Monday, June 30, 2014

Ready. Set. WRITE! (week four)

It's week four of Ready. Set. WRITE! (week three for me) and a-here, a-we, a-go...

HOW I DID ON LAST WEEK'S GOALS
I finished my read-thru of JAR OF HEARTS and I have a list of revision notes ready.

MY GOAL FOR THIS WEEK
Start my FINAL revision for EPONINE. Do at least one chapter a day.

A FAVE LINE FROM MY STORY OR ONE WORD/PHRASE THAT SUMS UP WHAT I WROTE/REVISED
Pleasantly surprised.
JAR OF HEARTS was written last November during NaNo and I'm pleasantly surprised because it's not as much of a mess as I thought. Although it does need LOTS of revisions. (Don't they all?!)

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE I FACED THIS WEEK
Nothing major except I have so many books to read that it's hard to find time for writing. Alas, I'm gonna have the same problem this week, too.

SOMETHING I LOVE ABOUT MY WIP
I love the IDEA of this WIP. Hopefully with revisions I'll be able to execute the idea properly.

You can link up for Ready. Set. WRITE! here.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

What's Up Wednesday: Utah and Michael Buble

What I'm Reading
I read Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King and I gotta say... I did not love this book. In fact, I had to force myself to finish it. Not that the writing was bad, because it definitely wasn't. It just wasn't my thing, nor did I care for the fact that it was dialogue light. I hate it when I don't love a book, but what can you do? Now I'm reading Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins.
What I'mWriting
I'm still reading my NaNo WIP JAR OF HEARTS. There are things that definitely need to be fixed, but right now it's just about remembering the story.
What Inspires Me Right Now
This guy, who I saw in concert (for the 2nd time) on Monday and he was AMAZING!!! Love him!
Too bad this isn't the real thing! ;)
This is the real thing but I'm just not close enough!
One of my fave songs from his newest album
What Else I've Been Up To
I went to Utah over the weeked to pick up my MIL who just finished an 18-month mission. It was two days of driving (one there, one back) and two days of being there. I went with my SIL and we did some shopping, saw TFiOS (where I bawled through like, the entire movie) and ate at our fave Mongolian Grill HuHot, and our fave Mexican place Cafe Rio.Yum, food! It was nice to be without the kids for a few days and I wish we had a bit more time there, but at the same time I'm glad to be back home.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Ready. Set. WRITE! (Week 3)

HOW I DID ON LAST WEEK'S GOALS
My goal was to read JAR OF HEARTS and I read 13 chapters.

MY GOAL FOR THIS WEEK
Finish reading through JoH.

A FAVE LINE FROM MY STORY OR ONE WORD/PHRASE THAT SUMS UP WHAT I WROTE/REVISED
I’ve never been in the beginnings of love, but I know how to act it. I can act anything.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE I FACED THIS WEEK
I was out of town for 4 days, so I didn't read as much of JoH as I wanted to. Ah well.

SOMETHING I LOVE ABOUT MY WIP
The MC. I said this last week too, but my MC in JoH- Trevi- is so different from Eponine, and it's fun to go in a completely different direction.

How did you do with this week's goals? Link up here.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

What's Up Wednesday: Meat, Meat, and More Meat




What I'm ReadingI read The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan which was a great historical fantasy although I had a hard time getting a handle on one of the MCs- Ingrid. I do want to read the next one though. Then I read If I Lie by Corrine Jackson which was totally engrossing but the ending was so not satisfying (so there, lady who wrote that stupid article) but I get why it ended that way. Last night I finished Splintered by A.G. Howard. I have to say- I didn't love the book, mostly because I've never been an Alice in Wonderland fan, so it was just hard for me to get into it. I read until the end and the end was good, but I doubt I'll pick up the sequel.
What I'm Writing
While E is with one last CP, I'm reading my NaNoWriMo WIP. Just trying to refresh myself on it without actually revising yet. So far it doesn't suck as bad as I thought!
What Inspires Me Right Now
My girls dancing in their recitals! So proud!


What Else I've Been Up To
Last week was the hubs birthday and we went to one of his fave restaurants- Bolero. It's a Brazilian all-you-can-eat meat place where the goucho dudes walk around with meat skewers and you end up having to get rolled out of the place due to FULLNESS. Despite said fullness, we had gelato for dessert. On Saturday, our town had a Parade which the kids love because they get lots of candy. Then that evening we celebrated Father's Day with some family. I made tons of wings that take literally hours to make but they are super yummy. I think I'm still full from my meat-overdose!

What have you been up to? Link up here.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Ready. Set. WRITE!

It's been crazy busy around here lately and last week I totally missed the ball on Ready. Set. WRITE! But I like the idea of being accountable and having goals for the summer so I don't end up being lazy butt.

HOW I DID ON LAST WEEK'S GOALS
I didn't technically set a goal since I didn't do a post last week, but it would have been to finish up my revision on EPONINE, and I did!

MY GOAL FOR THIS WEEK
While E is out with a CP, my goal this week is to reread my NaNoWriMo WIP JAR OF HEARTS and take notes on what needs to be revised.

A FAVE LINE FROM MY STORY OR ONE WORD/PHRASE THAT SUMS UP WHAT I WROTE/REVISED
I'm glad Mark doesn't see the smile tugging at my lips because if he did, he would know. He would see the thing I've been trying for so long to hide from him. That I'm no good.
But this time, I'm happy about it.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE I FACED THIS WEEK
Sooooo busy!

