Hello Friday! What took you so long to get here??? Even though this week seemed endless, with very little sleep, it also simultaneously sped by at the speed of light. Yup. That’s exactly how it happened. Trust me. I’m feeling the need to recap, mash things up and write in bullets today. It may be the lack of sleep thing. Just go with it.
*Don’t forget you still have time to support a great film…PROMISE LAND…and earn yourself one of five signed copies of TOUCHING THE SURFACE or a 10 page ms critique from me. GO HERE!!!!
I’m still chuckling about that one. <3 Beans loves a good mousey. Reeces on the other hand loves a good hair elastic. Cat diversity.
*I’ll be at BEA on Friday May 31st!!!! I’ll be having lunch with my spectacular agent and hunting down ARCs with my roomie from last year, Lisa Lueddecke. <3 It’s our friendship’s one year anniversary!!! I’m also hoping to finally see Rachel Simmons in person. We just miss each other every where we go. LOL! I’m also going to miss my girl, Grace Smith who made me smile every time I saw her last year. Hoping to see a bunch of people who I connected with last year and of course make some new face to face friends. If you see me, don’t let me pass you by–I’m a little bit of a spaz when it comes to remembering names of cyber friends and then attaching them to real live people. HELP ME OUT!!!!
*On June 2nd I’ll be participating in the Chronogram Kids & Family Fun Day. When I have more information on the author panel, I’ll let you know.
*Interesting observation: I’ve been cleaning and prepping the house for sale and I’ve been writing and revising. One of those things burns a lot more calories than the other. Damn.
*On June 12th I’ll be a guest speaker at the Orange County Librarians Dinner. I’m super stoked about that!!!! Watch out Orange County Librarians, I’m giddy with excitement about hanging with you.
*And I’ll leave you with my very entertaining Goodreads review of…
“I’ll be honest. My boys and I LOVE Roald Dahl books. All of them. Rather than review this book in my predictably gushy manner, I thought I would tell you a funny story that happened during our nightly reading sessions…
For those unfamiliar with the story, a grandmother is instructing her grandson on the multiple ways one might recognize a witch in disguise. While giving this info to my eight year old, he checked me over to confirm that I was indeed, not a witch. When he heard they wore itchy wigs, he checked my hair line. He investigated my toes and fingers for cat like claws and block like feet without toes.I thought I’d passed inspection, but a few days later, I caught him staring deeply into my eyes. (There had been a mention of a witches pupils being multicolored.) After a good hard look, he pronounced that I was definitely not a witch–I didn’t have multicolored NIPPLES. I corrected him and indicated that he meant PUPILS. His response was…whatever…it’s the same thing.
And there you have folks.”
I figure I’ve given you enough information for the comments without having to light your way. ROTFL! Have a fabulous holiday weekend. I WILL NOT BE BLOGGING ON MONDAY (Memorial Day) I’ll be picnicking and celebrating my 12yo’s graduation and move up to middle school. I’ll also be very busy being proud to be an American. May the force be with you!
Not too long ago, my husband mentioned that a friend and colleague, Kevin Dalvi, had written and directed a movie and we were invited to the red carpet premier in NYC. Of course, there is nothing about this that doesn’t sound interesting to me. I love movies, red carpets and supporting underdog artists trying to put their vision out in to the world. I am so glad I went to see PROMISE LAND, a NEQUA Studios Production, because I really, really connected with the movie and it’s artists. Here’s a little bit about PROMISE LAND…
PROMISE LAND is relevant, heart wrenching, funny and hopeful. I know my sphere of influence is very limited, but I would really like to do something to help this film get the attention it deserves. So, there will be a contest!!!!!!
And here are some pics from the PROMISE LAND Premier…
If you get the chance to see PROMISED LAND on it’s Summer Tour, I highly encourage it. It was a wonderful movie!!!! A list of summer screening dates and information on how to buy tickets is available HERE. Information on how to turn your blog post comment into contest entries is available above with rafflecopter. Thanks so much for spreading the word. It really means a lot to me. Kevin Dalvi may not realize it, but he has all the makings of one of John Green’s Nerdfighters! *fist pump*
Yesterday was gorgeous!!! The most perfect weather ever. So I spent the day outside putting in my vegetable garden and starting a butterfly garden. I used to have one and it didn’t make it through the installation of the retaining wall and last year I missed my one gardening window (not too hot, not too buggy) plus the whole impending debut book launch thingy kept me preoccupied. So needless to say–the butterflies got the shaft last year. But this year, not only did I run across the most perfect spring day that just made me want to plant a vacation paradise for butterflies, but my fabulous nephew has been doing some yard work to help me get ready to put the house on the market. This means…I get to pick the flowers and plant them and tomorrow he will do all the unpleasant bed weeding and mulching around my creation. *sigh* Everyone should have a fabulous nephew. <3
But acting like Martha Stewart all day has left me with the need to shower and get acquainted with my couch this evening. Because of this, I have decided to enlist all of you with the job of blog-post-deep-thinking. Of course, there has to be a pay off for you firing your brain cells so mine can rest. So, as a reward for being creative and funny, (myself and the mystery judges) will pick one lucky winner to get a signed copy of TOUCHING THE SURFACE. Keep it for yourself, donate it to the library or use it as a gift. Just get it in the hands of a reader. How to win? Write a caption for this picture in the comments and you will be entered. Every caption is a separate entry. And just so you know, the cat in the picture is named Beans. This contest is open internationally. Have fun.
