00

I totally want to make a pair of these. Preferably in canary yellow with the text of my book!

What novel would you write on your shoes?

Can I Have An Author Moment?

2012-01-24T18:32:00.002-05:00

I feel like I've quieted down a bit about writing since my book sold. I haven't really talked much about what's been going on (all good stuff but things that keep me busy...I just finished my first round of edits for CANARY and am now working on a final revision of my next book before I send it off to my agent).

Truthfully, it feels so far away before my book comes out that I still think of it in the abstract.

However, one thing has been sort of blowing my mind.

Goodreads.

My book got listed on Goodreads about a month after it sold.

Since then, people have been quietly adding it to their "to read" shelf.

97 people to be exact.

I know about fifteen of them.

That means roughly 82 complete strangers have found my book and marked it as something they want to read.

One person even put it on a shelf called "Dying-to-Read."

It's crazy, awesome and humbling.

People are discovering my book and they want to read it.

I'm not afraid to admit that I may find myself from time to time sticking my hand in the air and fist pumping my imaginary book.

Because this is a bit crazy to me and one of the first times that I actually feel like a published author.

And I have to admit, I like it!

Rue's Lullaby

2012-01-23T04:35:00.003-05:00

A former student at my school posted this INCREDIBLE video of herself singing the music she wrote for Rue's Lullaby in The Hunger Games.

Seriously, it rocks.

Check it out and then pass it on through your Facebook and Twitter pages, because she's amazing.

Twenty-three years ago....

2012-01-21T06:52:00.001-05:00

Twenty-three years ago I competed in a competition called The Power of the Pen. It's a day long writing competition for middle school students that happens all over Ohio. You write to prompts, get judged and if you get a high enough score, you move on and on until you reach state! It's kind of like sports but for writers.

I LOVED it with a passion that only a middle school student can have.

Today (TODAY!), I get to judge the best of the best in our regional competition as a special author judge. I will be judging with Cleveland writing buds Leah Clifford, Scott Tracey and Colleen Clayton. I am beside myself with excitement.

My eighth grade self would have flipped out if she knew one day she would be there judging the competition as a published author.

It's amazing to think that I've made a full circle (as have Leah and Scott, who both also competed in TPOTP when they were in grade school). What an encouraging message to all the kids who will be writing there today. I believe so much in The Power of the Pen, and I certain that one day some of them will be published writers and back judging the competition.

Awesome Movie Alert!

2012-01-15T21:14:00.006-05:00

Uhm...how did I miss this???

Did you know that Stephen Chobsky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower is being made into a movie?

Seriously. I must have been sleeping under a rock.

And it's not just being made...but it will be out this year!

And it stars Emma Watson!

And Mae Whitman (from my most favorite show in the world Parenthood)!

I don't know the boy playing Charlie, but he's got my vote. He looks great for the part.

Hot diggity dog! I can't wait!

Read about it here.

R.I.P. Favorite Fictional Character

2012-01-11T01:03:00.002-05:00

This has happened many times...

Seriously, I've sobbed at the end of books before.

Looking for Alaska

The Great Gatsby

Tuesdays with Morrie

The Time Traveller's Wife

Charlotte's Web

Of Mice and Men

To name a few...

What about you? What fictional characters have you cried over?

Happy Release Day, Ditched!

2012-01-10T18:08:00.002-05:00

I got the opportunity to read an ARC of Robin Mellom's DITCHED.

It was pitched The Hangover for YA.

I LOVED it and gushed about it/interviewed her on The Lucky 13s site.

Check it out!

Welcome, Indelibles!

2012-01-09T00:52:00.000-05:00

If you're a fan of YA fiction, you've probably heard of the Tenners, the Elevensies, the Apocalypsies, and the Lucky 13s. Now marketing guru Shelli Johannes Wells has teamed up with twenty-four other indie and small press authors to bring you the Indelibles.

Who are the Indelibles?

“We are indie authors who write middle grade and young adult fiction. We are dedicated to leaving a permanent mark on the world with our stories and words. We are The Indelibles.”

Each week, they'll explore fun, fabulous, and fierce topics for today's teens, drawing on pop culture and themes from the books they write.

Check out their official launch Monday, January 9th for fun giveaways here! They’ll also be having a "Blogger chat" on January 11th and a writer/author chat on the 18th to answer questions about self and indie pubbing. See their blog for details

Fiction Characters

2012-01-08T11:10:00.001-05:00

I Brake For John Green

2012-01-06T16:47:00.003-05:00

How many of you are waiting to read John Green's The Fault in Our Stars???

Or are you one of the lucky who got it accidentally shipping to you last week (I. am. so. jealous. of. you. if. you. did!)?

Five more days, people. FIVE DAYS!

In the meantime...check out this awesome van that John and Hank will be touring in.

Here's some good info about the tour and book.

If I saw that on the road, I'd stop anything I was doing and follow it....anywhere.

Gah! I don't think I can wait these five days!

My Big Teddy Bear

2012-01-03T18:48:00.008-05:00

It was back to school today...waking up to that alarm was hard going. I had a pretty great break, full of family, friends, my pup and writing.

Radley liked having company all day, and I enjoyed having a writing partner. We did a lot of picture taking during break, so like the proud mama that I am, here's a few I want to share...

Watching Free Willy (seriously, she was the one who wanted to watch it...don't laugh, I wasn't!)...

Snuggling with her pillow pet twin...

Riding in cars...

Sleeping by the Christmas tree...

Exploring the Christmas tree...

Playing in the snow...

Just hanging out looking cute...

Rolling...

And curling up for a long winter's nap...

You'll forgive me for posting all these pictures, right? She's just too cute not to share!

P.S. It's a good thing I don't have kids yet...can you imagine the pictures I'd post then! Yikes! It would take you hours to look at them all!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T18:19:00.003-05:00

Best Reads of 2011

2011-12-28T11:08:00.008-05:00

I love reading everyone's best reads of 2011, so I wanted to post my own.

I know I am going to forget some books from this list, but I am so bad at writing down what I read. However, my Goodreads account is helping me a bit with that now, so I plan to keep count of my reading in 2012. I don't even know how many books I devour in a year!

NOTHING by Martin Aitken

This was a terrifying read, but is one of those books I'm still thinking about.

STOLEN by Lucy Christopher

I was able to get a class set of this book and plan to read it with my students. It is so creepy and amazing how Lucy Christopher gets you to fall in love with the antagonist of the story.

THE THINGS A BROTHER KNOWS by Dana Reinherdt

This is another book I got a class set of, and my students love and can relate to the brothers in this book. Many of them have siblings that are serving in the military right now and this book speaks to them.

THE BELL JAR by Slyvia Plath

I don't know why I've never read this book before. I had to read it for one of my MFA classes and adored Plath's writing and language.

A MOVEABLE FEAST by Ernest Hemingway

This was another MFA read. Who can't help but be envious of Hemingway's life writing in Paris?

A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan

I'm a huge fan of Egan and can't think of a book more worth of winning the Pulitzer.

THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett

I (and probably most of America!) adored this book! I loved, loved, loved it!

WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman

This was a honeymoon read, and I loved getting the next part of the story through Adam's perspective.

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins

This was such a cute book and one of my top recommendations to my female students looking for a romance story.

WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER by Jenny Han

This is one of my female students' favorite books...they were all fighting for my copy of it when I finished. This was a sweet happy ending to the series.

CLEAN by Amy Reed

This book rocks! I went into it thinking it would be like all the other addiction/rehab stories I've read, but Amy Reed managed to make it new, unique and awesome!

LIKE MANDARIN by Kirsten Hubbard

Oh, how I love this book. Kirsten Hubbard's writing is beautiful just like the story.

And my FAVORITE book of the year (which shouldn't come as a surprise, since I find every chance I can to gush about it!) is...

IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma

I love me some magical realism, and I found myself slowing down because I didn't want it to end. Gah! I could go on and on about this for hours!

What about you? What were your top reads? What books am I missing from this list?

You've Got Mail

2011-12-27T23:52:00.002-05:00

Whoooooooooooosh!

Did you hear that noise?

It was the sound of my CANARY edits being sent to my editor!

One month and four days early!

You can't argue that I don't have a Type A personality!

Woo hoo...hot diggity dog!

Now to relax and enjoy the last days of my break....I have a huge stack of books just calling my name!

What fun have you been having this holiday?

Merry Christmustache!

2011-12-24T16:15:00.005-05:00

Jason and I wanted to send out a wedding picture this year, but we didn't want to do a traditional one. So this is what we came up with...

Here's a clearer image of the picture of on the card...our wedding had lots and lots of fake mustaches (I'm kind of obessed with them!).

Hope your holidays are full of family, laughs, love and good books under the tree.

Now, I really must stache (uhm...dash!) and get ready for Christmas Eve mass!

We Love You Gatsby, Oh Yes We Do

2011-12-21T22:57:00.004-05:00

This week has been the week of Gatsby.

I don't think it's a secret that I'm a bit obsessed with the book, and this week my honor's class finished reading it and I transferred the Gatsby love to a lot of them.

Tonight my husband and I watched Midnight in Paris (it is awesome btw), which seems only fitting because today is the anniversary of Fitzgerald's death.

He died in 1940 and was only 44. Crazy, right? It's so tragic to think about what else could have been written if he had lived longer.

His grave is inscribed with one of my favorite quotes from Gatsby, and someday I want to go and visit it in Maryland (I guess it's right by a major highway and apartments. How weird what it be to have Fitzgerald's grave in your back yard?).

You death was a loss, Old Sport.

IF I LIE Cover Reveal

2011-12-21T01:35:00.001-05:00

I've been following Corrine Jackson's road to publication for a long time, and I cannot wait to read her debut novel IF I LIE. When she asked for help revealing the cover, I jumped at the chance.

First, here's the summary...

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.

Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

Sounds awesome, right?

