What's Up Wednesday: Ready? Set. WRITE! #7

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Jamie Morrow and Erin Funk. A great way for readers and writers to keep up with each other. Thanks to tweets from Elodie Nowodazkij and Katy Upperman, I've joined in the fun of both What's Up Wednesday and Ready! Set. Write! (created by Alison Miller).

What I'm Reading

I'm 1/4 of the way through The 5th Wave. Not sure how I feel about it yet. And just over 100 pages into City of Bones which I am loving! Also, I've FINALLY got pages from not one CP, but two! I went all summer with nothing from any of my CPs and two of them send me pages on the same day. Oh well, more fun reading for me!

What I'm Writing

So...this was a freaking CRAZY writing week. It all started last Thursday. I stalled out around 6K words. I jokingly asked my CP Jessica to plot my story for me. I'm very fortunate that we've become best of friends and she gets not only my writing but me, too. She was talking about how she was stuck in one of her WIPs as well. I suggested swapping summaries and planning a few plot suggestions  And she was game! Her's helped me get back on track with my story but it required cutting 2700 words. That was almost half of what I'd written. That hurt. But...my story is now just over 8K! So...I wrote almost 5K in a week. I didn't even use any of the material I cut. Now why can't every week be like this? I'm hoping to crank out another 2K by end of today so that I meet my (revised) Camp Nano word goal of 10K. It's not the 25K I was going for but after this month 10K sounds like 100K! 

What Inspires Me Right Now

My friend (and CP) Jessica. After a little planning she set a daily word goal for herself and she keeps meeting it every day. While raising two kids. I don't know how she does it. I have trouble keeping up and I only have one child.

What Else I've Been Up To

Got a call from kiddos new soccer coach. Practice starts Thursday. O.O I thought I had a few more weeks of nightly freedom. Other than that not much planned. I tend not to do a lot during summer because one, I'm not a fan of heat, and two, my allergies act up the more I'm outdoors. Oh, and the bug bites. But once cooler weather hits the outdoor activities begin. Trips to the park, bike rides in the neighborhood, and maybe even Geocaching! I've heard of it but have never gone. Sounds like a lot of fun.

What's Up Wednesday: Ready? Set. WRITE! #6

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Jamie Morrow and Erin Funk. A great way for readers and writers to keep up with each other. Thanks to tweets from Elodie Nowodazkij and Katy Upperman, I've joined in the fun of both What's Up Wednesday and Ready! Set. Write! (created by Alison Miller).

What I'm Reading

Finished Ender's Game. I was okay with it as long as I didn't think about him being so young. That got to me. Made me think of my little boy in that kind of situation. Other than that, I loved it. I also finished What Happened to Goodbye. Not my favorite Dessen book but still a good read! Then I picked up The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer. I finished the first Sunday night and the second Last Night. LOVE LOVE LOVED them. There we're a few things that annoyed me. I'd think "come on, really?". But overall it was a great read! Definitely what I was looking for in a summer read. Last night I started the audio book of The Fifth Wave. I think I'll really enjoy this. And today I'm going to start reading City of Bones. Yes, you read that right. I haven't read the series! But, I will read at least the first book before the movie! I have the first four in a paperback box set.

What I'm Writing

I've made it to 6K! 2K was below my goal but I've decided I'm trying to push myself too far. There are not enough hours in the day for a mom that works full time! Unless I neglect my kid which I won't do. He comes first. So I won't make my original camp nano goal so I'm pushing for 10K by end of July. It's doable. And my Ready Set Write goal will be 500 words a day. I'll get there! I’ve added a paragraph. Again…don’t mind the horribleness. I’m still trying not to edit as I go. It’s HARD!

I watch Grayson as he talks to the twins—and me—about the dolphins. His eyes are bright, focused. A smile plays on his lips the whole time speaks. I’d say he’s glowing, but that’s a bit odd to say about a guy. Simply, he’s different. He’s happy. And if they weren’t animals I’d say in love. It’s what I want. What I’ve been looking for ever since I spent time away and realized there’s more out there than the path that’s been set for me. There’s running. But it’s not enough. I want more. I want to ask him how he does it, how he stepped out of the mold and created one of his own. How he took his life in his own hands and ran—or swam—with it. But then fear stops me. Fear of my parents and what they’ll say, do. It all comes back to them. To my brother. And how much of what I do affects them. Or affects how people see them. Which to my parents is the most important thing of all. Even more than my happiness.

