Megan Bostic's Blog, page 57

Thought Provoking Thursday: Empty Head

I'm not sure I have anything thought provoking to write about today as I sit here watching squirrels mate in my backyard, debating gardening and divorce and Swag, all random thoughts that have seemed to run together in my head for some reason.

Seriously, my train of thought has been crazy this morning.  It went from me working late and having a margarita meeting after work, to the squirrels in my backyard, hoping they don't have their babies nearby, to theh catpoop I have to rake nearby where the squirrels were "doing it" to my garden, hoping the cats don't poop in it, to the soil I have to buy to finish my planting, to poetry and how I have to be full of angst to write it and wondering where other poets get their inspiration, to my ARCs which haven't been sent to all my bloggers yet, to my swag, much of which I still have to create/order to this crazy idea I have for publicity.

Is that a normal train of thought?  All this in a matter of about fifteen minutes?

What's on your mind this morning?

Writing Wednesday: Finding Nirvana

For today's Writing Wednesday, I've decided to pull out a novel I started that will more than likely never see the light of day.  And PLEASE don't compare it to Mama Mia, I've already been told the plot is similar, though I've never seen the movie myself.  Without further ado, the opening paragraphs of Finding Nirvana.


      My name is Lanie and I'm a grunge addict.  Yes I'm well aware that it's 2010, and grunge was so 1990's, but it wasn't really a choice, it was a way of life.  At times I felt like I was born a decade too late.  I would have totally fit in with the Seattle grunge scene, but that was my mom's life, not mine.  So deep into that scene, she chose to name me Layne Veddar Cobain Cornell Miller.  Ridiculous I know, but she couldn't make up her mind between her favorite singers from Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden, respectively.  I decided when I started school that I would go by Lanie.  It sounded more, well, like a girl.       When it comes to my dad, things get a bit more complicated.  You see, I don't really know who he is, well, I kind of do.  He could be one of three guys, the first being Kenny James.  He's a totally smart way cool dude who manages a couple local bands, the most "famous" if you can call it that being Toke.  The second might be BJ Dubois, the drummer for Drop Dead Lead, and no I don't know if that's his real name, or if he took the initials just to be funny or clever, which he's neither though he thinks he is.  He's a bit socially retarded, but he's nice, and not bad to look at.  The last contestant on "Who's My Dad" is Doug "Spaz" Harris, singer of The Deceased.  If you knew Doug, you'd know exactly why they called him Spaz.  First of all, he's got Tourettes, so he tenses up and blurts out the most insane funniest shit at times, also, when he's on stage, he dances like he's having a seizure.     These three are pretty much interchangeable to me, all white, all in their late thirties, all still living life as if they're rock stars.  I can't blame them really, I've got the bug myself and it's hard to shake, plus I've never heard of a twelve step program for this kind of addiction.  When you look at those guys, there's not one distinct feature you could point out and say, "oh, he's GOT to be Lanie's dad."  I mean, my eyes are blue like Kenny's, I have full lips, like BJ, and I'm tall and thin like Spaz.  And I guess seventeen years ago my mother loved them all.  So there you go.

Tuesday T is for Too Little Sleep

I go in these spurts of not being able to get out of bed, to having to survive off 3-4 hours of sleep a night.  Why does my body do this to me?  I haven't treated it that badly throughout the years.  I eat right (mostly) I exercise (sometimes) I don't smoke or do drugs or drink alcohol (okay maybe that last one).  What did I do to deserve this?

Last night, I have no idea why I couldn't sleep.  Night before, my WIP (work in progress for you lay people) was churning through my mind.  Night before that, a book I'd read stuck with me.  It's always something.

Here is what I'm going to do to help myself sleep.
Count monkeys.  They're so much more interesting than sheep.Run myself ragged.  Nevermind.  I already do that and it doesn't seem to work.Cut out the caffeine.  Who am I kidding?  Someone would die if I cut out the caffeine.Drink tea. Blech. No.Avoid alcohol before bed. Um . . .Get rid of the stress in my life. Er . . .Try not to think so much. Right.Counting monkeys it is.
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Monday Morning Blahg: YA Too Dark?

Many of you have probably already seen the Wall Street Journal article about the darkness in YA literature.  I hate to give this article any more attention, but the article irked my royal.  The writer of the article talks about how all the books are dark and gruesome, full of violence, abuse, self mutilation, profanity, addiction, yadda yadda yadda.

You know what I was reading when I was thirteen?  Stephen King.  Firestarter, Dead Zone, The Stand, Cujo.  Full of foul language and sex and violence.  Was this my only option?  No, but it's what I liked reading.