And Corrine's hangouts in case you want to follow here journey...

Twitter

Blog

And....the cover!!!

The book doesn't come out until September 2012, so you'll just have to settle for gazing at this beautiful cover for now.

Love for FLAT OUT LOVE and a Contest!

2011-12-20T05:49:00.004-05:00

About two months ago, Amazon recommended a book for me to read. I buy a lot of books through Amazon's recommendations, so when Jessica Park's FLAT OUT LOVE came up, I snatched it up.

I'm glad I did. The book was cute, funny and something I know my students would love (which is why I bought three paperback copies for my classroom). There's another reason why I liked this book...I'm a HUGE (and I mean HUGE) Gilmore Girls fan, and the dialogue in this book reminded me so much of a conversation between Rory and Lorelia. Seriously, what could be better than that?

I reached out to FOL's author, Jessica Park, and she agreed to let my interview her and give the book some love.

First...the plot summary...

Something is seriously off in the Watkins home. And Julie Seagle, college freshman, small-town Ohio transplant, and the newest resident of this Boston house, is determined to get to the bottom of it. When Julie's off-campus housing falls through, her mother's old college roommate, Erin Watkins, invites her to move in. The parents, Erin and Roger, are welcoming, but emotionally distant and academically driven to eccentric extremes. The middle child, Matt, is an MIT tech geek with a sweet side ... and the social skills of a spool of USB cable. The youngest, Celeste, is a frighteningly bright but freakishly fastidious 13-year-old who hauls around a life-sized cardboard cutout of her oldest brother almost everywhere she goes.

And there's that oldest brother, Finn: funny, gorgeous, smart, sensitive, almost emotionally available. Geographically? Definitely unavailable. That's because Finn is traveling the world and surfacing only for random Facebook chats, e-mails, and status updates. Before long, through late-night exchanges of disembodied text, he begins to stir something tender and silly and maybe even a little bit sexy in Julie's suddenly lonesome soul.

To Julie, the emotionally scrambled members of the Watkins family add up to something that ... well ... doesn't quite add up. Not until she forces a buried secret to the surface, eliciting a dramatic confrontation that threatens to tear the fragile Watkins family apart, does she get her answer.

The main character of FOL, Julie, is obsessed with Dunkin Doughnut Coolatta. What drink are you obsessed with?

Salted caramel lattes from Starbucks. We had a four-day power outage in November, and I holed up in our local Barnes and Noble, which conveniently has a Starbucks! I very quickly got addicted, and now I make my own version at home.

And what about food? What is a must to munch on while you write?

Chips, salsa, and guacamole. If I’m really in a writing groove, I can’t be bothered to stop and fix any kind of real meal, so… Besides, it’s a good excuse to inhale guac.

The daughter in the family that Julie is staying with has a cardboard cutout of her brother. What celebrity would you like to carry a life-sized cutout of?

Currently, Matt Nathanson. And I would attach an iPod and little speakers to it so that he could sing to me.

The book is told in a mixture of prose, instant messages and Facebook status updates. What is your most current Facebook status?

“This day and I are no longer friends. One of these days, Author Jamie McGuire and I will rule the world, and there will be no tolerance for idiocy.”

I went to school in Boston and am obsessed with the city. Why did you decide to set your story in Boston? What's your favorite part of the city?

I grew up just outside Boston and absolutely love it and the surrounding areas. Cambridge, in particular, is so perfect for Flat-Out Love. Not only is it an extremely academic city, but Harvard Square is the sort of place where absolutely anyone can fit it. Putting Matt and Julie there, for instance, gets them on equal footing. I have spent so much time in Harvard Square over the years and will never tire of its amazing energy.

What have you done lately that would get you coal in your stocking?

Moi? I can’t think of a thing….

What is on your Christmas list?

I want an Anakin Skywalker sound effects light saber. For real.

Who would win in a fight? Frosty or Rudolph?

Rudolph. He’s got those crazy hooves. Plus, I’m pretty sure that his red nose shoots out pepper spray.

Where is the strangest place you've ever written?

I’m pretty boring. I almost always write sitting propped up on my bed with the laptop, but sometimes I’ll even venture to the kitchen table. I like routine.

What book are you currently reading?

Halfway through Mockingjay.

Any New Year's resolutions?
Write a book!

What are you working on now?

I’m still working on some material for an enhanced edition app version of Flat-Out Love, but I’ve got an outline ready to go for a new book, so that’s up next!

Who are your favorite writers?

Just to name a few: Elinor Lipman, Pat Conroy, Brendan Dubois, Jamie McGuire, and Craig Lancaster.

Sound good? Here's where you can find the book:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

And here's where you can learn more about Jessica:

Blog

Facebook: jumby24

Twitter: JessicaPark24

And as a special Christmas treat, I'm giving away an electronic copy of the book the one lucky winner. You'll have until midnight on December 22 to enter and all you have to do is fill out this form...

The Book Seer

2011-12-19T19:05:00.006-05:00

Did you just finish a great book?

Are you sad because you don't know what to read next?

Ask The Book Seer...he's pretty darn awesome!

Books Are Always Better!

2011-12-18T22:18:00.003-05:00

I watched THE HELP this weekend and while I thought it was good, I also felt the book was a million times better.

The same with WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, another movie I just saw.

That's why I totally love this saying...

What about you? Are there any movies that you've seen that did the book justice?

Comfy Cozy Winter Break

2011-12-15T15:26:00.000-05:00

I only have five more days of work until winter break! Yee-haw! Hot diggity dog!

I plan to spend lots of time with my family, friends, puppy and laptop.

I can't wait to start the days with a big cup of coffee and my coziest clothes.

I think J Crew knew exactly what I was thinking when they revealed this specific ad campaign.

And I can totally understand why this model feels it's necessary to be comfy cozy in her pearls. What girl doesn't write in her pearls?!?

(This picture was taken two winters ago when I was working on a draft of CANARY. This break I will be working on my edits! If only my former self would have known that one day that book would find a home!).

Ryan Gosling Readings Young Adult!

2011-12-14T16:42:00.006-05:00

I just about died laughing reading these! Seriously, best thing ever...and of course Ryan Gosling would like YA; he's perfect!

Check them all out...in the meantime, here's some of my favorites!

Time For Some Honesty

2011-12-13T21:06:00.003-05:00

I probably should admit a little something....

I had a big old NaNoWriMo fail.

My count stand still at 9,284.

Uhm...yeah.

But for what it's worth, it was all words for my WIP and now that's done and out to beta readers.

Yipee!

Did any of you win NaNo?

A wise wise list

2011-12-12T00:13:00.001-05:00

I stumbled on this list the other day and fell in love with it. Just click it to make it bigger.

I plan to write it out and hang it in my office. It's words to live by!

Get GETTING SIDEWAYS!

2011-12-11T00:14:00.005-05:00

One of my good writing friends, Lisa Nowak, has her second book coming out tomorrow. She writes about racing and both her books are the perfect gift idea for the holidays. Happy launch day, Lisa!

Getting Sideways: Book 2 in the Full Throttle Series

Getting shipped off to live with his uncle Race was the best thing that ever happened to fifteen-year-old Cody. Then a wreck at the speedway nearly ruined everything. Cody’s making every effort to get his life back on track—writing for the school paper, searching for the perfect girlfriend, and counting the days until he gets his drivers’ license—but there’s no escaping the nightmares that haunt him.

A chance to build his own car seems like the perfect distraction. Until Cody realizes he’ll have to live up to Race’s legendary status. But that’s the least of his worries, considering he doesn’t have his dad’s permission. All he has to do is the impossible: keep Race from discovering his lie until he can convince his dad that racing’s safe.

Yeah, sure. That’ll be easy.

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it at Barnes and Noble

Buy it on Smashwords

Haven't read the first book? Running Wide Open is on sale now for 99 cents.

Running Wide Open: Book 1 in the Full Throttle Series

Cody Everett has a temper as hot as the flashpoint of racing fuel, and it's landed him at his uncle's trailer, a last-chance home before military school. But how can he take the guy seriously when he calls himself Race, eats Twinkies for breakfast, and pals around with rednecks who drive in circles every Saturday night?

What Cody doesn't expect is for the arrangement to work. Or for Race to become the friend and mentor he's been looking for all his life. But just as Cody begins to settle in and get a handle on his supercharged temper, a crisis sends his life spinning out of control. Everything he's come to care about is threatened, and he has to choose between falling back on his old, familiar anger or stepping up to prove his loyalty to the only person he's ever dared to trust.

Praise for Running Wide Open:

"It doesn’t matter if you are a racing fan or not, Running Wide Open will captivate you and capture your heart." – Cari J, Amazon reviewer

“The roar of engines practically explodes off the page in this compelling, heart-thumping debut. Cody Everett is a straight-shooter with attitude, smarts, and whip-cracking wit; he doesn’t pull any punches, and neither does author Lisa Nowak. The collision of Cody and the world of stock car racing makes for a great story, one of the best I’ve read in a long time. Running Wide Open is a book not to be missed.” - Christine Fletcher, author of Tallulah Falls and Ten Cents a Dance

"The racing is easy to understand and does not get in the way of a rattling good story. I still couldn’t put it down on a re-read." – Elisabeth Miles, Amazon reviewer

"We race stock cars during the summer and even though this is a recommended read for Young Adults, we are seniors and enjoyed every page. We can hardly wait for the sequel to come out. MUST READING!" – Maxci Jermann, Barnes and Noble reviewer

"I say read this book, it’s fun, it’s beautiful, it’s a very cool read that will give you a feel-good state of mind. Awesome read." - L.E.Olteano, Butterfly-o-meter Books

Buy it on Amazon

Buy it at Barnes and Noble

Buy it on Smashwords

Author Bio:

In addition to being a YA author, Lisa Nowak is a retired amateur stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional smartass. She writes coming-of-age books about kids in hard luck situations who learn to appreciate their own value after finding mentors who love them for who they are. She enjoys dark chocolate and stout beer and constantly works toward employing wei wu wei in her life, all the while realizing that the struggle itself is an oxymoron.

