Michelle Zink's Blog, page 49

The Massive Prophecy Fanart Contest! And March's Reader of the Month!

First things first… March's Reader of the Month is Mia Brigitte! Mia's been a loyal Prophecy reader and regular fixture on this site for a long time now, and I couldn't be happier to name her this month's Reader. As such, she'll receive a $25 book store gift card to the store of her choice (providing I can purchase it online since she's in Norway!), a "Victorian Guys Are Hot" Prophecy t-shirt, and a True Blue Spa pack from Bath and Body Works.

Readers of the month are chosen from active Forum participants, so be sure to register for April!

I'm SO excited to finally launch this month's Prophecy of the Sisters Fanart contest. I know Ive been hyping it for awhile now, but that's just because I'm so psyched! I love fanart and since I'll be launching a page dedicated to Prophecy fanart in the coming weeks, it seems like a perfect time to hold a contest celebrating the art that is, well, fanart!

Here's how it works;

Create your original Prophecy fanart. You submit as many pieces as you like between now and midnight EST on March 31st using any and all mediums – video, animation, pastels, oils, sketches, photographs, manipulated photographs, and anything else I haven't named here – so long as you can email the file to us. The only requirement is that it fits the story, mood, characters, etc. of the story and world that is Prophecy.

Email your fanart to prophecypress@aol.com with "Prophecy Fanart Contest" in the Subject line.

All entries will be forwarded to our panel of judges at which time the judges will each choose their Top Five entries.

The winners will be chosen from this list, with the Grand Prize going to the piece with the most votes followed by two runners up.

[image error]

The Grand Prize Winner will receive Photoshop CS5 Extended Teach/ Student edition. This is an AWESOME edition! All you have to do is follow the instructions provided to email or fax a copy of your student or teacher ID to Adobe. I purchased this edition for my daughter recently (she's interested in becoming a graphic designer and uses this to design my bookmarks and other printed material) and she received her activation code from Adobe less than 24 hours after emailing a copy of her student ID. It's easy! If you would like to participate in the contest but are not a teacher or student, go ahead and enter. If you win, I'll send you a gift card to Amazon instead in the amount of the Teacher/Student Edition and you can put it toward the regular Edition. The Grand Prize Winner will also receive signed copies of Prophecy of the Sisters and Guardian of the Gate.

The two runners up will each receive a sketchpad, a set of acrylic pains/pastels (there's one of each), a set of sketching pencils, a sketching accessory set (includes a kneaded eraser, gum eraser, and plastic eraser). They will also each receive a signed copy of Prophecy of the Sisters and Guardian of the Gate.

This contest has also been promoted in local high school art classes. We expect a lot of entries, so hurry and get your art on! All entries will be posted here on the website so that everyone can bask in their awesomeness. By entering the contest, you are authorizing Michelle Zink to post the piece(s) on www.michellezink.com. All other rights remain with you, the artist. Please spread the word to your fellow artists!

You can purchase Prophecy of the Sisters and Guardian of the Gate if you think it will help you in creating art for the book. You can also use the trailers, music, summaries, and other information on this site.

And now, let's meet our judges!

I'm super excited to have all four of them on the judging panel. Not only are they all amazingly talented writers, but their experience and interests span so many creative mediums from scriptwriting and producing, costuming, fashion, and perfumery.

[image error]

Our first judge is Saundra Mitchell. A screenwriter and author, Saundra Mitchell penned the screenplays for the Fresh Films and Girls in the Director's Chair short film series. Now an executive producer and head writer for the programs, she mentors young screenwriters from first page to production.

Her short story "Ready to Wear" was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her first feature film, Revenge Ends, debuted on the festival circuit in 2008. Her debut novel, SHADOWED SUMMER, won The Society of Midland Authors Book Award for Children's Fiction, was a 2010 Edgar® Award Nominee, a VOYA Summer Reading selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, and an ALAN Pick in 2009. You can find out more about that novel here.

In her free time, she enjoys studying history, papermaking, and spending time with her husband and her two children. She lives in Indianapolis and welcomes you to visit her on the Web at www.saundramitchell.com.

Saundra's new book, The Vespertine releases on March 7th (just one week!) and is at the very top of my Books I'm Excited About list.

[image error]

It's the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him. When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia's world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she's not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

Awesome, right?!

[image error]

LISA MANTCHEV wrote her first play in the fourth grade, and has been involved in the theater ever since. She has published numerous short stories in addition to the Theatre Illuminata series. She lives with her husband, daughter, a new baby affectionately referred to as Tinydoom!, and four hairy miscreant dogs on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state.

And Holyawesomecover, Batman! Check this cover out!

[image error]Beatrice Shakespeare Smith's search for her stolen companion has brought her travelling company far from the stage of the Théâtre Illuminata. With the power of her words, Bertie can reshape reality, but the magic is wild and defies her attempts to control it. The Pirate's time is running out and Sea Goddess will not give up her prize willingly. Learn more about Lisa's work at www.theatre-illuminata.com.

Perchance to dream is the second book in the Theatre Illuminata Series. The third and final book, So Silver Bright, will be out this September 13th.

[image error]

A native Californian, C. Lee McKenzie loves to do three things: write, hike and practice yoga.

She wrote her first young adult novel, Sliding on the Edge, after reading a news article about "self-abuse" among ivy league students. It was so disturbing to think young people needed to inflict pain on themselves to cope with their lives that she finally had to write about it. It turned out to be a fictionalize account that she hopes offers some insights into the growing problem.

Her second novel, The Princess of Las Pulgas, is now out and deals with a young girl's family in distress. Learn more about Lee at www.cleemckenziebook.com.

[image error]After her father's slow death from cancer, Carlie thought things couldn't get worse. But now, she is forced to confront the fact that her family in dire financial straits. To stay afloat, her mom has had to sell their cherished oceanfront home and move Carlie and her younger brother Keith to the other side of the tracks to dreaded Las Pulgas, or "the fleas" in Spanish. They must now attend a tough urban high school instead of their former elite school, and on Carlie's first day of school, she runs afoul of edgy K.T., the Latina tattoo girl who's always ready for a fight, even on crutches. Carlie fends off the attention of Latino and African American teen boys, and one, a handsome seventeen-year-old named Juan, nicknames her Princess when he detects her aloof attitude towards her new classmates. What they don't know is that Carlie isn't really aloof; she's just in mourning for her father and almost everything else that mattered to her. Mr. Smith, the revered English teacher who engages all his students, suggests she'll like her new classmates if she just gives them a chance; he cajoles her into taking over the role of Desdemona in the junior class production of Othello, opposite Juan, after K.T. gets sidelined. Keith, who becomes angrier and more sullen by the day, spray paints insults all over the gym as he acts out his anger over the family's situation and reduced circumstances. Even their cat Quicken goes missing, sending Carlie and Keith on a search into the orchard next to their seedy garden apartment complex. They're met by a cowboy toting a rifle who ejects them at gunpoint from his property. But when Carlie finds him amiably having coffee with their mom the next day — when he's returned her cat — she begins to realize that nothing is what it seems in Las Pulgas.

[image error]

Jessica Verday writes the first drafts of her novels by hand, using spiral-bound notebooks and black pens. She likes: things that smell nice, rainy nights, old books, cemeteries, Johnny Cash, zombie movies, L.J. Smith books, abandoned buildings, trains, and snow. She is currently hand-writing the continuation of Abbey and Caspian's story from her home in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The Haunted is the second book in The Hollow Trilogy. The third and final book, The Hidden, comes out September 6th. Find out more at www.jessicaverday.com.



[image error] After months spent reclaiming her sanity and trying to forget the boy she fell in love with–the boy who must not exist, cannot exist, because she knows that he is dead–Abbey returns to Sleepy Hollow, ready to leave the ghosts of her past behind. But Abbey can never get over Caspian, and Caspian has no choice but to return to her side, for Caspian is a Shade, and Abbey is his destiny.

Giveaway Updates and General Miscellany

I'm supposed to have an Anonymous Teen Reader tonight, but we had a little glitch (totally our fault – we forgot to tell the interviewees to send in a picture) so I decided to post a little round up instead.

Because things are HAPPENING around here in the next few weeks!

Don't forget to enter my joint contest with photographer extraordinaire, Heather Gardner. There are TEN possible entries (and they're easy). There will be two winners chosen by Random Number Generator. They will each win;

[image error]An 8 x 10 photo from the Circle of Fire trailer shoot

A signed copy of Prophecy of the Sisters AND Guardian of the Gate

A postcard from me

Our next Reader of the Month will be announced tomorrow. You must be registered in the forums to win. Each month the winner receives a $25 bookstore gift card and whatever other goodies I feel like throwing in. Last month's winner got some fuzzy socks and body spray in addition to her gift card. I love recognizing my loyal readers!

Tomorrow also marks the launch of my MASSIVE fanart giveaway. It will run the entire month of March and has been advertised in local schools. You can enter as many pieces of Prophecy fanart as you'd like using any medium. The entries will be judged by a panel of esteemed published authors to give us a Grand Prize winner and two runners-up. The Grand Prize winner will receive Photoshop CS5 Extended Teacher/Student Edition.

*Gasp* It's awesome, right?!

The two runners up will each receive an awesome artists prize pack.

I'll post more details tomorrow, so stay tuned.

PS. I also want to say that I really enjoyed last night's Oscars, and despite all the criticism directed toward the hosts, I thought Anne Hathaway and James Franco did a great job. It was a wonderful show with only one, very bitter disappointment; the winning by The Social Network for Best Score. I'm not saying it wasn't good, but it was definitely not as good as THIS;

I Love Yoga!

[image error]I have to preface this week's Thing I Love by saying I am not a fan of exercise.

Hiking, walking, playing with my kids, swimming in the ocean? Love it all!

But tell me I have to exercise for an hour a day (or whatever) and I just LOATHE every minute.

Yoga has been my saving my grace. For awhile, I was following a different yoga guru, but his approach was very workout oriented. I tried to focus on doing it for ME, because it made me feel happy, calm, and healthy, but for whatever reason, his approach just wasn't something I looked forward to. More often than not, I'd choose to walk down to the river and meditate by the water rather than Downward Dogging. Then, it got too cold to walk and I was stuck trying to force myself to stick to my yoga practice, something at which I was usually a #majorfail.

But then I found a book by Tara Stiles called Slim, Calm, Sexy Yoga and it changed EVERYTHING. I'm not a fan of instructional books, but this one's broken down into smaller (15-minute-ish) flows that target different issues. There are flows for anxiety, depression, insomnia, speeding your metabolism, revving up your love life, etc. And Tara really puts the focus on the health aspects of yoga – not the weight loss parts of it. I found myself looking FORWARD to my yoga time everyday, and even though I actually enjoyed her flow sequences more than my "old" yoga, even though they were usually QUICKER, I'm not gonna lie. I was ridiculously sore for the first week – but in a GOOD way. I also noticed that processed, preservative-laden, and greasy foods (which we don't eat much of anyway but which are still an occasional splurge) is becoming less and less appealing. I'm eating better intuitively, it seems, not because I have to or should. I've also found that yoga is one of the very few things (other than writing and, on a good day, meditating) that can calm my busy mind and keep my anxiety – something that's been almost crippling and illness-inducing in the past – at bay.

For all of these reasons and more, the thing I love this week (and every week) is yoga!

Ohmmmm!

Authors Online and an Awesome Contest!

[image error]As many of you know, I've commissioned some photographers from Heather Zahn Gardner which will be used in the Circle of Fire trailer. Since custom photography played such an important role in both the Prophecy of the Sisters and the Guardian of the Gate trailers, I thought it would be nice to continue with the same feel for the third and final book of the trilogy.

Saying goodbye to the Prophecy world and its characters is going to be bittersweet, but I've tried to create a VERY satisfying ending for you guys. Heather's photos depict all the beauty and darkness that for me is the Prophecy world. I want to share them with you! And though I've held quite a few out for use in the trailer, there are two incredible images that I CAN'T WAIT to share with you because they capture everything I love about Circle of Fire.

Which is why Heather and I have partnered to create a giveaway JUST FOR YOU! Two winners will receive;

An 8×10 print of one of the two photos at left
A signed copy of the Prophecy of the Sisters AND Guardian of the Gate
A postcard with a personal message from me

And entering is easy!

You get one entry for EACH of the following activities;

Like Heather Gardner Photography on Facebook
Follow Michelle Zink on Facebook
Follow Fire and Ice blog
Follow @fireicephotos on Twitter
Follow @michellezink on Twitter
Follow @prophecypress on Twitter
Tweet a link to this comment or post a link on your Facebook status
Leave a comment here telling me your favorite Circle of Fire photograph released so far (available for view here)
Follow www.heathergardnerphotography.com
Like Prophecy of the Sisters Fan Page on Facebook

That's TEN possible entries. You can do them all or pick and choose. This contest is open to International participants. Please leave your comments and number of entries in the Comments section of this post.

And be sure to head over to Heather's site to check out her amazing photography. If you're an author looking for custom photos for print marketing, book trailers, etc., I can't recommend Heather highly enough. With very little guidance, she put together an ensemble cast, outfitted an entire wardrobe, and took hundreds of incredible images in less than two weeks.

In short, she's ah-mazing!

And now onto the Friday poll.

Ha! You thought I was going to give it a rest, didn't you?

;)

This week I broke down and started a Formspring. I'm hoping it gives you more easier access to ask all the questions that currently come in through email. The state of my Inbox is sad, indeed, (cough*overflowing*cough). I thought this might be a way for me to get back to everyone more quickly about general questions.

I have to admit, though, that I hesitated to do it. Between email, my website, Facebook, the Prophecy Fan Page on Facebook, and Twitter, I just wasn't sure if it was necessary or even DOABLE. It made me wonder if you guys even CARE whether or not we, as authors, are accessible and available to you online.This question is AKA, "Is anybody out there?"

I'm truly DYING to know! Weigh in with the Friday Poll!

View Poll

Good People and Good Things

As many of you know, fellow 2009 Debutante and author, L.K. Madigan, passed away yesterday morning after a brief but ferocious battle with pancreatic cancer.

Though I didn't know Lisa well, we shared highs, lows, angst, and joy through our mutual affiliation with the Debs. I thought of her as a friend and as someone I loved and admired. Her loving spirit shone through in everything she did, and I will miss her greatly. Lisa mentioned in a blog post about her illness that we arrive at this life not knowing how long we will be here. It's so true, and something I've always been acutely aware of. Life does not come with a warranty, real or implied, that we will live long or even that will live long ENOUGH to do and say and experience and learn all the things we want to do and say and experience and learn.

As morbid as it sounds, this was what was at the forefront of my mind when I ditched the life I hated 10 years ago to move to a sleepy little town, simplify my life, and just take some time to BREATHE. It wasn't, in the beginning, to write. I didn't know WHAT I wanted to do. But I knew I wanted to spend as much time with my children as possible and that I didn't want to work 10 hour days in a job I hated while my children were raised by a nanny. I knew I wanted to watch my kids grow, to know who they are, and to have the opportunity to be as much a part of their lives as possible. And what a gift it was in so many ways. I can still smell Caroline's baby scent (graham crackers and that little tang of nap-sweat babies have). Can still see the look on her face when we walked to the lake to throw stones in the water or when we stopped in the tree-lined pathway leading to our old converted barn just to LISTEN to the leaves rustle on the trees.

And it was, ultimately, my time among peanut butter and jelly lunches and naps and the Thomas the Tank Engine board game that led me back to reading, and eventually to writing.

I turned my back on a house by the beach and a lucrative career. On all the trappings of "success". I turned my back on it because I felt so powerfully that the time was NOW. That there were no guarantees and I didn't want to have any regrets.

And you know what? I don't have any. Not one. I've lived every day since the way I've wanted to. With my children and now my writing at the top of my To Do List n spite of many challenges along the way.

I think this is what Lisa would want us to do above all else; remember what matters. Let go of petty differences, desires, unhappiness. Embrace instead all that is joyful and loving and rich in life, because it's there if you just open your eyes to it. It's there for every one of us if we only choose it.

Lisa was at peace with her departure from this life except for her sadness at leaving her beloved husband and son, Nate. She loved Nate so much, and now we have an opportunity to do something for him in her honor as a Trust has been established for Nate's college fund. If you would like to contribute, donations may be sent to the following;

Nathan Wolfson Trust

Becker Capital Management, Inc.

Attn: Sharon Gueck/John Becker

1211 SW Fifth Ave, Suite 2185

Portland, OR 97204

I hope you'll join me in celebrating Lisa's life and work by continuing to spread the word about her books. Most of all, I hope I can keep her loving spirit in my heart always.

And while we're on the subject of good things and good people, one of my favorite readers, Erin, recently informed me about a wonderful nonprofit called the Harry Potter Alliance (or HPA). "In the simplest terms, we're a social activism group that fights the "Dark Arts" in the real world," she explains. "Yeah, we're really nerdy, but we're pretty hardcore too. We run campaigns that touch on illiteracy, inequality, intolerance, human rights…etc, etc, etc."

A nerdy book charity? I'm SO in.

Apparently, HPA ran a campaign called "Helping Haiti Heal," which joined together tons of fandoms right after the Haiti earthquakes and raised enough money to send FIVE cargo planes full of supplies to Haiti. Plus, every year, they do an event called "Accio Books!" which collects books to send to a community in need of them. During the 2008 presidential elections, HPA held a campaign called "Wizard Rock the Vote" which helped get people to register to vote.

Anyway, Erin wanted to spread the word and to let everyone know that they're smack in the middle of HUGE (read it…HUGE) campaign called the "Deathly Hallows Campaign." It's running from November 2010 through July 2011…essentially the whole gap of time between the two parts of the final Harry Potter movie. And they're fighting real-world "horcruxes." They started by petitioning WB to use fair trade chocolate to make their Harry Potter candies. Then they dealt with the effects of depression and anxiety by having members share what makes them happy and makes their lives worth living. Then they dealt with self-esteem and body image issues.

Right now, they're fighting the "Bullying Horcrux," dealing with inequality and intolerance when it comes to homosexuality.

This Saturday (Feb 26), from 10:30am through 9:00pm EST, they're having Wrock for Equality 2 on Livestream. During the course of the event, members are going to phone bank residents of Rhode Island, encouraging them to talk to their Senators to pass a marriage equality bill that's in the wings for them. And on the Livestream channel, they're going to have guest speakers and wizard rock bands to offer an entertaining break from the phone banks.

This is totally an event I can get behind, and I hope you guys will, too. The world needs more love. Love is good! All kinds of love. You can find out more by going to the websites below;

HPA: www.thehpalliance.org

Deathly Hallows Campaign: http://thehpalliance.org/action/campaig … ly-hallows

Bullying Horcrux: http://thehpalliance.org/action/campaig … horcrux-4/

Livestream channel: http://www.livestream.com/imaginebetter

Fans for Equality on FB: http://www.facebook.com/FansForEqualityThursday Night Write

I also want to give a quick shout-out to Emma Michaels for the fantastic review of Prophecy of the Sisters. Emma's book, The Thirteenth Chime, is available on Amazon.

Thursday NIght Write will resume next week.

Guardian of the Gate Trailer Finalist in Justine Magazine's Reel Book Video Awards

The Guardian of the Gate book trailer is named an official finalist in Justine Magazine's Reel Book Video Awards. Voters may vote once a day in each category so get your vote on and VOTE NOW!

[image error]

Song of the Week – Letters from the Sky

This week's song is Letters from the Sky by Civil Twilight. It was nominated by Shesten, one of my favorite bloggers. I've never heard of this band, which makes me especially excited because the whole purpose behind Song of the Week is to give us all a chance to find new music. This one reminds me a little of Coldplay.

I LOVE it! Hope you guys enjoy it, too.

Labels, No Regrets and Dreaming Out Loud

[image error]

This week's Anonymous Teen Reader is one of my very favorites! She forgot to give me a picture, so I'm posting this one to go with her interview because she is such a sweetheart. Even though we've never met, I sense so much light in her heart. This picture seemed perfect!

Before I get to her interview, I just want to remind you of a few contest and giveaway-type things.

Please vote for the Guardian of the Gate trailer over at Justine Sparks Reek Book Video Awards. The Guardian trailer is a finalist in the Historical category. You can vote once a day in each category. That's Kenneth's music in the trailer, so you're kind of voting for both of us since I can't take much credit for the trailer itself!