What Inspires Me Right Now

Seeing how everyone else is doing and the fact that there are other's out there that aren't fast writers. I always kick myself because I don't write fast. I don't think I'll ever do the 1 hour 1 K and walk away with 1K. I'll be lucky to have 500 words! But that's okay. I'll do it at my own speed and it still gets done. Slow and steady wins the race.

What Else I've Been Up To


Trying not to grow webbed hands and feet. Sounds funny, I know. But OMG the amount of rain we’ve had. I think it’s rained every day in July. Most of June as well. It’s nice to have rainy days every now and then but give us a break! We haven’t been to the park in over a month. And then there’s the nightly storms which doesn’t do well for writing because I’m a nut and WILL NOT plug my lap top in if it’s lightening (and my battery sucks). I am going to give Starbucks a shot on lunch breaks a few days a week. It’s a few minutes from work. Much better environment than the break room. Fingers crossed!!!

What's Up Wednesday: Ready? Set. WRITE! #5

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Jamie Morrow and Erin Funk. A great way for readers and writers to keep up with each other. Thanks to tweets from Elodie Nowodazkij and Katy Upperman, I've joined in the fun of both What's Up Wednesday and Ready! Set. Write! (created by Alison Miller).

What I'm Reading

Over half-way through Ender's Game and LOVING it! Can't wait for the movie. I"m about a third of the way though What Happened to Goodbye. Love Sarah Dessen.

What I'm Writing

So I'm just shy of 4K words. I to be up to 7K but I've sidelined with a migraine. I decided (still not sure why) to stop drinking caffeine since the only thing it does is keep me from getting headaches and doesn't do much to keep me awake/wake me up. And...I've had withdrawal migraines since Saturday. Today isn't as bad so I think I'm almost over it. Then NO MORE CAFFEINE!!!!! Okay…that got away from the what I’ve been writing. But, hoping to get back on track this week and up my game to 1500 so I can finish July out with 25K.

What Inspires Me Right Now

Honestly....at the moment there's nothing because I haven't been writing. Normally it's music. And I need a good kick in the pants with it soon.
What Else I've Been Up To

When I haven't been lounging around due to migraine or rain (we've had 20 inces of rain in the past week!!!!! Oy!!!) I've been teaching kiddo the basics of soccer. I signed him up last week and we've been doing afternoon practices in the backyard. He can dribble!

What's Up Wednesday: Ready? Set. WRITE! #4

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Jamie Morrow and Erin Funk. A great way for readers and writers to keep up with each other. Thanks to tweets from Elodie Nowodazkij and Katy Upperman, I've joined in the fun of both What's Up Wednesday and Ready! Set. Write! (created by Alison Miller).

What I'm Reading

I FINALLY finished Raven Boys. And now I'm ready for the second in the series. But for now I'm listening to Ender's Game in preparation for the movie in November. I also finished Keeping the Moon and have started What Happened to Goodbye.

What I'm Writing

I have hit 2K on When the Wind Blow's! I got behind on my word count this week thanks to a crazy week at work, a holiday and family in town. But I've hit a good stride the past two days and hope to keep it up. I'm aiming for 800-1000 words a day to catch up on camp nano. I've enjoyed reading clips of what everyone else is writing so I thought I'd add one here. Please excuse the mess...this is UNEDITED! I'm trying the whole write without editing thing. It's hard!!!