Lisa has no spare time, but if she did she’d use it to tend to her expansive perennial garden, watch medical dramas, take long walks after dark, and teach her cats to play poker. For those of you who might be wondering, she is not, and has never been, a diaper-wearing astronaut. She lives in Milwaukie, Oregon, with her husband, four feline companions, and two giant sequoias.

Connect with Lisa online:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Lisa_Nowak

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LisaNowakAuthor

Google +: http://bit.ly/LisaNowakGooglePlus

Blog: http://lisanowak.wordpress.com/

Subscribe to her newsletter for updates about coming attractions: http://bit.ly/LisaNowakNewsletter

Plan B-Z

2011-12-10T20:33:00.000-05:00

What a great way of thinking for writers (and everyone!)....

Christmas Gift!

2011-12-06T22:22:00.002-05:00

Who wouldn't want this for Christmas?!? Every time I look at it, I crack up!

You can buy it right here on etsy!

So True...

2011-12-06T18:46:00.002-05:00

The Client List

2011-12-05T16:36:00.004-05:00

I've made the client list!

No, no, no....not the one that Jennifer Love Hewitt finds herself a part of in the so awful, you have to keep watching Lifetime movie by the same name. Yes, I admit that I watched it!

John Rudolph's client list!

The Literary Ramble did a spotlight post on my stellar agent, John Rudolph. You can check the whole interview out here.

The Perfect Guy

2011-12-05T05:59:00.000-05:00

Loving this quote....

And my perfect guy...

Editing Advent 2011

2011-12-04T14:08:00.003-05:00

Are you looking for some writing, query, synopsis feedback? This month Cassandra is giving away a different editing service a day!

Check it out...what a great deal!

Moving Pictures

2011-12-02T23:54:00.009-05:00

For some reason I'm totally crushing on these pictures. I don't know why, but they are so mesmerizing. I feel like I've been to these places (okay, I've been to the Eiffel Tower, but not when it looked like that)...it's like a strange sense of deja vu. Weird, right?

I keep coming back to them and staring at each one.

Look at each one separate. Now perhaps I will mesmerize you too with them!

I...Like...Use The Word "Like"...Like...ALOT!

2011-11-29T18:38:00.004-05:00

I got my first round of edits from my editor...woo hoo...and have been working through them. My heart didn't stop and they seem manageable (mind you, I haven't gotten my line edits yet, these are more big ideas and their style guide).

One of the things the style guide draws attention to are "Preferred Usage of Words." One of those preferred usages is the word "as" or "as if" being used instead of "like."

It didn't seem like a big deal to me until I started to search for the word.

I discovered I used the word "like" CONSTANTLY.

Oh my gosh...it's all over the place!

Now I'm afraid my manuscript sounds like a valley girl!

Like....oh my gosh!

What about you? Do you have certain words that you use way too much?

Breaking Bones...err...Breaking Dawn

2011-11-28T17:55:00.004-05:00

What do two English teachers do on their first day of Thanksgiving vacation?

See Breaking Dawn, of course!

I went with my coworker and let's just say the movie was..uhm....about as good as I expected it to be.

Which wasn't that good.

I saw the first one in the theater and wanted to see this one on the big screen too, because come on, who doesn't want to see that vampire baby born in mega-size.

I quickly learned after watching that scene....me.

Really....did we need to have the surround sound of Bella's bones breaking? No really. That was MESSED UP! Cringe worthy, throw-up, sick.

And apparently Edward eats through the placenta to get the baby out.

Yeah, I didn't know that because I didn't see it. I was too busy sitting with my hands over my eyes cringing from Bella's stomach being ripped open and bones cracking like twigs in a fire.

Gah!

Also...I thought the first half was slooooooooow....I kept wanting things to move faster, or at least for Bella to talk. Stop biting your lip, girl!

Oh, and did I mention the bones crack o'lacking?

My coworker said her daughter had nightmares after seeing it. I told her it might have been because of the gruesome pile-up of dead bodies at the start of the movie. Nothing like the entire wedding party and guests in white...then adorned with red blood dripping down the mountain of corpses. Delightful.

And don't forget Bella's bones snapping left and right!

I was also equally creeped out by Jacob imprinting on Renesme. Really. Creepy. My students tried to tell me that it wasn't romantic, he was imprinting in a big brother way. No. It. Was. Creepy.

But at least we got to see a shirtless Jacob within the first 30 seconds of the movie. I'm joking, folks.

The soundtrack actually seemed like it might be decent. Maybe I should pick buy it, turn it up and try to drown out the memories of the breaking bones.

ARGH!

Did you see it? What did you think????

With This Ring

2011-11-24T23:03:00.001-05:00

How could you not say yes to this????

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:07:00.003-05:00

I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. This was the year of new things...a new husband, an extended family, a new puppy and a book contract. If you combine that with the great family, friends and job that I already have, I'd say this year wasn't too shabby!

We're having Thanksgiving at our place, and my husband claims he knows how to make a turkey. Let's hope that's true!

I hope your day is as full of thanks as mine will be...Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't Worry...Be Happy

2011-11-18T18:22:00.007-05:00

This week we had a scare.

My pup, Radley, had been getting sick off and on for about a week and Wednesday night, she threw up a huge ball of string. We rushed her to the vet because they were afraid that she might have it wrapped around her intestines. Needless to say, I was beside myself.

The technician brought me into the examination room after the vet had taken x-rays and I waited for him to return with the news. The x-ray was already on the screen, and I maybe kind of sort of freaked out.

This is what it looked like...

I sat for about ten minutes thinking everything on the right (under the R) was her stomach full of string. I sent a frantic text to my husband, I tried to keep back tears and I wanted to rip the plug out of the computer screen so I didn't have to look at it.

The vet walked in just as I was about to have a nervous breakdown, and guess what?

The middle section isn't even her stomach! The small bean-like thing on the uppper left hand side is. I had worked myself up over nothing.

While they did monitor her overnight to make sure there wasn't any blockage, all turned out well and she is now back home. Sleeping upside down in comfort!

Why am I writing about this?

Because this is often how I get about life and my writing. I worry about things. I stress about things. I feel like I'm not going to get everything done or am not devoting enough time to something that's important to me.

But you know what? It usually ends up not being as bad at it first seemed. I often look back and wonder why I made such a big deal out of nothing.

So step back this weekend. Try to spend some time just enjoying things and not worrying. Spend an extra minute laughing with someone, eat a sweet treat or allow yourself time to just sit and relax. Celebrate all the things that do go right in your life and maybe those other little problems that you fret over will seem just that...little.

The Hunger Games Trailer

2011-11-14T17:05:00.005-05:00

Just in case you missed it today....here's the link to the trailer for The Hunger Games!

It looks so awesome (and I loved the end when they shoot up into the arena.

Now, if only we would get a sneak peek at Katnis' dress of fire! Something tells me that they're saving that image for the movie.

The 13th Day

2011-11-13T09:48:00.001-05:00

I blogged over at The Lucky 13s (the 2013 debut author group). I'll have a monthly feature that is on the 13th of every month.

This month we all described our books in 13 words. No more, no less!

Here's mine...

Kate has a choice: stay silent or expose her school’s corrupt basketball stars.

If you want to check out everyone else's blubs, head on over to The Lucky 13s. Which book sounds good to you?

Hey, Hey, Toast and Orange Juice...or....Oxford Comma Fail

2011-11-10T20:43:00.004-05:00

I couldn't help but laugh at this explanation posted by The Grammar Police (which is a fantastic Facebook page...btw...). Especially since I DON'T use the Oxford comma. Whoops!

What about you? Do you use the Oxford Comma.

Good Thing She's So Cute

2011-11-03T17:48:00.007-04:00

You've all heard me gush about my puppy, Radley. She's named after a character in my favorite book in the world, To Kill a Mockingbird. Well, I'm teaching the book right now so I've been rereading it along with my students.

The other night I left it lying on my bedroom floor and tragedy struck.

Radley found the book and chewed it up!

She's never chewed a book before. Sure, she's chewed some shoes, my knitting needles, even a section of our staircase (grrrrr....), but a book!

A book that she's named after!

Now this is getting personal!

It's a good thing she's so darn cute!

In order to make amends for showing you a picture of a ruined book (gasp!), I will remind you of how cute my pup really is and how easy it is to forgive her...

*I promise our bedroom floor isn't dirty...it's just the way hipstamatic shaded the picture when I used my iphone! Crawling half under the bed is Radley's new hobby...it's pretty funny to walk into the room and just see her back paws sticking out!

The Hunger Games' Cast in Vanity Fair

2011-11-02T07:23:00.001-04:00

Have you seen the sneak peek at Vanity Fair's photo shoot with The Hunger Games' cast?

These people look too beautiful and innocent to be in an arena killing each other!

NaNoWriMo....The Beginning

2011-11-01T23:19:00.003-04:00

The craziness has started....NaNoWriMo (or National Write a Novel in a Month for those nonwriters who haven't heard of the frenzy that descends on the writing world in November) is here!

This is my first year and I'm cheating a bit.

I'm using the event as a way to complete/flesh out my novel. Right now, it's at 47,000 words, and I still plan to write the 50,000 words it takes to win NaNo. I figure if I write without editing and reach my goal, I'll have a pretty solid novel to cut back on and revise.

That's allowed, right?

I have to admit that I was jealous of everyone who got an early start today. I had to write until I got home from work, but I was able to get 1,015 words done, which is a little bit below the 1,600 words a day you should average, but I'm hopeful.

What about you? Are you doing NaNo? Any tips for a newbie? If you want to buddy up, my name is Kantner and you can find me here. I'd love to have more people kick my butt into gear when my word count sits stagnant.

