Si, Se Puede--Yes, you can!

For the rest of this year I plan to report the 5 or more nominated Cybils' books I've read for the week.  I will share trends I'm seeing too. Here we go! 1. Okay, I'm totally seeing a trend for this year in YA fiction. One has to be the theme of adoption. Maybe it's based on the fab TV series THIS IS US. But there's always been the topic of teen pregnancy. We adopted our son when he was 2 days old. His birthmother was 14 years old. His birth father was 16 and on the high school football team. So, I have personal experience with this theme from the adoptive parent's point of view. Also part of our training to adopt involved many in services, attending birthmother panels(most were teens), and other things to help us with adoption. One thing I have to say is this crop of books that deals with adoption are freakin' amazing. Read this one this week and LOVED IT SOMETHING FIERCE: A novel filled with hope, pain, sadness, and love. Coming

1. For Thanksgiving had my younger brother, his wife, and two kids over for dinner. With his 10 year old cousin.  Son with his 12 year old cousin who is very knowledgeable on toilets.  Seriously, this kiddo will be a great plumber!  2. Up to 39K on my NaNowrimo project! Really excited about it! This one is not YA, but a romance set in Italy. Been researching Italian foods! Remembering Grandpa Consoli's authentic Italian cooking. Omg, he used to make the most amazing spaghetti with fist sized meatballs.  Plus, he added red wine in EVERYTHING! 3. Cybils' teasers for this week include a modern-day YA meets Judy Blume's FOREVER, desaparecidos   (missing girls) in Juarez,  Mexico,  to one that deals with 9-11 conspiracies. This is an edgy modern day meets Judy Blume (think FOREVER) with a girl dealing with her sexuality in a frank way. This one I do have to give a warning on with it's scenes at a high kill animal shelter. This bo

1. Been working hard on my NaNowrimo project. Now I'm at Act 2 of the story in which Sammi takes matters into her own hands and goes to Italy to uncover the mystery behind her beloved grandmother's past. Plan to write out my story line and take to critique group next Wednesday night. Lou, my writing mentor, told me she's excited to see what I have. Plus, I really need some help brainstorming what goes on in Act 2 and Act 3 of my story. What does Sammi find out about her grandmother? In the process of that discovery, it will unleash her own resistance to moving forward in her life. Samantha 'Sammi' Giuseppi Lucca, Italy 2. Also been reading TONS due to the Cybils. Here's some teasers of books I read this week:  I really loved this story about a girl who struggles with her faith after her mother's cancer comes back.  What's really great about this story is it shows the conflicts, struggles in a realistic light and how the protagonist

1. Going to leave little teasers on my NaNowrimo project: My story is set in a small town in Italy. Here's my Grandpa Console who's father fled the Black Shirts(Mafia) and immigrated to the states where he ended up opening a very successful ranch where Grandpa would escort silent movie stars. His Mexican mother made authentic Mexican and Italian dishes.  I remember some of Grandpa's Sicilian dishes which he almost always put tons of red wine in. **Guess what I'll be mentioning in this novel? 2. Been practicing yoga which has been helping with my anxiety attacks. 3. Still working on this revision. For sure, will query again in January. 4. Some more teasers of Cybils' nominated books I've been reading. But first an observation. I've been noticing more 18 year old protagonists in the books I've been reading.  Hmm, wonder if this is a new trend? THE ART OF STARVING by Sam Miller Kuddos to Miller for addressing the topic of food disorde

1.  Love this altar that Angie, my sister-in-law, put together for Dia de Los Muertos. Angie is a Mexican national and celebrates this day. Love what she did for Mom. She added some of Mom's favorite foods which were Sees chocolates and Pepsi. If you don't know what this holiday is(and NO it's not just the 'cool' skeletons in stores) here's a link: 2. I'm doing NaNoWrimo this year! Here's a teaser of my project: I'm @ixtumea over there! 3.  Here's some teasers on some Cybils nominated books I've read this week: This is a cute, sweet romance of overachiever seventeen-year-old Desi Lee who succeeds on just about everything, except cute boys. When she watches K dramas with her dad and realizes there's a formula, she writes it down and puts it to work in her own life. Really loved the voice on this one! 4. I really love Crissa's writing and in this novel readers get a glimpse into the world of the Am