Writing with Hope

Little Scribbles

2012-02-27T02:00:00.000-08:00

I like to play search and destroy when editing. I write a list of the not-so-good words dominating my vocabulary, jot down the page number they show up in my manuscript, and reduce them to a reasonable number of appearances. It's sort of a game to me, making the process slightly more fun. But by about the fifteenth round and the thirtieth use of looked, I start to get a bit discouraged.

So, I'm working my way through these subtle demons, turn over the piece of notebook paper I've written my list on and find SOOBEDOO! written across the back in huge letters. I'm sure this is my daughter writing her admiration for Scooby, and how could she resist with a full-sized piece of paper and many colors of ink to choose from?

She does this all the time. I have my million and twelve sticky notes organized neatly in rows of what I need to do and what is coming up in my writing world where she likes to scrawl her name, draw hearts, and scribble right over my neatly categorized agenda.

When she comes up to talk to me, it's as if the pen is in her hand and moving over my organization without her consciously aware of the havoc she's wreaking, leaving a mass of illegible to do's in her wake. It's a bit maddening knowing I now have to guess as to what I wrote beneath her layers of ink trying to decipher the meaning and blog location.

But how can I get upset when SOOBEDOO! is there to remind me of my sweet darling girl and her uncanny ability to make me smile even though she frustrates me to no end?

She's a precious one!

Out of her reach, I have stuck three sticky notes to the top of my laptop screen. One is from my doodling daughter saying I LoVe You Mommy! written from top to bottom. One is from my son saying I Love my MOM! with eye balls drawn into the o's. And the other from my husband saying h, I love you, HR as if I'd forget who he was. The things we need to stay sane :)

I think I'll have to hang SOOBEDOO! behind my screen to remind myself to smile when I figure out I've used smile 36 times and just 82 times and that 497 times and eyes 111,111 times...

Do you have unnecessary words that repeatedly sneak into your writing?

What tricks do you use to keep you sane through the editing process?

She shoots, she scores!

2012-02-24T14:37:00.004-08:00

I scored a goal last night! Picture that at about 10:30 pm under the lights. Yep, that's what my shot looked like. It was so pretty! I did a tiny jump of victory--I can't help myself, I know it's not super sportsman like, but it happens so rarely I get a bit besides myself with shock and giddiness.

I've played soccer since I was a wee-one and I can count the number of goals I've scored on my fingers and toes. My soccer skills sound astounding right? Don't let my goal tally fool you. I'm a defender, my job is not to score, but to keep others from scoring. And I LOVE IT! Especially when playing coed. There's nothing like flat-out stopping a dude who thinks he's gonna juke me. It's awesome!

My friend and teammate likes to call me the underestimated one cause I'm not big. My soccer pants were purchased in the boys' section at Target and I ordered my shoes from the kids' catalog. So when a guy sees me sprinting toward him, his thoughts are not of intimidation. And I'm not the least bit afraid that this guy has 75+ pounds on me and plans on running me over or shooting the ball at my head. I get more calls against me than for me.

So although my goal felt very good, okay sooooooooooooo very good, stealing the ball at my end of the field from the feet of a cocky male who doesn't even have me on their radar is way better :)

The real point of this blog post is to remind people they have a few hours to attempt the Manuscripts to Movies trivia challenge at Cinema Challenge Cavalcade. Answers and point totals will be posted at midnight and then Joshua's trivia challenge begins. He has a special tribute to the Oscars for the upcoming week. Please won't you come and play?

Kissing Winners

2012-02-21T02:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! Steamy, romantic, sweet, hot, on fire Valentine's day!
Thanks everyone for sharing your scenes with us and thank you Cassie for co-hosting with me!

My awards (I could have given one toevery entry, they were fantastic!):

The Tastiest Kiss Award--#3 Emily and #7 Roland

The Where is My Kleenex Award-- #5 Kelley, #31 Sara,and #41 Tracy

The Glad I'm Human Award-- #6 Jenny and #79 Rachel

The Hottest Kiss Award-- #10 Jade

The Funniest Kiss Award-- # 60 Lynn

The Happy Valentine's Day Kiss Award-- #54 Morgan

The Kick-Ass Kiss Award-- #44 Lori

The Wipe the Steam off the Windows Award-- #9 Trishaand #71 Lynn(e)

The Wish I Had That Affect Award-- #53 Crystal

The Sacrificial Kiss Award-- # 38 Amber --she wins my14 page edit :)

YAY AMBER! NICELY DONE!

Cassie's awards:

The 'Oh my gosh, that was super sweet!' Award: #3 Emily
The 'Holy crap, need a cold shower!' Award: #7 Roland
The 'I'm totally okay if I break the bed that way!' Award: #10 Jade
The 'I need some air after that one!'Award: #42 Lisa
The 'I'm too immature to read thiswithout giggling!' Award: #65 Kiru
The 'That was the funniest kiss ever!'Award: #24 David
The 'I only wish my spouse were home!'Award: #57 Kelley
The 'You big tease! The master of thefade-out!' Award: #27 Joshua
The 'AWWWWWWW!' Award: #49 Jack
The 'Holy awesome make-out!' Award: #5 Kelley
The 'Please put me in your manuscript!' Award: #6 Jenny
The 'That was the most well-written awful kiss in the world' Award: #60 Lynn
The Winner of the 14 page edit from me, and the title of 'That was so hot, Ithink I fogged up my computer screen' Award: #11 Cortney

This was a lot of fun! I enjoyed reading everykiss!

And thank you writers, I've learned so muchfrom reading your words!

The next time I go to write a kissing scene,I'll be a lot better at it :)

Toilet Swirlies

2012-02-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

We've all had those moments where flushing our writing down the toilet sounds like the smartest thing to do. How many times can we read the same scene, the same chapter ending, the same line of dialogue before we feel like giving our words the swirlie they deserve?

There are many days when I think my writing is crap. I feel like no matter how much editing, tweaking, and re-writing I do, I need to accept that it stinks and send it floating to the septic tank.

On second thought, maybe I need a toilet this big...

This is usually the point where I start whining to my critique partners. And because they are the most wonderful people in the world, they reassure me that my writing is not sewage and promise to help wipe away the waste.

Hopefully you have a few critique partners like mine--fellow writers that make your writing sparkle. If not, GET THEM NOW! Network, hook-up with wordsmiths like yourself, get some feedback from people who are riding the same swirl. We need each other!

And while they're spinning their magic around your prose, it's time to get your toilet brush out and start scrubbing too.

You can do it!

Read a story written by an author whose writing style inspires you or peruse your favorite book on the craft of writing. Search the net for editing check lists and agent how-to's. Check out other blogs and read about their stories of rejection, getting "The Call", and upcoming publishing dates.

YOU CAN DO IT!

So if your fifty-eighth query rejection just hit your inbox and when you opened it, this is what you saw

That's self doubt talking. There is no image in your email. The agent does not want to flush you and your writing down the crapper.

Keep these wise words in mind:

"You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist." Isaac Asimov

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail". Ralph Waldo Emerson

And remember to have a really strong scrub brush :)

Have you ever wanted to give your writing a toilet swirlie?

Manuscripts to Movies

2012-02-19T00:30:00.000-08:00

Lord of the Rings

Alice in Wonderland

Bladerunner

Romancing the Stone

The Color Purple

Die Hard

The Chronicles of Narnia

Harry Potter

Get Shorty

Planet of the Apes

Scarface

Misery

The Princess Bride

Schindler's List

The Shawshank Redemption

All of these were once WiPs that evolved into manuscripts and then into novels and into film. Some movies do their novel version justice. Some, not so much. Do you have a favorite novel-turned-movie? Would you like to see your WiP on the big screen?