Good luck to everyone who is NaNo-ing this month! Woo-wee...let the craziness begin!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T05:52:00.000-04:00

I've loved loved LOVEd Halloween ever since I was little and my mom threw the best spooky parites in our basement (complete with ghost stories, tons of candy treats and body parts made out of things like grapes and pasta that we touched in the dark).

We had a lot of Halloween traditions growing up. My favorites were the big pot of chili my grandpa would make before we went trick-or-treating, a warm pumpkin pie and the Garfield Halloween special.

Seriously. It's the best. Have you ever seen it?

I loved this show and watched it over and over again on a VHS tape.

You can watch it in it's entirity on Youtube. Trust me, it's worth it!

What Halloween traditions do you have?

How I Feel About Writing

2011-10-30T10:29:00.004-04:00

I found this picture on Pinetrest. I don't know who the source is, but the kid is so cute and I want to tell him I totally agree about his enthusiasm. His face pretty much sums up how I feel about writing.

Especially on a Sunday morning in my pajamas with a cup of pumpkin spice coffee.

Winning and Blogging

2011-10-28T05:51:00.000-04:00

The winner of the Hot Diggity Dog Contract Contest is....

Wait for it...

Wait longer....

Still waiting????

EMILIA P!!!!

Woo hoo!!! I'll be contacting you, Emilia! Thanks to everyone else who entered and who follow my blog. I knit up writing gloves all the time, so I'll make sure to give away another pair in the next few months. They're the best ever for writing.

If you have a minute, hope over to The Lucky 13s blog...I posted today about how writing is a lot like Gothic Literature.

Hope you have a spooky weekend full of lots of sugary candy treat!

John Green Fan Girl Scream!

2011-10-27T19:07:00.008-04:00

I might have been stalking a certain page on Amazon.

But my creepy stalking has paid off...it's here!!!

The cover!

The synopsis!

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

The Blurb!

“An electric portrait of young people who learn to live life with one foot in the grave. Filled with staccato bursts of humor and tragedy, The Fault in Our Stars takes a spin on universal themes--Will I be loved? Will I be remembered? Will I leave a mark on this world?--by dramatically raising the stakes for the characters who are asking.”

--Jodi Picoult, author of My Sister’s Keeper and Sing You Home

The release date!

January 10, 2012

Okay, please excuse as I go explode from excitement!

Zombies Have Feelings Too

2011-10-25T21:37:00.004-04:00

You have one more day (one day!) to enter my contest. It will end tomorrow night at midnight (Wednesday) and I'll pick a winner Thursday.

I talked about three of the books that I'm giving away, but there's a fourth I didn't mention.

The book is called Zombies Don't Cry by Rusty Fischer. It's published by the same press who will publish my book, and I can only dream for a cover like his. It's a-ma-zing in person. The corners are raised and the eyes follow you no matter how you're looking at it. The design team also did a lot of fun things inside like playing around with the chapter title format and turning Rusty's author picture in a zombie.

The cover isn't the only thing about this book that rocks. It's about a girl...err....girl turned zombie and how she deals with becoming a part of the undead world.

I didn't think I'd ever feel empathy for a zombie, but I felt for Maddie. Life sucks for a zombie and I rooted her on while she took on the evil zombies (Zerkers), tried to mend things with her best friend and chase after the boy she liked (even if zombies aren't allowed to date regular people). Don't worry, though, this book isn't all about high school issues...there's plenty of gore and brains for those zombie lovers!

Make sure to enter my contest to win a copy, but if you don't, I suggest buying a copy of the book on your own. It's perfect Halloween reading!

Check out Rusty's sites...he's done a great job building up a place for people who love the world of the undead!

Rusty's Facebook page

Rusty's Web page

Boys Who Sparkle

2011-10-24T20:01:00.001-04:00

I couldn't help sharing this!

Among Good Company....

2011-10-22T11:01:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who is celebrating my book contract with me and entered my Hot Diggity Dog contest! There's still time to enter, so if you haven't...what are you waiting for?

One of the things I'm giving away are books. They aren't just random books either...they have a meaning.

So what do 13 Reasons Why, Wintergirls and The Absolutely True Diary of the Part Time Indian have in common?

They are my bookshelf mates!

If you don't know, my last name is Alpine, which means I'll be hanging out right next to Asher, Anderson and Alexie.

Who could ask for better company?

Who would your bookshelf mates be?

Hot Diggity Dog Contest!

2011-10-18T18:28:00.010-04:00

I haven't celebrated my new contract fully until I have a contest. So here it is!

I call it the Hot Diggity Dog I Have a Book Contract Celebration!

I have lots of goodies, goodies and more goodies!

Check it all out...

A pair of fingerless writing gloves that I knitted. These are STELLAR in the cold months when you want to type, but your fingers get too darn cold.

An awesome bracelet that I ordered from Etsy (okay, I got two...one for me and one for my winner!). I had them hand stamp the word "WRITE" on it. I wear mine when I write...go figure!

A Kindle cover my mom made. I have a purple ruffle one and love it. If you don't have a Kindle, you can always regift it to someone who does. Kindles are taking over the world, man!

A writing journal that's the perfect size for slipping into your purse...

And a stack of some of my favorite books in the world. These books have a special meaning, which I'll explain during the next few days in some blog posts.

This copy of 13 Reasons Why is autographed...woo hoo!

So what are you waiting for? It's easy to enter and the more you spread the word and love, the more chances you have. I'll pick a winner next Wednesday (October 26), so you have over a week to enter and get the word out.

How to get points:

*Be a follower

*Tweet, blot or Facebook the contest

*Like me on my Facebook fan page

*Mark my book as one to read on Goodreads

Then fill out this form with your point total...good luck!

If You Do Anything Today....

2011-10-17T19:15:00.003-04:00

If you want to do something worthwhile today, please take the time to buy a copy of this book.

If you haven't read about what's happened, all the info is here. I'd write about it, but I don't think I can without getting really upset and angry.

SHINE is an amazing book. I have a copy of it on my Kindle and my school library has multiple copies. I have a student reading it right now.

If anything comes out of this whole mess, it will be that this book gets more noticed as do the topics that Lauren Myracle so honestly writes about.

Please, buy this book for yourself or donate it to a local library.

I'm Writing...Beat It!

2011-10-17T05:18:00.000-04:00

I've been writing in my Paris notebooks since I got back from my honeymoon. They aren't anything special, just moleskin books, but the fact that they are from Paris makes it all seem a bit more magical! Who doesn't wish that the writing inspirations of Hemmingway or Fitzgerald rub off on my notebooks that are from the same area where they once roamed and wrote!

My current one is hot pink (o la la!)...

I wrote my name in it when we were still on our honeymoon...it was the first time I officially wrote my new name!

And then made sure to mark the date and location where I started writing in it!

I still have a little bit more room in this book (and the two other moleskins), but I think I may be moving on to something else when I fill this one up.

As a congratulations for signing my book contract, a good friend gave me a gift of some crazy awesome notebooks. Check them out!

And my favorite of the group...a Michael Jackson notebook! How BAD is that! I was THRILLE(r)D when I got it!

It looks like I have a lot of writing to do in the future!

What about you? What do you do your writing? On a computer? A special notebook? Some other interesting place? I'd love to hear about it!

The Lucky 13s

2011-10-13T00:52:00.000-04:00

Today is October 13.

13 has now become a very lucky number for me.

I went on my first date with my husband on October 13 (it also happened to be Friday, the 13th)!

It's also the year that my debut novel comes out!

But my novel isn't the only novel coming out in 2013.

Meet The Lucky 13s!

We're the start of the Debut Authors of 2013. There's just a few of us right now, but as more deals are made, I'm sure our group will grow and grow!

Check out our blog...it launches today! We'll be blogging three times a week about writing, books and other great stuff.

And follow us on twitter!

If you get the chance, read our bios and let me know what books sounds the most interesting to you! There's already a few I can't wait to read.

Yay to 2013!

Book Contract Photo Shoot!

2011-10-11T07:35:00.007-04:00

It takes awhile to sign all your publishing contracts...who knew!

First, I had to sign them and send them to Dystel and Goderich and then send them back to the agency. From there, they forwarded them on to Medallion. Medallion sent them back to D & G and then they sent them back to me. Phew!

Here's the envelope I got with the contract signed, sealed and delivered!

And what book contract signing isn't complete without a photo shoot? I signed all six contract copies in our school library. The balloons next to me are from our school librarian extraordinaire.

Here's the book signing from every. single. angle.....

Check back Thursday. I have an awesome new project to announce!

2011 Debut Author Spotlight: Nova Ren Suma

2011-10-10T14:22:00.008-04:00

Christina Lee came up with a wonderful idea to spotlight 2011 writers that we've fallen in love with. I jumped at the chance to gush about Nova Ren Suma's book Imaginary Girls. She's an agency sister (also repped by Dystel and Goderich) and writes in my new favoriate genre, magical realism.

I know I've raved about this book, but how about one more time in case you didn't hear me?

Here's the Goodreads summary:

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns...moreChloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

It's one of those books that you slow down to read because you don't want it to end. Here's some of the reasons I loved Imaginary Girls:

*The book focuses on sisters and their love for each other. Nova creates a bond that shows how far a sibling will go for another sibling (and what they will sacrafice). I have an amazing sister myself, and I loved to read about the relationship between Chloe and Ruby.

*Nova is a genius at creating setting. I felt like I lived in this crazy eerie town with the reservoir and could picture every single element of it. She described it in a way that I still swore I must have been to it before because I knew this town.

*The book starts with a mystery and it keeps getting stranger and stranger, but it makes perfect sense to the story. That's part of the greatness of magical realsim. You don't question what is going on; it seems natural and unnatural at the same time.

*I loved loved loved the character of Ruby. She was flawed in every way, but her confidence and firey personality made me want to be her just for a day.

