Happy Halloween everyone. Tonight I'll be freezing my butt off with Batgirl, Mario (as in Nintendo), a mermaid, and Rapunzel. Of course, it had to snow last night- perfect timing! Sometimes I think Halloween in general is a pain in the butt. But then I look at how much fun my kids have dressing up, going to all the parties, and getting candy, and it makes it all worth it. 30 Day Song Challenge, Day 24: A Song I Want Played At My Funeral
Seriously? At my funeral? I do not like thinking about death. And I DO NOT like thinking of my funeral. No- I'm going to somehow become immortal whether through vampirism, the Philosopher's Stone, or some kind of immortal-elixir, so... no funerals for me!
Okay, seriously. I'm not going to be immortal obviously. But I still don't even like to picture my own funeral, so the only way I can answer this question is by referring to a past game. Have you ever done My Life in iTunes? I did it a few months ago as a blog post. There's a list of questions and you press shuffle on your iTunes list and answer the questions with the song titles that come up. One of the questions was, you guessed it, a song that will be played at my funeral. I still remember what song I got. Some might think it wildly inappropriate for a funeral, but I love the thought of people dancing and having a party instead of the solemn, sad, depressing occasion that most funerals are. So here it is:
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 23: A Song I Want To Play At My Wedding
I was married ten years ago last April. I was a week over age 21. And I was still an 'N Sync fan. When we were dating, my hubby stood in line with his (male) cousin to get tickets to an 'N Sync concert for me. When the wristband numbers were called just four before his, he let out a loud "woo-hoo" (eliciting glares from girls all around). We got fourth row seats. It was an awesome concert and I still regret not having my camera there because I could have gotten some amazing pictures. Naturally, we chose This I Promise You for our wedding song. A song I still love today. And oddly enough, maybe because it's an old song, I couldn't find the full music video! So I picked a live version instead.
So my crush of the week is actually a crush from last Saturday when I saw The Three Musketeers. I know what you're all going to think- I'm picking Orlando Bloom, right? Well, while I do think he is totally crush-worthy, in The Three Musketeers, he looked like this:
Nice outfit dude
A little girlie, a little fruity, a little freaky. And he wasn't the nicest guy in the movie either, which sort of ruins it for me. No, my crush this week is him:
I know what you're going to say, isn't Logan Lerman a little young? Well, yes, at nineteen, he is a bit young. But what a cutie. And he was the perfect D'Artagnan- cocky yet sweet, innocent yet dangerous. And I love a guy who can handle a sword. (Haha.) I loved the movie too. It was a little strange at times- it reminded me a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean, although I couldn't really say why, you'd have to watch it to see the similarity. My hubbie thought the plot was a little thrown together. But I have to admit that when I'm watching a movie with excellent costumes and lots of swordfighting, I don't really pay attention to anything else. Sad but true.
Oh, and I need to give an honorable mention to an actor who, while he doesn't exactly rate high on the hot-o-meter, I LOVE LOVE LOVE him as an actor- I think he's amazing: Matthew MacFadyen.
30 Day Song Challenge, Day 22: A Song I Listen To When I'm Sad
The Lonely, by Christina Perri. Love this song, even though it makes me feel all achy inside. Listen to it, you'll see what I mean.
Yesterday, I said that Before I Fall (by Lauren Oliver) might be the best book I read in October, but I couldn't say for sure since I hadn't finished it.
Well, I finished it last night and yes- it was the best book of the month. Have you read 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher? This book reminded me of that one. It's powerful, it makes you think, it sticks with you. And they both made me cry.
The premise: Samantha Kingston lives out the day she dies seven times- which makes for seven very long chapters (my only complaint). Each time, each day she changes things, and on the way, well she learns some things. I speculated about the ending but it didn't turn out like I thought, or like I hoped.
An interesting thing about: after the first chapter, I really wasn't liking Sam or her friends. They weren't nice people, not likeable characters. Then there's this quote, taken from the end of the first chapter, the end of the first time- the original way- she dies. I know some of you are thinking maybe I deserved it... But before you start pointing fingers, let me ask you: is what I did really so bad? So bad I deserved to die? So bad I deserved to die like that? Is what I did really so much worse than what anybody else does? Is it really so much worse than what you do? Think about it.
There the narrator was, pointing out exactly what I was thinking. Which got me really thinking. That's what this book does- gets you thinking about life for real.
