Friday Five-Or Thursday version!

1. Today I'm posting my usual Friday Five post as I'm leaving to visit my mother and family in Sacramento tomorrow.  It's my stepdad Elwood's birthday and there will be a big crowd. I haven't seen my mother for a little over 2 years. No excuse.

This was at my last visit. L to r: Elwood; Mom, sis Kathleen; Me; nephews Bassam and Khalid.

I think she'll be happy though as I have a copy of my new book to give her!

**Aren't they pretty?

2. When I get back, I plan on getting some treats for my Wednesday critique group to celebrate it's release!


Starting to put together some giveaways! Check back to find out which sites will be hosting me!

3. Finally finishing THE PASSION OF DOLSSA. **YA author Julie Berry has to be one of my newest favorite authors.

This is about a girl who has visions and hears voices from her 'beloved'. The church is threatened by her and tries to silence her. Love the gorgeous writing. A must read for any historical fiction fan!

4.

Another favorite author of mine has to be Samantha Verant. Her memoirs take place in France. This one is her life as an expat living in France. There's humor, French recipes, and also a theme of facing your fears. One part of her memoir I could totally relate with had to be her struggle to have a child. I went through a similar time in my life with a number of miscarriages. I wanted to reach across the ocean separating us and give her a huge hug. Mostly though it's a story of finding joy in your life.

5. 

Went to a Frida Kahlo exhibit on Tuesday. This was at the Bower's Museum in Santa Ana, Ca. At first I was kind of disappointed as there wasn't any of her famous paintings. No, these were photographs of her life. I found some other facts about her life that I didn't know, like her father Guillermo was from Germany and was a photographer for Mexico. When Frida had polio, it was her father that encouraged her to do 'not girly things' like wrestle, box, and be true to herself. He also was the one to get paints for her to start painting after her horrific accident. I loved the glimpses into her life and many loves. Frida did much for Latinas and her passion rings true even for today.

**One must read book has to be: The Diary of Frida Kahlo:

The love letters to Diego are bittersweet and raw with emotion. I've been reading them in Spanish and only found out that the translations are in the back. The Spanish though is so beautiful and sucker punches the reader with the emotional rawness.

**Guilty Pleasure:

I'll be flying to see my family today. Teen son loves to fly. So, just getting away for a couple days, will be a treat!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

YA Scavenger Hunt: Meet Amalie Howard

Image
Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This tri-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours! Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are THREE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the BLUE TEAM--but there is also a red team and a gold team for a chance to win a whole different set of signed books! If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list o
Read more

Week #2 Revisions

Image
"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
Read more

Week #1 Motivation

Image
“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
Read more