Si, Se Puede--Yes, you can!

1. Last weekend I was with my family in Sacramento. So nice to be with those who don't put me down or are rude. One huge thing I've learned with the experience of my mother-in-law who lives less than 15 minutes away, is that to appreciate my own mother/stepdad/family. Also that no family, no matter what they say, is perfect. I have learned that no one can tell me that I'm not a good enough Christian/Mormon. It's really up to me and Christ. No one else. I'm just so glad my own family isn't judgmental. 2. So found out #kidlitcon is being held in Sacramento. So I'm applying to be on a panel. Deadline is today! Wish me luck on filling this out! 3. Just finished reading this: Love this romantic memoir that has you believing in true love, no matter what you're age is. 4. Read this while in Sacramento: Fast paced read which reminded me so much of a teen Xmen meets government conspiracy. 5. Excited that I just got approved to rea

This last weekend my thirteen-year-old and I were able to go to Sacramento, California and visit my family. It was fun to see family I just needed to get away for a little while and be with my own mother and stepdad. It's been hard with mother-in-law being down here and all. Today's theme is do you ever feel like you need to take a break? Is there times when you feel stuck and just need that little time away to regroup? For me it was going to Sacramento for a couple days. It was nice to hear positive things about not only myself but my writing as well. I think sometimes all of us have to do this whether it is going on a short trip to taking a walk, breaking out a novel to read, going out to dinner with friends, or other things. Remember, I'm cheering for all of you guys! Every little step forward takes us that closer to meeting our goals! **I'm almost done with my revision and can't wait to send it over to my editor! ****Last week's wi

1. Been busy this week working hard on my revision! Almost to the climax of my story which means I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Yay!!!! 2. This afternoon will be boarding Southwest Airlines to go to a birthday party in Sacramento! It'll be nice to see my family even if the weather is supposed to be in the 100s. 3. Just finished reading: Think a teen X-men with super powers like using a person's DNA and changing into them. **I purchased this book as Penguin Teen send me the sequel: 4. Plan to read this on trip over to Sacramento. 5. Looking forward to reading this nonfiction tale set in Paris! I'm part of a traveling blog tour! What's not to love? A woman goes back to the guy she left in Paris. Sounds mega romantic! **Guilty Pleasure: I have to say it'll be fun to see my sisters/mom/stepdad Elwood again. **This was taken back in 1974 or so. No, it hasn't been that long but it kind of feels like it. Been alm

On Friday we went to see Pompeii The Exhibition at the California Science Center in the hub of Los Angeles.  We were excited to see this traveling exhibit. I loved the history and the knowledge that these things were owned by actual people some 2000 years ago!  Plus, my second book in the goddess series has Aphrodite messing with Jordan. Pompeii was the hub of the Roman Empire around the 1st century.  It was kind of like the NYC of that time.  The place to go and be seen. I realized that the Romans took their Gods from the Greeks.  This painting is of Venus, who is the Roman's goddess of love. Another statue of Venus: The painting of Aphrodite's birth: A statue of a young male: 13 year old though only noticed one thing.  Can you tell me what it was? Son's reaction on most of the exhibit:  "Mommy, serious?  Is this all about NAKED PEOPLE?" Seems son didn't like l

1. This week I've been hitting my revisions big time in hopes to get the second goddess book off to my editor by August 1st.  Here's hoping I make this deadline! 2. I won a free cover from Paper and Page during last week's #YALITCHAT chat on covers.  I'm really excited as she'd making on for the second goddess book with a Parisian theme!  Can't wait to share!  Oh, here's her site: http://paperandsage.com/site/ 3. Latest on MIL: she 'lost' her purse with everything in it, including her passport, two sets of car keys, and other things but only told us late Sunday night.  (Apparently it happened last Thursday).  It's been really hard with her as she's very demanding, needy, and expects everyone--mostly husband--to drop everything and do things for it.  It's gotten worse, not better, with her in assistant living.  Sigh.  Need to set more borders and also have the assistant living place do what they're supposed to do.  So yeah, very st

This last week son attended Boy Scout camp.  He had a fun time with the other boys in our church and one of his favorite activities was working towards getting his rifle shooting Merit badge.  He even spend extra time and money so he could practice. **This was really hard for me to give him permission to do this with the history of gun violence in my family but I figured it would be better if he learned how to use one since most of his friend's families do have guns.  Still, though, it was tough.  Husband went on Wednesday till the end and watched and made sure the scouts kept their promise to tell son and other boys the consequences of not using a gun correctly. Anyway... Today's theme is are you right on the mark with your writing?  Or are you like me and go way off the bulls eye and have to do like my son and practice numerous times before you get a project to a point that you're happy with? Using son's Merit badge experience for our example: First you n

Hi, everyone! I'm excited to be your host for this month's #wipmadness! I'm glad it's summer! I'm burned out with teaching and need a break! I hope to finish my revision of book two in the goddess series and get back to El Compuesto! Also my one publisher wants to read more of the sequel to CROSSED OUT! My plans for this month and next include: Scheduling more writing time at the local coffee house and nearby library. It's really hard to write at home as husband works there and son is off for the summer. But I also hope to take it easy: and visit my own family in Sacramento! My question for all of you is what are your goals for this month? Do you have anything standing in the way of accomplishing them and if you do, how do you overcome those odds? Remember, I'm cheering for you all! Courtesy of Reactiongifs.us And what would #Wipmadness be without prizes to help motive you all? Comment and RT on FB and Twitter for a chance at

You all know how much I loved LATITUDE ZERO! I'm excited to have a guest post from author Diana Renn on a subject dear to my heart: diversity in literature. Tricky Terrain: Incorporating Diversity in Travel Fiction I write mysteries about globetrotting teens. Tokyo Heist (2012) takes sixteen-year-old manga fan Violet Rossi from Seattle to Japan, on a quest to recover stolen van Goghs. Latitude Zero (2014) takes aspiring investigative reporter Tessa Taylor from Cambridge, MA to Quito, Ecuador, as she uncovers the truth behind an Ecuadorian cyclist’s death on a bike race. And Blue Voyage (coming in 2015) takes a politician’s daughter, Zan Glazer, to Turkey, where she gets entangled with an international gang of antiquities smugglers. I’ve always loved to travel, and so I love writing travel fiction + mysteries. My books are love letters to places where I’ve traveled or lived myself. But the terrain of travel fiction necessarily involves writing across cultures. And

1. This week I've been collecting items for son's scout trip next week. Did I mention how $$$ this trip is going to be? Son's camp master- can't go this year so he asked husband to help out. So that was more money I didn't plan on. Sigh. But on the plus side? I'll have the house ALL TO MYSELF! Now just need to cross my fingers mother-in-law doesn't have a drama moment or two like she did yesterday morning. Double sigh. 2. Love when I get packages that include books: 3. I was really excited to get the latest Kimberly Derting book: YABC Teaser: I'm a huge fan of Kimberly Derting's THE PLEDGE series and was really excited to be able to read her latest novel. Mysterious and suspenseful, this novel shows us sixteen-year-old Kyra waking up and finding out she's lost five years. This is more than a Sleepy Hollow type of story as Kyra hasn't changed at all. Things that she has love and even her family seem off somehow. Here