Mindi Scott's Blog, page 8

Blog: I'm going to do the Off the Shelf Challenge!

There are tons of reading challenges starting up for the new year.  I've never taken part in one before, but I found the review-optional Off the Shelf Challenge and decided that this one is definitely for me! 

Basically, this is a challenge to try to get your to-be-read pile under control by reading some of the books that you already have in your possession.

Here's what I will read in 2011 for this challenge:

 1.  Adios, Nirvana by Conrad Wesselhoeft
 2.  The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
 3.  Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
 4.  Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala
 5.  Among the Ghosts by Amber Benson
 6.  Milo by Alan Silberberg
 7.  Beautiful by Amy Reed
 8.  Crash into Me by Albert Borris
 9.  Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
10. Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols
11.  WTF by Peter Lerangis
12. Take Me There by Carolee Dean
13.  Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
14.  Building Blocks by Cynthia Voigt
15.  The Lover by Marguerite Duras (Weird. This has been on my shelf for over a decade. I just watched the movie recently.)

Since my list contains fifteen books, I am in the "Trying" level of the Challenge.  Looking forward to it!

Blog: List Friday: Commercials that Have Stuck with Me.

Remember, like, eight Fridays ago when I said, "I'm not going to do Friday four or five anymore.  I'm going to do List Friday so that my lists can have as many items as I want!" and then I made one or two Friday lists and stopped doing List Friday?  Well, I'm making another attempt today!

Commercials that Have Stuck with Me
1.  Morgan Freeman's narration of the emotional Visa advertisements during the last summer Olympics just about killed me on a regular basis.  I cried every time I watched the Derek Redmond commercial.  I cried while thinking about the Derek Redmond commercial.  I cried when I told people about the Derek Redmond commercial.  And just now while collecting the embed code from YouTube, I watched it and cried some more.




2.  I'm a vegetarian.  The only things I order at Jack in the Box are chocolate milkshakes and mozzarella sticks.  Still, Jack's irreverent meat-loving in the commercials cracks me up for some reason.  I especially love this one where Jack's son reads an essay about how he wants to become a vegetarian when he grows up.




3.  The PSA about how Parents Who Use Drugs Have Children Who Use Drugs is pretty much my favorite commercial ever.  I've never really understood the dad's behavior, and when I was a kid, he actually kind of freaked me out.  But the son's frustrated comeback?  AWESOME.  I use this phrase all the time in my real life.

Husband:  Why did you open the mail and leave it all over the table?
Me:  I learned it by watching YOU!!!!



What are some of the commercials out there that have stuck with you?

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Margie Gelbwasser

A few weeks ago, I read Margie Gelbwasser's debut novel, INCONVENIENT.  I really enjoyed it!  I'm not Russian or Jewish, so I loved getting to learn more about those cultures.  I also found Alyssa to be a wonderful, relatable, and real protagonist.  If you like contemporary YA stories with emotional character journeys, I definitely recommend that you check out INCONVENIENT!

Here's my Magic 8 interview with Margie:

Margie Gelbwasser is the author of INCONVENIENT, a YA novel that was released by Flux on November 1, 2010.

In fifteen-year-old Alyssa Bondar’s Russian-Jewish culture, having a few drinks is as traditional as blinchiki and piroshki. So when her mom’s midday cocktails turn into an all-day happy hour, it seems like Alyssa’s the only one who notices—or cares. Her dad is steeped in the nightly news—and denial—and her best friend Lana is too busy trashing their shared Russian heritage so she can be popular.

Alyssa would rather focus on cross-country meets and her first kiss with her running partner, Keith, but someone has to clean up her mom’s mess. But who will be there to catch Alyssa when her mom’s next fall off the wagon threatens to drag her down, too?


1. At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

I always wanted to be a writer. That was my dream. But in my family of science people (my dad is an engineer, my mom is a chemist, my sis a doctor), I think writing wasn't thought of as a career. My parents thought I was talented in it, but I guess no one thought you could have this as a job, including me. So since I was 4 I wanted to be a doctor. By 18, I realized math and science weren't my strong suit, so I went to school to major in English and Education (so I guess Teacher is the answer to age 18). By 28, I was making the transition of leaving  teaching and pursuing writing as a career.

2. Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?

I played clarinet from 5th grade to 12th so let's go with band geek, but I really wanted to be a cheerleader.