SOMETHING I LOVE ABOUT MY WIP
I love the character of Eponine- the one created by Victor Hugo, the one revised by Schonberg and Boublil, and the Eponine I've made my own. (Although sometimes I hate her too- she can be a real jerk.)

If you want to join Ready. Set. WRITE! you can link up here. Good luck!



Wednesday, June 11, 2014

What's Up Wednesday: NOT The Fault In Our Stars

What I'm Reading
I read The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd which was pretty good. I had a couple of minor issues with it but nothing to keep me from requesting the sequel from my library as soon as I finished the last page. Then I read Easy by Tammara Webber, probably the first NA I've ever read. Unless you count Fangirl. That's NA, right? Anyway, I had no clue what Easy was about so I was a little shocked by the first chapter, but I enjoyed the book. Now I'm back to historical fantasy with The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan.
What I'm Writing Revising
Almost finished with my revisions!!! Today, hopefully. Once I'm done, I'm sending it to one final reader and then one more revision before... QUERYING!
What Inspires Me Right Now
I took part in Vicki Leigh's cover reveal for Catch Me When I Fall on Monday- you can scroll down to check it out. I haven't read the book but a CP of mine has and just hearing how it's gone from early draft to contract to cover reveal is pretty awesome. I'm excited for Vicki and also for the day when I hopefully have my own cover to reveal!
What Else I've Been Up To
I wanted to see The Fault In Our Stars on the weekend (and I'm going to be supremely jealous of anyone who did) but instead, because I was with the hubs and my BIL and SIL, none of whom want to see that, we went to Edge of Tomorrow. It was actually pretty entertaining. The best thing for me was how Tom Cruise starts off as a sissy! Ha. The action was pretty intense too.

Anyone see TFiOS? How was it? Hopefully I'll get to see it in a couple of weeks.

Monday, June 9, 2014

COVER REVEAL: Catch Me When I Fall



It’s cover reveal day for Vicki Leigh’s CATCH ME WHEN I FALL! Lots of awesome stuff going on, including a giveaway! But first, here’s a special message from Vicki:


And here’s what CATCH ME WHEN I FALL is all about:
 
Recruited at his death to be a Protector of the Night, seventeen-year-old Daniel Graham has spent two-hundred years fighting Nightmares and guarding humans from the clawed, red-eyed creatures that feed off people’s fears. Each night, he risks his eternal life, having given up his chance at an afterlife when he chose to become a Protector. That doesn’t stop a burnt-out Daniel from risking daring maneuvers during each battle. He’s become one of the best, but he wants nothing more than to stop.

Then he’s given an assignment to watch over sixteen-year-old Kayla Bartlett, a clinically depressed patient in a psychiatric ward. Nightmares love a human with a tortured past. Yet, when they take a deep interest in her, appearing in unprecedented numbers, the job becomes more dangerous than any Daniel’s ever experienced. He fights ruthlessly to keep the Nightmares from overwhelming his team and Kayla. Soon, Daniel finds himself watching over Kayla during the day, drawn to why she’s different, and what it is about her that attracts the Nightmares. And him.

A vicious attack on Kayla forces Daniel to break the first Law and reveal his identity. Driven by his growing feelings for her, he whisks her away to Rome where others like him can keep her safe. Under their roof, the Protectors discover what Kayla is and why someone who can manipulate Nightmares has her in his sights. But before they can make a move, the Protectors are betrayed and Kayla is kidnapped. Daniel will stop at nothing to save her. Even if it means giving up his immortality.

 
CATCH ME WHEN I FALL will be available on October 23, 2014 in both paperback and e-book formats from Curiosity Quills Press. For more information, visit the book’s Goodreads page.

 Now, there can’t be a cover reveal without a giveaway, right? Lots of authors stopped by and donated some fantastic books to help Vicki celebrate. You don’t want to miss out on these! Here’s what you can win:

·         An e-copy of HEIRS OF WAR by Mara Valderran

·         Two query+first chapter critiques from YA author Emily Stanford

·         Two full manuscript critiques from YA author Emily Stanford

·         An e-copy of WITHOUT BLOODSHED by Matthew Graybosch

·         A paperback of DESTRUCTION by Sharon Bayliss

·         An e-copy of KIYA: HOPE OF THE PHARAOH by Katie Teller

·         One query+first chapter critique from YA author Katie Teller

·         An e-copy of DARKNESS WATCHING by Emma Adams

·         A copy of DESCENDANT by Nichole Giles

·         Two signed copies of DIVIDE by Jessa Russo

·         An e-copy set of EVER and EVADE by Jessa Russo

·         A copy of UNHINGED by A.G. Howard

 Enter the giveaway below for your chance to win! All prizes will be accompanied by a Dreamcatcher swag package from Vicki Leigh.

 Thanks for stopping by!

 About Vicki:

 

Adopted at three-days-old by a construction worker and a stay-at-home mom, Vicki Leigh grew up in a small suburb of Akron, Ohio where she learned to read by the age of four and considered being sent to her room for punishment as an opportunity to dive into another book. By the sixth grade, Vicki penned her first, full-length screenplay. If she couldn’t be a writer, Vicki would be a Hunter (think Dean and Sam Winchester) or a Jedi. Her favorite place on earth is Hogwarts (she refuses to believe it doesn’t exist), and her favorite dreams include solving cases alongside Sherlock Holmes.
 
Vicki is an editor for Curiosity Quills Press, a co-founder of The Writer Diaries, and is represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

 
You can find Vicki at her website and blog and on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube, and Goodreads.