Head over to Cinema Challenge Cavalcade to test your movie trivia know-how on this week's challenge: MANUSCRIPTS TO MOVIES

And if you feel like critiquing my first page, scroll down and give it a go :) THANK YOU!

First Page Critique

2012-02-17T16:48:00.000-08:00

Jamie Ayers is hosting a First Page Critique contest where you post your first page on your blog and then hop around to the other entrants to read and comment on their first page. Five people will receive a critique from author Heather Burch who has a debut book called Halflings. You can read Heather's interview and more information about the contest on Jamie's blog here . You have until Wednesday to email Jamie and post your first page for critiquing.

Here is my first page of MY PROTECTOR: THE CALLING

Going to the riverwas forbidden. I knew this, yet it didn’t keep me from stepping off the gravelpath or walking into the field.

My heart banged against my ribs. The space in my lungsfolded in on itself. I sucked in a shallow breath, enough to nearly taste thecrisp grass beneath my feet.

Stop yourfeet, Eri.

The early moonlight sparkled off the few remainingpatches of snow, even it knew better than to dwell there.

A gong sang out across the village, ringing through myinsides. The warning bell.

Half way between the nearest cluster of cabins and thesafety border, I glanced over my shoulder to find the dark smudges of peoplefleeing for refuge, their shouts dying across the distance growing between us.I should have turned back. But the charcoal sky and inky river invitedme forward.

An overwhelmingneed tumbled and collided like the rapids crashing against rock. Conflicting thoughts swirled through my head and I reached up tosteady myself, squeezing my eyes shut against the confusion. I pressedmy hands over my ears, begging the pounding inside to leave me alone. “Please stop, please stop, please stop,please stop, please stop—”

A current of adrenaline flooded my core. The bloodtsunami in my veins propelled my legs faster, rushing through the forbidden, contentto ruin me. My brain searched for one sane thought, something to stop mymuscles from carrying me out there.

Suicide. Thisis suicide.

Something brokethrough the tree line. Blurry with speed, eerily dark within the dusk, featuresimpossible to decipher.

A blanket of anger draped over my world, mufflingsound, wrapping me in rage.

What did you think? Any feedback would be awesome, thank you!!!

Tag, I'm It!

2012-02-17T02:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been tagged three times so I have 33 fantabulous questions that I get to answer :) Thanks Lisa, Ninja Girl Reads, and A.E. Martin for passing this fun game on to me :) Then I get to make up 11 questions and tag other writers out there, you could be next!

Lisa's questions:
1. What is the first line of your current WIP?
Going to the river was forbidden.
2. What is the most overrated "classic" that you ever read?
Great Expectations--read that freshman year in high school and I still hate it.
3. What is your guilty pleasure?
Netflix
4. If you could win any literary prize, what would it be?
A published novel (does that count?)
5. What historical figure from any time period would you most like to meet and hang out with?
I hate history, so right now my mind is flashing images from Bill & Ted's Excellent adventure, ummm Billy the Kid?
6. Most consecutive hours without sleep because you were in a writing frenzy?
That doesn't happen, unless you count time I spend trying to fall sleep while my head ceaselessly spins story lines, and that is every night for at least an hour after the lights go out.
7. What are your three favorite movies?
Impossible question, I love movies! I'm gonna stick with titles that start with the letter D and go with Die Hard, Dirty Dancing, and Defiance.
8. Name one fictional character whose ass you'd love to kick.
Oh, I'm gonna get in trouble for saying this, but Bella Swan. I couldn't stand when she was so wishy-washy and Kristen Stewart's monotonous portrayal of her really deserves a smack down.That being said, I loved the Twilight saga and am thankful for reading it because it opened up my reading world to YA.
9. Would you rather have one book published that becomes a classic or have multiple books published that sell well but eventually go "out of print"?
Multiple books that sell, I'm writing what I hope is a series :)
10. What was the weirdest moment of writing inspiration you've ever had?
The dream that came after sushi and Fast & Furious--a girl, a beast, and a Protector--spurred my WiP.
11. If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
You're So Cool by Hans Zimmer (from the movie True Romance)

Ninja Girl's questions:
1. What's your favorite color?
blue
2. What's your favorite name?
Cort and Quynn
3. Cat or Dog?
Cat if I had to choose (they aren't as smelly), but really I'm both :)
4. If you could be anything, do anything, what would you be/do?
A traveller, I'd like to see the world
5. If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Flying-it'd save a lot of time and money
6. What was your first blog post about?
Why I started my blog, the origin of my ms
7. Favorite song lyrics?
Just Breathe lyrics by Pearl Jam
8. Favorite line from a book/poem and why?
Going to the river was forbidden. This is the first line of my ms and someday it will be a book (I hope) :)
9. If your life had a soundtrack, what would be the title tracks?
You're So Cool by Hans Zimmer (me)
Stand By Me by Ben E King (my husband)
Delilah by Plain White T's (my son)
Halo by Beyonce (my daughter)
10. What's your latest obsession?
Friday Night Lights on Netflix
11. If you could recommend any book/series, what would it be and why?
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, incredible writing with a poetic intensity

AE Martin's questions:
1. What is your biggest fear?
snakes and never getting published
2. What would you wish for if you had three wishes?
An agent, a publishing deal, and my own book in my hands (wow, I'm starting to sound obsessed)
3. What's your favorite childhood novel?
Half Magic by Edward Eager
4. What's your earliest memory?
Either the time when a slug fell out of a tree and plopped on my shoulder, or holding a dead mouse up in front of the window for my mom to see, or the time a mole ran up my pant leg. I think these all happened around when I was 3-4 years old and had lots of traumatic grossness!
5. Would you rather be the hero or the villain?
Hero for sure, I don't like bad people
6. Vampire, Witch, Werewolf, Mermaid--which would you be?
Witch, they seem to blend in better with the rest of the world while holding secret powers
7. What's your favorite song?
Right now, One and Only by Adele
8. Would you rather go back 50 years to the past or 50 years into the future?
The future for sure!
9. If someone could tell you how you were going to die would you want to know?
I would want to know if it was something like by a falling tree or poisonous snake bite so I could avoid those things :)
10. Are you more spontaneous or do you like to plan ahead?
I like to plan, there are three calendars in front of me and a whole slew of sticky notes
11. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Since I'm a mommy, I'm going with the chicken.

I asked a few fellow writers if they had been tagged yet, a couple had already been tagged a few times, so I'm not going to pass this on to specific individuals. Instead, consider yourself tagged and answer any of the following questions or any of the above questions in the comments! I'd love to get to know these silly tidbits about you!

1. What do you think is the hardest part of writing?
2. What is the easiest part of writing?
3. Sun or snow?
4. What is your favorite movie quote?
5. What are the names of three characters in your WiP?
6. Salt or sugar?
7. What is the title of your WiP?
8. How are you like your main character in your WiP?
9. Dialogue or action scenes?
10. How many WiPs have you started?
11. Do you have a favorite joke? Please share :)

If you love movies as much as I do, don't forget to hop over to Cinema Challenge Cavalcade , you still have a few hours to test your knowledge on A Little Night Music and tomorrow a new challenge will begin-- Manuscripts to Movies :)

XOXO

2012-02-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

Yay! It's finally here!

Happy Valentine's day! Here's a steamy kiss for ya ;)

“What?” Iasked.