3. What are some of your superstitions and/or phobias?

I am really scared of mice and rats, not the cute ones behind cages in pet stores that keep busy sleeping and running on their wheels. I'm talking about the ones that you see on the streets or those that sneak into your house in the winter. DO NOT LIKE THEM. I'm also scared of heights.

4. Without giving away too much from your book, which character or scene are you  the most pleased about having created, and why?

One of my favorite characters in the book is Lana, Alyssa's best friend. I don't agree with how she behaves but she was so fun for me to write and I just love how she evolved from being totally mean in the first draft to more three dimensional in the final version. As for scenes, I really love the first kiss between Alyssa and Keith. I like the thoughts going through her head, how he acts, their banter. That scene just
makes me swoon. Another scene I like a lot is the barn party because you see a different side of Alyssa and her struggles.

5. Was there any certain music that inspired you while you were writing this book, or is there a song that could serve as your protagonist’s theme song?

I know I'm in the minority, but music doesn't fuel my writing. I love music. I love dancing to music, and I have favorite songs and artists. In fact, once the book is written, I often hear a song and think this would work so well in X scene in my book. But the whole playlist thing? I think the idea is terrific but I just don't think of my stories in that way as I write. Or, maybe, I'm just too lazy to create one (I tried an got up to two songs. They take A LOT of work!). I do, however, envision my books as movies and have ideas how all the scenes will play out and who would play the characters. For example, my ideal actor for Keith would be Chris Olivero (Declan McDonough from Kyle XY).


6. What’s up next for you as a writer?

I am working on a YA called THE AIR I BREATHE which I'm excited about. It's told in multiple POVs and it's dark and edgy. It will be out by Flux in November 2011. I'm also revising an MG—aimed at boys in 4th -6th grade—for my agent.

7. And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. ;-)

Hmm...tough one, but I'm going with Beatles. Their songs were so thought-provoking and you got a choice of 4 dudes, not just one!

8. Okay, your turn. Do you have a question you’d like me to ask my Magic 8-Ball on your behalf? (I’m telling you, this thing is scarily accurate! Well, except for when it’s lying.)

Um, OK. Will INCONVENIENT become a major blockbuster with Jennifer Aniston playing the role of the mother? I love her!



Oops.  I forgot to tell you that my Magic 8-Ball is also a total jerkwad that seems to enjoy CRUSHING DREAMS.  Anyway, thank you so much, Margie!  :-D

Thanks so much for having me, Mindi!

CONTEST! Spread the Word about Freefall by Mindi Scott.

Hey, everyone!  Look what I have! 



Why, yes, that is yarn in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin colors!  What does this mean for YOU?  Well . . .

Spread the Word Contest - Freefall by Mindi Scott
Do you want to win cool prizes for you and a friend? Enter this contest and help spread the word about FREEFALL! 

TWO winners will receive the following:

1.  A scarf knitted just for you by me in the colors of your house at Hogwarts!  (Because it's cold and I have Harry Potter on the brain right now. You can take a quiz here if you don't know which house you'd be sorted into.)

2.  A signed and personalized copy of FREEFALL mailed to you*.  (If you already have your own copy, you may choose from a list of other paperback contemporary titles instead.)

3.  A signed and personalized copy of FREEFALL mailed to your friend*.

For one chance to win, simply fill out this form.  There is room for extra entries on the form if you blog about this contest and include the link.   Those who have read and reviewed FREEFALL prior to entering will have the opportunity for the most entries. I very much appreciate you reading my book and telling others about it!  

You can also get one additional entry per day by Tweeting:  "Spread the Word about Freefall by @mindi_scott - RT to enter!"
 
Winner #1 U.S. and Canada only.  Winner #2 International*.  Ends at midnight PST on December 23, 2010.  Good luck and thanks for helping me spread the word! ♥


*If the winner and friend in the International contest are outside the U.S. and Canada, the book prizes will be shipped via Book Depository and will not be signed and personalized.

Blog: I don't have an identical book twin. Do you?

I saw bunches of status updates about TANGLED this weekend. They were along the lines of this:  

 My Friend: Tangled = ♥ 

 My Other Friend:  So cute! So fun! I adored every second of Tangled!

My Other Other Friend: Add Tangled to my list of all-time favorite Disney movies! So, so good!