*The cover is gorgeous. Seriously, it's so beautiful, I found myself closing the book in the middle of chapters and staring at it. Nova had the cover gods on her side when this book was designed.

Check the book out...you won't regret it!

What about you? What new 2011 author did you love?

Check out the other authors we featured:
Susan is featuring RIP TIDE
Robyn spotlights ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE
Matt loves SOLSTICE
Nicole wants to tell you about POSSESSION
Janet tells why she loves LIAR SOCIETY
Kate talks about MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
Sheri admires IRON WITCH
Jen would like to tell you about WITHER
Shannon celebrates DARK PARTIES
Jon loves MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE
Michelle tells you about SHIFTING
Susan admires WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE
Natalie gives a shout out to AUDITION, THE FAERIE RING, and MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE
Katie loves THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER
Stina gives you a taste of BAD TASTE IN BOYS
Jessie spotlights SPELLBOUND and BIRTHRIGHT
Willow admires DESTINED
Christine raves about POSSESS
Kristin really really likes CLARITY
Anne features READY PLAYER ONE
Meredith wants to shout about DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE
Amy Rose loves THE NEAR WITCH
Theresa talks about DIVERGENT
Kelly focuses in on EARTHLING HERO and A SCARY GOOD BOOK
Christine gears you up for THE LIPSTICK LAWS
Laura is wild about GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS
Patti tells you about HEREAFTER
Portia admires THE SECRET OF SPRUCE KNOLL
Ali has plenty to say about POSSESSION

Steve Jobs And A Psalm Of Life

2011-10-08T09:48:00.005-04:00

This is my 300th blog post!

And I believe it's only fitting to refer to my very first blog post.

I posted it on Friday, December 4, 2009 and received seven comments below it.

And while my agent might have changed...one thing hasn't....I'm still writing on my MacBook.

Of course, I'm still writing on that MacBook because Steve Jobs has changed the world forever with his inventions. It was with his products that I revised the first book I sold, drafted and wrote my second book and listened to the soundtracks that provided me inspiration for everything I wrote. My writing is dependent on my MacBook and Ipod and it's with his products that I was able to chase after my dreams.

I teach Longfellow's poem "A Psalm of Life" with my students when we do transcendentalist writers. We happened to read it this Tuesday and there's always a few students who are very moved by it and take home the photocopies I make from the book. One year a girl told me she hung it up in her bedroom for inspiration. Longfellow talks about our time on earth and how it goes by fast. He says that we shouldn't follow everyone else, that we need to be the hero. We need to make something of our lives and better it every single day, so that we can inspire future generations.

If you haven't seen Steve Jobs commencement video, watch it. Or you can read the words here. The words are so similar to the poem and the message is the same.

A PSALM OF LIFE

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, — act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

RIP Steve Jobs...you'll be missed, but your legacy will live on and inspire others.

Are You In Or Out?

2011-10-07T17:43:00.003-04:00

So I've started to hear the whispers.

People are talking about it on the Internet.

The countdown clock is telling me that I have 24 days left to decide.

NaNoWriMo(or National Write a Novel in a Month) is next month.

I was working on edits for CANARY two years ago and last year I was planning a wedding.

But this year I think I might do it. Or at least a version of it that involves kicking my new novel into shape and finishing it for my agent and beta readers. I work well with deadlines and I'd love to be a part of such a supportive community. I'm at about 50,000 words and want to reach 80,ooo which is less than the 50,000 word goal for a novel, but still a big goal for me.

What about you? Are you going to NaNoWriMo or not???

Can I Pick Your Brain?

2011-10-06T18:05:00.002-04:00

I need help fleshing out my main character in the book I'm working on.

Her name is Rhylee.

She's lived in her sister's shadow her entire life.

She is slightly overweight and despises anything physical.

I need a hobby/activity for her that she can do inside her house that she's good at. Something like cooking or video games or knitting.

Thoughts or ideas? Everything I come up with isn't right, and I know her niche is somewhere out there.

Hello, 21st Century!

2011-10-04T18:13:00.003-04:00

The deal was that if I got a book deal, I'd get an iphone. I don't have a smart phone and working on a teacher's salary, it seemed like a bit of a splurge.

So I promised myself that I had to wait until my book sold. Then, as a celebration, I could finally buy a phone. There's no secret that part of being an author these days includes making a presence on social media sites, so the phone would technically be used for work purposes.

I've waited patiently for Apple's announcement, and now, October 14th can't come soon enough!

Now I just need to decide which phone cover to get.

Gatsby....

Or Mockingbird...

Check out all of the cases here. Which would you choose?

Banned Book Week: Quotes That Speak Volumes

2011-10-02T10:45:00.004-04:00

My high school has one of the most AMAZING librarians in the world. She's worked hard to create an environment that my students want to go to and provides books they devour. Each day the library closes for forty minutes so she can eat lunch, and my students always complain. That's how important the library is to them!

For banned book week, she plastered the school with colorful papers full of quotes about the dangers of banning books. I asked her for the file, so I could share them with you. The words are important, powerful and serve as a warning to the dangers of censoring material (which really, terrifies me).

Check them out and let me know which one is your favorite! Or share your favorite banned books (two of mine are Looking for Alaska and Lord of the Flies)!

"Without free speech no search for truth is possible... no discovery of truth is useful... Better a thousandfold abuse of free speech than denial of free speech. The abuse dies in a day, but the denial slays the life of the people, and entombs the hope of the race."

-- Charles Bradlaugh

"You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police. Yet in their hearts there is unspoken - unspeakable! - fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts! Words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home, all the more powerful because they are forbidden. These terrify them. A little mouse - a little tiny mouse! -of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic."

-- Winston Churchill

"The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion..."

-- Henry Steel Commager

"If librarianship is the connecting of people to ideas – and I believe that is the truest definition of what we do – it is crucial to remember that we must keep and make available, not just good ideas and noble ideas, but bad ideas, silly ideas, and yes, even dangerous or wicked ideas."

-- Graceanne A. Decandido

"Every burned book enlightens the world."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"This is slavery, not to speak one's thought."

-- Euripides, Greek tragic poet (480 or 485 B.C. - 406 B.C)

"If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed."

-- Benjamin Franklin, 1730

"Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education."

-- Alfred Whitney Griswold, Essays on Education

"To prohibit the reading of certain books is to declare the inhabitants to be either fools or slaves."

-- Claude Adrien Helvetius, De l'Homme, Vol. I, sec. 4

"The sooner we all learn to make a decision between disapproval and censorship, the better off society will be... Censorship cannot get at the real evil, and it is an evil in itself."

-- Granville Hicks (1901-1982)

"Fear of corrupting the mind of the younger generation is the loftiest form of cowardice."

-- Holbrook Jackson

"Did you ever hear anyone say 'That work had better be banned because I might read it and it might be very damaging to me'?"

-- Joseph Henry Jackson

"Children deprived of words become school dropouts; dropouts deprived of hope behave delinquently. Amateur censors blame delinquency on reading immoral books and magazines, when in fact, the inability to read anything is the basic trouble."

-- Peter S. Jennison

"Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance."

-- Lyndon Baines Johnson, February 11, 1964

"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people."

-- John F. Kennedy

"The burning of an author's books, imprisonment for an opinion's sake, has always been the tribute that an ignorant age pays to the genius of its time."

-- Joseph Lewis, Voltaire: The Incomparable Infidel, 1929

"Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there."

-- Clare Booth Luce

"One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present."

-- Golda Meir, Israeli political leader (1898-1978)

"To forbid us anything is to make us have a mind for it."

-- Michel de Montaigne, Essays, 1559

"You have not converted a man because you have silenced him."

-- John Morley

"All of us can think of a book... that we hope none of our children or any other children have taken off the shelf. But if I have the right to remove that book from the shelf - that work I abhor - then you also have exactly the same right and so does everyone else. And then we have no books left on the shelf for any of us."

-- Katherine Paterson, American author of childrens books (1932-)

"A censor is an expert in cutting remarks. A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to."

-- Dr. Laurence Peter

"Free societies...are societies in motion, and with motion comes tension, dissent, friction. Free people strike sparks, and those sparks are the best evidence of freedom's existence."

-- Salman Rushdie

"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist."

-- Salman Rushdie

"Censorship ends in logical completeness when nobody is allowed to read any books except the books that nobody reads."

-- George Bernard Shaw

"All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently the first condition of progress is the removal of censorship."

-- George Bernard Shaw

"Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is the hallmark of an authoritarian regime..."

-- Justice Potter Stewart

"Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear."

-- Harry S. Truman, message to Congress, August 8, 1950

"Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it."

-- Mark Twain

Adios...TTFN...Ciao...Later, dude!

2011-09-30T12:53:00.002-04:00

I've been writing more and more e-mails as a young adult writer than ever before. E-mails to people who have found my book on Goodreads, bloggers and from writing websites.

The problem is, I don't know how to close the e-mails.

My agent always signs his with "Cheers." and another agent I know uses "Best."

I want something unique too. Preferably something fun and sassy (okay, I just wanted to use the word "sassy," it's my new favorite word!).

I'm at a loss. What do you think? Do you have any ideas? I'm thinking it doesn't even need to be something that says "bye" but maybe a fun phrase or short quote?

How do you sign your messages?

You Is...

2011-09-29T15:51:00.001-04:00

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

2011-09-26T21:05:00.002-04:00

Borders is not going out without a fight...and I love it! Check out this list a group of employees made at their last "rage against the machine."

You can click on my picture to read it larger or go the this link....here!

California....errr....Cyprus Dreaming!

2011-09-26T20:15:00.000-04:00

It's raining and pouring here and I think we're all going to wash away soon! It hasn't let up which is a pain when puppies need to go out! We have lots of wet paws around here! The news said that this has been the fourth rainiest year for Cleveland in history and we just need five inches more to break the record. Ugh!

