Kelly Oram's Blog, page 25

Being Jamie Baker Giveaway Lucky Winner #1

Congratulations to our first Being Jamie Baker Book A Week Giveaway winner!

Fiona! Age 17Puchong, Malaysia
Fiona's Favorite Books:If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern, and the whole Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

This week's winner was chosen from the wonderful world of goodreads. If you haven't discovered the brilliance that is Goodreads.com, I suggest you check it out. Just try not to become a complete addict like me.

Didn't win? Don't worry, you still have three more chances! Three more weeks - three more winners! All you have to do to enter is become a follower of this blog, follow me on Twitter, or Like Being Jamie Baker on facebook. The giveaway is free and it's international, so enter to win and tell all your friends to enter too! That way, if they win, you can steal their book. ;)

Congrats again Fiona!

Tweet

My NaNoWriMo Project(s) Including 3 first chapter previews!

Ready… Set… Write!
In just a couple hours it's officially going to be November 1st and that means begin NaNoWriMo madness! Woot!
This year I struggled in choosing a project for NaNoWriMo. I have so many exciting ideas for things I want to write, but the problem is I've got a bazillion works in progress, and I need to finish some (or at least one) of those before starting anything new. So what I've decided to do this year is only work on some of my works in progress. I know it's not exactly the NaNo goal, but I'll still hopefully get the 50k word goal, and hopefully, fingers crossed, finish one if not two of my manuscripts. There are three works in progress that I have to choose from and I tend to be story ADD so chances are I'll work a little on each of them throughout the month. So in order to give a summary of my project I have sum up all three.
NaNo Project #1 (Most likely candidate, and closest to being finished.)Title: Serial HottieBrief Summary: Ellie's summer break goes from boring to exciting when the hottest boy she's ever seen moves in across the street. Miraculously, he seems to like her. A lot. Problem is, the more she learns about him the more it seems he's a notorious serial killer.Click HERE for a first chapter preview.
NaNo Project #2Title: V Is For VirginBrief Summary: When Valerie gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until she's married, and the messy break-up gets posted on youtube, she launches a school-wide campaign to support her cause. Who knew the whole nation would get caught up in the controversy?Click HERE for a first chapter preview.
NaNo Project #3Title: Missed Me, Missed MeBrief Summary: Jenna's on the fast track to becoming homecoming queen. But when a psychology test triggers a nervous breakdown she suddenly finds herself falling for the biggest geek in school. Can she turn him into a prince or will loving him cost her her crown?Click HERE for a first chapter preview.
So that's me and my NaNo line up for this year. Keep in mind if you preview any of these that they are all FIRST DRAFTS. Which essentially means they suck and are full of bad writing and typos and whatnot.
Still, would love to hear any thoughts, and would love to hear all about your NaNo Projects! So if you, like me, love the insanity that is NaNoWriMo, leave a comment and tell us all about your story!
Click HERE to visit my NaNo profile and see my progress throughout the month. And if you're feeling brave, post a link to your NaNo profile so we can all cheer each other on.
Ready…
Set…
…
…
Sorry, still a couple hours till "GO!"

Tweet

My Newfound Respect For Mothers Of Multiples

The following video will be most accurate if you turn the sound all the way up before viewing...



The baby on the left is my nephew Zachary and the one with the obnoxious lungs on the right is my dear, sweet Matthew. My sister and I were due on the same day but Matthew arrived 9 days early while Zack came 8 days late (Sucked to be my sister!) so they are about two and a half weeks apart.

So, my newfound respect for mothers of multiples...

The other day I had to watch my sister's kids for her. Aside from new little Zack she also has a very rambunctious two-year-old (Benji) and a sassy four-year-old (Kimberly). I had all three of them plus Matthew. (needless to say if my older two kids weren't in school at the time I would have lost my marbles)

Things started out fairly well--both newborns sleeping while the other two quietly ate breakfast. Zack started crying first so I was holding him. But then Matthew wakes up and of course it's time to eat. So I lay Zack next to me on the couch and start feeding Matthew. (keep in mind I mean breastfeeding.) Well Zack just won't stop screaming so I try to pick him up. I am literally breastfeeding Matthew in my left arm and holding Zack against my right shoulder trying to burp him because now he's cried so much he's got a bubble in his tummy. This soothes him for about five minutes and I start to think I'm just so talented and have this twin thing under control.