Yesterday I spent most of my time working on my newly returned notes on THE OPPOSITE OF GRAVITY from my critique partners. Woo hoo! And here are some random thoughts that have popped into my head now that I’m delving back into the story…
* I love critique partners who not only tell me that I spelled something wrong or that I abused a semi-colon, but also give me a running commentary of what they’re thinking. It is so much fun and so helpful to see how their thought process unfolds as they interact with my words. This is true when you hear an OMG! I didn’t see that coming but it was awesome! It’s also just as valuable when I get an Ummmm I have no idea what’s going on here???? Both of these are helpful and needed.
*After a couple weeks with my MS on the back burner, I love it again. Phew! Honestly, by the time I’d passed it off to my friends, I was pretty sick of it and convinced, that while it was vastly better than it was before, it was still poo.
No, I don’t mean that kind of Pooh.
Writers, when you look at something for too long–it begins to look like poo. And then you have to learn to walk away from the poo, because when you’re knee deep in the poo, you can not get perspective. Don’t be afraid to pass the poo to a friend. That’s what friends are for (In the writing world or if you’re a mom with a new infant) And usually, what you get back (book or baby) is never quite as bad as what you thought you gave away. Your brain needed a break and now it’s working again.
*Speaking of the brain, it’s incredible how it will not see your mistakes no matter how many times you look at your own words. Your brain can do weird and wonderful things. To prove my point…
Acocdrnig to an elgnsih unviesitry sutdy the oredr of letetrs in a wrod dosen’t mttaer, the olny thnig thta’s iopmrantt is that the frsit and lsat ltteer of eevry word is in the crcreot ptoision. The rset can be jmbueld and one is stlil able to raed the txet wiohtut dclftfuiiy.
It blows me away and sort of scares me how easy it was for me to read that.
*I still growl or moan when I’m made aware of a plot hole or an inconstancy, even if I know it’s absolutely true. I tackle it, but it comes with sound effects. *head thunk*
*I really dig writing metaphors. I need to make this a component in the conference proposal I’m working on. One of my favorite parts of the writing process.
*I can get so engrossed in the revisions that I forget to write my blog post until almost midnight. *yawn* But because I want to get back to working on it (with a fresh mind) I’d better stop having random thoughts and get my butt to bed.
Any words or wisdom or bits of insight from your revision fort?
And don’t forget, there is still a chance to win a signed copy of TOUCHING THE SURFACE for your local or school library. Enter HERE!
I have a new addiction and it is so much healthier than the chocolate covered potato chips from the alps.
And yes, I sampled them when I went down to take the picture. Wouldn’t you? LOL! But hey–back on task–let’s talk about my other addiction. Squee! It’s school visits. Seriously people, they make me very, very happy. I’ve mentioned before that I was a teacher and that I was ok leaving the profession because it wasn’t a perfect fit for me. But author visits–It’s like taking a salty potato chip and dipping it in your favorite chocolate. It just works. It feels really good. I get to take the best parts of me (that I brought to the table as a teacher) and combine them with the heart and soul work I’m doing as a writer. Seriously, I could go on and on ad nauseam, but vomit isn’t pretty, so I’ll stop right after I tell you about the middle school boy who asked me to sign his arm yesterday. He mumbled something about not realizing he should have gotten the book. *heart squish* The thing is, there is more than one amazing thing going on when you’re an author for young adults. You have the potential to connect thorough your book, but you also have the weird ability to connect outside of your book. When you talk to a classroom of students, there may be kids who don’t pick up the book you’ve written, but they still hear what you say. And those words might be the right words at the right time. The possibilities and the potential are endless. But I promised to stop babbling. *covers mouth with hands*
Did you really think I’d shut up? Silly you. If you are located in the Hudson Valley area, I would love to arrange a visit to your local school. If you’re interested, let a teacher or librarian know that I’m available and how to contact me.