One thing I was thinking about, and this is me just rambling a bit here... but I'm long past all that high school stuff. I still worry a bit what people think of me, but I don't care about being the most popular, the prettiest, the best. After reading this book, I wasn't so much thinking of myself, but of my kids. If you've read it, maybe you'll remember Kent and Rob. What makes one boy turn into a Rob and what makes one turn into a Kent? Or what makes someone a Juliet and what makes one a Lindsay? That is the question that haunts me after reading the book. How will my kids turn out? In high school, will they be the bully, the bullied, or someone in between? How can I stop my kids from going through all that pain and hurt in high school, or how can I stop them from inflicting that pain on someone else?
I'm asking these questions when really, I already know the answers. I know what I can do just like I know that no matter what I do, I can't shield them and I can't make them perfect. I guess for now, I can sigh in relief that I have a few years yet before they reach that age, and also prepare myself for when they do.
Having kids is hard.
To totally change the mood- 30 Day Song Challenge, Day 21: A Song I Listen To When I'm Happy.
Lots of things make me happy. It makes me happy that I can find happiness in the little things in life, like music. Like Michael Buble. Like his song Everything which, when I hear it, I smile, I dance, I sing, and everything is right with the world.
Hmmm, this month, that's tough. The books I read in October were these: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, Shade and Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready, The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore, and Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler.
These were all good books. I hate to say that none of them blew me away. I couldn't pick one that was the best. Especially since they are all quite different. Beauty Queens and Twenty Boy Summer are both contemporary, but one is silly/funny while the other is more serious/sad. Shade and Shift deal with ghosts, while The Power of Six is about aliens with super-powers.
The book I'm reading now- Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver- would probably be my top pick, but I'm not finished it yet. While I started out not liking it much (the MC and her friends are not very likeable- at least not in the first chapter), it's grown on me. I want to keep reading to see what happens and I've formulated a few different scenarios on how it will end. It's sticking with me when I'm not reading it, and that alone would put it top of my list.
So that's not much of an answer, but too bad. 30 Day Song Challenge, Day 20: A Song That I Listen To When I'm Angry
Usually, if I'm angry or sad or whatever, I listen to anything- anything that will cheer me up or lighten my mood. But if I'm angry and I want to hold on to that feeling... well, I'd probably listen to this:
Supermassive Black Hole by Muse
(And because I first discovered this song, and Muse, from Twilight, I couldn't help but use a video with clips from the movie. Twilight haters- suck it up and deal)
Something I think everyone should know...
First off, some backstory. In my query for Daze and Knights, I mention how my MC, sixteen-year-old Jessica, wishes Zac Efron would show up.
Now, if you don't like Zac Efron or if you don't think he's cute or if you wish he'd just go away... okay fine. This post really has nothing to do with Zac Efron himself. (Although if that's the case, what is WRONG with you? Do you not see the photo above?)
So what does the post have to do with, you ask? I've had my query critiqued a few places (which was awesome- you should do it before you send it to agents), and one of the comments I got was how it's creepy that a sixteen-year-old would be into a twenty-four-year-old. (And FYI, while I think Zac is hot, I had to look up his age because I'm not obsessed or anything. Swear.)
I thought about this bit of critique, and then dismissed it because I really like that line in my query. Then recently (and this will seem totally off-topic but I swear it's not), someone did a post where they asked teens what they thought of Justin Bieber. (FYI2, I'm NOT a Bieber fan. Double Swear.) EVERY one of them responded that they didn't like Bieber at all.
So what is my point exactly? Some more backstory- AKA: some of my crushes as a teen. New Kids On The Block. I was ten at the time and Joey- the YOUNGEST member of the band- was eighteen. And I hate to admit it but he wasn't even my favorite. Jon was, who at the time was twenty-two (and also gay but whatever, I didn't even know what gay meant when I was ten).
I was thirteen when I watched The Three Musketeers and fell in love with Chris O'Donnell. He was twenty-three at the time. I watched that movie and Circle of Friends, Batman Forever, In Love and War, School Ties, and Fried Green Tomatoes over and over again.
It was between the ages of thirteen and sixteen that I majorly crushed on Jonathan Brandis (SeaQuest DSV- ever watched it?). I had posters of him on my door (my mom wouldn't let me put posters on the wall because tape ruins the paint). He was four years older than me.
Then there was Christian Bale. I was twelve when Newsies came out and thirteen when Swing Kids came out. I used to daydream we starred in a movie together where I played his love interest. He is six years older than me.
