Sarah Ockler's Blog, page 11
November 12, 2009
Josh Berk Contracts H1N1; Wife & Jewish Community Concerned, Baffled
With paranoia-over-swine-flu-related deaths at an all-time high, the question on everyone's lips this evening is this:
Is it kosher to make out with pigs?
Josh Berk, author of THE DARK DAYS OF HAMBURGER HALPIN (Feb 2010) and honorary Pig Frencher in Residence, investigates.
Posted in grab bag, health Tagged: Josh Berk, The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin
Jon Skovron's Character Debut Party
Jon Skovron, alternately known as Jonny Skov, is one of only three men in the 2009 Debutantes. For more than a year, he's endured the total estrogen overload with humor and grace… well, grace sounds kind of girly. I mean like a manly sort of grace. So I'm excited to share a little bit about STRUTS & FRETS, his newly released YA novel that was just selected for the Winter Children's Indie Next List.
Fortunately for everyone involved, Skov does a much better job immersing you in the world of...
November 10, 2009
L.K. Madigan's Character Debut Party
I'm reading FLASH BURNOUT right now and all I can say is… any book that opens with the main character (who is a boy! Yay!) clearing Dad's photos of bullet wounds off the breakfast table just so he can eat is a good book for me. Plus, hello, photography! I'm really excited to dig in to the rest of the story.
About FLASH BURNOUT
Fifteen-year-old Blake has a girlfriend and a friend who's a girl. One of them loves him, the other one needs him.
When he snapped a picture of a street person for his...
November 1, 2009
NaNoWriMo Day 1: Report from the Frontlines
In all my "National Writing Encouragement Day" excitement last week, I forgot to mention that I'd signed up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) myself this year, a quest of literary insanity in which participants from all over the world compete against the clock to write a 50,000-word novel in thirty days. That translates into a daily writing average of 1,667 words — not necessarily good words. Just words.
I tried NaNo twice before — failed miserably. Wait. I take that back. I didn't...
October 31, 2009
Zombie Horde Terrorizes Buffalo
…and Sarah risks her life to capture it all on film for our viewers at home (particularly Sharon and Khy)! It's okay, though. I had the Left4Dead zombie fightin' champ with me, so I felt well protected. And after enduring all the apocalyptic stuff of the 2009 Buffalo Zombie Walk, we got spinach benedict at Mythos, making the whole life-endangering thing totally worth it… until some of the zombies came in to the diner for a bite. Apparently they dig the Greek finger sandwiches. Who...
October 30, 2009
fLiP iT fRiDaY: Korianne @ Korianne Speaks
Today's fLiP iT fRiDaY features the adorable Korianne from Korianne Speaks, @koriannespeaks on Twitter.
I wake up, make myself some oatmeal or Kix with milk. If it's a Tuesday or Thursday I go to school at noon and get back home at around 3:30 or 4. If not I pretty much do all the daily tasks of cleaning, doing wash, and in general organizing of the house. I eat lunch at about 1. Usually some sort of veggie burger or Spaghetti O's, but I eat a lot of...
October 23, 2009
fLiP iT fRiDaY: Adele @ Persnickety Snark
Today on fLiP iT fRiDaY, we welcome our awesome Aussie friend, Adele from Persnickety Snark, @snarkywench on Twitter.
I was secretly hoping Adele would answer these questions in video so you could see how cute she is with that accent, but I guess you'll just have to trust me and just imagine its loveliness on your own. 
I captain a group of grade eight student's towards the righteousness of the written word, the delights of our past and the frustrations of...
October 20, 2009
National Writing Encouragement Day
Today is the National Day on Writing, an officially-recognized initiative by the National Council of Teachers of English to "draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing we engage in and help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft." In less than two weeks, more than 100,000 writers will put pens to paper to kick off National Novel Writing Month, a frenzied quest in which participants strive to complete a 50,000-word novel in a month.
For those of us who write for a...
October 19, 2009
Librarians: Win a 46 Book Set of 2009 Debuts!
The 2009 Debutantes are giving away a set of 46 young adult and middle grade books from the Deb collection to ONE lucky library! The contest is open to both public and school libraries, anywhere in the world, now through December 31. So librarians… spread the word and head on over to the 2009 Debutantes site for entry details and the complete book list!
Posted in books, contests
October 18, 2009
Lauren Bjorkman's Character Debut Party
With a Shakespearean backdrop that brought be back to my own drama club days (like, when I got kicked out for not being able to carry a tune or a step), fellow 2009 Debutante Lauren Bjorkman injects humor, heart, and authenticity into this fun and funky story of love, confusion, friendship, and sibling rivalry. There are also some very cute boys in it. And cute girls, too.
And speaking of sibling rivalry and cute boys and girls and love and confusion… be sure to check out the teen advice...