“You’recute.” The corner of his mouth curved up in a half smile crinkling his eyes at the edges.

“Cute? Whatam I, twelve?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Cute. That’s not a very toughword for a Protector.”

“You don’tlike cute, huh? Well, how about pretty?” His voice lowered and he took a step inmy direction.

“Nope,” Isaid turning toward the darkness.

“No? Hmm, doyou like lovely better?” Voice deeper, body closing the distance.

I shook myhead and tried to ignore the wings in my chest.

“How aboutbeautiful? Is that better?” Another octave lower. Another step closer.

I shruggedmy shoulders.

“Gorgeous?”His voice a husky whisper behind me.

Noresponse.

His feetshuffled and he turned my body to face him, taking my hands in his. “What wouldyou say if I said you are so stunning, I have to catch my breath every time Isee you?”

My bodyflushed fire. I dropped my gaze to the floor draping my hair over the flameslighting my cheeks.

He put onehand gently under my chin, lifting my head until I looked into his eyes. Theemotions swimming there promised to drown me.

“You takemy breath away, Eri.”

The heatreached my lips before his brushed mine. Soft, together, heaven. Strong armsencircled my waist and pulled me into his heart. Lips opened. Desire flowed. Myhead swam as Grayson’s mouth guided me down the river of intensity. I no longerneeded air, only him.

Halfway tobeyond, he broke our connection and backed away.

Eyesclosed, mouth open, hands out, I was barely able to draw breathe, my body ablaze fromour kiss.

“Sorry,” hesaid from the opposite side of the watchtower.

There's still time to share one of your favorite kissing scenes from a book you've read, from your own WiP, make one up, or write about one of your own memorable kisses. Then hop around to feel how sweet, romantic, or downright steamy other characters are getting smooched!

Post your kiss story TODAY (February 14th) and add the Is it Getting HOT in Here? blog hop picture to the top.
2 lucky kiss stories will receive a 14 page edit from both Cassie Mae and me :)

Don't forget to heat up your Valentine's day with all the other kisses!

Origins

2012-02-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks D L Hammond, Katie Mills, Alex J Cavanaugh, and Matthew MacNish for hosting this blogfest! Hop over and check out all the other writer origins :)

I am a wielder of words, a teller of tales, a deliverer of dialogue, and a painter of pictures. Be careful, for I will monopolize your mind with letters and punctuation, taking over your thoughts with images and emotions. That is my super power. You have been warned.

Memories of Writing

Sixth grade--Mr. Smiley (yep, that's really his name) our principal, shakes my hand and gives me a certificate for outstanding writing. My story was about a cat (big surprise) and it was good enough to get me up on the stage for the monthly writing award.

Junior year High School--Mr. Kelley calls me back to his desk in Advanced Writing Composition, showing me my paper. A large red B looms at the top. My pulse zooms and my heart's pissed. I deserve better than a B. He tells me he will be grading me harder than the rest of the class because I'm capable of writing better than what is expected. His back-handed compliment did the trick. I tried harder. But now I realize he probably pulled everyone back to his desk throughout the semester, feeding them the same line. Touche Mr. Kelley, touche!

Freshman year UW--My Creative Writing TA (for those of you who didn't go to a giant school, you have a lecture once or twice a week from a professor and a smaller-group session headed by a TA two or three days a week with whom you learn more from than the actual professor) tells me almost the same thing as my high school English teacher. I need to push myself and spend more than fifteen minutes writing to the weekly prompts, then I can 'earn' the 4.0 I'm getting.

2004--I have been a stay-at-home mom for sixth months now. My days full of smiles, dirty diapers, the rocking chair, giggles, HGTV, board books, bottles, cooes, wet wipes, kisses (millions of kisses), excessive cleaning, burping, sleeping, you get the picture. My brain was starving for a higher level of stimulation. As soon as my husband walks through the door every evening, I hand him darling baby boy and plug into my computer for hours of MS Word therapy. What was born from that much needed neural activity now resides in a box in my attic.

2009--With the shelving of my first experience of 'really' writing, I don't expect to ever sit down and attempt it again. But after my husband and I go out to sushi with the Chambers and see Fast and Furious, a vivid dream sends me back to the computer for another round. Long-time friends, raw fish, and Paul Walker are the origin of my current WiP--My Protector.

+ =

Cinema Challenge Cavalcade

2012-02-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

Another movie trivia challenge is singing out now!

Strum over and play A Little Night Music :)

Last week's movie trivia answers are up and player ranks are posted. How well did you do? Can you beat your score this week?

80's crush take two

2012-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks (again) Nicki, Suze, M Pax for the fun blogfest!

Since I'm a spaz and accidentally posted this back in January, you can check out my 80's crushes here. This time, I'm opting to show some THEN and NOW heartthrobs. Enjoy :)

1980 Richard Gere and American Gigolo

1981 Harrison Ford and Indiana Jones

1982 Sean Penn and Fast Times at Ridgemont High

1983 Matt Dillon and The Outsiders

1984 Kevin Bacon and Footloose

1985 Paul Walker and Highway to Heaven

1986 Val Kilmer and Top Gun

1987 Johnny Depp and 21 Jump Street

1988 Christian Slater and Heathers

1989 Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Saved by the Bell

Leo just missed the 80's, his episodes of Growing Pains aired in 1990

Yeah, the 80's were full of hunks...

Were any of these heartthrobs your 80's crush?
I think one of the men above is the most gorgeous man on the planet, can you guess which one he is?

Two awesome blogfests in one day! Scroll down or click here to read my Emotion Flash Fiction for the I'm Hearing Voices blogfest.

I'm Hearing Voices Character Blogfest: Emotion Flash Fiction

2012-02-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

Cassie at Reading Writing and Lovin' it and Angie over at Live to write…edit when necessary. are hosting this awesome blogfest, check 'em out :)

Today: Emotion Flash Fiction: Emotion is the engine of the story. Pick an emotion and in a flash fiction piece of 250 words MAKE us feel it!

Uncontrollable

Space in my lungs folding, folding, folding with every breath. My heart pounds against its cage of ribs, trying to break free. Thoughts tornado through my head and I reach up to steady myself, squeezing my eyes shut against the confusion inside. I suck in a shallow breath, almost tasting the crisp grass beneath my feet. My feet are moving.

Why are my feet moving?

My eyes search for a sign telling me to stop. But the charcoal sky and inky river only invite me forward. Emotions tumble and collide like the rapids crashing against rock before a flood of anger settles over my world, muffling sound, wrapping me in rage.

What is happening?

From the twilight behind me, a gong sings out across the village. I know it’s the warning bell, but knowing doesn’t touch this. The darkness before me begs my body’s acceptance. Something within me seeks what lurks among the black shadows.

A surge of adrenaline rushes through my ears. The blood tsunami in my veins propels my legs faster, crashing through the forbidden, intent on ruining me.

My brain searches for one sane thought, something to stop my muscles from carrying me out there.

Suicide. This is suicide.

Fury erupts through my core and I’m sprinting toward death.

Then I see it. The thing I’m destined to destroy.

But how?

Hop over to Cassie's blog and Angie's blog to read the other voices in their fun blogfest!

I'm Hearing Voices! Character Blogfest: Dialogue Introduction

2012-02-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

Cassie at Reading Writing and Lovin' it and Angie over at Live to write…edit when necessary. are hosting this awesome blogfest, check 'em out :)

Today: Dialogue Introduction: Have two characters introduce each other using only dialogue--no backstory, no internalization, just dialogue between the two. Max 250 words.