My Other Other Friend: I loved TANGLED. It was very [XYZ] and [123]. 

I left a comment for one of them like this: Wow! I want to see this movie and I’m hearing so much great stuff. I might have to check it out very soon! 

Then I saw a status update like this from My Other Other Other Friend: TANGLED was such a disappointment. I heard that it was so great from so many people and that it was very [XYZ], but it wasn’t. And it was only a little bit [123]. What a letdown! 

I left a comment for them saying: Thank you! I was going to see this based upon the other glowing recommendations, but now that I’ve read your comments, I won’t waste my time. I mean, I thought it was going to be [XYZ] and [123]. Since you say that it isn’t, why even bother?
 
Okay, actually, that didn’t happen. Not that last part. And, in fact, not that second to last part either. But I see this ALL THE TIME with online book reviews. A book gets some good or even great reviews. People leave comments on those reviews saying they can’t wait to read it. Someone else writes a review saying that they read the book because it was recommended highly, but actually, the book wasn’t all that. People then leave comments saying that they were going to read it and thought it sounded good, but now they aren’t going to because they read this review that apparently tells it like it is. 

As an author, I find it disheartening when I come across this, and not only when the book being discussed is one written by me. 
As a reader, I find it perplexing. I’ve seen so many books that I’ve liked and loved get this kind of treatment and I think, You’re interested in this book. Dozen/Hundreds of other readers love it. But you won’t read it now because THIS PERSON didn’t fall in love with it? Are they your identical book twin or something? 

 If there is a book that I want to read, there are times when I do like to check out well-written critical reviews to see what the non-lovers of a book have to say.  Not because I need to be persuaded not to read it. Not because I think that the way they feel is the way that I am going to feel. I just find it interesting to see opposing views. I like to predict where I’m going to fall on the spectrum when I do finally get my hands on the book.  In some cases, I love to be surprised when I’m wrong.

There is no one person out there who loves exactly the same books that I love.  There is no guarantee that I'll love or hate the things that I expect to love and hate.  Isn't that part of what makes life interesting?  Making these discoveries?  

Blog: The truth is, I hate writing.

I hate writing. I love having written. –Dorothy Parker

The first time I read the above quote, I was shocked by the first sentence.  That's just wrong, right?  For a writer to hate writing?  And to admit to it?

Well, honestly, when I search not too incredibly deep into my soul, I can admit that I don't enjoy writing.  Not novels, at least.  While it's happening, I find the process to be frustrating, difficult, depressing, annoying, stressful, and IMPOSSIBLE.  I'm constantly moping around and making exclamations such as, "I'll never finish this!" and "It's so hard!"

But I keep going.  Little by little.  Sentences, paragraphs, pages, scenes, chapters.  AFTER I've written these things, I love them.  I especially love when, together, they form a finished manuscript.  For me, finished manuscripts are Best Thing Ever, The.  I was so high from the accomplishment of finishing my last one (which, sadly, was a long time ago) that I didn't sleep for three days afterward.  Even something small like finishing a five-page scene gives me a rush that will sometimes last for hours. 

I hear advice all the time that if you don't love writing, you should follow other pursuits in life.  Odds are, you aren't going to make enough money from it to support yourself anyway, so why put yourself through that? 

While I'm in the seemingly endless process of writing/revising a manuscript, I find myself pondering if I'd be better off taking that advice.  I can't, though.  Because even though I don't love writing, I do love having written more than just about anything. 

Blog: An Update Regarding My Nemeses List.

Remember this past summer when I wrote about My Nemeses and you learned a little bit about how I feel about abstinence-only education? 

Well, today I blogged about at the Contemps site about the same thing.  Except there is now updated information.  And a PSA starring Nemesis #1 herself (still hyperbole, of course) and some guy from Jersey Shore or whatever.  

Please check it out!  And join in on the discussion!  :-)

Blog: I sort of . . . lost a year.

Last night, Dwayne had NPR on in the car and I heard someone mention that Obama has been in office for two years.  I was like, "WAIT JUST A SECOND!"

So, actually, his inauguration was January 20, 2009, which is a couple of months short of two years ago.  Still, it's closer to two years than it is to one.  I asked Dwayne how this happened.  How in the world I lost a year of my life.  Because to me, it really, truly feels like it's only coming up on the one-year anniversary.  He said, "Well.  You have been preoccupied with Freefall for all of Obama's presidency."

