Si, Se Puede--Yes, you can!

The winner of the Summer Teen Reading Party is: KIM'S GOODIES: Kim is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card AND an awesome Swag Bag !!! Swag bag includes a free ebook of your choice, bookmarks, tatoos, a $15 iTunes gift card and a signed copy of one of her books!!! A comment on her blog = 1 entry and a retweet on Twitter or post on Facebook = 2 entries!!!  Jan Fischer Wade   Email me at ixtumea@gmail.com

 Had so much fun at ALA this last weekend.  So many books!  I was better this time around.  Back in 2008 I ended up just grabbing galleys.  This time I read the back blurbs and took books I knew I'd read or ones that I could share with friends/family.  So here's a little of what I've been reading this week: 1. DRAMA When I saw the Scholastic reps put this companion book to the fab SMILE out, yes, I grabbed it.  Loved it! My YABC review: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/12735-drama 2. ENTICE This book was one reason why I had to go to ALA on Sunday!  Sourcebooks was doing a giveaway and I wanted this book!  I loved the first book EMBRACE.  I also met the editor which was really cool.  We were discussing why this book is so hot.  Yes, I'm totally team Lincoln though Phoenix is pretty hawt too! YABC review coming soon! 3. DEAR TEEN ME anthology: Another book I had to have!  I cont...

I was able to go to ALA on Saturday and Sunday!  Enjoyed both days of exhibits.  I thought I'd share: First off was able to stand in line at Flux and get Suzanne Lazear to sign a copy of her upcoming YA INNOCENT DARKNESS.  Doesn't she look adorable? Found a galley of Karen Kincy's book FOXFIRE **They told me no galleys were available but I still wanted to take a photo. Also found a galley of NARC by Crissa-Jean Chappell While walking around found on display Kate Messner's book EYE OF THE STORM Galleys at Bloomsbury Stopped at Tor booth and meet the editor of my critique buddy Tricia Hoover upcoming book SOLSTICE and TUT. Also was able to grab the galley of the upcoming sequel to ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD. **Can you see the poster to the left?  That's the book Was number 96 in line to get Libba Bray to sign her upcoming book.  She's so hilarious!  Loved that she hammed it up! ...

I was able to go to not one but two days of ALA exhibits this weekend.  Sunday was the day to go as mostly YA authors were signing.  One of my writer friends, Marlene Perez, got me thinking with one of her comments on getting that creative flow going.  Yes, I admit it.  I haven't been querying around lately as I want to make sure my sekrit project is more polished this time around but I've also been kind of in a funk with just writing.  I think it might be because of all the rejection I've been getting since 2004 when I first started trying to get an agent. But you know the saying around here:  So what do you all do when you're in a funk and don't think you'll every get that elusive agent and/or book deal?   This week my goal is to get up early and write.  I really need to get this sekrit project's new beginning going.  And it isn't going to write itself! Winner for this last week: Angelina! Email me at ixtumea@gm...

1. Getting schedule ready for tomorrow!  I'll be at ALA all day!  Very excited!  I hope to run into authors Nancy Holder(Teen Wolf), Ellen Hopkins(Tilt), Cindy Pon, Libba Bray, Melissa Marr, Mike Jung, and so many others! Plus I'm excited to check out Sourcebooks, Flux, Harper Collins, S &S, Scholastic, Penguin books, Zest Books, and so many other publishers/vendors! 2. In the meantime read So Close to You:  Girl finds out her grandfather's theories about the government being involved in a secret project might very well be true.  She ends up stumbling back to 1944 and finds out the choices she makes might very well affect her own family or destroy them.  I love time travel books if they're done right.  And this one works.  Why?  First off the protagonist just doesn't 'fall' back in time without some kind of explanation that makes sense.  Also there  is a reason why she might be back there and there are also consequences. ...

“At the time I begin writing a novel, the last thing I want to do is follow a plot outline. To know too much a the start takes the pleasure out of discovering what the book is about.” -- Elmore Leonard in “Making it up as I go along” [AARP The Magazine, July/August 2009] Hi, everyone!   Did you meet your goals last week?  I know I did a pretty good job going over at least two final edit chapters plus worked on a new beginning to my sekrit project. I thought this week we'd go over the age old question: To outline or not? I do use an outline in my own writing.  An example of a model I use is here: http://thedarksalon.blogspot.com/2010/03/story-elements-checklist-for.html Others I know don't use an outline and just write.  I figure whatever works for you is the way to go! Last week during Teacher's Write on-line workshop, guest author Sally Wilkins had this to share on outlining: http://www.katemessner.com/teachers-write-611-mini-le...

