Awarded, Tagged, and Challenged

Happy Friday!

First up, I was awarded the Kreativ Blogger Award from Amber Clites. Thank you Amber!

The rules:

1. Thank the blogger who gave you the award and provide a link.
2. List 7 interesting things about yourself that your readers might find interesting
3. Nominate 7 other bloggers, provide links, and let them know!

So Amber, thanks again! :) As for the 7 interesting things...well not sure how interesting I really am, but if you go here you'll find 10.

Also Amber tagged me in The Lucky 7 Meme.

The rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines - sentences or paragraphs - and post them as they're written. No cheating
4. Tag 7 authors
5. Let them know

So here I go (7 lines in all there unedited glory)...

"Hungry?" he asks. We’re parked in front of a generic freeway diner, one of the thousands off I-70 advertising $3.99 weekday specials and Kids-eat-free Fridays in giant neon letters across tinted windows.

"I guess," I say but he’s already climbing out of the car. I don’t like this distance between us. This unease. But I don’t know how to fix it. I get out, slamming the car door closed, and follow him inside.

I also recently realized that I posted a huge novel of questions from being tagged in the '11 Questions' game and never asked any of my own (yeah, chain letters always die with me too). So here it goes:

1. If your WIP had a theme song, what would it be?
2. How did you come up with the name for your main character?
3. About how long does it take you to complete a first draft?
4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
5. What's your favorite candy bar?
6. Early bird or night owl?
7. Name one thing you're looking forward to this year.
8. If you could have one question answered about your future, what would it be?
9. What is your favorite part of the writing process?
10. Are you going to see Hunger Games on March 23rd? If not, why?
11. Team Peeta or Team Gale?

And now to pass the Kreativ Blogger Award, the Lucky 7 Meme, and the 11 Questions onto some wonderful bloggers...

1. Elodie at commutinggirl
2. Jennifer Fischetto
3. Gina at This Is Not Your Blog
4. Jenna at Finding the Write Way
5. Rena at Doctor Faerie Godmother
6. Daisy at Fresh As A Daisy
7. W. Chaser
8. Ashley Nixon
9. Amber at amberafterglow

And finally, I've decided to take a leap and join the Change Write Now Challenge. If you have health goals for 2012 and are looking for some motivation, today is the last day to join in!

Have a great weekend!!!

It's the first Wednesday which means time for another meeting of Alex J. Cavanaugh's ISWG.

This month, I thought I'd steal from Rena over at Doctor Faerie Godmother, and take a moment to appreciate my crit partners.

I don't know about you, but there is nothing that can set off my insecurities like an e-mail back from one of my CPs. They have there own special folder in my e-mail account, and whenever I see the (1) pop-up next to it, knowing I recently sent off some beloved piece I slaved over, my hands start sweating and my stomach starts turning. I'm usually biting my tongue and squinting my eyes when I open up the e-mail. What if they say it sucks? What if it just says 'WTF'? 

I don't know why I get like this because once I manage to pry my eyes completely open, all I find are helpful comments full of amazing insight and wisdom. My CPs have all been wonderful—full of great questions and suggestions that have encourage and challenged me to dig deeper and take my writing to a new level.

So to Amber, Nicole, Jenn, and Rena for your awesome feedback. And to my 'Margie' EPs Elise, Jenn, and Carlene. Thank you!  

Happy Book Birthdays!

There are two things I love about Tuesdays:

1. It's about as far from Monday as you can get.

2. I'm addicted to the pre-order button on Amazon, so Tuesday means the UPS man at my door with lots of shiny new books to read.

So here is what showing up at my door this week. Happy Book Birthdays to:

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.

As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?

Illuminate is an exciting saga of a teen’s first taste of independence, her experience in the lap of luxury, and her discovery she may possess strength greater than she ever knew.

Check out the book on Goodreads and visit the author's website.


Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

Gabby lived under the radar until her makeover. Way under. But when she started her senior year as a blonder, better-dressed version of herself, she struck gold: Billy Nash believed she was a the flawless girl she was pretending to be. The next eight months with Billy were bliss...Until the night Gabby woke up on the ground next to the remains of his BMW without a single memory of how she got there.

And Billy's nowhere to be found.

All Gabby wants is to make everything perfect again. But getting her life back isn't difficult, it's impossible. Because nothing is the same, and Gabby's beginning to realize she's missed more than a few danger signs along the way.

It's time for Gabby to face the truth, even if it means everything changes.

Especially if it means everything changes.

Check out the book at Goodreads and visit the author's website. 

Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser

Two families. Four teens.
A summer full of secrets.

Every summer, hidden away in a lakeside community in upstate New York, four teens leave behind their old identities…and escape from their everyday lives.

Yet back in Philadelphia during the school year, Alex cannot suppress his anger at his father (who killed himself), his mother (whom he blames for it), and the girls who give it up too easily. His younger brother, Kyle, is angry too—at his abusive brother, and at their mother who doesn’t seem to care. Meanwhile, in suburban New Jersey, Katie plays the role of Miss Perfect while trying to forget the nightmare that changed her life. But Julie, her younger sister, sees Katie only as everything she’s not. And their mother will never let Julie forget it.

Up at the lake, they can be anything, anyone. Free. But then Katie’s secret gets out, forcing each of them to face reality—before it tears them to pieces.

Check out this book on Goodreads and visit the author's website. 



All of these look amazing and I'm not sure where I'll start. What about you? What's on the top of your TBR list? Any other books coming out this week you're looking forward to reading? 






 

Monday Winner and a New Giveaway!

Happy Monday!

Congrats to Emily R. (you should have received an e-mail from me) on winning the giveaway for Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood and thanks to everybody who stopped by and entered.

This week I'm giving away....

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago - surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.
The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous - and in a world where young women only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion...by any means necessary.
In the sequel to Lauren DeStefano’s harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price - now that she has more to lose than ever.

 Now if you haven't had the chance to read Wither yet or would just like a refresher of the first installment in this awesome series, there's still time to win a copy over at Amber's blog. 


And for a chance to win Fever, enter below.

Some Favorites on a Friday

Happy Friday!

Here are some favorites of mine from this past week.

Favorite Book I Read:

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood. If you haven't read this yet, you should. And it's not too late to win a copy in my giveaway.

Favorite Book On My TBR Pile:

 
Fever by Lauren DeStefano. I absolutely adored Wither. If you haven't read Wither yet, there is a great giveaway going on over at my CP Amber's blog. Check it out!


Favorite Video: Okay this is a few months old but I didn't see it until this week. Loved it!



Favorite Blog Post: It's so easy to impatiently rush to reach our publishing goals, and neglect what it's really about - the writing. (I am sooo guilty of this). Natalie Whipple wrote an awesome post. Check it out!

Favorite . . . : This isn't really a favorite, more of the big heartbreak for me this week. He was my favorite Monkee and my sixth grade crush. Rest in peace, Davy Jones.



So what are your favorites? And what are you looking forward to?