"This girl next to me," nods head to side, hugesmile, nudge in the ribs,"she's the toughest person I know."

Blushes, looksaway. "Whatever, Finnley."

"Seriously,even though she's the size of newt, Eri could kick your butt in a duel any day,she's kicked mine plenty." Winks and a nudge.

"That'sbecause you're too busy smiling or blabbing to try very hard." Eye roll, tucking hair behind ear. "Too bad your running speed isn't matched in your swordfighting skills." Teeth showing.

"You'llnever beat me there, little one." Wink.

"I bet yourmouth runs faster than your feet!" Stiffling a giggle.

"Ha ha,funny girl! Do you want to bet again?"

Laugh. “We’ve been through that onebefore, no need to go there again.”

“I had to find some way to get you to admityou had the Calling just like me.”

“I can’t believe I fell for that.” Shakes head, mouth trying not to smile.

“That’s not the only thing you’ve fallenfor.” Laughter, huge smile.

Looks away. “Whatever, Finnley.”

“Oh come on, like it doesn’t go bothways. You know he has feelings for you, too.”

Mumbles, “He despises me.”

“Yeah right. He’s fighting it almost asmuch as you are. When you’re aProtector, you’ll see.”

Chin drops, brows furrow.

"Sorry,Eri." Arm around shoulders. "It'll happen. We won't stop til itdoes."

Hop over to Cassie's and Angela's blogs to read the other voices and find out about this fun blogfest!

***If you're having trouble commenting (please, pretty please don't give up), click on the title of this post and it should take you to the comments section. Blogger has a mind of its own with this blogfest for some reason :( ***

Valentine's Day Bloghop

2012-02-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

One week until...

Is it Getting HOT in Here? bloghop

February 14th

Is there a kiss to remember in your past?

Do you have a flush inspiring love scene written in your manuscript?

Would we fall in love with your characters?

Those kissy scenes are challenging to write, but I love reading one when it's crafted so well it feels like I'm standing beside the characters, watching with inflamed cheeks as sparks fly between the two lovebirds.

Please share one of your favorite kissing scenes from a book you've read, from your own WiP, make one up, or write about one of your own memorable kisses. Then hop around to feel how sweet, romantic, or downright steamy other characters are getting smooched!

***If you can, please keep it as close to 300 words or fewer so we can all spend time with our Valentine's outside of the digital world too :) ***

To Enter:

1. Add your link to the linky links at the end of this post.
2. Post your kiss story February 14th and don’t forget to grab the Is it Getting HOT in Here? bloghop picture!

3. You don’t have to follow us, but it would be awesome if you do! We’ll follow you back ;)

The Prize:

2 lucky kiss stories will receive a 14 page edit from both Cassie Mae and me :)

You can sign up any time before the bloghop begins. Feel free to spread the word! We'd love to have lots of participants! Don't forget to steam up your Valentine's day with all the other kisses!

I'm Hearing Voices! Character Blogfest: Characters on the couch

2012-02-06T02:00:00.000-08:00

I'm Hearing Voices! Character Blogfest :)

Cassie at Reading Writing and Lovin' it and Angie over at Live to write…edit when necessary. are hosting this awesome blogfest, check 'em out :)

Today's blogfest challenge: Characters on the couch: Have one of your characters answer the following questions (to make this work to your benefit, choose a character who is the hardest for you to write :) Max 250 words (Not including the questions—only the answers).

Hello Eri. What is your biggest vulnerability? Do others know this or is it a secret?

Well, I have the Calling, which is an internal link to the man-eating beasts roaming out there, waiting for us. Sometimes I can't help myself when they come near our village borders, my body fills with rage, and I end up running toward them. The problem is, I'm a teenage girl and only male Protectors are supposed to have the Calling. My best friend, Finnley, he knows about me. And so does Grayson, but I shouldn't talk about him, nor do I want to.

What do people believe about you that is false?

They think I'm normal. I'm anything but normal. I wish I was normal.

What would your best friend say is your fatal flaw? Why?

I would say my fatal flaw is that I'm a girl. Because of this, I can't be a Protector. Finnley would think it's how stubborn I am. But he's wrong.

What would the same friend say is your one redeeming quality? Why?

He thinks I'm stronger than I am. I'm not strong at all. I'm at the mercy of the beasts and the emotional turmoil they bring. If I was strong, I would be able to control it, and I can't.

What do you want most? What will you do to get it?

I want to be a Protector. I don't know what I would do to get this opportunity, I'm a teenager, what can I do? I just hope I don't end up in front of a beast without knowing how to defend myself properly. The odds are against me.

Head over to Cassie's blog and Angie's blog to hop around to the other character interviews and to find out more about the upcoming days in the I'm Hearing Voices Blogfest .

Blogger has a mind of it's own with this post. If you're having trouble commenting, click on the title of the post at the top and it will sort of refresh it enough to open the comments :)

Are you a movie buff?

2012-02-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

Joshua at Vive le Nerd and I

challenge you to a movie trivia duel!

Test your big screen knowledge at

Cinema Challenge Cavalcade

and find out if we can stump you :)

Check it out!

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Man in Black: I challenge you to a game of wits.

Vizinni: For the Princess?

Man in Black: [nods]

Vizinni: To the death?

Man in Black: [nods]

Vizinni: I accept!

...now I challenge you...click here if you accept...

###

Two more awesome awards have been bestowed up me!

YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

(imagine the little piggy in the GEICO commercial, that's me)

Thank you Huntress!

Thank you Cassie!

I'm supposed to share one thing I like about myself now...

I have an awesome name :) Definitely haven't always felt this way. I hated it as a kid because a lot of mean words rhyme with it and I just thought it was a dumb name regardless of teasing. My name annoyed me as I got older because people couldn't (and still can't) help themselves but say those genius phrases like, "I HOPE you have a good day!", usually men for some reason. I mastered the obligatory laugh thanks to them and their cleverness . Now, I appreciate my name for all it's meaning and promise. When I'm having a bad day, I owe it to myself to have hope and get over whatever it is weighing me down. I even gave my name to my daughter for her middle name in HOPEs she'll pass it along :) See, I can be clever too!

Check out these stinkers

Tracy at Write On!

Donna Hole

Stina at Seeing Creative

Tara at Tara Tyler Talks

Lynn(e) at The Submission Process

Six Little Words

2012-02-01T02:30:00.000-08:00

breath, Protector, rage, river, rock, beast

Can you describe your ms or WiP in six words or less? I saw this over at Ladies Who Critique and thought it was a fun challenge. Pick six words that are key to your story, write them down, print them out, cut them apart, rearrange them, make a word cloud at Wordle , whatever you can do to sum up your thousands and thousands and thousands of words and hundreds and hundreds of pages of beautiful prose in six little words.

Here are a few I came up with for my ms

What do you think? Which one did you like best?

What did you come up for your six words?

I warn you, word clouds are addicting!

American Idol for Writer's

2012-01-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Trying to explain the process of getting a book published to a non-writer is like speaking Latin to a duck. I'm sure you've been there. The conversations are all the same, usually going something like this:

"How's the books coming?"

Big sigh. "It's coming. I'm editing still."

"Really? How long you gonna edit that thing?"

Laugh. "I know. My cps are--"

"You're what?"

"Oh, sorry, my critique partners are looking it over now. Maybe I'll be done editing when they're done editing."

"Then you'll get it published?"

Laugh again. "No, then I send out a query letter."

"What the hell is a query letter? Is that even a word?"

"I know, I know. It's a letter to entice an agent into requesting your manuscript."

"What? You don't just send your book somewhere?"

