Posts filed under 'Random Musings'
January 21st, 2010
Hey gang! When I hosted the TAC logo contest, it was back in the summer. Since today is the deadline for the 100-Book Challenge logo contest and there are no entries–and many of you have mentioned that it’s easier to find time to be creative when school’s not in session–I’m going to revisit the 100-Book Challenge logo contest during the summer, if needed. 
UPDATE 1/28/10: The 100-Book Challenge has been disbanded due to copyright concerns.
In other news, I’ve been thinking a lot about what kinds of features to include on the blog as I kick off a new year of blogging. And here’s the thing…
I still don’t know what features to include.
So I thought I’d throw it out to you and let you guys tell me what you’re most interested in reading about! Here’s my list of ideas and ongoing series:
SERIES
– Author Caves (sneak peeks into authors’ writing dens)
– Author Spotlights
– Booklovers of the Week – agents, editors & industry pros
– Booklovers of the Week – booksellers
– Booklovers of the Week – book bloggers
– Librarian Spotlights
– Teen Author Challenge mini-series (throughout the year on various writing topics)
MISCELLANEOUS FEATURES
– Adventures in writing – my writing ups and downs and everything in between
– The sweet life – all things wonderful about sweets and my adventures in baking (note: I am generally regarded as a kitchen disaster, so be prepared for danger here)
– Get inspired – sharing fun stories about people doing super cool things to make a difference (ala Living Your Five)
– What I’m reading – the books I’m reading, what’s up next in my TBR pile, and what I’m excited to buy
– Things I love – no rules here: could be pop culture, food, things I’m addicted to… just general fun stuff that I adore
– Ask Kay – responding to reader questions (I have a few dozen of these now & can do periodic call-outs for more)
So those are the ideas I’ve come up with myself. I still think it’s mildly hilarious that anyone would want to read about any of these things from me, but there you go. If there are other things you’d tune in to read about, let me know those too!
December 24th, 2009
I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve already. Weren’t we just celebrating Valentine’s Day??? I swear this year has flown by!
I have a confession. As many of you know, I am not exactly adept in the kitchen arena. However, it is truly sad even for me that I have not really thought through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meal planning until… um… about four hours ago.
Oh, I had some ideas. But since we’re just having a quiet Christmas at home this year (a good thing since I’m now on my FOURTH round of antibiotics since the beginning of November), it’s hard to drum up excitement to make a small family meal that’s still festive.
However, I decided to include some of my favorite holiday yummies.
Tonight we’re having chicken, prosciutto and cheese stuffed tortellini with alfredo sauce. Tomorrow morning, I’m baking cinnamon rolls for our morning gift exchange followed by brunch (which is one of the few meals I do well). I LOVE brunch. I could eat brunch three meals a day and be a happy little camper. Eggs, sausage links, pancakes, hash browns, smoothies… it is heaven on a plate, I tell you.
Christmas dinner is a little unusual, but will include chicken cordon bleu, scalloped potatoes and glazed apples and cranberries. And yes, there will be vegetables with both of those dinners, but I haven’t figured out what yet.
In addition, I finally managed to find eggnog today! Our grocery store has been out all week, hence the reason for me braving the Walmart crowds on Christmas Eve to find some.
Mmmm… eggnog…
Happy holidays to you and yours this season!
December 11th, 2009
Now, some agents do like fine wine, but this is not that kind of blog.
My fellow Tenner, the fabulous Kody Keplinger of the I-So-Cannot-Wait-To-Read-And-Has-Been-Optioned-For-Film The DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) coming Fall 2010, came up with a lovely idea to have a whole day dedicated to the awesomeness that is our agents.
What is not to love about this blog topic, I ask you?? I’m so in.
My agent is Holly Root of Waxman Literary Agency. Not only is she hilarious and charming, she’s an ideal business partner for me. Our strengths complement each other’s beautifully. Here are just some of the many reasons I heart her:
1) PATIENCE - There are many days where I am Kay of a Billion Questions. It’s hard being a writer with an MBA because I always want to know about the business side of how this all works and, truthfully, authors simply aren’t privy to a lot of that. Holly does a fabulous FABULOUS job sharing what she can and easing my mind about the things we just don’t know.