Teens are reading.  Isn't that a good thing?  These days, teens are reading topics that interest them, topics they can relate to, topics that deal with the problems they deal with.  The author mentions a few books that she says, "don't end well."  Life is not all butterflies and rainbows.  Teens these days face some really horrific realities-homophobia, depression, violence, suicide.  Most of these books they're reading do offer hope in the end.  It's not all gloom and doom.  And many teens feel these books help them deal.  If you don't believe me, check out Twitter #yasaves. 

And yes, the fantasy books are full of the same stuff the realistic books are: violence, death, profanity.  Again, this is not anything they're not exposed to in their every day life, but also offers a form of escape into a world other than they're own.

I wonder if the adults that have a problem with YA let their kids play violent video games, or watch movies or TV shows full of sex and violence. Kids are exposed to this kind of stuff every day, whether through media or reality.  Why should we shield them from their own actualities?

I've spoken my peace.

F³A: Mowing and other bits

Okay, so first off, I mowed my lawn for the first time (don't think I'm a slacker, I don't have a lawn mower, so I've had a variety of men over to do this for me, which didn't suck).  And I will say this.  My lawn is a bitch.  First of all, it's HUGE.  Second of all, the lawnmower I borrowed wasn't self propelled, so I had to actually work.  I'm surprised I'm not sore today.  It took me like an hour and a beer to do it.  At one point I was so tired of mowing I actually ran with the mower to get it done faster.  I'm going to get rid of some lawn.  That's for sure. (and buy a self propelled mower)

Okay, I posted a couple weeks ago that I was getting divorced.  Well that didn't happen because the dumb commissioner said I needed stuff that two attorneys have told me I don't really need to get divorced.  So, I go back today.  And if I'm not divorced by the time I walk out of that courtroom, someone is going to get hurt. (totally kidding, but I will be seriously pissed.


I'm making my kids cinnamon (I can't ever spell that) rolls for breakfast.  Non sequitur.

Started watching Bed of Roses last night, because my kids are totally into 80's movies and we love Christian Slater, and I thought I loved that movie.  Then I realized I'm not even sure I've seen that movie and Mary Stuart Masterson was supposed to be Marissa Tomei, so I had my daughter look up Christian Slater on Netflix.  Untamed Heart.  That's the one I wanted to watch.  So we did.  And it's still awesome.

Okay, I know that was all totally random, but it's the Friday Free For All after all.

My nibbles:

Random Pandora Song: Slide by the Goo Goo DollsGreatest Hits Volume One - The Singles.  I will mention I'm listening to One Republic radion.

Movie of the Week:  I'm going to stick with Untamed Heart I love that my kids or into 80's movies.  It's like reliving my youth.

Book of the Week:  Popular by Alissa Grosso Okay, seriously, I'm loving this book.  And I KNOW there is going to bea twist, maybe a couple, and I'm excited to find out what they are.  I've been guessing, we'll see if I'm right.

Quote of the Week: "Do or do not...there is no try." ~Yoda  Not only is this quote in my friend Gae's book The Pull of Gravity, but I've just been hearing people say it a lot lately.  And it's a good quote to live by, and I'm trying to do.  I'm sick of trying.

Until Monday,

Megan

Thought Provoking Thursday: Moving

[image error] I swear the last couple years here in the PNW have been horrible.  It's been gray from September to May and we had no summer to speak of last year.  We have two season: Rain for ten months, sun for two.  And we don't even get rainbows anymore.  What's up with that?

This year, our weather has been having an identity crisis.  Like right now, the sun is out.  It's bright, shiny, and blue skies.  But in a few short hours, it's going to be pouring down rain according to the weather man, and I think he's going to be right.

It's impossible to know what to wear when you leave the house. 

This is the first year I've seriously debated moving to someplace with more sun.  Arizona mostly likely.  I would at least, if I make a mint, like to buy a house down there.  Just a tiny one with a pool where I can go for a couple weeks during the winter to get my battery recharged.

I'm not sure I can take another Washington fall/winter/spring.

Please let this book sell. 