1. Was able to get back to my own writing after over a month!  Pushing self to just write and also telling self it's ok to be selfish and give myself permission to do this. 2. Also finding this whole parenting gig thing is hard stuff.  I actually had someone tell me that her 'me' time involved her children.  To me though I need to get away for a few just to regroup or I lose it.  I personally don't think there is anything wrong with doing this.  My mother's best friend Dee told us that if you don't give yourself permission to take care of yourself, no one else will. 3. Bummed that See's candy is going to discontinue it's chocolate caramel suckers.  I ended up buying a whole box.  Each sucker is 2 WW points. 4. Saw a link to this one self-help book that actually says to stay in an abusive situation.  I was speechless at first, then very angry.  Someone mentioned I should write my own blog post about my feelings on the article. I've bee...

Thanks Heidi Kling for this link!  I admit, I'm a huge Damon fan!

I'm being interviewed here today! http://manicreaders.com/blog/index.php/2012/06/an-interview-with-kim-baccellia/#respond

"I am hard at work on the second draft...Second draft is really a misnomer as there are a gazillion revisions, large and small, that go into the writing of a book." -Libba Bray Hi, everyone!  How did you do with your goals for last week?  I admit, I wasn't as good as I should have been.   But remember: Now that school and scoring tests is over, I can concentrate more on my writing. I noticed a number of you are working on revisions so I thought I'd make that our theme for this week. Is this you? Do you dread revising? Or do you have revision angst? I'm kind of in the middle.  I've been known to spend forever just on one paragraph to get it right. I love this other quote: "I've found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living sh*t out of it." -Don Roff In the book THE WRITER'S BOOK OF WISDOM 101 RULES FOR MASTERING ...

Someone just posted this: http://www.messynessychic.com/2012/05/09/the-paris-time-capsule-apartment/ Apparently they just discovered this apartment that hadn't been touched for 71 years.  When the lady, who owed the apartment died, her heirs had it reopened and found a wealth of treasure. This Parisian apartment was like a time capsule.  No one knows why she fled.  Maybe because the Nazis where coming but check out some of these photos: At the time the woman in the photo was a mystery besides some ribbon bound love letters. Talk about a great visual for a historical romance. Later, this is what the article says some experts think: ...With some expert historical opinion, the ribbon-bound love letters were quickly recognized as the calling card of none other than Giovanni Boldini, one of Paris’ most important painters of the Belle Époque. The painting was his. The beautiful woman pictured in the painting was Mrs. de Florian’s grand-mother, M...

1. This was the last week of school so it's been crazy getting things finished and packing up this year's materials to send back to Book Mart at River Springs Charter school.  But that doesn't mean son gets the 'whole' summer off.  No, he has to continue with his math, reading, and grammar.  Son moans how unfair this all is.  I'm like, "That's how it goes." 2. Will post winner of The Summer Teen Reading Party by this weekend.  Promise! 3. Two weeks until #ALA12 !  But who's counting? 4. 5. Will draw name for this week's #wipmadness winner!  Next Monday will have two other galleys to choose from! **Guilty pleasure: I'm a huge fan of these: This is a Starbuck's mocha cookie crumble frappucino.  I have them use soy and don't add the whip cream.  It's very nommy. **Also I'm a fan of the MTV TV series TEEN WOLF: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdgltcCbbmU

“You can sit there, tense and worried, freezing the creative energies, or you can start writing something . It doesn't matter what. In five or ten minutes, the imagination will heat, the tightness will fade, and a certain spirit and rhythm will take over.” – Leonard Bernstein Welcome to: I admit it.  This last month I started off with the right intentions but my one part-time job held me back from doing all I wanted to do. I know, I know. For today I'll be using something out of THE POCKET MUSE by Monica Wood for an idea on how to help kick that muse into working. ...Set an egg timer for forty-five minutes, and don't get out of the chair until the timer dings.  Even if you sit starting at the page the entire time, you're ingraining a habit... What are some ways the rest of you help get the motivation feeling back? Remember I'm cheering for you! Also share what your weekly goals are this week.  Don't be shy! My goal is to finis...