And because not everyone is close enough for me to stop over while my kids are in school, I’m doing a TOUCHING THE SURFACE giveaway for your favorite middle school or high school. Anyone can enter and the contest details are below.
And in case you still want to chat, I was wondering if any of you have stories of influential guest speakers visiting you in school. Did they make an impact on you? Didn’t have any guest speakers or they were duds? What author would you have loved to come and speak to you?
Have you read any Class of 2k12 books this year? How many? Have a favorite? Were there any unexpected surprise? Do you still have one you’re dying to get your hands on? Let’s talk fiction that ROCKS!
Four times a year teamTEENauthor has a dare day, but today is also the kick-off to a massive scavenger hunt that ends on November 10th. The more people that enter, the more prizes are unlocked. All the details can be found HERE! But before you go take a walk down memory lane with me. I decided to participate in the Dare Day fun and do Dare #3–Post pictures and other links all about your celebrity teenage heart throb. I know that you never would have expected this since I look so young, right? But here he is…
Shaun Cassidy
And here was the first album I ever owned.
And just so you get the full effect…
The Da Doo Ron Ron was my favorite Shaun Cassidy song. I was seven when it came out. *squee!* And I used to watch him on the Hardy Boys ALL THE TIME!!!
Sorry there was no post on Friday. The server for my web host was down Thursday into Friday. But I’m back now and I’ll try to get you updated on everything. Soup to nuts.
First off, it’s *gasp* THIRTY FIVE days until TOUCHING THE SURFACE hits the shelves. Back in February 2011 the birth of TOUCHING THE SURFACE seemed like it was light years away. And now that it’s almost here…
…it seems as if I’m going to run out of time long before I run out of things to do to get ready for this amazing new chapter of my life.
Since I know I will never be “ready” the least I can do is invite you to share in the chaos with me.
On October 30th, TOUCHING THE SURFACE’s official book birthday, I’m going to have a launch day challenge. Tweet, Facebook or email me a picture of TOUCHING THE SURFACE out in the wild and you’ll get a chance to win this…
Which is really this…
A silver origami crane necklace. I have one of my own and I’ve given one to my agent Michelle Wolfson and my editor Anica Rissi. I’ve been holding on to this one for the big day.
Of course I’ll be reminding you about the contest again right before the launch.
My very first author event will be taking place in ELEVEN DAYS! I’ll be doing a reading of TOUCHING THE SURFACE at COTA (Celebration of the Arts) in Hasbrouck Park–New Paltz, NY.
The event takes place from 11am-5pm but I’ll be reading at 1:30pm. Afterwards I’ll have swag to sign for anyone who is interested. And OMG! I’m reading right before one of my larger than life writing mentors, KL Going. I don’t know how I’m going to keep from bursting into a million pieces from a combination of pride and nerves.
I also have several wonderful book launch events planned and I’m hoping that if you’re nearby, you’ll be able to attend one.
*The first event is a NYC Cocktail party on Thursday, November 1st at 7:00pm, thrown by my very wonderful husband–yes, I am the luckiest girl in the world. The information is HERE. Feel free to add yourself to the evite or if you’re having trouble, just contact me with your name and email and I’ll add you to the group.
*The second event is going to be held on Saturday, November 3rd at 2:00pm at the Poughkeepsie, NY Barnes & Noble. You can find out more about this event HERE. The Poughkeepsie Barnes & Noble is a fabulous bookstore and I am so excited to be launching my book there. This B&N is the site of my local SCBWI Shop Talk, the place where I began learning how to be a writer. It has so many wonderful writerly memories for me. It is also the closest bookstore to my home, so you know I’ve spent a lot of quality time there. This is my community bookstore and I can’t believe I’m going to get to share this day, surrounded by people who have known and loved me since I was just a little kid. Signing my books here will be a mind blowing experience.
*The third event is going to be held on Sunday, November 4th at 4:00pm at Oblong Books & Music in Rhinebeck, NY.
This is one of two very special indie bookstores in my area and I can’t freaking believe that I’m going to be the author at a Hudson Valley YA Society event!!! I love going to these events to eat cookies and drool on my favorite authors. I can’t tell you how many times my husband and my boys and I have attended these events and then talked the whole ride home in the car about how someday they might ask me to do a book signing. Surreal.
Oblong books is asking for an RSVP to the event and if you can make it, you can respond on Facebook or RSVP at Oblong.
If you can’t make any of the formal book launch events–I’m completely bummed–but Oblong is taking orders for SIGNED COPIES OF TOUCHING THE SURFACE. I’ll be signing them that very afternoon, so there is a really good chance that the book will have residual festiveness tucked between the pages. How awesome is that?
Oh, and before I forget–I’ll be activating my newsletter function really soon, so don’t forget to sign up at the bottom of any page of this website.