I'm tucked away in my office working on my homework for the MFA program and wishing that I was back on my honeymoon in sunny (and dry!) Cyprus!

Winners!

2011-09-25T14:04:00.003-04:00

Hello, hello!

We have our winners from the Blog Hop!

In total, there were 161 comments.

We had ten prices to give away! And here are the winners:

Blueeyedadri please contact Robyn Campbell (robyn at robyncampbell dot com) for your signed copy of "Across the Universe" by Beth Revis.

J.A. Bennet please contact Ali Cross (ali at alicross dot com) for your signed copy of Supernaturally by Kiersten White.

Mina Burrows please contact K.M. Walton (kmwalton1atverizondotnet) for your copy of "Crash Into Me" by Albert Borris.

Joanne Fritz please contact Katharina Gerlach (katharina at katharinagerlach dot com) for your coupon for William L. Hahn’s heroic fantasy "Fencing Reputation".

Small Town Shelly Brown please contact Katharina Gerlach (katharina at katharinagerlach dot com) for your eBook The Witches of Greenwitch.

Michael Di Gesu please contact Katharina Gerlach (katharina at katharinagerlach dot com) for your eBook-excerpt "Chasing the Grimm Reaper".

Rusty Webb please contact Stephanie (lizziebennet45 at yahoo dot com) for your 30 pg critique.

Kim please contact Rachele Alpine (ralpine at aol dot com) for your 25 pg critique.

Tina Moss please contact M.G. Higgins (info at mghiggins dot com) for your 20 page critique.

Alex J. Cavanaugh please contact Michele Helene (michelevhelene at gmail dot com) for your first 500 words intensive critique.

Congratulations to all winners!

A Funny Thing Has Been Happening...

2011-09-22T15:30:00.003-04:00

I teach American Literature. Usually that means the classics (Of Mice and Men, The Crucible, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Raisin in the Sun, The House on Mango Street, The Great Gatsby...).

Young Adult novels have always been meant for independent reading time (which I try to do each day for twenty minutes at the start of my 90 minute class). The kids love their independent reading books. They complain if I try to take away some of the 20 minutes. The English department have had other teachers bring up the issue of kids reading their independent books in their class (yay!). So while my students read and most often like the classic books, they are also clammering for YA fiction.

There has always been the idea that you teach the classics in school and read for fun outside of school. Many people believe that the two should be separate and the high school curriculum should only focus on the classics. In fact, my former agent didn't think YA should be the focus on a high school English classroom. While I understand the importance of having kids read from the literary canon, I also know how amazing YA books can be in helping to teach the course objectives.

That's why I'm a strong supporter for integrating both.

Last year was my department's review and revise year and we were able to discuss, analyze and consider new literature for the classroom. I chose three current YA novels for my course that can be taught in a whole group setting or in small reading circles based on student interests and abilities. They are The Absoluetly True Diary of a Part Time Indian (Alexie), Things a Brother Knows (Reinhardt) and Stolen(Christopher).

I introduced these books to my students at the start of the year because I always talk about what we'll be reading.

Well...I've noticed that a bunch of them (at least 8-10) have checked the copies of these books out from my school library. They are reading the books before they have to read them!

Really, how amazing is that!?! On one hand, I want to tell them to stop reading these books because they're class novels, but on the other hand, how can I tell them to stop reading! It's crazy, funny and exciting. I can't wait to teach them in the classroom.

What about you? What are your thoughts on teaching both YA literature and the classics in school? Should it be done? Or should teachers just stick to the classics?

Library Photoshoot!

2011-09-20T15:09:00.008-04:00

I may have gushed from time to time how much I love F Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books in the whole world, so it only seemed fitting that we not only get our formal wedding pictures taken in The Cleveland Public Library, but also bring a book along.

Because really, what girl doesn't carry a book at her wedding?

These pictures have a bit (okay, a lot) of the cheese factor, but they crack me up everytime I look at them.

Caption One: "I am going to creep up behind you to see what you're reading." ~Jason

Caption Two: "Oh hey, I didn't know you were creeping up behind me while I read." ~Rachele

Caption Three: "Here, let me show you some of my favorite parts." ~Rachele

Caption Four: "No one is looking. Quick! Kiss me across the library table!" ~Jason

A Different Genre...Who Woulda Thunk?!

2011-09-18T17:37:00.005-04:00

I kept trying to remind myself to thank all of you for your words of encouragement the night of my MFA workshop.

The workshop went well...I got some GREAT feedback and left feeling inspired and ready to write again. Phew!

However, during the conversation a little word got thrown around quite a bit.

A word my agent also threw around when we were talking about my new novel.

A word that I have never dreamed would be associated with me.

Everyone thinks that the start of my book sets up and could easily have some paranormal elements to it.

Paranormal?

Me?

I never thought that I would say this, but....

Why not?!?

We'll see where this leads me. I think it will end up being more magical realism than paranormal, which is fine with me. There's some magical realism books that have come out lately that I adore. It may add a really cool element to my story. And if I don't like it, whose to say I can go back to making it a contemporary story?

So once again, wish me luck!

What about you? What's a genre that you could never see yourself writing in????

Blog Hop: The One

2011-09-15T10:47:00.011-04:00

Today I'm participating in my first blog hop! It's pretty simple...you read my post and click to the next! If you follow the hop, you'll get to meet some great new writers and win some AWESOME prizes (see the end of this e-mail for the goodies you can get!).

We're talking about our Inspirtations...those authors who started our dream of wanting to become writers ourselves.

I have always loved to read and write since I was little, but it was YA literature that I truly got hooked on and never let go.

I think the earliest influence on my YA writing would have to be Judy Blume. She didn't speak down to me or treat me like I wasn't mature enough to undertand the world, life and all the crazy things that happen to you when you're growing up. It was her books that I turned to and read over and over again when I needed a reminder that I wasn't alone. She showed me that a lot of the things I was going through happen to other (even many) people too. She was honest enough to write novels that didn't hide things, and I needed that then and appreciate it now. She was kind of like the friend I could ask my secrets too and didn't have to worry about everyone knowing them.

Today there a lot of YA writers who remind me of her. Writers who show teens life for what it is and often life isn't always perfect. Judy Blume might have been my first influence, but today John Green and Laurie Halse Anderson's fearless writing is what inspires me.

I love that there are so many authors out there now who with honesty for teens and tell the storie that need to be heard.

So who was "The One" for you? Make sure you'r a follower and leave a comment and let me know! ANY comment left on this post (and subsequent comments you may make if you do some bloghopping) qualifies for PRIZES.

-SIGNED COPY OF KIERSTEN WHITE'S SUPERNATURALLY from Ali

-A 25 PAGE CRITIQUE from Me (woo hoo!)

-QUERY CRITIQUE and SIGNED COPY OF BETH REVIS' ACROSS THE UNIVERSE from Robyn Campbell

- 500 WORD CRITIQUE from Michele Helene

- COUPON CODE FOR AN EPIC FANTASY EBOOK BY WILLIAM L. HAHN from Katharina Gerlach

- A COPY OF CRASH INTO ME by ALBERT BORRIS K. M. Walton

- A 30 PAGE CRITIQUE from Stephanie

- A YA BOOK from Bonnie Ray

The last day to enter is Thursday, September 22. We'll choose winners through random.org (the more you read, the better chances you have!).

What are you waiting for? Go "hop" on over to Andrew Leon's blog!

Sending My New Baby Out Into The World

2011-09-14T18:00:00.003-04:00

I don't talk to often about my MFA program, but I'm currently in a program as a fiction writer. I'm working my way through it slowly because I have a full time job and am still paying off loans on my first graduate degree (only one and a half more years....yay!). I really like the program; it's great to be in classes where you talk about writing and being in a community of other writers is very encouraging.

A major component is the workshop. I'm required to take fifteen hours of workshop classes (5 semesters). I look forward to taking workshop classes. I find it interesting to sit around and discuss other people's writing (I often get good tips for my own writing from these discussions).

Tonight is my first night (we workshop our pieces twice). I sit silent for 45 minutes while the class discuses my work. Usually I don't mind this. I like the feedback, different views and ideas. I always leave my personal story workshop with a lot of new ideas. Except, tonight I'm somewhat terrified of workshopping my piece. You see, the story that I submitted is the first 30 pages of my new novel. The novel no one but my agent has seen. It's still my baby and I'm a little bit scared to show my baby to everyone. So wish me luck! I'm sure it will be fine, but you know how it goes when you're showing off your work for the first time.*

What about you? Do you get those first draft jitters? Who are the first people you usually share your work with?

*I set this to post right when my class starts....so if you're reading it tonight, chances are my work is also being talked about!

Watching Willow Watts Release!

2011-09-14T02:53:00.001-04:00

Talli Roland's book WATCHING WILLOW WATTS comes out today and it looks adorable! I love the premise and I can't wait to read it.

Here's the summary of the book, which you can order on Amazon:

For Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop and nights watching TV, as the pension-aged residents of Britain's Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when a YouTube video of Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation gets millions of hits after a viewer spots Marilyn's ghostly image in a frame.

Instantly, Willow's town is overrun with fans flocking to see the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by the villagers -- whose shops and businesses are cashing in -- Willow embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and ramming herself full of cakes to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves.
But when a former flame returns seeking the old Willow, Willow must decide: can she risk her stardom and her village's newfound fortune on love, or is being Marilyn her ticket to happiness?

Sounds great, right? It reminds me of a fun girl movie like Bridget Jones or The Holiday.

Tallia is doing a web splash where we had to answer her question, "If I could be anyone, I'd be..."

I thought about this question a lot, and I think I'd choose Carrie Bradshaw. I know she's not real, but my gosh, her wardrobe is and I would love to wear some of it. And don't get me started on her shoes! I was a bit jealous of her life as a writer in NYC which allowed her to run all over the town meeting her friends for fabulous meals, which sounds amazin. Although if I was Carrie, I totally would have picked Aiden over Mr. Big!