“Be right out,” I yell. I towel off and wrap myself in my old blue cotton robe that has been hanging on the back of the door since I left. I take a big whiff. Mama must have washed it within the past few days. It smells like detergent and sunshine.
“Bout time,” Shawn says as he walks into the bathroom. “Oh, and Mom’s looking for you. Someone’s in truuu-ble.” He snickers before shutting the door. At eighteen, he’s a year older than me but still acts eight.
“Whatever,” I mutter and go to my room. I run a comb through my hair, pull it into another pony tail—my signature hairstyle for the past year—and throw on a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top. With a deep sigh I go downstairs and look for Mama. “Mama?”
“In here, dear.” I follow her voice to the kitchen.
“What’s for breakfast,” I ask, hoping up on a bar stool and popping one of the freshly washed blueberries in my mouth.
“Blueberry pancakes,” she says, swatting my hand away as I reach for another berry. “And what did I tell you about those?” She nods behind me.
I follow her gaze and see my shoes by the back door. “Oh, sorry. I kicked them off after my workout. I didn’t want to wake you by wearing them upstairs.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t twist an ankle when I tripped over them. And you forgot to unplug the elliptical. You’ve got to be more careful.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say as I steal another blueberry once her back is to me. I turn around and pop it in my mouth with a smile. She bought my story. Barely twenty-four hours back and I already feel like a stranger in my own home.

What Inspires Me Right Now

My friends!!! Setting up writing dates at night (though long distance) with Ginger and Jessica is the best way for me to get motivated.

What Else I've Been Up To

Family, fun and fireworks! That was last week. This week has been work and little league soccer sign ups. I'm debating on coaching U6 soccer. I might be slightly insane.

What's Up Wednesday: Ready? Set. WRITE! #3

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Jamie Morrow and Erin Funk. A great way for readers and writers to keep up with each other. Thanks to tweets from Elodie Nowodazkij and Katy Upperman, I've joined in the fun of both What's Up Wednesday and Ready! Set. Write! (created by Alison Miller).

What I'm Reading

Thanks to the move (see below) I'm now 15-20 minutes away from home instead of 5 so I'll be spending most of my lunches at work in the break room. Which means more time for reading! I finished Invisibility today and started Keeping the Moon. I've got two more Dessen's lined up after this one.

What I'm Writing

Between Ready? Set. Write! and Camp Nano I'm hoping to get a good chunk of my first draft of WHEN THE WIND BLOWS done! My goal for July is 25000. About 800 words a day. I've got a good bit of the research done and a few plot points mapped out. But I'm a pantser at heart so I'll most likely outline as I go.

What Inspires Me Right Now

When I find it, I'll let you know. At the moment the only thing I can concentrate on is sleep. It's taken me almost an hour to focus just on this blog post. Okay, now make that an hour and a half. Oy!

What Else I've Been Up To

Boxes, boxes and more boxes! We moved this weekend. Packed up the old house Thursday night (photos below), moved it Friday, started unpacking and finished on Saturday. Busy, busy weekend. But it's done so I can get back to normal. At least by this weekend. With a co-worker out I'm pulling double duty. Lost of running from one side of the bank to the other. At least we have Thursday off! Big cookout planned at my parents with family, food and fireworks!

What's Up Wednesday: Ready? Set. WRITE! #2

What I'm Reading

Still reading Requiem by Lauren Oliver and listening to The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. But I finished Our Song yesterday and I'm starting Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan today!

What I'm Writing

Thanks to tweets from Elodie Nowodazkij and Katy Upperman, I'm joining in on the Ready. Set. Write. (created by Alison Miller) fun this summer. I was going to spend the first week researching and plotting, BUT I got notes back from a CP on my MS ONE MORE SUMMER. So I took some time to go through those, rewrite a chapter, and brush up my query. But hey, writing is writing! Last night I sent out 10 new queries. Fingers crossed. And now to wait. So, while I do that, I'll get back on track with researching.

What Inspires Me Right Now

My crazy energetic son. If only I could bottle that energy. I'd accomplish so much more.

What Else I've Been Up To

ABC Family's Greek (on Netflix). My good friend Ginger at GReads got me hooked and I just can't stop watching!

What's Up Wednesday: Ready? Set! WRITE! #1

What I'm Reading

I'm usually reading more than one book at a time. Right now is no exception...I've got three books going. E book: Requiem by Lauren Oliver. Physical book: Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg. Audio book: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

What I'm Writing

Thanks to tweets from Elodie Nowodazkij and Katy Upperman, I'm joining in on the Ready. Set. Write. (created by Alison Miller) fun this summer. My goal is to plan, plot and research during the month of June. Then to start writing in July and August. I'm not much of an outline, I tend to outline every few chapters. I always have an idea where I want the story to begin and end but the middle is a complete mystery. I like to let my characters take me on a ride through their lives.