Sigh. "It's not a book yet."

I could continue this lovely back and forth for you, but you know where it's going.

From now on, I think I'm just going to say writing a book is like trying out for

We write a "book", who hasn't right?

Then we send out the query letter, putting our best before the judges in an attempt to stand out.

Feedback goes something like this...

or this...

We're hoping for this

When that happens, we might get a full request, which must be something like this

But we're not there yet folks. We're about here...

and then here

and hopefully

I know there's a lot more after this, but I think this is as far as my brain is willing to project. Especially when I'm back here...

So good luck to all my fellow contestants!
I hope to see the confetti falling on you soon :)

(And I apologize for picking on the guys here, but the male contestant pictures were just so much better than the girl contestant pictures, I couldn't help myself! Thank you American Idol!)

Liebster Blog

2012-01-29T10:44:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much Lillie! And congratulations on passing 100 blog followers :)

Five things my daughter came up with about me:

I like to do gardening (I'm not very good at it).

I like to play soccer.

I love my family.

We have two dogs (Keyser and Mowgli) and two cats (Eywa and Oreo).

When I read my daughter her bedtime story, Oreo comes in and sits on me to hear it too.

Sharing the love with 10:

Leigh Covington

Kelley at Between the Bookends

Cassie at Reading Writing and Lovin' it!

Joshua at Vive le Nerd

Jenny at Jenny's imaginary World

Jade at Dream Write Publish

Amber at Unyielding

Angela at Live to Write

J A Bennett

Emily at Get Busy Writing

AND I JUST HIT 100 FOLLOWERS!!! WOO HOO!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

Interview Day

2012-01-27T03:30:00.000-08:00

(If I could do a comment bubble coming out of my head, this would be my answer:

"Uh, Gerard Butler is way hotter than Leonardo DiCaprio?")

I am doing my first blog interview! Yippee!

In the spirit of the Get Fired Up Blogfest and the Help a Fellow Bogger Blogfest, Cassie is offering blog critiques. I've said it a million times before, Cassie is awesome! She's given me amazing edits as a cp and super helpful tips on improving my own blog. She's just an incredible person all around :) THANK YOU CASSIE!!!

And today, she's spotlighting me :)

Hop over to Cassie's blog Reading Writing and Lovin' it! and comment, then get the details of how you can get Cassie's feedback and a chance to be in the spotlight!

WOOO HOOOOOO CASSIE!

2012-01-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

Cassie is awesome!

She got a full request from the Cupid's Literary Connection contest going on now :)

Another fabulous writer getting closer

Good luck Cassie!!!!!!

Congratulations Stephanie!

2012-01-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

Yay Stephanie!

Stephanie entered the Can You Hit a Perfect Pitch blogfest and won!

Check out her blog at http://stephanieevelanddiaz.blogspot.com/ and read about Extraction, it's awesome!

She's on her way! So glad to have her as a cp :) She is an amazing writer and critique partner!

Best of the Best

2012-01-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

With the inspiration of Melissa Sugar-Gold's blogfest, my Best of the Best this time focuses on blogging.

I've been writing for a while and those close to me knew I had been working on a "book". As the months ticked by, they asked less frequently (some stopped asking altogether), and I think they started doubting I had actually put words to paper. So I started a blog to give people I knew a place to read my story. Proof, if you will :)

Then I realized blogs need to be more than what my original plan entailed *shock and awe*. I've been throwing stuff on here for a few months now, evolving as a blogger, and in need of a blog makeover. A huge thanks goes to Cassie (she's offering up blog critiques right now!), who, as always, pointed me in the right direction :) And thank you to all the blogs I follow, I've tried to pick up on your lead!

Best of the Best--blogging:

Anne R Allen's blog How to Blog

Jane Friedman's Blogging for Writers

Vickie Motter's Navigating the Slush Pile What I've learned from Bloggingrned-from-blogging.html

Top 10 Blog Writing Tips

Chris Brogan's 23 Essential Elements of Sharable Blog Posts

Matthew Stibbe at Bad Language How to blog like a pro

About.com's 15 Tips to Increase Blog Traffic

Check out my writing links above for more helpful links to blogging well :)

Get Fired Up

2012-01-21T10:59:00.000-08:00

Melissa Sugar-Gold is hosting this awesome blogfest with amazing prizes over at Have You Heard?

The idea behind her blogfest is to help fellow bloggers improve.

I'm fairly new to the blogging world, and am ready for a blog face lift. Any ideas, suggestions, or tips on what helped your blog would be greatly appreciated :)

I love an award :)

2012-01-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks Kelley!

And thank you Leigh!

You ladies have awesome blogs and give wonderful comments, thank you, thank you, thank you! Awards totally make me smile :)

And I think I'll go for fives here:

1. I have to plug my nose when jumping in a pool, a lake, the ocean, whatever. No matter how much I've practiced, my nose is not built to withstand water.

2. One of my favorite non-chocolate snacks is dry Cheerios. I eat them in pairs.

3. I'm a painfully slow reader, I read in my head the same speed I read aloud. In school, when we had to read a section and then wait while the others finished, I cheated every time. I'd read the topic sentences and bold typed stuff and hope I got the gist of what was going on. There's no way I was gonna be last :)

4. I hate being last.

5. It snowed a foot here in the past twenty-four hours, not usual for this part of Washington.

And the awards go to

Jess at Falling Leaflets

Joshua at Vive le Nerd

Lara at Motivation for Creation

Jenny at Jennys Imaginary World

Crystal at Reading, Writing and A Little Bit of Nonsense

and even though I know Cassie has these awards, she needs them again :)

80's crush

2012-01-17T20:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks Nicki, Suze, M Pax for the fun blogfest!

Oh, there are so many choices...the 80's were the start of my boy crazy days :) My room was covered in magazine posters of Corey Haim, Kirk Cameron, Ralph Macchio, and Scott Baio. But these are the real hunks of the 80's that still stand out in my head:

Emilio was probably my first crush

Then I realized I wanted the guy with the car (and the hair and the money...)

But Robert Downey Jr. closed out the 80's as a big time hunk that is even more of a hunk today :)

I can't wait to hop around and have some seriously hunky 80's flashbacks!

Can You Hit a Perfect Pitch?

2012-01-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

Title: My Protector: The Calling

Genre: YA post-apocalytpic

Word Count: 70,000 words

Pitch: WhenEri develops the calling—an internal link to the man-eating beasts plaguing theplanet—she must learn to control it or gain skills to fight before ending up inthe belly of a beast.

150 words:

Going to the river alone is forbidden. Knowing this clear-cut rule of our people wasn’tenough to stop me from stepping off the gravel path and walking deep into the vacantfield. I no longer controlled my body.

Adrenaline thrummed inside me as Idrifted closer. White-hot anger burnedin my belly, if it was even anger churning there. I had never felt anger creep through my veinsbefore. Whatever this was, it pulled me towardthe unknown.

I didn’t belong out there. I knew better. I should’ve run in the opposite direction, back to our village. But I couldn’t turn away. With each step into the darkness, the foreignemotion intensified, guiding me forward. I surrendered to the aggression. I had no choice.

The warning bell struck, ringing throughmy insides. My people had fled forsafety into the closest shelter possible when it sounded the first time.

Not me.

Contest Description:

On January 15th post a two sentence pitch (no more than 35 words) along with the first 150 words (if it falls in the middle of a sentence, go to the end of that sentence) of your finished Young Adult or Middle Grade manuscript to your blogs.

To participate, sign up on the linky at Brenda Drake Writes...Under the influence of coffee

Good luck!