What about you? Who would you be? You can check out the other blogger's answers at Tallia's blog!

Why I Love My Job

2011-09-08T22:17:00.004-04:00

Today I had my students reading The Crucible out loud. There is a stage direction that says, "Betty is lying on the bed inert."

One of my students asked me what it meant, so I explained that she's lying there stiff, motionless and unable to do anything.

"Oh, you mean she was planking," shouted another student.

Doh!

Yes, dear students, Betty Parris was planking.

498...499...500!

2011-09-07T17:00:00.010-04:00

I'm two people away from 500 followers....and I'd love to reach that number!

If you're a lurker, come out and say hello! Come hang out with all of us on Freckle Head!

And btw...I have an awesome contest planned for selling my book. I just need to get a few more things together/from the mailman. You'll have to be a follower to win, so why not get a head start?

Keep watching...I will post about it soon!

Will a picture of my cute puppy be incentive enough to follow? I believe cute puppies are always good incentives for thing!

I Like You! Do You Like Me?

2011-09-02T19:00:00.003-04:00

Remember those notes you used to pass in grade school?

The ones that said, "Do you like me? Check yes or no?"

Well, I'm asking if you "like" me!

If so, and if you have a Facebook account, head on over to my new Facebook fan page and let me know!

I'll be posting updates on writing relating stuff and other random things over there.

Don't worry if you don't have Facebook, I just love that you read my blog!

Balance Fail

2011-09-01T19:27:00.002-04:00

I want to be honest on this blog. That's what it's all about, right?

I want to show you my journey to being published and not hold back.

That means you'll be a part of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Yesterday I blogged about balance and my new writing plan and how it had been going well for the first two and a half weeks of school. You left me such nice messages of encouragement.

Well, today...

I came home....

and crashed.

I took a two hour nap and didn't wake up until my puppy was whining in my ear to go out.

Balance FAIL.

Oh well. I learned a long time ago that writing doesn't always go smoothly. So I'll take the days where I'm super energized (like yesterday when I came home from my MFA fiction workshop class and wrote for two hours because I was excited to be back from taking the summer off and being surrounded by writers again) and days like today.

Because there is always tomorrow. A new day and a new balance!

What about you? Do you have any writing truths you want to spill?

Keeping Balance

2011-08-31T22:03:00.004-04:00

Long gone are the days of summer where I could write for hours.

Now that the school year has started (both at the high school where I teach and classes for my MFA program), I knew I had to figure out a way to juggle it all. Between grading, lesson planning and completing MFA classwork, I'm pretty much drained during the week

So I came up with a solution that's been working pretty well with my revisions.

I printed out the draft of my book and Monday-Friday I go over the draft and write notes, cross things out (sometimes lots of things) and mark areas where I want to add more. This works well. This works really well. While it does involve some thinking, it's thinking over something that's already been written.

The weekend is my time to create new writing (usually areas I marked in my draft where I want to expand scenes, review or create whole new ones). My husband (it's still kind of strange to say that!) understands that I need one day a weekend to dedicate to my writing. I've been packing up and heading to my favorite Starbucks at Barnes and Noble, where I plug my headphones into my Mac and write, write, write. It's easier to write on the weekend, because my mind is not already jumbled up with all the other stuff from the day.

I'm slowly but surely making my way through my first draft and seem to have found a happy balance to work, writing, school and life.

At least until I get my first editorial letter from my editor. I'm pretty good at juggling, but I'm not sure how I'm going to fit in revising a book and writing one! Yikes!

What about you? How do you try to keep balance?

Your Monday Laugh

2011-08-29T14:00:00.005-04:00

I'm revising my new novel (yay!). The first draft is complete at 44,000 words, so now I'm working on developing character and subplots more.

It's been going well, but sometimes I hit a wall.

Writer's block always seems to be less painful when you can turn to a good laugh.

This New Yorker cartoon never fails to crack me up!

The Great Gatsby: Leonardo Dicaprio Style

2011-08-27T10:19:00.005-04:00

I've been gushing about Baz Lurhmann's Great Gatsby since they announced it.

I will probably keep gushing about it until it comes out.

So you can imagine how excited I was when some of the first pictures from filming appeared on the Internet!!!

Check it out. This site has a bunch of pictures as they start filming.

Now please excuse me as I go swoon over Leo!

If You Are New To The Blog...

2011-08-25T08:51:00.000-04:00

If you're new to the blog, here's my query summary for CANARY. The Publishers Marketplace listing doesn't give you a lot of details about the book, so I'll fill you in!

Similar to the style of Jandy Nelson's The Sky is Everywhere, CANARY (88,000 words) is told in a mix of narrative and blog entries. Kate Franklin’s dad is good at coaching basketball; what he isn’t good at is communicating with Kate and her brother Brett. When her mother dies, he shuts down, throwing himself into basketball as a way to cope with his grief, leaving Kate alone in silence. When he lands a job at Beacon, Kate finds it easy to fit in when she starts dating a player on the team. Kate quickly learns that there are perks to being an athlete, but it comes with a price. When one of the players take his power too far at a party and Kate is assaulted, she doesn't stay silent about the attack. However, her accusations aren’t accepted by the Beacon community. The school rallies with the team and lashes out at her. Ugly rumors are created to destroy Kate and her credibility. She’s not praised for her decision to be truthful, but instead, it brings terrible consequences. The final blow comes when her dad tries to silence her in order to protect the team. The world that Kate believed was safe is now her worst enemy, and Kate must decide whether to stay silent or expose the corruption, destroying her father’s career and bringing down a town’s heroes.

My head is still up in the clouds, but I'll be coming down soon to talk more...I promise!

It's Official!

2011-08-24T10:39:00.002-04:00

This came out today in Publishers Marketplace, so I guess it's time to share!

Woo hoo!

Children's: Young Adult
Rachele Alpine's debut CANARY, about a girl who suddenly finds herself in the popular crowd at a new school when her father is hired as the basketball coach, to Ali DeGray at Medallion Press, for publication in Fall 2013, by John Rudolph at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World).

I'll write more once my head comes down from the clouds!

Winner!

2011-08-21T20:21:00.002-04:00

Thanks so much for all the kind words about signing with my new agent. I love the support from all of my blog friends!

As promised, I have a copy of fellow agent sister, Nova Ren Suma's Imaginary Girls to give away.

The winner of the book is....

Lisa Richards!

Woo hoo!

Congrats, Lisa!

I urge everyone else who entered to read this book. It's amazing and I'll probably gush about it again later this week when I share the surprise turns my new book has taken me and my writing.

The Perfect Last Day of Summer

2011-08-18T09:03:00.010-04:00

I've been reading tweets and Facebook messages of writer parents excited to have their kids go back to school. They get time to write in peace and quiet. I, on the other hand, will lose a huge chunk of my writing time as I go back to the classroom.

Today is my last day of summer vacation and while I'm excited about the classes I'm teaching this year, it always gets so much harder to balance everything during the school year.

But today I won't think about that.

Today is my perfect last day!

This is what it will look like:

1) Get up and take this cutie outside and then spend some time playing with her (leaving her is probably going to be the hardest part of going back to work).

Isn't she getting big!?! She was just a little squirt a few months ago!

2) Brew a huge cup of coffee (in my mustache mug!) and spend some hours with my book in my pajamas (my writing time will shift, and most of my writing will get done in the evenings or on the weekends. Writing in the morning when my mind is still fresh is my favorite way to do it).

3) Get a facial (woo hoo!). The ladies at work gave me a gift certificate for my wedding shower to the spa I love, so I'm cashing it in today on a 90 minute facial. Hav

4) Sushi with the hubs (a perfect day isn't complete without sushi!).

What about you? What would you do on your perfect day?

And don't forget to enter my contest...you have until Sunday! Click here for information!

I've Got News (And A Contest!)

2011-08-15T17:34:00.011-04:00

You may have noticed I've been pretty silent about my book these last few months. Yes, the wedding was the main cause of that, but it was also because I was in a transition period. My old agent took an extended leave of absence, so I asked to be let out of my contract. I understood that she needed the time off, but I didn't want my book or writing to sit in limbo.

I queried a small batch of my favorite agents (basically agents who repped authors that I love) and let them know the situation. After a few weeks of being back on the query train (you know, days full of nail biting, refreshing e-mails and decisions), I'm happy to announce that CANARY and my new book CIRCLES WITHIN CIRCLES is now represented by John Rudolph at Dystel and Goderich.

Uhm...yeah...cue excited screaming!

I'm so excited to work with John and the agency! They represent some amazing authors such as:

Oh, and another author you might know by the name of....

Barack Obama!

Seriously, I'm honored to be a part of an agency that represents such great writers.

To celebrate, I'm giving away a copy of Nova Ren Suma's Imaginary Girls. If you haven't read it, you must. It's one of the best books I've read all year and I can't wait to get it into the hands of one of my readers.

All you have to do is follow my blog and fill out the form below. I'll pick a winner this Sunday evening (August 21), so you have until noon Sunday to enter!

Each blog, tweet or Facebook mention gets you an extra point. Just share the link!

Honeymoon Reading

2011-08-12T08:06:00.004-04:00

Your honeymoon is the perfect time to do a lot of reading. Right?

Okay, maybe not, but I still found time to fit it in on the plane rides and while sitting in the sun.

If you remember from this posting, I saved a bunch of books that I was excited to read for the honeymoon. Although I cheated a bit and read some of the books before I left, I had some amazing books still loading on my Kindle.

The Fates Will Find Their Way (Pittard)
I heard the author speak at the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop and was intrigued by her book. It's about a girl who goes missing in high school and life after. It's told as a collective "we," and is narrated by the boys who went to school with her. The book follows their lives as they grow older and possibilities of what might have happened to the missing girl.