Ciao,

Megan

Writing Wednesday: Sad

     Just a little bit.  I posted on my Facebook page a couple days ago, so if you've already read it I apologize.  There's much in Sad I don't want to give away.  Always keep in mind, the writing I post here is unedited.
 As if by intuition, Bryce turned around.  He mouthed shit and grabbed my dad's arm.  They began running toward me.  The world spun out of control.  I felt my body collapse and the cool, dewy grass enveloped me like nature's coffin.  The stars in the sky whirled around, reminding me of Van Gogh's Starry Night.  I couldn't make out a single constellation, not Cassiopeia, not Orion, not even the Big Dipper.  Then it all stopped—the pain, the spinning, the whirling—and all turned dark, as if I'd just been sucked inside a black hole of emptiness.
Thanks for reading, Megan

Tuesday T is for Time Off

Yep, that's me taking time off from my blog yesterday.  Did I mean to?  No.  In fact when I sat down to write this today, I was starting the Monday Morning Blahg until I realized it was Tuesday.

That is the sign of a good weekend.  And it was, it was fun and lazy and sunny.  Friday night I stayed in and watched Black Swan which I thought was very good though a bit disturbing.  Saturday I went to a beautiful wedding with friends (one of which I would like to be my boyfriend).  Sunday, I took a totally lazy day, well, not really lazy.  I did write, and work on some marketing stuff.  But I got to take my time and take breaks.

Yesterday I worked in my yard, mostly shoveling.   Which is a story in itself.  When I moved into my house, the previous owners had these two berms in which he planted flowers, at the front of my driveway.  I thought they were ugly and I kept running over them with my car, so I decided I would turn them into tiered herb gardens.  I started digging out the edges so I could pour some concrete (to make it a little easier to back out of my driveway) and so I could edge the garden. 

At the corner of one of the berms, I found concrete underneath, which kind of threw a monkey wrench in my plans.  So, yesterday, I decided to dig into the berm to find out how far the concrete went.  Well, I found that it was about two feet wide, and went from the sidewalk all the way to the house.  I dug it out as far as where I wanted my herb garden, but was completely mystified as to why someone would put a flower bed, and sod over a strip of concrete.

So, I'm still going to put my garden in, I just don't really have a plan of action, instead of them being triangular, I think I'll make them square.  I guess.

Anyway, after that, I sat in the sun and read while drinking a glass of wine, took a nap (which if you know me, you know I NEVER do), watched Invictus, which was excellent, and went to bed.

I even forgot to set my alarm clock, so I woke up a little late. Oops.

How was your holiday weekend?

Ciao,

Megan

F³A: Time

I don't have any anymore it seems. None that's free anyway.  I work.   Then I go home and work some more.  I don't think I could possibly have fathomed how much time and energy it takes to release a book.  You write it, get a book deal, and the rest just falls into place, right?  Um, no.

First there's swag.  If you don't know what swag is, it's pretty much a group of promotional items you give away.  Most people would hire someone to design these things for them, but since I have a bit of know-how (a small bit really, but enough not to pay to have it done) I'm designing them myself.  Time.  Yep.  I just ordered buttons yesterday.  I'm designing bookmarks.  I'll probably do some stickers, pencils, and hopefully come up with some other really brilliant ideas.

Once you have the swag, it's time to make connections.  You take them to your local bookstores and libraries and ask them to carry your book.  You give them to LA teachers and school librarians to give to their students.  You send them all over the country to any of your connections that will pass them out for you to their local bookstores and libraries. 

Then there's donation letters.  I'm reaching out to any company I mentioned in the book.  Ford, Starbucks, the Space Needle, etc, and ask if they will donate ANYTHING for giveaways.  I'm still working on this one.

I've booked one release gig.  But I'll need to do at least three or four to include everyone I want to.  And this will require me talking to my local indie store, which I as of now have no relationship whatsoever.

I'm trying to put some of these things in place now because I know the closer it gets to the release, the busier it's going to get.

There's way more than that too. AND I'm also working with the Class of 2k12 on basically the same stuff.  I love it, but it's exhausting.

That's all for today.  Getting sidetracked and feel poopy. Happy Friday and have a great holiday weekend.  Remember all those who gave their lives for your freedom.

I'll leave you with the Friday Nibbles.

Random Pandora Song: Break Even by the Script.  I freakin' love this song and it's so true.

Book of the week: I'm still reading Popular by Alissa Grosso, but let's throw Tension of Opposites in there too.  It's by Kristina McBride.  Just Facebook friended her and we have a mutual friend.

Netfix of the week: The Office Season Six.  Just finished it.  Hilarious

Quote of the week: "When love is not madness, it is not love."  ~Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Thought Provoking Thursday: Tornadoes

Not so much a blog today as a prayer for those living in the wake or path of the tornadoes.  So much devastation and loss.

I have friends and family in those areas and I fear for them.

Be well all of you that continue to receive tornado warnings.  Stay safe.

Megan