And, yes.  That is true.  My offer of representation was on January 6th, I accepted the offer on January 12th, Obama's inauguration was January 20th, and my book sold in May.  The truth is, aside from trips I've taken, I don't have many specific memories of May 2009 to October 2010.  Or maybe it's more like, the things I remember feel like they happened within a few months of each other instead of a year and a half. 

It's very strange.  The book has been out for about six weeks now, and I feel like I've slowly been coming out of this fog.  I still think about Freefall every day, but I think about other things (like my current manuscript) even more now.  And that's good news.  I suspect that I'll always look back on the year that I was age 32 as my missing year; I don't remember WHAT I was doing, but I was so insanely busy and stressed that I was clearly doing a lot of it. 

(I'm blaming the book because to think that this is what life is going to be like for me moving forward is too alarming to contemplate at this time!)

Blog: A memory of a dysfunctional friendship

When I was fifteen, I was friends with a girl who decided that to "strenghten our friendship" we should each tell one thing we didn't like about the other's appearance. 

I wasn't really sure how that was going be a good thing, but she went first and said, "I don't like it when you wear combs in your hair.  Everytime you show up for school like that I'm like, 'No!  Not the combs!'  I just thought you should know."

By the way, they were this kind:                                                                       Not this kind:

                                       

I blinked at her, feeling a bit like I'd been slapped and said, "Oh."

She got all smiley and said, "Your turn! What don't you like about me sometimes?"

Honestly, there wasn't really anything that made me look at her and think,"No!  How could she humiliate me by looking like THAT?!"  I had enough insecurities about my own appearance to worry about what my friends looked like. 

I didn't particularly care for her haircut, but I knew that she liked it a lot.  And saying, "I think your hair would look better longer" wasn't as easy a fix for her as me not wearing the combs.  But she was waiting for an answer so I said the first thing that came to my mind, "Sometimes I wish you wouldn't wear so much eyeshadow."

The thing is, it wasn't even true! 

Afterward, she talked about how this had made us better friends because we knew we could always be honest with each other.  Secretly, I didn't agree because I hadn't been honest at all. I felt like she'd attacked me and that she'd goaded me into attacking her back.  It made me feel kind of awful at the time.  It made me feel kind of awful today--eighteen years later--when I remembered that it happened.
 
(And I know she'll never read this, but if somehow she does: I never thought your eyeshadow looked bad. You always did a great job with your makeup.)

Blog: Photos and more of Five Tenners on October 30th!

On the day before Halloween, Chelsea Campbell (THE RISE OF RENEGADE X), Denise Jaden (LOSING FAITH), Karen Kincy (OTHER), me, and Kimberly Derting (THE BODY FINDER) all got together to talk about writing and books at Uppercase Books in Snohomish, Washington. 

Look!  Here's proof!



It was fun to get to see all of these ladies again! We first met up almost a year ago for lunch in Bellingham (along with Caitlin Kittredge and Phoebe Kitanidis). At that time, we were a month from the start of our debut year.  Since then, I feel like we've all bonded a lot.  Some of us have been able to make it out for each other launch parties and we've had endless contact online through the Tenners.  Denise and I, especially, have had a lot to talk about in the past year since we're both Pulse authors with the same publicist and release dates that happened to be only one month apart! 

Karen set this event up for us, and I am very appreciative!  We each spoke a little about our books, and then the rest of the time was spent taking LOTS of great questions from the audience.  We kind of got a rhythm going where we'd start at one end and then work out way across so that everyone could hear from each of us on the topics at hand.  I, personally, found it really interesting getting to hear about the similarities and differences in each of the publication journeys and creative processes. I think we probably gave the audience a pretty good variety of answers to mull over.

Since it was the day before Halloween, we all decided to be a little bit festive and decorate our heads.  Here's a more close-up group picture so you can see:



Chelsea is wearing a pumpkin hat that she knitted (or crocheted?),  Karen has a witch hat, Denise has a fluffy halo, I'm in black cat ears, and Kim has little bats above her head!

Thank you again, to Karen, for organizing and to Uppercase Books for having us!  And thank you to the people who came to see us and chat with us.   I hope we can all do it again soon!