Si, Se Puede--Yes, you can!

1. Midterms week. Did I mention how flippin' hard teaching ninth grade is?  I totally bow in awe to any HS teachers out there.  This age is TOUGH. My mom though thinks it's funny and reminds me karma has come back.  My teen years weren't the best and I had some serious 'tude. But I can't even imagine what it would have been like if there were cells back in the later 70s/early 80s. Now that 14 year old has his own cell?  He's texting all the time.  This is me when I 'interrupt him while texting a friend he just saw like a half of an hour or so: Though to be fair when I was a teen?  It was calling friends and staying on the phone FOREVER.  At least with a cell you don't have to battle that long extension cord.  Remember those? 2. Been reading lots! ALIVE: This one at first had my attention with a girl who gets a heart transplant and the one 'new' guy that has her experience intense feelings that she has to be with him.  Then

Just got back from Grand Canyon trip! Decided to go during off season and since son is homeschooled?  We can do it! Booked trip through AAA which does a great job with taking care of all the details like train tickets, hotel reservations, and extra bonuses. First off, it was a whole 30 degrees cooler in Williams, Arizona.  I wore a long sleeve shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes.  Cracked me up when I checked in, the reception desk lady told me, "You need to wear something warmer as it's 30 degrees outside!" Another huge plus of the trip was I was able to verify some research I did on the desert area. In my revision my protagonist lives in a cult-like community in the desert outside of Arizona/Utah.  It was nice to see that I did nail the terrain.  We went from desert bush to a forest within 3 hours. Then we went on a train ride for 2 and a half hours to arrive at the Grand Canyon. Beautiful and so surreal. There's native Juniper bush, Ponderosa Pines,

1. Cybils'  nominations closed yesterday.  So guess what I'll be doing now until January 1st? Yes, read some awesome nominated books!  This is me at this time of the year.  I swear being a part of the Cybils feels like Christmas has come early this year! Here's the link to the nominated 2015 books:http://www.cybils.com/2015/09/2015-nominations-young-adult-speculative-fiction.html 2. Been outlining my NaNo project.  Here's a clue on what to expect.  Hint, it will be controversial but I feel the time is right to write this. 3. Finished reading this anthology in like two days.  How do you spell perfection? YA Books Central review: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/18852-the-anatomy-of-curiosity Teaser:  Powerful, inspiring, and haunting, this anthology of shorts by The Merry Sisters of Fates is sure to resonate with readers and authors. A very satisfying follow-up to THE CURIOSITIES, these shorts won't disappoint. 4.  Just

1. I'm really excited to be a part of the Cybils again this year.  I love this part of the process when readers get to nominate their favorite books.  I thought I'd share some other YAs that are great reads but have been overlooked so far. Here's my list of ten books that I loved: 1. THE ANATOMY OF CURIOUSITY by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, Brenna Yovanoff I'm a huge fan of all of these YA authors.  What makes this book special and 'different' is it's a collection of short stories that tackle a theme in the writing process.  Maggie Stiefvater goes over characterization in her haunting short, 'Ladylike'.  I love how she shares her process of writing with readers. 2. FAIREST by Marissa Meyer I loved the backstory of the evil queen Levana.  Meyer does a great job showing this villain's vulerabilities and her huge wound. 3. SANCTUARY by Jennifer McKissack Love how McKissack creates a Gothic mood with a character who

1. So it's official: I have a stupid cold.  Yuck.  Problem is there is a RWA Birthday Bash event tomorrow and I hope I'll be okay to attend.  There is a pj party thing too that is fun. Send healthy vibes my way! 2. Taking a YARWA class on prepping for NaNowrimo next month.  So far we've been working on a paragraph of what story we'd like to work on. I decided to write the edgier, YA contemp. Here's my work in process paragraph: Seventeen-year-old Angie Lucca knows all about secrets.  Her life revolves around one after another.  When her beloved older brother Adrian is killed, she finds solace in her poetry.  But that's not enough.  Her whole family life starts a painful descent as her father's violence escalates.  She finds she has no one to turn to until new boy Zac Smith shows some interest in her.  Not only is he beyond hot but he seems to get her.  But is this enough for her to open her heart to him and confront the painful truth of a family

1. Can you believe it's already October? 2. Another thing I love about this season is the Cybils!  Nominations are now open until October 15th!  Go over and nominate your favorite YA/children book of this year! http://www.cybils.com/2015/10/the-2015-cybils-are-open.html 3.  Totally getting into EMPIRE this season.  Yes, it's a diverse soap opera but wowza the grittiness behind one character from the inner city getting a break and building an hip hop empire in music is really, really good.  And sorry, but I still feel the actress who plays Cookie should have got that Emmy for her stellar performance. And wow, was that Becky G on this weeks episode? 4. Right now reading IT'S A WONDERFUL DEATH: Think Mean Girls meets IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: This is a snarky, hilarious tale of a Mean girl that 'accidentally' is taken after the targeted soul pushes her in front of the Grim Reaper. 5. Should be getting this collectio