Enter Kimberly and Benjamin. By now the Lucky Charms I fed them for breaksast is kicking in and they begin wrestling each other on the couch next to me. They are biting each other's toes (gross, I know). I tell them to stop but what can I really do with a baby in each arm, one of which is literally attached to me?

So, said wrestlers end up kicking Zack's foot, which is all it takes to set him off screaming again. This gets Kimberly and Benji's attention so they take the toe-eating WWF onto the floor. Zack is still crying, Kimberly bites Benji's toe too hard. Benji hits Kimberly in retaliation. I threaten time-outs. And thankfully Kimberly and Benjamin are now mad enough at each other that they no longer want to play together and WWF ends.

I go back to trying to quiet Zack and no sooner do I get him quiet, then a stark naked Benji brings me his big boy pants yelling, "Aunt Kelly, pee pee! Pee pee!" He's pointing to the spot on the couch where he has peed all over it.

Now I have to put both babies down and Matthew is not finished eating and therefore thinks the world is coming to an end and it's his duty to let everyone know.

And this is how my sister finds me. Two screaming newborns, one butt-naked two-year-old running around with dripping underpants, and pee drying all over the couch. And all I can think at the time is, "Well at least Kimberly isn't sucking on Benjiman's toes anymore."

True story.

Book Review!

Finally posted the next book(s) on my review blog. It took us a while cause Josh had to read all three books before we could post our review. Click the picture to see the full review. And remember, we love to hear other people's thoughts as well. Whether you agree or disagree, join in the discussion!

My top 10 Fictional Boyfriends and why my husband earned the dedication of my first book.

Who is your fictional boyfriend? Come on, you know you have one. My problem is, I have too many. I'm kind of a fictional tramp actually.

I've often heard people complain that in books the love interest is too perfect. Personally, I don't complain when that happens. I just fall in love and then have to add another name to my list of fictional boyfriends. And when I'm writing I think that's a lot of the fun--to create a guy I can absolutely fall in love with.

Ryan Miller, (the love interest in Being Jamie Baker) is definitely my fictional boyfriend. But he's a little different though. He's kind of my fictional boyfriend as well as my real-life boyfriend because he has a lot of the same traits as my husband. For instance Josh never gets angry and he's impossibly optimistic. (This meshes quite nicely with my pessimism, but I can find it every bit as annoying as Jamie does sometimes.)

I won't bore you with the entire list of traits I stole from Josh to create Ryan Miller, but I will let you in on a secret about the book's dedication.  The dedication reads: For Joshua, the original Ryan Miller This sounds incredibly sweet and sappy and I did do that on purpose because I do love him more than life itself. But the truth is, he earned the title of Ryan Miller mostly because of his ego. *snicker* If my husband and Ryan ever met in real life they would spend the entire time telling each other how awesome they are. (My friend Summer can attest to this!)

There's a line from a Justin Timberlake song that says, "Is it really cocky if you know that it's true?" I think that sums up both Josh and Ryan's way of thinking quite nicely. In fact, my husband refers to the project he's currently been working on as "Einstein's Baby" because he says that if Albert Einstein and Alfred Hitchcock ever had a love child it would be this project he's working on--that's how awesome it is...  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this about my husband. He's cocky, and yet he's still very humble in a lot of ways which makes the ego completely endearing. 
So Ryan Miller = easy going, optimistic, happy, & slightly egotistical = my husband = my fictional boyfriend.

While I'm completely faithful to my Husband, I cannot claim the same for my fictional boyfriend Ryan. (Sorry Ryan, perfect guys may be hard to find in real life, but in the fictional world, I'm afraid You're a dime a dozen.) Which is why I have dozens of fictional boyfriends. I'll just list my top ten though. I should say current top ten since I'm completely fickle about my favorite anythings...