What Inspires Me Right Now

Incredible books like Golden, Second Chance Summer and Amy and Rogers Epic Detour.

What Else I've Been Up To

I decided to take time off from writing to get back to another love: reading. My current MS is with one of my CPs after a round of revision. While waiting on her notes I've been reading as many books (so far I've read 8 since Memorial Day weekend) as I can while also doing a beta read for a friend.

Cover Reveal - Blood Revelation

Jamie Manning, author of Blood Born and Blood Awakening, is revealing the cover for the third and final installment of The Blood Prophecy series and I'm so excited to be part of it! I've been a fan since I got my hands on the first book. The covers for this series have been gorgeous and Blood Revelation doesn't disappoint! I just adore these books. See for yourself!

Awesome, right?! I've always loved the blue tint of the covers. They give off a mysterious and creepy vibe (which still being beautiful), putting you in the right mood for the book. And while Chance got his....er...chance to shine on the Blood Awakening cover, Erik gets his turn in the spotlight this go round. I'm curious to see what everyone thinks.

Waking up in a coffin hungry for blood is only the beginning for sixteen-year-old Ava Blue. When Chance Caldon, the hottie who dug her up, tells her she's half vampire, Ava's world really turns upside down.
Half vamp? Ava can't believe it...she doesn't even know what that means! Not until Aldric, a thousand-year-old vampire, shows up and tells her it's true--and that he's the one who turned her. Then Ava truly begins to believe what she is. Now she has to deal with a sudden and powerful bloodlust, the desire to see Aldric dead, and her growing crush for Chance. Ava knows she's a monster now, she can feel it; and her life is over.
But redemption isn't lost. Aldric is giving her a chance to regain her humanity. The price? Kill 100 vampires, or remain a bloodsucker forever.
So Ava sets out to get her life back. But killing vampires begins a battle that could destroy everything she is working toward. In the end, Ava's decision will forever change her life and the lives of those she loves.

Ava’s life went from bad to worse the night Chance became a vampire.
He won’t have anything to do with her. Ava understands why—because he blames her—but it doesn't mean she likes it.
And it doesn't help that she’s starting to feel something for Erik, the boy who once wanted her dead. Especially when Chance decides that he does still love her, and wants her to be with him for eternity.
Now she has a choice: Humanity…or forever as a vampire with Chance. 
But Ava wants nothing more than to be human again. At least, she thought that was all she wanted. 
Thankfully her best friend Kayla has a plan to distract Ava from her boy troubles, and they go in search of Kayla’s missing dad. A great idea, but one that brings Sebastian back into Ava’s life. Along with another, more sinister former member of his coven. 
Sebastian and Zyris face off against Ava and her friends, resulting in Ava making yet another choice that changes the course of everyone’s lives, and leaves her wondering if being human again is really worth losing everything.

Make sure you follow Jamie on twitter and his web site for future updates on the final book in the Blood Prophecy series. 

Winner Announced! Love-A-Thon Giveaway!!! (closed)

Congrats to Jasmine Rose!!!!!!!!!!!!! Random.org picked #1 (it actually picked it twice in row...I was shocked). I'll be emailing you shortly!

My friends Katelyn and Alexa are hosting a Book Blogger Love-A-Thon this weekend. Twenty-four hours dedicated to giving love to your favorite book blogs. I participated last year and had a blast and met some really awesome book bloggers. I wasn't able to participate this year but decided I wanted to do something to contribute. So...(with Katelyn's permission) I'm doing a giveaway for one of the participants!!

I've found myself with two copies of The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (not the first time this has happened either...I have an addiction and forget what books I own sometimes) and have been trying to figure out what to do with the extra copy. And what better way to share the love than a Love-A-Thon.

