Visual Inspiration (13)

Inspired by Australian author  Steph Bowe I share my visual inspiration when the mood hits me. None of these photos belong to me.

Tune In Tuesday (4)

Each week I participate in Tune In Tuesday, hosted by GReads.

I have two songs to share this week. The first is actually a theme song. A theme song to one of the best television shows of all time, of course. I love Friday Night Lights to the tenth power, and it has inspired me as a writer in more ways than I can count.



Clear eyes, full heart, CAN'T LOSE!

The second song is one that I've loved since I saw the movie Ghost World several years ago. I heard it again recently in a commercial and had to download it! Gotta love the dancing, and the looks the lead female dancer makes as she dances!

Busy, Busy, Busy.

Source

I haven't been posting a lot on the blog lately about writing. I wondered the other day why that it is, and I think it's because I'm just overwhelmed with the actual writing process. So, a general update:

• I finally have a critique partner! I met my CP through WriteOn Con and we've been working together for about a month now. It's working really well as her strengths are my weaknesses and vice versa. We're used to each other's styles and getting her notes no longer terrifies me. I'm only slightly kidding, as having a critique partner used to scare me, but I'm happy to say I've overcome that fear and now just a tiny bit more ready to be published!
• I've been revising my fourth novel like crazy. I'm spending 90% of my writing time on this novel, making the changes my CP suggests and finding new ways to improve it. I hope that it's in query-ready shape by early next year. 
• I'm also writing my fifth novel! I can't have just one project. This is a fun, contemporary romance novel and it is the easiest thing I've ever written. I just wish I had more time to write it!
• I also have two novels that I'm plotting out, but I'm not sure when I'll get to them.
• I'm debating if I want to participate in Nanowrimo this year. 

I've never been busier and happier with my writing, which unfortunately means I have less time to blog about my writing. Hope everyone else's writing projects are going well!

TGIF (2)

This week I'm participating in TGIF, hosted by GReads!

This week's question:

Reading Challenges: Did you sign up for any this year? 

How has your progression been?

I signed up for two reading challenges this year:

The Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren
The YA Historical Fiction Challenge hosted by YA Bliss

I've read eleven debut YA novels this year, so I've almost completed the Debut Author Challenge, and I know before the year is out I will have read about fifteen. I've read nine YA historical novels this year, so I've completed Level 1 of the challenge. I hope to reach Level 2 by the end of the year.

I reviewed Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan and talked about how incredible it was.
I shared what images were inspiring to me this week.
On Tune In Tuesday I talked about my love for Passion Pit.
I reviewed the second book in one of my favorite YA series, Red Glove by Holly Black.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Review: Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan

Love is the Higher Law-David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf
Publication Date: 2009
Source: Library
Author website

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.

David Levithan has written a novel of loss and grief, but also one of hope and redemption as his characters slowly learn to move forward in their lives, despite being changed forever.
(Amazon)

Like most people, I can recall exactly what I was doing on September 11th. Now, looking back ten years, a lot of good things have blossomed from that horrible day. The friendships, good works and messages of love that came from that day are often swept aside in favor of the bad things that I won't mention here.

I don't think I could have read a novel about the horrible things that happened on that day, and thankfully this book isn't about that. Only a small part of this book actually takes place on 9/11, the main focus is after, and how a huge event can change your life forever. The protagonists don't know each other well before 9/11, but in the days and months afterward, their lives move on, and their stories intertwine.

This book felt very 2001 to me, reminding me of what it was like to watch the news in the days following, but also for simpler reasons. I loved the mention of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which is probably my favorite musicals of all time. Music is also a big part of Peter's life, and him making mixes for his friends reminded me a lot of myself. Mild spoiler: The scene where Peter sees Travis in concert brought tears to my eyes, because I was also listening to their music a lot in the aftermath of 9/11. End spoiler.

As I finished this book, Iron & Wine's "The Trapeze Swinger" came on my iPod, and it was the absolutely perfect song to listen to while finishing this book.



If you haven't already read this remarkable novel, I can't recommend it enough.

Visual Inspiration (12)

Inspired by Australian author Steph Bowe I share my visual inspiration when the mood hits me. None of these photos belong to me.

Tune In Tuesday (3)

Each week I participate in Tune In Tuesday, hosted by GReads.

I discovered Passion Pit through a commercial. I Shazamed it, found out who they were, and now I listen to the Passion Pit Pandora station all the time. Love it!

Review: Red Glove by Holly Black

Red Glove (Curse Workers, Book 2)-Holly Black
Publisher: McElderry Books
Publication Date: April 5, 2011
Source: Purchased
Author website

Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.

When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?

Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.

(Goodreads)

Mild spoilers if you haven't read White Cat!

Holly Black is one of those authors I admire. She's been published for quite awhile now, and is a proven success, but beyond that, I believe she's a master storyteller. Quite honestly, she's one of those writers that makes me put down her book in despair and wonder why the hell I'm attempting to write a novel at all.