Sisterhood Everlasting (Brashares)
I loved the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books, so I was ecstatic when I heard she was writing another one. The book skips ahead ten years and while parts reminded me of what I loved in the earlier series, this book is very very sad. Seriously, the entire book has a mournful theme to it, but it was wonderful to visit with the characters again.

We'll Always Have Summer (Han)
I love this series, and I always recommend it to my female students who want a cute romance. A bunch of my girls read it when it came out a few months ago, and I swore them to secrecy. I didn't want them to ruin which brother Belly ends up with, and I'll stay silent too so I don't ruin it for you!

The Solitude of Prime Numbers (Giordano)
I had read a recommendation of this book awhile ago, and I wanted to read it. It's translated from Italian and follows two characters (a boy and girl) from childhood to adulthood. I loved how it was told in a more episodic way.

Where She Went (Foreman)
I did not want this book to end (and it did too fast, because I read it in less than a day!). It's the sequel to If I Stay, but it's told from Adam's perspective. I thought I wouldn't like it, but I don't think it would have been the same if Mia told the story. It was wonderful, and I can't wait to share it with my students who love If I Stay.

This Beautiful Life (Schulman)
This book was reviewed in the NY Times about two weeks ago and I had to find wi-fi at the hotel in Paris to download it because it didn't come out until August 2. It's about an affluent family in NYC and the aftermath of what happens when the teenage son forwards a video sent to him from a girl admirer. It's a pretty timely topic, and I liked how the author showed how the entire family was affected from this one event.

I'd recommend any of these reads. What about you? Have you read any good books this summer?

Never Give Up

2011-08-11T09:02:00.003-04:00

Have you read The Help?

If you have, phew! How awesome was it, right?

If you haven't, go out and buy it now!

Why are you still reading this???? Go out and buy it! :)

I've fallen in love with the book (just like a huge part of this country) and all my friends/family have been given gifts of the book. I even get to teach it this year in my American Literature course!

This article by the author, Kathryn Stockett, is a must read for writers. She queried over 60 agents before she found one and worked tirelessly on the book even when others told her to quit. She talks about revising while in labor and sneaking away to hotels down the street to write (while telling her husband she was on girls' weekends). It's about an inspirational as the book is. If you believe in something, you fight for it.

So writers, take her advice and don't give up!

Hitched!

2011-08-07T17:50:00.013-04:00

Hey there!

I haven't talked to you in awhile.

But I have a good excuse....I got married!

Woo hoo!

Don't Miss This Deal

2011-07-18T10:11:00.002-04:00

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you'll remember that I purchased mini-business cards from Moo. Check them out here.

I love Moo's products (in fact, we're using some of their stickers at our wedding this weekend.

Moo is simple and easy to use and....until Wednesday you can get 30% off your purchase.

That's big, everyone! I've NEVER seen a deal like that from them before.

What are you waiting for? Head on over!

Or should I say, moove on over! Ba ha ha!

Crazy Busy

2011-07-17T09:46:00.002-04:00

With the wedding less than a week away (waaaa!), I've been super busy.

But it's good busy.

And fun busy.

And I'm still finding time to squeeze in writing.

I also started knitting again (thank goodness...we had been broken up for two long!).

Writing and knitting have kind of helped me keep my sanity.

I'm trying to relax and take in the final days before the wedding, and I think the picture below adequately shows what I just might need to get through this last week!

Creative Marketing

2011-07-13T11:35:00.007-04:00

My writing friend Lisa Nowak has done some of the most creative marketing I've ever seen for a book.

First, she wrote a wonderful YA novel called Running Wide Open. Here's the description of her book:

Cody Everett has a temper as hot as the flashpoint of racing fuel, and it's landed him at his uncle's trailer, a last-chance home before military school. But how can he take the guy seriously when he calls himself Race, eats Twinkies for breakfast, and pals around with rednecks who drive in circles every Saturday night?

What Cody doesn't expect is for the arrangement to work. Or for Race to become the friend and mentor he's been looking for all his life. But just as Cody begins to settle in and get a handle on his supercharged temper, a crisis sends his life spinning out of control. Everything he's come to care about is threatened, and he has to choose between falling back on his old, familiar anger or stepping up to prove his loyalty to the only person he's ever dared to trust.

I read it in beta form and loved it. I also know a lot of students who will like this book too. It's about racing, but includes so much more. My favorite part of it is how she develops family and what it means and how sometimes your family isn't always the people you're related to. I think that will speak strongly to a lot of my students.

The book focuses a lot on racing, so Lisa sponsored a 12 year old driver! How cool is that!? His name is Jared Myers, age 12, and the car is a '75 Nova. The class it runs in is called Tracers, short for Teen Racers, and she says "the idea behind it was to give kids something positive to spend their time on and also to help build a family atmosphere at the track." Lisa has her book's title on the car and the colors match the cover. I think it's the most clever idea ever, and I love that she's also supporting a local racer.

What other creative marketing ideas have you seen? I'd love to hear them!

P.S. You should totally buy this book! I promise it's a great read! And Lisa also blogs about writing.

Beautiful Language

2011-07-07T09:34:00.005-04:00

Have you ever read a book where the writing is so beautiful that you wish you had an ounce of the talent that writer had? Books that really blow you away with their prose and language?

I've been lucky enough to read two books like that this year.

First, Kirsten Hubbard's Like Mandarin, which I read on my Kindle when it came out and then procedded to buy paperback copies for my classroom library because I knew my students would love it.

Second, Nova Ren Suma's Imaginary Girls. Oh my gosh. I'm reading it right now and am blown away by her writing. I'm trying to read it slowly because I want it to last, but the story just keeps pushing me forward faster and faster.

Uhm....and can we talk about the beautiful covers of each?

Have you read this books? If not, you MUST go buy them right now. Go....buy them!

What books have you read where you've fallen in love with the language? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Some Pig

2011-07-05T13:54:00.002-04:00

Charlotte's Web is the first book I can remember reading myself. At least, I tried to read it. I can still vividly picture myself at age 6 on the top bunk at summer camp going through the book. I know I didn't know what all of the words were then, but what I do know is that I loved that book.

NPR just did a great feature on it, and you can read the article here.

What was your favorite book when you were young? Or better yet, do you remember the first book you read by yourself?

Word Count

2011-07-01T11:44:00.006-04:00

I'm back from Kenyon and writing, writing, writing!

I worked with a great group of writers under the direction of Nancy Zafris and Helen Hooper as her fellow.

We talked shop every day around a giant table perfect for workshopping...

I've been writing every day and no matter how hectic the last minute wedding work gets, I'm going to try my hardest to keep it up.

But....my new book is being so stubborn!

I finished the first complete draft at 30,000 words and have been working on fleshing it out. However, I can't for the life of me get it above 40,000 words. It's fighting to be a novella, and I feel like I'm loosing the fight. I love the story, but am having a hard time making it more.

Any suggestions? What do you do when you're revising? How do you add to a novel? What are your words counts?

Tweeting from Kenyon

2011-06-23T12:19:00.003-04:00

Hey, hey...what do you think about this tweet and reply!?!

ralpine Rachele Alpine

@realjohngreen I'm at the Kenyon Review Writer's workshop this week staying in McBride...wonder what room John Green stayed in?

22 Jun

realjohngreen John Green

@ralpine Mather 206 I think?

22 Jun

I LOVE that I'm living and writing (for eight days!) on the same campus where John Green went to school.

I'm trying to fit the urge to be a crazy extreme fan girl and take a picture of his old dorm room.

Why Not?

2011-06-21T22:26:00.000-04:00

Love...

Writing Spaces

2011-06-18T10:35:00.004-04:00

Check out these amazing writing spaces....

I love love love the idea of a chalk board wall next to my desk so I can write down ideas whenever inspiration strikes.

While these places look awesome and Starbucks is my favorite writing place near my house, there is another place that I go away to each year to write. The Kenyon Review Writing Workshop. It's an eight day long boot camp for writers and while it's going to kick my butt, I know I'll come out with some awesome writing.

I'll be heading there in about two hours and I can't wait! I'll report more when I'm there, although it may be sparse because I'll be super busy. Happy writing to all of you this week!

And how cool is the dining hall....the whole campus is very Harry Potter...very inspiring!

Want Want Want.

2011-06-16T14:06:00.003-04:00

How awesome is this house? Kazuya Morita from Osaka, Japan wanted a house that would allow him to shelve books on every surface. Uhm....awesome!

38 Days Until the Big Day!

2011-06-15T07:59:00.004-04:00

Our wedding is in 38 days! 38 days, y'all! Every time I log into our Crate and Barrel registry the amount of days left stare back at me in big bold numbers. Not that I log onto my registry a lot... ;)

I'm ready...I can't wait, but I'm such a planner. I worry about getting it all done and being able to relax and enjoy everything.

These last few weeks have been busy with completing wedding details. Now that school is over, I know I'll be doing even more work.

But it's fun work.

And it hasn't been all work.

My mom and sister threw a wonderful shower for me at one of my favorite restaurant's in Cleveland's Tremont area.

Look at the amazing cupcakes my mom made (from scratch!) and the paper cake she constructed. It came a part so everyone took home a "slice" full of candy.

My cousin Shelly (the blond) made the six+ hour drive to surprise me!

And here's Jason and I with the females in his family...

And my future sister in laws!

This past weekend I celebrated with my favorite ladies at my bachelorette party. We had appetizers first complete with a rice krispie treat cake made by my sister (my all time favorite dessert!).

Posed with our studded Michael Jackson gloves (my favorite singer of all time).

We then headed to downtown Cleveland for sushi, dancing and mustaches!

I know our wedding will be here before I know it, and I can't wait!

Summer!

2011-06-14T15:56:00.002-04:00

Summer is here and I'm FINALLY back to writing!

I'm hanging at my favorite place right now....the Starbucks at Barnes and Noble. Cheers to the summer!

Where is your favorite place to write?