So if you're participating in the Love-A-Thon (yes, I will check with Katelyn or your blog), live in the US and would like to win this book, all you have to do is comment bellow and leave your blog link and email address I can contact you at. No liking or following or tweeting involved. And since the Love-A-Thon ends at midnight eastern, I'll let the contest run through noon tomorrow (eastern time). Anything time stamped after won't be counted and I'll pick a winner with random.org. If I don't hear back from the winner in forty eight hours, I'll pick another one. I'll do my best to get the book out this week, but I have class for work in another town (an hour away), so it might not be until the week after. But it will get mailed! Promise! 

Entry for Cupid's Kissing Scene Contest - One More Summer

Lead in: Devyn and Tyler were summer neighbors until three years ago when Devyn moved away. She's hated Tyler since they were kids when he was always picking on her. Now she's walking with her friends, Hannah and Stephanie, to Tyler's house after a game of Truth or Dare to avoid talking about what brought her back for the summer.

I glance at my phone.—the clock reads 10:00. Shit. Too late to knock. I walk to the back of the house, hoping a few light taps on the window will be enough to get his attention.

I’m right. Tyler’s blinds open and he stands there, shirtless. He doesn't open the window so I motion for him to come outside. I’m standing in the doorway when he opens it. Of course he could have put a shirt on before coming out here. But that would have been too easy.

 “What’s up?” he asks, stretching one arm up along the door-frame and leaning into it. Something black catches my eye. It looks like vines creeping along his rib cage and the top of his shoulders.

Tyler clears his throat and I peel my stare away from his chest. Shaking my head I answer, “Just this.”

Without thinking I step forward and rise onto my tip-toes. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down to my level. Before my brain talks me out of it I press my lips to his.

Butterflies.

He doesn’t resist. It’s as if he expected it. Or wanted it, which is more disturbing. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me to him. It’s awkward at first with our height difference, but when his lips begin to move against mine, warm and gentle, I can’t help but respond. My mind is screaming at me to stop, but my body takes over. I trail my fingers up his neck and into his hair, pulling him even closer. Before I know it his tongue is running along my lips, setting my nerves on fire. My body heats up and I melt into him. His arms wrap tighter around me and in seconds my feet are off the ground and around his waist.

Hannah coughs behind us and my body immediately shuts down. I wiggle against him until his grip on my legs loosens and I slide down his body. I turn around to see Stephanie staring at me, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

Guest Post with Kate Avelynn + giveaway!

I can't tell you how excited I am to host Kate and help her spread the word about her FANTASTIC book, FLAWED. There are not enough words to describe my love for this book. Yes, it's dark. Yes, it's a touch taboo. And yes, it's incredible. It'll make you feel ALL THE FEELINGS. And that's exactly what Kate is here to talk about today. Writing about taboo/tough topics and making it likable.
 

And before the post, I'd like to thank Kate for taking the time to write this post and Heather Ricco for allowing me to be part of the blog tour. Now...KATE!

So glad to be here, Mandie! Thank you for having me on your blog today, and for giving me the opportunity to answer one of the questions I hear most: How do you write about tough, often taboo topics, and make them compelling enough to draw readers? The answer is deceptively simple: Focus on the characters in these tough, taboo situations. Let what motivates them drive the story, and make sure your readers see that motivation.

There’s nothing I like better than deeply-flawed characters and complex villains. I want to get under these characters’ skins, find out what makes them tick, explore what it means when I find that I identify with something inside of them. If I understand what makes them tick—what they believe in, what motivates them, what drives every action they take—I understand them, and maybe even a little more about myself in the process. There’s no greater equalizer than understanding. Even when what the person’s choices are wrong.

So why did I say letting your characters’ motivation drive the story is deceptively simple? Because to be able to write a character with more layers than an onion, you—as the writer—have to be able to put yourself inside that character completely. Feel what they’re feeling, think what they’re thinking—even the really ugly stuff. If you can’t put yourself in that place, chances are your character won’t be there, either. And if the character isn’t there, the reader won’t see what you want them to see.

There’s one scene from FLAWED that I think sums up James’s motivation for everything. He’s about to make a horrible mistake, and having to put myself in his mind for this was ugly, but his reasoning and his desperation to be enough for Sarah is clearer because I did.