I was sixteen when I saw A Time to Kill and thought Matthew McConaughey was the hottest guy in the world. He was twenty-seven at the time.
And let's not even mention the (admittedly somewhat-strange) obsession I had in my teens with Gene Kelly- an actor who was born in 1912 and died when I was sixteen. (It was his amazing dance ability that really got me. And I'm a sucker for musicals.)
Are you getting my point here (overused parantheses and hot-boy photos aside)?
It is NOT creepy for a teen to crush on a twenty-something. That is what they do. It does not surprise me one bit that a lot of teens don't like the Biebs. Nine-year-old girls crush on him. Sixteen-year-old girls like Zac Efron, Alex Pettyfer, Chace Crawford, Ian Somerhalder, Ryan Reynolds, Chris Evans, or whoever floats their boat and is most likely at least a few years older.
Proof to back me up? Go to Walmart and look in the teen section of clothes. Then look in the girls section sizes 7-12. The 7-12 section is where you will find Justin Bieber t-shirts. At least in my walmart.
And I KNOW I'm not the only one who crushed on older guys as a teen. Case in point: Katie Holmes crushing on sixteen-years-older Tom Cruise as a teen, and Blake Lively crushing on thirteen-years-older Leonardo DiCaprio, both years before they ever married/dated their crushes.
So this is just an insight into the very complex mind of a teenage girl. And yes, not every teen girl is like this, and yes, some probably HATE every single name I mentioned, and yes, I am no expert on being sixteen since I am now almost double that age (oh no, I can't believe I just said that out loud, and worse, that it's true). But if you're an adult writing YA, I happen to think this is an important point.
Okay, maybe it's not THAT important. But it is a mistake adults seem to be making lately so I thought I'd point it out. Because if anyone knows crushes, it's me.
And speaking of crushes and high school... 30 Day Song Challenge, Day 19: A Song From Your Favorite Album. I couldn't pick an all-time fave album so I picked just one. Thunder, by Boys Like Girls from the self-titled debut album- the perfect song when talking about crushes and high school. Don't believe me? Listen to the words. (FYI3- Martin Johnson, the lead singer of BLG, wrote the song about his first love which happened during HS.) (FYI4- speaking of crushes and Martin Johnson... you get the idea, although he's actually YOUNGER than me.)
Anyway, watch the video. I'm going to go watch Newsies.
I've read some good books lately that I haven't really talked about. Just a quick mention...
The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore, which is the sequel to I Am Number Four. The book was good, exciting, fast-paced. We got to meet another of Lorien's Garde- Number Seven and it was interesting to hear her point of view and her story. I love all the different characters in the book (Number Four, Six, and Sam) and I can't wait to see what happens next. Also, I wish they'd make the sequel into a movie, but mostly so I can see Alex Pettyfer play Number Four again. My only complaint: the two POV's (Four and Seven) were hardly distinguishable to me. Their stories are way different, so I knew who they were when each was talking, but the voice itself didn't seem much different. I still liked the book though.
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. I heard a lot of high praise about this book which is why I picked it up. The book was good, but I wasn't blown away and I wonder if it was because of all the pre-hype. My only complaint: The MC was a little annoying at times. Sometimes I wanted to just tell her to get over herself (which another character actually did). But the writing was simply amazing- Sarah Ockler came up with ways to say things and wording that I would never be able to imagine. I simmered with jealousy while reading. So good book- pick it up just for the writing alone.
Shade and Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready. Maybe because one of the books is called Shift, but for some reason, I thought this was about werewolves. Haha- it's so not. The concept of the book is great, it felt fresh to me even though it's basically about ghosts. I fell for the characters, especially the hot and Scottish Zachary. I couldn't pinpoint exactly what I loved about these books, but I was turning pages late at night because I couldn't stop reading. My only complaint: A lot of times, Aura's (the MC) search for the reason of the Shift is swept under the rug and I wanted more of that- more answers, more search even, and less drama over her dead boyfriend. But great books and I can't wait for Shine, the conclusion of the trilogy.
That's it, I'm on to Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, which I've heard a ton of great stuff about to I can't wait to read it. 30 Day Music Challenge, Day 18: A Song I Wish I Heard On The Radio
There's a lot of songs I wish they'd play on the radio. But that's why we have CDs and iPod's right? Anyway, it was hard to choose but I finally settled on one of my songs by One Republic- All This Time. I've made notes for my last Jessica book if it ever became a series, and I see this song at the end of that book. Enjoy.