My Top 10 Fictional Boyfriends (Other than Ryan Miller)
1. Mark Darcy from Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice 2. Ian O'Shea from Stephenie Meyer's the Host.3. Jace Wayland from Cassandra Claire's Immortal Instruments series4. Edward Cullen from Stepheine Meyer's Twilight series. (Let me be clear that I mean Edward from the books and most definitely NOT the movies--which, if you ask me are two completely different characters. However, since I've vowed to try my best not to spend my life ranting about how much I hate those movies, I'll stop there. Oh, except that also when I say Edward Cullen do I in no way mean Robert Pattinson!)5. Rob Wilkins from Meg Cabot's 1-800-Where-Are-You series6. Caleb Becker from Simone Elkeles's Leaving Paradise (Which reminds me--I NEED to read Return to Paradise!)7. Theodore "Laurie" Laurence from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women 8. Cinna (What is his last name? Anyone?) from Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games Series9. Ash (The Winter Prince, does he even have a last name?) from Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series10. Gilbert Blithe from L.M. Montgomery's Anne Of Green Gables
So, now that I've shared my top 10 it begs the question, Who are your fictional boyfriends? Come on people, lets hear 'em!


Tweet

Win a copy of Being Jamie Baker!

To keep her secret safe Jamie socially exiles herself, earning the title of Rocklin High's resident ice queen. But during a super-charged encounter with star quarterback Ryan Miller she literally kisses anonymity goodbye. Now the annoyingly irresistible Ryan will stop at nothing to melt the heart of the ice queen and find out what makes her so special.
Unfortunately, Ryan is not the only person on to her secret. Will Jamie learn to contain her unstable powers before being discovered by the media, or turned into a government lab rat? 
More importantly, can she throw Ryan Miller off her trail before falling in love with him?

See Kelly. See Kelly Write. See Kelly give away a book a week in honor of November being National Being Jamie Baker Month!  *insert that little skeptical smiley with the raised eyebrow here*
Okay, so November is NOT National Being Jamie Baker month. (That would be cool though.) But since, according to wikipedia, November is... Native American Heritage Month, Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, COPD Awareness month, National Novel Writing Month, Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, American Diabetes Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, Crohn's & Ulcerative Colitis Awareness Month, National Pomegranate Month in the United States, The month dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory in the Roman Catholic Church, and my personal favorite, Movember! (an annual month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November)I figure there's still plenty of cause to give away free books.

The details:I'm going to give away one autographed copy of my debut novel Being Jamie Baker a week during the fabulous month of November. All you have to do to win is stalk me on one of my internet hang-outs. 
I will randomly pick one winner a week from one of the following places:A follower of this blog.A follower of my Twitter.A fan on Goodreads.A fan on Facebook.
Sign up for one of these for a chance to win. Sign up for all of them and you get four chances to win. See how that works? Fun huh? I'll announce the winners each Monday in November starting with the 8th and ending with the 29th. And I think that's basically it. Good luck!
Not yet heard of Being Jamie Baker? (No worries, you wouldn't be the only one--hence the giveaway.) Check out the trailer and then preview the entire FIRST CHAPTER.

(Mad props to the creative team at Bluefields for this awesome book trailer. I still get giddy when I see it.)


Tweet

October! Cooler temperatures, Halloween, and gearing up for NaNoWriMo!

As I was out and about this morning I noticed that I was not sweating like a freaking pig for the first time in months. My first thought was, Well that's natural seeing as how I'm not pregnant anymore. (Let's all take a moment to do a little happy dance for not being pregnant anymore!)

Okay, happy dance finished, back to story...  After discovering how not sweltering I was, I drove home with my window down just because I could do so without melting my face off. That's when I realized that it was below 100 degrees. And when it finally gets below 100 in Arizona, you know what that means? OCTOBER!!! (Let's all do another happy dance for one of the best months of the year.)