The Curse Workers series is so imaginative. Without spoiling the first book in the series, White Cat (Curse Workers, Book 1), I can't say too much, but I can say this. In Red Glove, Cassel's eyes have been opened and he realizes that everything he's known has been a lie. When you can't trust your family-who can you trust?

Everyone wants a piece of Cassel, from the Feds to his girlfriend Lila's crime boss father. He isn't quick to give into anyone. He's spent a lot of his life being lied to, and now he's keen to know all the answers before agreeing to anything.

Red Glove features romance, danger, even political intrigue. This is one of best young adult series out there, and if you haven't read it yet, then get to it as soon as possible!

In My Mailbox (37)

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature hosted by The Story Siren.

For review:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

Don't Sing at the Table by Adriana Trigiani

From the library:

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson, Love is The Higher Law by David Levithan & Forever  by Maggie Stiefvater.

Thanks to Little, Brown & Harper Books!

Quick Pick: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

All These Things I've Done (Birthright)-Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: FSG
Publication Date: September 6, 2011
Source: Won
Author website

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidentally poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.
(Goodreads)

I loved the premise of All These Things I've Done. It's not quite a dystopian novel, not quite futuristic, which I liked. The novel is set over seventy years in the future, yet there aren't a lot of technological advances because of the state of the world. There is corruption, poverty and shortages, yet Anya gets by okay because of her mafia connections.

She's a character who wants to do everything right. She's religious because she feels that it will help protect her from the bad things in life. She's protective of her younger sister and older, disabled brother.  With a lesser protagonist, this story wouldn't be interesting, but Anya drew me in.

The only thing I didn't like is that this book felt like one of those first books in a trilogy. There is a beginning, middle and end, but you're left wishing you had the next book in the series to read.

Overall, I really enjoyed All These Things I've Done and I'll definitely be reading the next books in the series.

Visual Inspiration (11)

Inspired by Australian author Steph Bowe, I share my visual inspiration when the mood hits me.  None of these photos belong to me, I found most on my favorite blogs on Tumblr.

Quick Pick: Hot Property by Michele Kleier & Daughters

Hot Property: A Novel-Michele Kleier & daughters
Publisher: Harper
Publication Date: September 13, 2011
Source: Review copy provided by publisher
Info about authors

The stars of HGTV’s Selling New York let fans step inside the high-profile world of Manhattan real estate in a wild and one-of-a-kind novel of stormy egos, sumptuous homes, and staggering fame and fortune: Hot Property. Michele Kleier and her daughters Sabrina and Samantha are no strangers to the high-stakes Manhattan market, with clients that have included Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Katie Couric, Barbra Streisand, Diane Keaton, Dustin Hoffman, and Al Pacino. Now, in Hot Property—perfect for fans of The Devil Wears Prada, One Fifth Avenue, and The Nanny Diaries—the irrepressible first ladies of New York City real estate give readers a glimpse of what it’s like to be at the top of the game in one of the most competitive real estate markets in the world.
(Goodreads)

Since becoming a homeowner, I've watched a lot of HGTV, and I love the show Selling New  York, which features the authors as well as other brokers from high-end firms around New York City. If you're like me and love real estate, especially indulging in your fantasies to own high end real estate, Hot Property is the book for you. It's a fantasy of amazing living spaces in one of the most glamorous cities in the world.

If you're not into real estate, this book probably won't be for you. There's dish and quirky New York characters, but the focus of this novel really is real estate, so if you don't share an interest in it, you'll probably be bored.

Overall, I found Hot Property to be an enjoyable, quick read and I look forward to seeing the Kleirs on the new season of Selling New York!

Tune In Tuesday (2)

Each week I participate in Tune In Tuesday, hosted by GReads.

Today's song is a song I listen to when I need a pick me-up. We all need those songs that clear our minds and steady our hands, and this is one of mine.

In My Mailbox (36)

In My Mailbox is a weekly event held by The Story Siren. Not too  much to talk about this week!

For review:

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake.

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

From the library:

Shadowcry (The Secrets of Wintercraft) by Jenna Burtenshaw & Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma.


Thanks to Tor Teen & Harlequin Teen!

Like most of you, I'll be taking time to remember 9/11 today. I still can't believe it's been ten years. I had just been laid off my job and was up early to talk to unemployment on the telephone. The agent called right after the second plane hit, and I remember trying to get off the phone as soon as possible.  I had friends in New York and DC and wanted to be sure they were okay. My father was in Arkansas at the time and had to take a military plane home because commercial flights weren't operating.

9/11 is something you never really forget, as when I moved to Arlington, Virginia some years later, my apartment was only a couple miles away from the Pentagon. It's hard not to remember to think of it when you  pass through, even if it's just a fleeting thought.

I didn't know anyone that died that day, but it's still emotional regardless.