I LOVE reading YA. But I’m also a fan of not limiting yourself to only one age group or even genre of books. There are things to be learned and pondered out there and they come in all kinds of packages.

For months my husband has been reading THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand and begging me to read it also so he’d have someone to discuss it with.

When it was first published in 1943, The Fountainhead – containing Ayn Rand’s daringly original literary vision with the seeds of her groundbreaking philosophy, Objectivism – won immediate worldwide acclaim.

This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who struggles to defeat him.

I decided to read the book (I’m attacking it on audiobook) since it’s a very lengthy tome. This way I can listen in the car, on a run or even in the shower LOL! I’m on Track 45/68 so do not spoil it for me. But I can’t contain myself any more. I want to talk to people about this book–the parts I love and the parts I hate. The things that have been illuminated and the things that have been muddied.  The hubby and I are a bit obsessed about discussing it and had a hell of a conversation after seeing the Steve Jobs movie. But I want more thoughts and opinions. This book has made me curious in so many ways.

Have you read it? What do you think? Do you want to read it? Do you love it? Do you hate it? What does it mean to you? Talk to me about it–just don’t spoil the ending for me or the book for anyone else.

Tags: Ayn Rand, contemplating, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Pondering, reading, The Fountainhead

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I did that brain fart thing and forgot I blog on Tuesdays now. *head thunk* In fact I was laying in bed (enjoying the humidity-NOT!) and letting my mind wander. Book 3 has been calling me to start from scratch and reinvent my previous ideas. This morning those ideas started percolating. *fist pump* I’ve been reading some fabulous articles on writing lately and it’s really helped me to grow with my writing. I love that inspiration and great content are out there for the taking. *hugs whole world* But I digress–back to my brain fart. I’m lying in bed with my brain whirring away when BAM!

**BLOG POST ALERT**

I forgot to write my Tuesday post. Now it’s like–oh, crap–what do I write about? *No you can’t have coffee until you finish* But *insert whiny voice* All I really I want to do is concentrate on the last of my revisions and continue to day dream and mind plot my next novel. I can’t be witty or helpful when that much of my brain is in use. In fact sometimes I can’t be witty and helpful with a lot less of my brain in use. But this must get done ASAP!  So, I flip to YouTube, looking for a life-altering vlog that will make you forget my incompetence and I find this…

http://youtu.be/efAUCG9oTb8

And I know it doesn’t have anything to do with anything, but I found it pretty darn amusing. And since it isn’t even hump day yet, its very humid, I’m tired because I’ve been up since 6am plotting and I planned on revising in a park around my kid’s schedules today and it’s RAINING–I’ll take the little things. Enjoy the chuckle. What would be your criteria for naming hurricanes and what would you name the next one? Have you been day dreaming about your plots? Any great writing advice or inspiration that you’ve been reading about?

Tags: blog, drafting, Hurricane, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, plotting, Pondering, writing

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So it’s 52 days until TOUCHING THE SURFACE comes out and I’m in limbo–ironic since I’ve written a book about the afterlife LOL! But yes, I’m in a rather strange place at the moment. I seem to be fluctuating between insane excitement and certain dread. I dream about walking into a book store and seeing my book on the shelf. I imagine hearing from readers who love the story. I can visualize my future career and it ROCKS! Some days I can’t believe how stinkin’ lucky I am.

But all it takes is ten minutes.

Yup, that quickly I can go from confidence and bliss to thumping my forehead against my desk, knowing with absolute certainty that I will never sell another book again. Realizing that my book stinks to the high heavens and all my dreams will be crushed forever. There is even complete conviction that one day, people will point and snicker at me and say.. Isn’t that the cat lady who tried to write a book and FAILED EPICALLY? Sad…very sad. They say she’s lost her mind.

From hearing my fellow debut authors talk, I know that this is a pretty normal experience, but honestly it feels a bit bizarre. In order to try to combat the crazy, I’ve tried to come up with a list of MY universal truths to help me put things in perspective. Since writing them down will help me, and because I can’t leave you thinking about me as the cat lady, I thought you might like to hear them too.

*Change can be scary but it doesn’t mean it’s bad.

*You can’t control the things you can’t control.

*There is always something else you could be doing, but that doesn’t mean you should be doing it.

*The best place to live is the moment.

*Stop comparing yourself to other people.

*Everyone is suspicious of people who try to get outside the box, but they usually admire the ones who make it.

*Not everyone will like you–get over it.

*There are people who show you unexpected kindness that you don’t think you deserve. Instead of pushing it away, accept it and try to give it away to someone else who thinks they might not deserve it.

*Try to eat healthy, get enough sleep and exercise.

*Even in your most insecure moments, keep your list of dreams where you can see them.

*Go with the flow.

*Remember why you dream the things  you do.

*Always strive to grow.

*If all else fails, eat chocolate ice cream and run more.

Any other words of wisdom for the crazy cat lady? Come on…talk me down people.

Tags: Crazy Cat Lady, Epic Fail, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, life, Pondering, Road to Publication, writing

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There are days when I’m completely convinced that this whole book thing is a fluke. Although I hear I’m not alone. It appears that if you’re a writer, then you’re very familiar with this thing called a self-sabatoging lack of belief. It’s what we do–it’s inescapable–just part of how we operate. The majority of the time I’m just mucking around in my manuscript, trying to see if the thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone and if they get together will it be an interesting interaction.

This is particularly stressful at the end of a first draft, when the pressure is on and I can’t see how all these bones are going to form into something that can hold it’s own weight. Some days it feels like the parts are never going to end up in the right places, let alone be engineered for movement. But…

There is this magical moment when something happens and my brain starts acting like it’s had this amazing plan all along and–lucky me–now it’s finally letting me in on it. And that’s when I realize that my subconscious is a heck of a lot smarter than I usually give her credit for. Smart enough to help me write a great book, but also smart enough to realize that the book is a journey–a personal puzzle. Things mean more when you have to fight for them–when you run the risk of failure. But when the light comes one, those illuminated moments give me chills. And that feeling is worth working for and waiting for.

I know that the rug will be pulled out from beneath my feet again soon. Crit partner, agent, editor–they will take my “finished” masterpiece and search for holes and point out dead ends. It won’t be long before I’ll be talking non-stop about my incompetence and my utter lack of writing talent. That’s why I wanted to write myself this blog–as a reminder that those magic moments will come again. Think of this post as a ribbon wrapped around my finger, reminding me that I am the sum of my parts and some of my parts aren’t so bad. I’ve got good bones in me and I know what to do with them if I give myself the chance.

What’s your worst fear about your writing? What’s your magic moment–the one when you know that you are doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing?

Tags: Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Pondering, writing style

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There’s this strange thing that happens to me when I fly or travel for long distances. I watch the world go by from a unique perspective–especially at night when houses are lit up and you get tiny peeks into the lives of others. As the miles go by, homes and people move past me like water tumbling over rocks in a stream.  And I’m reminded that each dwelling contains, what I consider, a a whole eco system. Each one has joy and sorrow, hope and fear, the expected and the unexpected–just like my house. Just like my family. And when I think of how complicated, in both good and bad ways my own little universe is, I’m blown away by how much exists in the world and how small my mind is. And in those moments I’m absolutely positive that I understand next to nothing, but this excites me because it means that I have so much left to learn. And perhaps, if I am brave enough to look into even the tiniest fraction of the world’s windows, I will never run out of stories to tell.

I have barely touched the surface…

Tags: Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Pondering, Touching the Surface, writing

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