Bring on the Fall, baby! I love Fall. Especially since moving to Arizona. All the sudden the blistering-can't-leave-your-house-heat of August is gone and it becomes absolutely beautiful outside. The leaves start turning(not that there are many trees in the desert that do this), the Halloween decorations come out, you remember that you do in fact have neighbors because people can now come outside again... And finally, you begin preparing for the insanity that is NaNoWriMo.

That's right NaNoWriMo. Otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month.

Every year the month of November is dubbed National Novel Writing Month, and it is celebrated with a challenge. The challenge of writing an entire novel within the month of November. Well not entirely. The challenge consists of a 50,000 word goal, and 50k words is an extremely short novel. But as anyone who's ever participated in the challenge knows, 50k may be a short novel, but it's no laughing matter when given a 30 day deadline. Especially when Thanksgiving is crammed in those 30 days.

In order to "win" the challenge, you can't write a single word until November 1st and have to have reached 50,000 words by midnight December 1st. So why, then, do you begin preparing in October? Because most of us out there can't just sit down and pull a novel out of our butts with no prior thought. I've seen people do it, (not actually pull a novel out of their butt, but you know what I mean...) and my hat's off to those people. Personally though, I have to come up with a story and then outline it to death before I can begin writing. This takes me some time, and if I want to come even close to hitting that 50k goal, I have to be ready to set that pen on fire the moment it turns November.

So, this month, while still taking a little time to write every day on my current project, I will also be coming up with a brand new story outline for this years NaNo Novel. I'm really excited. I've got an idea that I'm stoked about and can't wait to start developing it. Not that there are a lot of details yet, but I will say this, I'm going to take a stab at my first paranormal/fantasy romance. (I'm all about Faeries at the moment.)

I'm determined to have this all planned out and ready to write by October 31st because I basically fail miserably at the NaNo challenge every year, and this time I'm determined to do it. Wish me luck! And if you're one to participate in the challenge feel free to chime in your thoughts as well! I shall leave you with two entertaining cartoons I found online that I feel pretty much sum me up.

This is me in October... 


And once November hits I turn to this... 
If you want to learn more about NaNoWriMo or sign up to be a participant visit the website.

Because I needed another project in my life.

He Read/She Read Book Review Blog
So basically, my husband and I got bored and started a book review blog. The thing is, we read a lot of the same books and figured that since we always discuss them and usually write reviews anyway, we may as well blog about it.

We thought it might be fun to have a blog where you get two different perspectives on the same book. Even more interesting that it's a male and female perspective. However, we're discovering that we think very similarly so we usually have a lot of the same things to say. (Plus, my husband is kind of girly so the mail/female thing isn't as drastic as you'd think. haha) But it's still a lot of fun!

Go check it out and put in your two cents! There are only two book reviews posted so far ("Paranormacly" by Kiersten White and "Monster High" by Lisi Harrison) because I have to wait for my super busy husband to catch up to me. I get way more opportunity to read than Josh because I read when I'm procrastinating my writing. Shame on me!

If you want to check out everything I read and all the reviews I write for the books that Josh doesn't read, you can always check out my Goodreads profile.

I lost 20 pounds this week. Bet you can't do that!

Yup, I had my baby. FINALLY! I don't know what's better, having the new addition to the family, or not being pregnant anymore. Okay, having the baby is better, but not being pregnant anymore feels pretty freaking good! Of course, now I'm breast feeding which is oh, so fun and not at all painful. (uh, yeah, sarcasm) The things we women do to bring children into this world. But he's so cute he's worth it.












Name: Matthew Ryan OramDate: September 11th, 2010Time: 9:09 a.m.Weight: 9 lbs. 8...

First Day Fiasco!

Today was my kids' first day of school and yesterday we spent the evening preparing for it--talking about it so the kids wouldn't be scared, picking out what to wear, putting names on backpacks, gathering all supplies, filling their "get-to-know-me" bags, etc, etc...  Oh, yeah, we were ready.
Um, not.
So this morning everything goes very smoothly. The kids were excited, so they got out of bed right away and didn't take five hundred years to get dressed and eat breakfast. We were all in great...