Squirrel

2012-01-11T08:42:00.000-08:00

I usually start out my day checking emails and such, then pop over here to reply to comments and then SQUIRREL! I'm reading fifteen blogs and forty-five minutes have passed. What was I doing? Oh yeah, needed to write a post for the week. Get that done, go back to edit for my critique partners, one of my kids cries, fix their boo boo, walk by the laundry room and SQUIRREL! What was I doing? Two loads of laundry later, dishes done, and cat box cleaned, I return to my computer and finish reading for one of my cps, open up the next batch of chapters, ahhh my desk is such a mess and SQUIRREL! What was I doing? My desk is now beautiful and one of my kids is hungry so I fix them both lunch and wow I need to vacuum but the vaccuum needs to be emptied and how come nobody ever sweeps the front porch? Another hour and a half pass and I finally return to my computer to finish the chapters, go to email edited work to cp and YAY I have an email from my sister and SQUIRREL! What was I doing? Six emails later and a half hour of cyber browsing and oh I better check my blog to see if I need to return a new follow, and maybe I can read two more chapters before I really have to eat. I open the next story and SQUIRREL!

Maybe I need one of these

I think it's time I give myself a schedule :) Maybe one of those kitchen timers with a loud ding too, I have a cute chicken one, but I think it's in my daughter's room, her room is such a mess, maybe I should help her organize it, oh my pantry could use that too, and what am I cooking for dinner tonight, oh yeah I need to go to the grocery store...

Great Comments Award

2012-01-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks Cassie Mae! Your blog is awesome and that's why it's so easy to comment on your posts :) Hop over to her blog and check out her insightful and hilarious posts! And don't forget to sign up for her blogfest too :)

Finding comments on my posts is so exciting! I look forward to opening my blog and reading what people say, it makes my day. I appreciate all the thoughts and giggles supporting me along with the rest of the writing bloggers out there!

These are some fantastic commenters and their blogs to follow :)

Kelley at Between the Bookends

Trisha at WORD + STUFF

Laura at Daily Dodo

Bethany at Rookie Riter: Trying to get it write

Lynn(e) Schmidt at The Submission Process

Thank you and keep the comments flowing!

Best of the Best

2012-01-04T03:00:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays, I was asked on a few different ocasions what I was writing about. I love to talk about writing. I love it even more when someone is interested enough to ask me about it. But to briefly sum up the thing I've been bleeding my heart and soul into for over a year (I don't want to say how long it's really been)?

My response usually goes something like, "Um, well, there's this girl and these beasts, and the Protectors, and there was a meteoric rain that destroyed the planet, um..."

My brain spasms, my mouth sputters incoherancies, I feel like a failure because now my writing sounds like a bunch of hooey.

This should be simple. After all, I'm the one who made it up.

Try as I might, I cannot clearly state the gist of my manuscript. In light of this, and the several blog competitions/contests coming up on the subject, I have dedicated this week's Best of the Best to writing a clear pitch/logline and hopefully soon I will be able to write one myself :)

Best of the Best--pitch/logline

Nathan Bransford's How to Write a One Sentence Pitch

Writing Killer Loglines by Stina Lindenblatt

Story Sensei's Elevator Pitch

Amie Kaufman's Catch My Pitch

Janice Hardy's Here's the Pitch

Hallie Ephron's Crafting Your Pitch

Query Tracker's Writing a Logline/The One-Sentence Pitch

Michelle McLean's How to Write a Hook Line or Logline

Christopher Lockhart's The Construction of a Logline

I hope these help if you've found yourself in the same situation I continue to stumble into :)

Is it Getting HOT in Here? blog hop

2012-01-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

Is it Getting HOT in Here? blog hop

February 14th

with Cassie Mae (writer extraordinaire and blogmaster guru) at Reading, Writing, and Lovin' it!

To Enter:

1. Add your link to the linky links at the end of this post.
2. Post your kiss story February 14th and don’t forget to grab the Is it Getting HOT in Here? blog hop picture!

3. You don’t have to follow us, but it would be awesome ifyou do! We’ll follow you back ;)

The Prize:

2 lucky kiss stories will receive a 14 page edit from both Cassie Mae and me :)

You can sign up any time before the blog hop begins. Feel free to spread the word! We'd love to have lots of participants! Don't forget to steam up your Valentine's day with all the other kisses!

Best in Show

2011-12-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Katy Upperman, Jessica Love, Alison Miller, and Tracey Neithercott are putting on the
Class of 2011 ya superlative blogfest. Hop on over to one of their blogs to find out more about it!

Friday, December 30th: Best in Show

I can't choose, they're all monumental Favorite Cover--I can only imagine how awesome it must be for a writer to see their completed cover :)

Divergent by Veronica Roth    Most Likely to Succeed--was there ever a doubt in anyone's mind with this book?

Wildefire by Karsten Knight      Most Likely to Make You Miss Your Bedtime--read until my eyes couldn't stay open

Crossed by Ally Condie       Best Repeat Performance--didn't disappoint :)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi     Romance Most Worthy of an Ice Bath--so many steamy scenes without a single cliche, heart pounding!

Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin    Breakout Novel--I could only dream of writing this well :)

Catching Fire  by Suzanne Collins   Best Old-Timer--one of the best ever!

Enclave by Ann Aguire     Most Pleasant Surprise--never thought I'd like a zombie book :)

Torn   by Erica O'Rourke    Most Creative Use of a Love Triangle--great love triangle, left in a cliff hanger way too!

Variant by Robison Wells    Sleeper Hit--it was so awesome I wish it had been hyped more :)

Elements of Fiction

2011-12-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

Katy Upperman, Jessica Love, Alison Miller, and Tracey Neithercott are putting on the
Class of 2011 ya superlative blogfest. Hop on over to one of their blogs to find out more about it!

Thursday, December 29th: Elements of Fiction

Crossed by Ally Condie   Most Envy-Inducing Plot--fun ride!

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi   Most Wonderful World-Building--ignored grammatical rules and litterally stacked emotional words to entice feeling and intensity

Enclave by Ann Aguire Most Formidable World--the girl was born underground and travelled the subway and sewer systems--icky!

Wildefire by Karsten Knight   Wanderlust-Inducing--would be fun going away to school in the California's wilderness

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi   Loveliest Prose--felt like I was reading poetry amped up on adrenaline!

Through Her Eyes by Jennifer Archer    Best First Line--"I died on a bitter, cold night."

Divergent by Veronica Roth   Most Dynamic Main Character--Tris is awesome!

Wildefire by Karsten Knight   Most Jaw-Dropping Finale--don't want to spoil it, but there's a great character shift

Unbecoming of Mara Dyer  by Michelle Best Performance in a Supporting Role--great story, needs to be mentioned somewhere on here

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi Best Use of Theme--the numbers theme is carried beautifully throughout

Popularity Contest

2011-12-28T03:00:00.000-08:00

Katy Upperman, Jessica Love, Alison Miller, and Tracey Neithercott are putting on the
Class of 2011 ya superlative blogfest. Hop on over to one of their blogs to find out more about it!

Wednesday, December 28th: Popularity Contest

Luke from Torn by Eric O'Rourke Most Likely to Become a Rock Star

Eve from Wildefire by Karsten Knight   Mostly Likely to Start a Riot

Noah from Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin Biggest Flirt

Mo from Torn by Erica O'Rourke   Girl You’d Most Want For Your BFF

Four/Tobias from Divergent by Veronica Roth Boy You Wish You’d Dated in High School

Warner from Shatter Me by Tahera Mafi   Villian You Love to Hate

Caleb from Divergent by Veronica Roth -or- Xander from Crossed by Ally Condie   Most Likely to Become President

Julliette from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi   Quirkiest Character

Natalie Prior from Divergent by Veronica Roth   Favorite Parental Figure

Congratulations Kelley!

