Sydney Salter's Blog, page 40

On The Radio

I woke up early this morning, exercised, ate my Cheerios, and primped--for my very first radio interview. I know, I know I could've done it in my pajamas, but I felt really nervous--about my nose. Crazy, huh? No one sees you on the radio. 
Blame it on a Seattle DJ. 
Back when my husband (then boyfriend) was a ramen-eating grad student, he supplemented his non-existent income by winning radio contests. He won concert tickets, CDs, and lots of cash. Every day he called into the "Use Your Noodle" con

Five Things

Here are five things (not people) that I wouldn't want to live without:
1. chocolate
2. books
3. cats
4. down pillows
5. a diary
What wouldn't you want to live without? 

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Guest Nose: Aprilynne Pike

Today it's my pleasure to welcome Aprilynne Pike, debut author of Wings--and I would tell you how much I loved her book, but my teenager swiped it and disappeared with it for hours and hours, emerging starry-eyed only to feed. That's a pretty high recommendation at my house!

Aprilynne kindly shares one of her beauty Do's (Or a beauty ouch, if you ask me!)

I have always been a bit of an eyebrow plucker, but in college (yes, it took me that long) I discovered waxing. Ah, it was a glorious day! After

Guest Nose: Cindy Pon

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Today I'm happy to welcome Cindy Pon debut author of Silver Phoenix! 

this is from cindy pon's personal files. i think i was around 14 or 15 when i got a 2.5 inch gash on my forearm after scratching it against a wooden fence. i happened to read a teen mag with "beauty tips" and it suggested to apply pure vitamin e oil on scabs, to help it heal with little markings. so off i went to the drug store to buy the stuff, and proceeded to slather it on. imagine my horror, when a few days later, i devel

Exercising, but not that kind

This time of year everyone is talking about exercise, you know, getting your body "bikini ready" whatever that means. Skimpy swimwear aside, exercise is important to keep your body healthy. But what about creative exercises? (And I'm not talking about weird yoga poses.)

I like to exercise my writing. It's a good way to stretch my skills, warm-up before attacking a blank page, come up with new ideas, and keep perfectionism at bay. No one ever sees my writing exercises, but I have turned some of th

Looking Forward to Shopping

I hate shopping for clothes (for anyone). And I'm not really fond of the mall--unless I'm hiding in the food court with my writing notebook eavesdropping on people and making up stories about them (someday I'll find a story for that Hot Dog On A Stick girl...). But today I'm kind of excited about going to the mall. I'm actually looking forward to buying my daughter a whole bunch of new clothes!

My daughter has bravely endured two spinal surgeries--one for a benign tumor, a second to correct a cur

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Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman

Today it's my pleasure to introduce you to Cheryl Renee Herbsman's debut novel, Breathing. This is a great summer beach read with a make-you-swoon love story at its center. I really identified with this story because, like Savannah, the main character in my own love story has asthma.

I'll never forget taking my boyfriend to the college health center because his cold had gotten a lot worse and he wheezed with every breath. An hour later, he literally started turning blue and the nurses called an a

Vomit Karma

Lately I’ve read a few debut novels with very memorable vomiting scenes. So why would I focus on something so, well, gross? I have bad vomit karma. If one of my daughters’ friends has a woozy stomach, I’m pretty much guaranteed that she will hurl on my carpet. Oh, and she will have recently eaten something red or orange. My dog also regularly upchucks under my desk (I try not to take that too personally or symbolically).

So why the bad karma?

Come back with me to junior high (why did everything tr

Guest Nose: Danielle Joseph

I'm happy to be hosting Danielle Joseph today. I spent the weekend reading Shrinking Violet. The book made me laugh, but also really made me think--especially about the shy girls I knew in high school. Some of them were so pretty and smart, but entirely unnoticed. I love the way Shrinking Violet shows how a shy girl uses her passion for music to find her own unique voice. The book is full of other great thinking moments, but I'll let you discover those on your own. This book seriously belongs in