February's Reader of the Month will be announced on March 1st and will win a $25 book store gift card and a few other goodies from moi. Last month's winner, Elly, chose a Borders gift card and also received some Bath and Body Works body spray, fuzzy socks, and a postcard with a message from me. All you have to do to be eligible to win is be registered in the Forums and be an active participant.

Lastly, March marks the beginning of my MASSIVE Fanart giveaway. It will  run for the entire month and there will be a grand prize winner and two runners up for the most awesome pieces of Prophecy-related fanart. The Grand Prize winner will receive Photoshop CS5 Extended Teacher/Student Edition, and the runners up will each receive an awesome pack of art supplies. All entries will be posted on my website and the winners will be chosen by five published authors to be announced. Details to come very, very soon, but feel free to start creating!

Also, if you'd like to be an Anonymous Teen Reader, just send an email to prophecypress@aol.com with "Anonymous Teen Reader" in the subject line and we'll get you the questions.

And now, meet Athena!

JUST THE FACTS

Interview Code Name (you choose!); Athena

Current country of residence; Norway

Male or female? Female

Age; 19

ABOUT THE BOOKS

How many books, on average, do you read a month? Between 3 and 6 or 7. It all depends on the amount of school work and other things.

Favorite kind of book and why; I love fantasy and adventure books. I really like books that take me to another world with new countries and time-travel and things like that.

Name the single most important factor in your decision to purchase a book; The cover and the description at the back. I have bought books based on cover alone, but I usually read the description first.

What makes you feel like you're reading or have read a truly amazing book? When I still remember the story in details several weeks later, and dream of the story at night. That happens quite frequently.

How important is a friend's recommendation in your decision to purchase a book? I do check out my friends' recommendations on Goodreads once in a while, but I usually buy books without having read any recommendations beforehand.

Thing you'd like to see more or less of in the YA genre; I'd like to see more time travel, actually. It's been a lot of vampires, faeries and dystopian books lately. (I love book that take me to different places!)

What's your biggest pet peeve in a book? I like a bit of action, so long, uninteresting dialogues without a depth to them make me bored.

Paperback or hardcover? Paperback. Much cheaper, since a hardcover book in Norway usually costs 66 USD, so… But hardcover books do have a special feeling when you open them, I love the creaky sound. ($66 USD?!! Oh, my! That's so much!)

Series or stand-alone? Series. I like to really get to know the characters and feel like they become my friends (or foes).

ALL ABOUT YOU

If you had a life philosophy or motto, what would it be? I don't have one, but I love "Dream out loud" as a motto.

Are your parents divorced? Yes, they have been divorced since I was 8 years old (year 2000)

Do you feel that being a teenager is difficult? If so, why? Yes, definitely. I was recently diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and I'm not a social person at all, and I feel that as a teenager, I should be partying and spending time with friends, but I don't. (my younger son has AS, hon, but my older ones don't & they don't party at all, either. Wish you lived closer. You'd fit right in!)

List some of your hobbies. Reading, writing, spending time with my family, making lists (lol), and I also like to play volleyball.

Why do you think teenagers feel the need to label one another? I think it's just an easy way out of having to get to know the person. It's easier to stick a label on and avoid them. (Very wise…)

Favorite color? Pink, white and silver.

Is there anything in your past that makes you sad or angry? If so, are you willing to share it here? Yes. I was bullied when I was younger, and that makes me both sad and angry. But I'm over it now, it all ended when I was 12 anyway so…

What is your passion? I don't think I have one. I would love to say I have, but no.

Do you feel the need to pretend to be someone you're not? If so, why? Most of the time, yes. It's easier.

What kinds of things do you think about when you're all alone? I daydream and think about my future sometimes. And other times it's just random thoughts and once in a while I get an idea for a short story.

How do you keep your bed? Covered in pillows? Made perfect every morning? a mess of tangled sheets? A "tidy mess" with quite a few pillows and a lot of blankets.

Do you ever feel the need to be invisible? If so, why? All the time. I like to be alone most of the time.

Do you believe that you will ever find the type of love in books and movies? I want to believe that, but I'm not sure anymore. I've never had a boyfriend, so I don't really know what it's like to be in love. My parents' love for each other burned out, so why won't mine? Don't get me wrong, I love love, I'm just insecure about it. :-)

Do you like school? Why or why not? I love school. If I could choose to go to school and not have job for the rest of my life, I would. I like learning new things, having a schedule so that I always now what is coming up.