2011-12-27T13:31:00.000-08:00

Kelley is awesome!

Check out her winning query entry--#9 Fraction of a Stone--on Krista V's Mother. Write. (Repeat.) An Agent's Inbox Contest. Kelley is an amazing writer and critique partner. Hop over to Kelley's blog to read about her current projects and followe her blog :)

It was Cassie Mae's idea to throw Kelley a cyber party, so you can help by throwing some confetti her way on your own blog!

You rock Kelley!

Head of the Class

2011-12-27T03:00:00.000-08:00

Katy Upperman, Jessica Love, Alison Miller, and Tracey Neithercott are putting on the
Class of 2011 ya superlative blogfest. Hop on over to one of their blogs to find out more about it!

Tuesday, December 27th: Head of the Class

Favorite Dystopian     Divergent   by Veronica Roth

Favorite Science Fiction     Crossed   by Allyson Condie

Favorite Fantasy     Wildefire   by Karsten Knight

Favorite Action/Adventure   Enclave   by Ann Aguire

Favorite Comedy     Bossypants   by Tina Fey  (I know it's not YA or fiction, but I laughed out loud a lot!)

Favorite Mystery      Through Her Eyes   by Jennifer Archer

Favorite Romance      Shatter Me   by Tahereh Mafi

Favorite Paranormal Romance      Torn   by Erica O'Rourke

Favorite Genre Bender     Unbecoming of Mara Dyer   byMichelle Hodkin

I was doing some genre bending here myself, but these were a handful of my favorites and I needed to fit them in somewhere :) I'm looking forward to hopping around and adding 'must reads' to my list!

It's a Wonderful Life

2011-12-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

Wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday season!

Best of the Best

2011-12-21T03:00:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before I'm working on my query letter. I've sent it through the wringer a few times, tweak it when and where necessary, you know the drill. One problem I've encountered is finding the appropriate genre or sub category to shove my manuscript into. I was labelling it dystopian since some sites say anything involving life after an apocalypse falls into that category, but I've decided to go out on a ledge and just let it be what it is--post apocalyptic young adult. I've now seen that listed as a sub genre so I'm going with it, I guess that was the confirmation I needed. If you've found yourself in a similar spot, maybe one of the following links will help clear it up for you as well :)

Best of the Best--genre

*Jennifer Luaghran's Big Ol' Genre Glossary

*ezinearticles.com's genre guidelines

*Sierra Gardner's Know Thy Genre

*AgentQuery genre descriptions

*Writer's Digest genre definitions

*Novel Novice's ya genres 101

*Book Country's genre map

If you know of helpful writing wisdom, I'd love to check it out and add it to my writing links :)

Best of the Best

2011-12-14T02:00:00.000-08:00

Don't you hate it when you find a great tip or useful advice on writing and leave the blog or website only to never find it again? I am constantly coming across writing tid bits which help me through various stages of the process. I needed to create a reference to these nuggets of genius so I don't waste time trying to hunt them down repeatedly. Maybe you haven't landed on some of these gold mines yet, hopefully the following might help :)

Best of the Best -- query critiques

*The Query Goblin

*Saturday Slash by Mindy McGinnis

*Mother. Write. (Repeat.)

*The Public Query Slushpile

*Query Shark

*AgentQuery Connect

*Susan Dennard's Presenting Query Day

Check out my writing links above for other bits of writing information. If you know of a great link please share :)

More Than a Critique Partner

2011-12-12T11:37:00.000-08:00

More Than a CritiquePartner

I entered a query contest

Figured out I am not the best

(Actually worse than all the rest)

But I found you

Your comments and ideas in blue

Make my writing improve

Glum writing days of mine

You dust with sparkle and shine

With every inspiration and line

Pulling me through the icky and rough

On the journey to making my skin tough

Thank yous and smiles are not enough

If you'd like to join in, here's what you need to do:

Write a piece of flash fiction, poem, or song (300 words or less) for someone you know (real or imaginary). It may be in any genre, but it must have a holiday theme (real or fictional). Post it on your blog anytime between now and when the linky closes. You will then give it to that someone, sometime before the new year.

Check out Leigh Covington's blog to join the blog hop and for more information!

Wrap It Up Blogfest

Brenda Drake's Blogfest Contest

2011-12-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

Can you guess my character's age?

Going to the river alone is forbidden,especially at this hour. Knowing thisclear-cut rule of our people wasn’t enough to stop me from stepping off thegravel path and walking deep into the vacant field. I no longer controlled my body.

Adrenaline thrummed inside me as Idrifted closer to the water. Heatslithered through my limbs. White-hotanger burned in my belly. If it was evenanger churning there. I had never feltanger creeping through my veins before. Whatever this was, it pulled me toward the unknown.

I didn’t belong here. I knew better. I should run in the opposite direction, back to our village. But I could not turn away. With each step into the darkness, the foreignemotion intensified, guiding me forward. I surrendered to the aggression. I had no choice.

I heard the warning bell likeeveryone else. My people fled for safetyinto the closest shelter possible. Notme.

A few more steps and I would seethe river through the trees if the waning light consented. The coursing water rushed along mirroring myheightened flow of adrenaline. Thesensory overload amplified, the calling grew louder and became hypnotic, drivingme like a machine, steering me down a path I would not otherwise take.

I should not be here.

The bell clanged again, this timewith faster frequency. I froze. The hammering in my chest felt as if my heartwould burst through my rib cage and continue onward without me.

Thanks Brenda Drake for this fun blogfest contest! Check out her blog at Brenda Drake Writes...under the influence of coffee for more information and to read the other entries!

Easily Flushed Blog Hop!

2011-12-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

Dirty Underwear

I curled my legs up under me,wrapping myself further into the blanket. I wasn’t even cold. I wasn’t surewhy he had a fire going, it being August, but I was thankful for the distraction. “So they believed you had a woman in yourcabin huh?”

“I do have a woman in my cabin.” Asly sneer spread across his face revealing his teeth.

I snickered at this. “You know what I mean. A real woman, not a girl.”

The sneer disappeared. “You are not a girl Eri. Please don’t think that. I don’t think that.” He shook his head.

I turned my attention back to theflames, noticing my underclothing hanging on the fire poker next to whereGrayson sat. My mouth fell open and I turnedthe color of the coals. “What is my underweardoing out here?”

“I washed them.” He said this as if it was an every-daychore. “I tried to clean up your otherclothes too, but there’s no way to salvage them.”

My underwear was hanging in frontof Grayson. He had washed them! I started giggling uncontrollably. Grayson looked at me oddly, his mouthhitching up at the corner. “What?”

“I can’t believe you washed myunderwear. I can’t believe those men sawthem.”

“Your virtue is safe with meEri. Don’t worry,” he said solemn, thefrustration creasing his forehead again.

Thatexpression took the humor out of the situation instantly. Why does he always have to get so serious,make me feel ridiculous? I curled in asfar as the blanket and the chair permitted. Silence.

*excerpt from My Protector: The Calling*

Thanks Cassie for the blog hop!

Check out the details and other blogs participating in the Easily Flushed Blog Hop over at

Cassie Mae at Reading, Writing, and Lovin' it!