Wow! I think I finally have all the up dated info properly laid out for you, so Wednesday we can get back to chatting about regular stuff LOL! But before you leave, my friend Linda Hanlon has recently been clarifying her bucket list. And this post absolutely is going to give me a few things to check off on my own list. So, I’m wondering what’s on your bucket list? Since not everything in life revolves around books (really?) I’ll also tell you another one of the things on my bucket list…I’d love to learn to play the piano. My list is L-O-N-G so I’ll add in more in the comments. Feel free to leave more than one.
Yesterday was my faux book birthday–the date that my book was originally, tentatively, going to be released. Oh, thank my lucky stars that they changed it. A book launch with three kids, the day before the first day of school, would have been less than ideal. LOL! But–yesterday was the REAL book birthday of my Wolf Pack sistah Linda Grimes. Her debut novel, IN A FIX hit the shelves and I just happened to be in the bookstore and couldn’t help but take that baby home with me. Of course I also have my pre-ordered copy in transit, so to celebrate my Faux Book Birthday and Linda’s Real Book Birthday, I’m giving away one of my copies of IN A FIX!!!!
The start of an original new urban fantasy series starring human chameleon Ciel Halligan
Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she’s able to take on her clients’ appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don’t want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.
This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable… that is, until Ciel’s island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client’s about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.
Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she’s been crushing on for years—both skilled adaptors—step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client’s intended.
Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.
Yes, I rock for sharing, but I have even bigger motivations than howling about the awesomeness of the Wolf Pack. (Although that would be enough.) Besides the fact that IN A FIX and Linda are made of awesome and martinis, I have another great reason to pimp her book–It’s Darcy Pattinson’s Random Acts of Publicity Week. Woo hoo!!!!! Oh, wait–you haven’t heard? Here’s the info directly from the Facebook event page…
4th Annual Random Acts of Publicity 2012, September 4-7
The Random Acts of Publicity 2012 will focus this year on Conversations about Books. The basic idea of the Random Acts of Publicity is to take the focus off you and your books for a week and instead focus on a friend’s book or a favorite book. How can you help that book’s sales? We know that the basic things you can do is to Blog, link, Like, review, or talk about the book .
This year, we want to focus on Conversations about Books. What are the talking points of the book you want to feature? How can you start a conversation? Are there behind the scenes stories that make the book sound more interesting? Do different audiences require different talking points and different conversations? How do you create online conversations? How often do you start in-person conversations about a book? Let’s TALK about Talking about Books this week.
If you go to this link, you can also participate to win a really cool prize!!!!
But back to this blog post. In order to win my copy of IN A FIX, you need to leave a little random act of publicity in the comments. Tell me about a book that you think should be getting a little more attention and be sure to tell me why. Start a conversation that the rest of us want to finish. I’m going to slip some of my own favorites in the comments too. Share the love!
It’s not mandatory, but it would be really nice if you could tweet or share this post so that more people get to read about all of our random acts of publicity.
*DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION IN THE COMMENTS–THIS CONTEST IS OPEN IN THE US ONLY.*
I just finished my ARC of SKINNY by Donna Cooner and nice girl that I am, I’m willing to give it away to one lucky winner. Yay! Before I tell you how you can win, here’s a little bit about SKINNY…
Find your voice.
Hopeless. Freak. Elephant. Pitiful. These are the words of Skinny, the vicious voice that lives inside fifteen-year-old Ever Davies’s head. Skinny tells Ever all the dark thoughts her classmates have about her. Ever knows she weighs over three hundred pounds, knows she’ll probably never be loved, and Skinny makes sure she never forgets it.
But there is another voice: Ever’s singing voice, which is beautiful but has been silenced by Skinny. Partly in the hopes of trying out for the school musical—and partly to try and save her own life—Ever decides to undergo a risky surgery that may help her lose weight and start over.
With the support of her best friend, Ever begins the uphill battle toward change. But demons, she finds, are not so easy to shake, not even as she sheds pounds. Because Skinny is still around. And Ever will have to confront that voice before she can truly find her own.
Kimberly’s Review of SKINNY:
Skinny is a story of friendship and courage and it was beautiful. My favorite part of this book was the realization that we all have choices–we can stay in fear or we can step into the light and see what comes our way. I love that.
This contest is opened in the US only. Please remember to put your contact information in your comment. How to win? Tell me what you do to battle the negative voice you sometimes hear inside your own head.
Hoping to see a bunch of people who I connected with last year and of course make some new face to face friends. If you see me, don’t let me pass you by–I’m a little bit of a spaz when it comes to remembering names of cyber friends and then attaching them to real live people. HELP ME OUT!!!!