Do you believe that education is important? I believe that education is very important and I feel lucky that I'm living in Norway, which is now the only country in Europe where going to a university/college is free. I want to be an optician.

Are the cliques you read about or see on TV present in your school? Not really. Norwegian high schools are very different from American high schools, so whenever we watch an American TV show, we thinks it's a bit exotic with all those cliques. There are no cheerleaders in Norwegian high schools, no jocks, no drama club people etc. Basically it's just a huge group of different people.

Do you ever feel awkward and uncomfortable? Most of the time, yes.

Favorite animal? I like dogs and cats, but I'm allergic to both. They're so cute, though! And I love dolphins. They're so intelligent and graceful.

Have you ever been mean to someone? If so, why? How did it make you feel afterward? Yes. I used to fight a lot when I was younger, especially with older children. I wanted to sort of "protect" the younger kids, I guess.

Do you regret any of the choices you've made? If so, are you willing to share them here? No, not really. My choices have led me to where I am today, and I'm happy with my life most of the time.

Do they wonder or worry about what other people think about you? Be honest! Of course. I worry too much. I need to just stop letting it bother me. (because you're awesome, just as you are.)

I Love The Knife of Never Letting Go

[image error]This week's things I love is the Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness. I've only gotten through the first one, The Knife of Never Letting Go, and the second, The Ask and the Answer, but it's already one of my all-time favorite series.

Here's the summary of the first book from Amazon;

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him — something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

I'm reading the third and final book, Monsters of Men, now and it is is just as incredible as the first two. I HIGHLY recommend this for fans of The Hunger Games. I am almost unable to put it down!

I also promised to put up an extra poll for one of my favorite readers who is currently having a debate with a friend considering getting her nose pierced. From the age of my reader, I'm assuming the person in question is somewhere around the age of 13 or 14.

Help them out by weighing in below!

View Poll

Friday Poll – Underage Drinking and Smoking

[image error]This week's Friday Poll is about underage drinking and smoking pot.

It's an issue that's pretty much as old as time, but after what seemed like a decline in the number of teens doing it, lately it seems like it's become an even bigger problem.

Despite my unconventional ideas about a lot of things and my disorganized religious views (which are basically a mish-mash of a lot of different things), I'm kind of a hard ass when it comes to underage drinking and smoking. In fact, I find it amusing when people assume that because teenagers like to hang out at our house, I'm some kind of crazy, party mom. This is because A) I rarely drink, not because I have a problem with it but because it makes me sleepy, B) I've never smoked cigarettes and never would smoke them because I have asthma and am somewhat militant about what I put into my body, and C) every teen in my life has – at some point – gotten the You Don't Need To Be Drinking and Smoking at this Age talk.

It's not that I'm opposed to drinking or even pot in general (gasp! I'm probably more on the side of legalizing marijuana).

It's more that studies PROVE the impulse center of the brain is undeveloped in teens.

And most sexual assaults involving teenagers also involve alcohol.

And most car accidents involving teens also involve drinking or using.

And in general, people are often stupid when under the influence, which makes it seem obvious that teens would be even more susceptible, what with that impulse thing and all those hormones.

Lastly, isn't it better to grow up a little? To develop the capacity for having fun WITHOUT alcohol and other mind-altering substances before equating them with "fun" and "partying". To learn how to deal with unpleasant emotions like anger, fear, anxiety, and sadness WITHOUT those substances instead of numbing yourself against them at such an early age that you never develop the capacity to FEEL and DEAL?

Anyway, that's my take on it.

But I sometimes think I'm in the minority, even among adults. I can't count how many adults I know buy multiple kegs for Prom parties (um, hello! Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor anyway?) and think it's just fine for teenagers to be under the influence in their presence. And "partying" has become so prevalent among teenagers that the ones who DON'T do it often feel like there's something wrong with THEM.

Now I want to hear from YOU. And because I recognize that there is a generation gap, I've split the poll into two separate surveys, one for people under 25 and one for people over 25.

So choose the appropriate poll and weigh in!!

View Poll
View Poll