Hop around and read all the other hopper's reddening experiences on their blogs :)

A freelance editor's contest and giveaways

2011-12-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

CA Marshall has an awesome contest going on right now with daily giveaways.

Check her out: CA Marshall

She has great information for writers on her blog :)

A Blog Award!

2011-12-03T16:01:00.001-08:00

Thank you Lynn(e) Schmidt over at The Submission Process

I am very excited! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

If you're not aware of how blog awards work, it's like this:
Awesome! You got an award! You can accept it and put it up on your blog and if you would like to pass it on to fellow wonderful bloggers, then you can...
-Link the award back to the giver
and...
-Pick people to give it to

Here are ten other blogs I love reading :

Reading, Writing and Lovin' it!

Y(A)? Cuz We Write!

Reading, Writing, and A Little Bit of Nonsense

Love YA

Rookie Riter: Trying to get it write
Oasis for YA

So, You're a Writer...

Stephanie Diaz

The Query Goblin

What Now? An aspiring writers journal

Write to Live and Live to Write

So here are a few tid bits about me:

I am back to teaching after having 8 1/2 years off

I look forward to taking the ball from a guy's feet in a soccer game

I've seen more movies than you

I had to move my 'To Read' book pile to the floor, it no longer fits on my nightstand (I'm reading Bossypants right now)

My Christmas tree is real and beautiful

Querying

2011-12-02T12:58:00.001-08:00

To query, or not to query, that is the question:

When is it time to query an agent?

I thought I was ready for this a couple months ago. My manuscript was written. I edited a ton, two other people were editingit as well. I researched agents. I started reading books theyrepresented. I read plenty books andblogs about writing the query letter. Iwrote a query letter. I entered a queryletter contest.

My query letter sucked. I found out my query letter was not really a query letter. Instead, it was more of a synopsis.

Okay, back to reading more about what a query letteris. Rewriting of query letter. More rewriting of query letter. Having my CPs critique my query letter. Submitting my query letter to the QueryGoblin. More rewriting of query letter. Submitting my query letter to AgentQuery Connect. More critiquing. More rewriting. Submitting my query to The Query Cat...

Anyone else sick of the word ‘query’ yet?

Is it done? I have noidea. It’s better than it was. But is it enough to entice an agent intorequesting my writing? I guess that’sthe real question.

What is the best advice you’ve read or been given about yourquery letter?

Thankful

2011-11-24T08:32:00.001-08:00

I am thankful forevery second I get to spend creating characters and designing worlds no matterhow frustrating, brilliant, lame, nonsensical, impressive, cliché, monumental, hilarious, entertaining, and/ordelusional.

Writing is a wonderful life!

Happy Thanksgiving toall my fellow blogger friends-writers-accomplices-inspirations J

Victims

2011-11-17T13:45:00.001-08:00

I feel a bit like a serial killer. All I do is hack and slash words, sentences, andideas. Sometimes I think I like ‘murderingmy darlings’ better than coming up with new ones. I might even be addicted to it. Oh well, what doesn’t kill us makes usstronger right?

Rollercoaster

2011-11-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have this story written, now what? I’ve accomplished what I set out to do—write abook. But having 210,000 words aboutEri’s life merely sitting inside the hard drive of my computer isn’tenough. I want her world in my hands,with a cover and pages and acknowledgements and a dedication. How do I do that?

Many hours on the internet and reading countless books on the craft of writing led me to realize thatthis writing stuff has sooo much more to it than just simply (ha ha) writingyour story. That is merely the first monumental hurdle. Ugh! Iam not a quitter, so…

Step one: figuring out what genre my story fits into and what else isalready out there, and, big gulp, is my writing even worthy?

Step two: realizing that my book isactually three books with dump truck loads of revising and editing ahead of me—theunending tweaking process. Ok, now I havethis manuscript and it's getting better every time I change a word, cut aparagraph, add a scene, and spice up the dialogue. Must continue tweaking, never stop tweaking, can’tstop tweaking.

Step three: researching agents whomight be interested in my manuscript and reading books in my same genre (totalbonus—I’ve enjoyed a ton of books and found new series and authors to follow). To submit to an agent, you write a query letterto entice them into reading part or all of my manuscript (but first I need apitch, a hook, a logline, an outline, a synopsis—short and/or long, I’m surethere’s more). I am writing more aboutmy story than I ever could have imagined (and I need the practice).

This is where I sit today, almostto the point of submitting my manuscript to agents. While still nipping and tucking My Protector: The Calling (book one)with the help of Phil-the-extraordinaire, Kelli-online-writing-partner-already-published-author,and Cassie-critiquing-partner-fellow-YA/MG-writer.

It’s a rollercoaster of a learning experience to say the least…

Versatile Blogger Award

2011-10-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks Cassie Mae @ readingwritingandlovingit.blogspot.com (my new writer friend and critique partner)! I'm new a new blogger, not even sure I'm worthy of the term yet, but I accept the compliment graciously :)

Here are the rules:

Thank the person who nominated you. Tell 7 things about yourself so that your readers may learn more about you and nominate 15 other newly discovered bloggers and let them know you nominated them.

1. My favorite color is blue, any shade, it doesn't matter

2. I love soccer, playing not watching (I avoid watching sports on tv at all costs, if you know my husband, you know why)

3. I love to read, write (was that obvious?), and paint

4. Family is the most important thing in the world to me

5. I've seen more movies than you :)

6. I love to do crafts with my kids

7. I'm a sucker for blue eyes (my husband's are perfect)

Other fantastic bloggers deserving of the Versatile Blogger Award, check them out :)

Cassie Mae at Reading, Writing, and Lovin' it!

heather b. at The Adventures of Flo

heath: in my mind at Heath: in my mind

Ninja Girl at Ninja Girl Reads
Kelli at africankelli.com

Mindy McGinnis at Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire

Krista V. at Mother. Write. (Repeat.)

Monica B.W. at Love YA

jennie at What Now ? An aspiring writers journal.

Joanna at Coffey. Tea. And Literary.

Natalie M. Lakosil at Adventures in Agentland

Kathleen Ortiz at Kathleen Ortiz

Agent Kristin at Pub Rants

Rachelle Gardner at Rachelle Gardner

I'm a little short on the 15, apparently I need to follow more blogs!!!

Revealing

2011-10-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

I still find it difficult to talk about my book. When confronted with someone asking mequestions like “Wow, you wrote a book?” or “What’s your book about?” I get allwiggly, my brain jumps from snippets of scenes to lines of dialogue todescriptions of setting, and my mouth fails to communicate clearly without manyblundering starts and stops.

Before I started this blog, I could count the number of people who even knewthat I was writing a novel on my fingers (well maybe my toes included). I'mvery proud of my story and I love writing, don't get me wrong. But there's just something about talkingabout it that scares the crap out of me. It must have to do with rejection. The fact that I've invested my time and mybrain and my heart into something that anyone can look at and comment on unleashesa torrent of ‘what if’ butterflies—not the pretty, graceful ones either.

Thankfully, everyone has been very positive and constructive making this'revealing' process much less painful. THANKYOU!

My Protector

2011-10-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

About three years ago, my husband and I went on a double date with two dear friends of ours. After a sushi disaster, we saw a movie and called it a night. Whether it was the gonna-make-your-cheeks-ache-from-laughing-so-hard conversations between the Robersons and the Chambers, the absurd restaurant staff, Paul Walker's babe muscles, or a mix of the entire evening, I'm not sure. Regardless, crazy dreams ensued and My Protector was born.

You can read Chapters 1 and 2 (above) and please tell me what you think!!