2) LAUGHS - Holy moley, I can’t tell you how big this one is for me. Being a debut author is like being on a 20-month roller coaster ride. Some days are up, some days are down, and some days you’re pretty sure the quesadilla you had for lunch is on its way back up. The best medicine for this crazy adventure? Laughter. It helps a great deal that we have a similar sense of humor because there have been times when I was so distraught/anxious/frustrated/(insert ill feeling here) and she has sent me an email in response that literally made me laugh out loud. Laughter in business is highly underrated, I’m telling you.
3) CHEERLEADING - I know this seems like my forte as a former cheer girl myself, but when you’re having doubts about your skills as a writer or about the crapola level of your current manuscript, having an agent who is there to help you get back on track mentally is awesome.
4) BRAINSTORMING - We’ve always been really good about brainstorming together, but the more time goes by the more I appreciate how fortunate that is. We have this natural way of going:
ME: “So here’s what I’m thinking…”
H: “Ooo… I like that! You know what would be neat…”
ME: “OMG, yes! And then she’d have to…”
H: “LOVE!!!”
This has happened on more occasions than I can count. Not only is it super helpful, but it always gets me jazzed up to get back to work. LOVE. THIS.
5) CUPCAKES - You may think this is a shallow and empty (caloried) reason to heart your agent. But I promise you are missing something if you write it off willy nilly. Or even just nilly. Cupcakes = love + kindness + fluffy “who cares about tomorrow, I just want to be happy right now” goodness. Cupcakes are, in many ways, just like a writing career. There are days when you just want to wallow in a good cupcake moment, especially when the chips are down. Having an agent who understands your cupcake needs is worth its price in frosting. (Plus, when you go visit them, cupcake bakery outings make for a fun agent/author getaway. Ours is scheduled for next spring.)
So there you go. Just a few of the ma-a-any reasons why I heart my agent. I seriously would have run away screaming into the night on many occasions if not for her support, guidance, and well placed one-liners.
Rock on, Agent Extraordinaire. Rock on.
For more reasons why we love our agents, be sure to check out Lisa and Laura Roecker‘s blog today too! They’re compiling a list of links to all of the agent love blogs for Kody’s brainchild. I’m heading over there now.
December 5th, 2009
If, when you receive your senior pictures, your mother’s response is, “Are you sure you don’t want to have them retaken, honey?” . . . whatever you do, do not blow off her question just because it was a pain to get them taken the first time.
I promise you, there is a REASON she is asking this.
Your decision to skip a retake may not come back to haunt you until years later. But when the reality of this mistake hits you, she is not pretty.
And also, if they say that when they take your picture for your corporate ID badge, the same rule applies. Trust me on this.
November 26th, 2009
I hope all of you in the U.S. have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving today. And for those of you abroad, have a delightful Thursday/Friday!
Oh, and if you followed my Living Your Five check-in on Monday, we decided to do the Gratitude Tree as our new Thanksgiving tradition. I can’t wait!
November 15th, 2009
So… as some of you know, I had my first experience with copyedits last month as we began to get The Cinderella Society ready to go to press. Copyediting is an interesting process, to be sure, and one that’s different for every author and for every book an author writes.
My copyeditor was very thorough, but not nearly as thorough as this hilarious mock copyedit of Shakespeare. I laughed so hard I almost fell off my chair! Mostly that was because of the coughing that ensued as a result of said laughing, but still. Priceless.
If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to many authors when they first get a look at that copyedited manuscript, check this out! It’s a must read (and must laugh!) for anyone who’s ever gone through the copyediting process and for aspiring writers who hope to be there soon.
http://www.rightreading.com/editing/copyediting.shakespeare.htm
Enjoy!
October 15th, 2009
More exciting news this week from YA land!
readergirlz Teen Read Week Tribute!
The fabulous readergirlz divas are pooling their creative resources once again to show their support of YALSA’s Teen Read Week with a very special Teen Read Week Tribute!
