Top Commenters Award

The lovely Linda C. at Excuse Me While I Note That Down (isn't that a great title for a writer's blog?) gave me the Top Commenters Award. Thank you so much Linda! This one really means a lot to me. I want to be a good commenter. I want to get around and be supportive of everyone. (And, to be honest, I haven't been great about it lately. Sorry! Life's so crazy right now.)

I'll be passing this one along to:

Jaybird
Angela Cothran
Patsy Collins
Rena
Suzi
Heather H.

Have a great weekend everyone! My best friend and I are 'auditioning' 2nd and 3rd graders today. (They'll all get a part.) I'm so excited to be directing with my bestie, plus both of our daughters will be in the play. Fun!

IWSG

A big thank you to Alex for hosting this month after month. It is such a wonderful thing.

I'm afraid I am feeling more than normally insecure at the moment. I am currently revising two novellas to resubmit. I am terrified that I won't be able to make either one good enough. That I'm going to work on them, fret, work some more, end up sending them eventually (they aren't even close yet) then realize all the stuff I should have changed, then get a big fat no.

I know that all I can do is keep working at them until I'm happy and hope for the best. But I hate being so close, knowing I'm still so far away!



On a totally unrelated note, I had to hold back tears this morning when I saw that the marriage amendment in MN didn't pass. Happy tears. (For those who aren't in MN, which is pretty much all of you, ;) we were voting to put it into our state constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.) It was wonderful to get on FB and see the happiness of the people in my life whom this affects far more than me.

Thank You!

The "I'm Thankful for My Readers" bloghop is being hosted by the wonderful Tara Tyler and Viklit. It's such a lovely idea, I had to join in. I'll start by thanking Tara and Viklit for hosting it! You girls rock!

I want to give a big thank you to my blog readers. (Honestly, I still can't believe I have any blog readers.)

When I started this blog I had no idea what to expect. I never could have foreseen meeting so many wonderful, supportive people. This writing community amazes me. I have learned so much since I started blogging and have been inspired over and over again.

I've met several amazing CPs and have been thrilled to get their feedback and see my writing improve with their help. To anyone who's taken the time to read and critique my writing, THANK YOU!

One would think that the time it takes to blog, and read other blogs, would take away from my writing time. But I have written so much more since I started blogging almost a year ago.

I've accomplished so much more.

I have so much more confidence that I can do this.

And it is because of you.

Thank you.

Halloween Pictures, Just for Fun

This is the dress I made. :)

 

He was the orange ninja turtle. Ten points
if you know which one that is. ;)

She wanted to be a kitty like Hemi, our calico.

My youngest as a ballerina.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Next Big Thing

The ever awesome Patsy Collins tagged me in The Next Big Thing. Which is basically an excuse for me to tell you about what I'm working on. :) Thank you Patsy! (If you don't already follow Patsy, click on her name above and go check her out. You won't regret it!)

Right now I am working on revising a short YA novella. I recently got some very helpful feedback on it (thanks Cassie!) and am really enjoying revising it. I'm hoping to have it ready to send out in the next month or so.














 What is the working title of your book?Secondary Characters

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I heard a song from a musical called (you guessed it) Secondary Characters. In the musical, two characters with smaller parts find themselves alone on stage and take the opportunity to have a little duet without the main characters. I just really liked the idea of telling a story from the POV of two people who think they're 'secondary characters.'

What genre does your book fall under?
It's a YA contemporary romance.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Oh geez, I have no idea. . . Okay, a quick google search has led me to:


Nicole Peltz as Mabel

Alex Ferris as Lance

They're not perfect, but they're good enough. (Although I'll admit I have no idea who either one of them are.)

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Mabel is used to being in Amber's shadow, until she falls for Lance and decides she wants to be the heroine of her own love story. (Okay, that's not very good, but it's the best I could come up with right now.)

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?
Hopefully I can get it published with a small publisher.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Hmm, not long. Maybe a week or two. Keep in mind though that it's a short novella, not a novel!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I have no idea. I stink at that.

Who or what inspired you to write the book?
Hmm, didn't I kind of already answer that?

What else about your book might pique the readers interest?
Well, I really like the characters. :) They're fun and a bit different, with good senses of humor. Hopefully other people will like them, too.
That's pretty much it. Have a happy Halloween everyone! I will be posting pictures of my kids in their costumes at some point soon. I made my eight-year-old daughter's costume and I'm pretty proud of it. Not because it's awesome, but simply because I am not an overly crafty person and I'm proud of myself for doing it. :) She was worried I wouldn't be able to give it enough 'pizzazz' (her word.) I accepted the challenge and I think it turned out pretty cool. She's very happy with it. :)

Okay, so I'm an idiot who forgot to tag people! Whoops! Here they are now:
Jaybird
Nicole from Write me a World
Elizabeth Seckman
Annalisa Crawford

Friday Inspiration

I have a song and a book I want to share today for a little inspiration. The song is about musicians, but I think the main point applies to writers, too. "Keep on dreaming even if it breaks your heart." I love that line. Because we all go through rejection and heart break in this business, but it's those who keep on dreaming, (and working their butts off), that end up succeeding.

 

 

(I am not going to admit how long it took me to figure out how to get a video on here, but I'm happy I finally got it!)

The book is a fun picture book with a lovely message.

 It's about a little pup who is so happy one day he starts to float, and flies to school. Of course, when he tells his friends no one believes him. When they ask him to prove it he can't, he's lost his happy feeling. In the end, after a talk with his father, he finds it again. The last lines are: "Do dogs fly? Is it true? Some dogs don't, but some dogs do."

For some reason it totally gets to me. I love teaching kids that they can do anything if they really believe they can. If you have little kids I highly recommend this book!

Have fun weekend everyone and keep dreaming big dreams! :)

In Need of Book Suggestions, and some Friday Inspiration

I have always been a pantser, but I think I may need to change my ways, at least for this next one. I have an idea that I love, but I want to do more planning to make sure I get it where I want it in the end. But I need help!

Have you read any books about plotting that you've found helpful? Or do you have any tips for me in general? Any thing would be appreciated! Thanks!

And for some Friday inspiration I'm sharing some FB statuses of some very fun teens. As a YA writer the teens I work with always inspire me. Hopefully you guys will think these are fun, too. :)



"I'm so glad I got out of the drama scene. The most drama I ever have is wondering who ate my cookies, and 95% of the time it's me who ate them."

"Dropping out, and buying plane tickets. Leaving tomorrow? (:"

"Imperfect is my middle name."

"You know you haven't been on facebook for a while when you get confused looking for the retweet button......."

 

"Whenever I'm crabby I take a bath and pretend I'm a mermaid. And today it's bad enough where the barbies are coming with me."

 

And one that's not funny, but is brave and makes me proud to know this boy.

 

Dear 16-year-old boys that threw eggs at me and yelled "Go kill yourself, faggot" while I was running tonight,
I am not mad at you. Actually, I feel sorry at you. I feel sorry that you actually believe that throwing eggs and calling me a faggot is going to magically turn me straight or make me feel ashamed for being who I am. I'm sorry that you haven't opened your eyes yet to a changing world, a m
Sincerely,

You won't bring me down.