EXCERPT
James’s fury shifts to despair and he drops to his knees. “God, Sarah, do you hate me so much you had to fuck him in our room?”In the faint moonlight, I can see the misshapen lines of his face. The fight. “I don’t hate you. And I’d never purposely hurt you. I love you.”He shakes his head, his big shoulders trembling. “No, I love you. You’ve never loved me, even though it’s supposed to be me and you, forever.” He reaches for my waist and buries his sticky face in my stomach. “Why can’t I be enough? I want to be enough so fucking bad.”“You are enough!”
“I’ll never be enough and you know it.”This is horrible. More horrible than I imagined. I close my eyes and stroke his crusty hair, very quietly singing our lullaby.
His shoulders stop trembling halfway through the verse and by the end I think he’s humming along with me. I hope so. I scoot farther down on my bed so I can reach him better and because his lumpy face pressed into the bruises on my lower stomach hurts.
“I’m sorry about Leslie,” he mumbles into my shirt, which is bunching up around his face as I wriggle lower. “She doesn’t mean anything to me. Promise.”I couldn’t care less about Leslie and I am about to tell him so, but then he turns his head, moving my thin t-shirt out of the way with his big hands, and I realize how bad an idea it was to scoot lower. He nuzzles into my bare chest instead of coming higher into my arms, breathing me in and pressing his lips to my skin. I gasp and shove at his shoulders. “Damn it!” he roars. My hands fly to my ears because he’s right there in my face, tiny drops of spit flying. “Don’t you understand? Do you understand anything?”

Was it tough to write? Yeah. Is it tough to read, even now? For sure. But does my heart break for him because of his honesty and desperate need to be this person for the girl he thinks he loves? Absolutely. I’m a firm believer that anything can be compelling if—and only if—the person who picks up the book can feel for the characters, even the villains. This speaks to a much larger topic of tolerance and compassion for individuals we don’t understand, but that’s a topic for another day!

And now for the prizes! Kate is giving a $15 gift card to either Amazon or B&N—your choice. All you have to do is leave a comment about taboo and tough subjects you’d like to see more of in YA fiction, along with your email address and which gift card you’d prefer. Today’s giveaway is open to International readers.

 Kate is also running an Ultimate FLAWED Fan Pack contest via the Rafflecopter listing below. Enter daily for a chance to win some really cool stuff!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm BaAAAaaackkkkkk and What's In A Name?

So...it's been a while. Like..a really long while. I've had a few posts here and there over the past year but nothing about writing or what I've been up to or anything like that. And I don't like that. I'm going to try my best to blog more often. At least once a week. Today (tonight?) I want to talk about names.

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title."

To authors, names, or book titles, are a big deal. They have to be JUST right. But, what makes them right? It would be so easy if there was a rhyme or reason to things like this, but there isn't. It's all about imagination and luck. Coming up with the perfect name and then hoping that no one else is using right then or that it's not over used.

With Dream Maker (my YA spec fic) I went through a slew of names for my MCs (not to mention two previous titles...Dream Weaver and one of which I can't even remember right now...though I had it the other day). My female MC went from Madison to Meagan to Frankie to finally Avery. The male MC was originally named Lee but quickly became Mason and has been ever since. There is no changing his name, it suits him.

I have a few other book ideas jotted down and non have proper titles. The working titles are things like "High School Novel" (because it's an idea I got when I was in HS), "Another World" (about other planets), "Fairies Do Exist", and "How to Stop an Exploding Girl" (that's my two CPs favorite title). I suck at book titles.

Until it came time for my current WIP--"One More Summer". Last year No Doubt released a new album (FINALLY!!!!!!!!) called Settle Down. On it is a track titled One More Summer (gorgeous song...check the bottom of the post to hear it). I listened to it and this tiny idea I had in my head burst into something so much bigger. I had a clear view of a female MC and a love interest right away. All they needed were names. It didn't take long before I came up with Tyler (for the boy). It was a bit longer trying to find the right girls name. In the end I picked Devyn (can you tell I like boy names for girls?). And I'm not sure I'd be willing to change them (okay...push and book deal come to shove I may...but you get the idea).

So how do you brain storm for character names? Are they first and personalities later? Or are book titles easier (if so, we need to talk)?

One More Summer - No Doubt

And the acoustic version because I can't help it. It's un-freaking-believable!!!