If you’re not a regular readergirlz follower, you really should be. You all know I’m a big believer in paying it forward and changing our world, right? Well, the readergirlz divas do that in spades. Be sure to check out their tribute and all their exclusive Teen Read Week chats!
Teen Read Week is one of my favorite times of year. I mean, really, a full week dedicated to the diversity and sheer awesomeness that is YA literature? What’s not to love??? Three cheers for YALSA!
October 14th, 2009
Happy Wednesday! I love weeks like this–weeks where I have not one but TWO great things to blog about in WritingLand. It makes me appreciate how lucky I am to be a part of the awesome YA writing community. Today’s big news is…
Hush, Hush is here!
First, HUGE CONGRATS to the wonderful and darling Becca Fitzpatrick on her debut yesterday!!! If you have not bought HUSH, HUSH yet, run like the wind to your local bookstore and nab your copy today. It is seriously one of my favorite reads of 2009. Nora and Patch are hands-down one of the best couples in paranormal YA, imo.
Becca also has the honor of being the first Tenner debut! She was previously scheduled to be a first-of-the-year release in 2010, but everyone was so excited about HUSH, HUSH that they simply couldn’t wait. We’re so proud to have you leading the Tenner charge, Bec!
September 18th, 2009
Happy Friday!
Did you guess Sophie’s lie from her Booklover of the Week feature? Be sure to check the update on the Wednesday post to find out!
We’re going to be taking a short breather from our Friday Spotlights. I’ll be kicking back for a week or two and having a little bit of book-ish fun of my own. Today, we’re talking books, books, books… with a giveaway!
That’s a good way to end the week, right? A giveaway?
This week, I’m talking about the latest and greatest on my bookshelf. I tweeted yesterday that I tallied up my purchases and discovered that I had purchased nearly 40 books over the summer. This is in addition to the huge stack of books I have waiting to be read from our awesome local library… and after swearing I would NOT buy any more books until my own TBR pile was completely gone.
Apparently, I should not be allowed in a bookstore unchaperoned because I (and my wallet) require adult supervision at all times.
But it occurred to me that all of the books I purchased were for one of two reasons:
1) They are research for The Cinderella Society, book 2 or the upcoming book I’m going to dive into when TCS 2 is off to my editor
-or-
2) They are books I purchased ’cause I wanted to and am saving as my reward for getting TCS 2 off to my editor
I have a goal to read 100 books in 2009. I keep a tally on the blog of the books I’ve read (see the bottom blue box on the right). So far, I am woefully behind. I’ve only read 28 books this year! Granted, I did two major rounds of revisions on The Cinderella Society plus wrote TCS book 2 from scratch. But still. That is way pathetic, no?
But never fear! I now have not one, not two, but three towering stacks of books to be read from November 1st through December 31st. I may not hit my 100-book goal, but I’ll make a major dent in it.
As I think of all the fabulous books I’ve bought this summer, I thought it would be fun to share what the last book I bought was and why I bought it. (But only if you share yours. Deal?)
I actually bought seven on my last book-buying bonanza which was (ahem) yesterday. The last book I chose was:
NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society (Book One)
by Michael Buckley
Why this book? Because it just looks so flippin’ cool! It’s got all kinds of stuff I love: espionage, humor, quirky characters, unpopular kids who are secretly the game changers… seriously, what’s not to love? Here’s a little blurb about it:
Michael Buckley is at his comic best in this madcap new series sure to appeal to kids looking for a quick, exciting read.
Combining all the excitement of international espionage and all the awkwardness of elementary school, NERDS, featuring a group of unpopular students who run a spy network from inside their school, hits the mark. With the help of cutting-edge science, their nerdy qualities are enhanced and transformed into incredible abilities! They battle the Hyena, a former junior beauty pageant contestant turned assassin, and an array of James Bond–style villains, each with an evil plan more diabolical and more ridiculous than the last.
I cannot wait to dive into this book!
So what about you? Comment below with the last book you bought and why you bought it for your chance to win my early copy of FOREST BORN by Shannon Hale. (Which I meant to give away two months ago. Sigh.) What’s new on your shelf?
