Winner of Summer Teen Reading Party

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

Friday Five

 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 contributed two dear teen me letters on their blog but didn't make it in the anthology.  But that's ok.  This anthology is a must read.   Love the themes and also the letters from fellow YA authors.  What's amazing to me is how similar our stories our.  When I was a teen I thought I was all alone in my pain.  What's great is that by sharing our stories, you find out others went through similar things.

Love this book!

YABC review coming soon!




4. And this isn't from ALA but my biweekly fix:

I admit it, I love Angel and Faith spin-off series more than Buffy.  Is it just me or is Buffy becoming almost too wimpy in season 9?  I've always loved Faith with her harder edge and subtle weaknesses.  Interesting that ALA didn't have this comic book there.  I told them how I love it more than Buffy.










5. So I just did it.  I joined RWA!  I hope to attend Nationals next month.


**Guilty pleasure:

I'm getting a pedi/mani on Sunday.  Yay!

Plus finally going to see BRAVE:

Also check back on Monday for a chance at winning another galley for #wipmadness

ALA recap

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!

One of my favorite publishers!  I went on Sunday to get the upcoming MARISPOSAS book signed by the very talented Guadalupe Garcia McCall.  Her book UNDER THE MESQUITE is on the far top left hand side.

Went to friend Debbie Garfinkle's book signing at Capstone.  She signed two of her hilarious MG books for my son!

Stood in Harlequin line to get Kady Cross to sign both of her books plus went later for her to sign GOD SAVE THE QUEEN her upcoming crossover steampunk book.  She was sweet and a real delight!

Finally got to meet

• Lisa Schroeder and got signed copies of her upcoming YA--FALLING FOR YOU which isn't free verse!  And purchased the sequel to her MG book SPRINKLES AND SECRETS.

I didn't take as many photos as I'd hoped as I was busy grabbing galleys, visiting, and just walking!  Had a blast though!

Next:

RWA Literacy event on July 25th!

#4 Getting That Creative Flow Going

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@gmail and let me know what galley you'd like!

Friday Five

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.  **Some YAs time travels I've been reading(yes, there has been quite a few this year) lack a consequence.  In this book it's called the butterfly effect.

YA Books Central review coming soon!





3. Excited to get the galley to this book:

Nancy Holder will be at ALA tomorrow!  I want her to sign this!  It'll be fun to meet her!












4. Galleys I want to find at ALA that aren't YA.  **Yes, I love non-fiction books too!

I totally love Frida Kahlo!  Who is she?  She's a famous Mexican painter who was married to muralist Diego Rivera.  This book looks fascinating!












5. And this book looks very intriguing.  I read the blurb and want to read more:

My husband said the author is very progressive in her views of the Mormon church.  I read the back and agree on some of her comments.  I'm curious about her own background and want to read of her struggles and challenges she had with the church.  I think there has been a code of silence on anyone speaking out on anything that isn't 'positive' or uplifting. I think that causes more harm than good.  Either way this will be an interesting read.




**Guilty pleasure:

Tomorrow!  ALA.

Week Three--To outline or not

“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-lesson-monday/

Plus check out author Kate Messner's post on outlining:

http://www.katemessner.com/real-authors-dont-plan-or-do-they-an-open-letter-to-tyler/

And now for the winner of last week's #wipmadness:

Charlie

Email me at ixtumea@gmail.com  to let me know which galley you'd like


And for motivation for writing this week, I have a treat:

And loved this little bit of advice from The Pocket Muse by Monica Wood

Tempted to quit early?

Make yourself this promise:

One more sentence.

Say this every single time

you want to quit early:

One more sentence

Remember I'm cheering for you all!

Friday Five

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 been pondering doing something like this for some time.  I need to take a chill pill right now so I don't come across as being angry but rather show why I feel the way I do.

5.

**Guilty pleasure:

Who knew #3 of this series would be so much fun to watch?

So Damon!

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

Manic Readers Interview

I'm being interviewed here today!

http://manicreaders.com/blog/index.php/2012/06/an-interview-with-kim-baccellia/#respond

Week #2 Revisions

"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 YOUR CRAFT by Steven Taylor Goldsberry:

Rule #94

Trust the Muse of Revision

...keep your mind open to alternatives.  And dedicate your heart to the process.

William Butler Yeats said, "Months of rewriting.  What happiness!"

What are some ways you get around the revision angst so you don't even up like this:

But rather are like this:

*** Winner from last week:

L.S. Taylor

Email me at ixtumea@gmail.com and let me know which galley you'd like!

And finally:

Ooh, love a mystery

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, Marthe de Florian, a beautiful French actress and socialite of the Belle Époque. She was Boldini’s muse. And, despite him being a married man, she was also his lover. The art world went a bit nutty for the whole story and the painting was later sold for $3 million at auction...

Isn't that amazing?

Love stories like this.  Fascinating and also so intriguing.

Friday Five

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

Week #1 Motivation

“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 finish at least 2 chapters of edits.  Plus turn that timer on at least once a day this week so I can work on the new beginning to my sekrit project.

Added bonus: