Stephanie Wardrop's Blog, page 7
July 2, 2013
Representing Massachusetts on the Reading Road Trip! Holla!
Georgia Barrett, the main character in my series of e-novellas, Snark and Cirumstance, is a recent transplant to Massachusetts, just like me. And, just like me, she had to learn some of the lingo – after having to learn how to spell the name of the state (two S’s then 1 S then 2 T’s).
See if you can translate this:
It’s Patriot’s Day and my boss wouldn’t let me off ‘cause he’s a pissah, so I decide to bang out and go visit my friend at Zoomass (1). Before I book it on the Pike, I stop by Cumby’s for a coffee, but the line was wicked long, so I banged a U-ie and hit Dunkie’s (2). Problem is, you can’t do that on Comm. Ave. and a statie with a wicked wiffie pulls me over. I almost mess my dungarees but I keep my cool because, hey, it’s Assachusetts, what are ya gonna do? I’m not gonna get bagged just for drivin’, ya-huh (3). Statie lets me go so I decide to pull into the nearest packie and get some lunch, quahogs, a frappe, a grinder, and an ice cream with jimmies ‘cause I was wicked hungry by then (4).
(1) Patriot’s Day is held on the third Monday of April and marks not just the first shots of the American Revolution but also the Boston Marathon. (The last one was pretty awful, so I’m not going to joke about that). If your boss is a “pissah” he’s a jerk; a bad day, a bad haircut, a bad clam (or quahog) can also be pissahs. “Banging out” means calling in sick when you’re not. “Zoomass” is the University of Massachusetts, UMass, a fine school despite its packing so many students into “the Towers” dorm complex that it has a population density that rivals Tokyo, which might be why it seems “zoo-like” to some.
(2) If you “book it to the Pike”, you’re quickly heading to Route 90 or the Massachusetts Turnpike, and if you stop at Cumby’s, you’re going to Cumberland Farms, a beloved “packie”, or package store (like a 7-11). And if you find that the line at the register is too long, you might try going to Dunkin’ Donuts instead, but Massholes like us love our Dunkies so much there is always a line there, too, even though there is a Dunkies for every five feet of paved road around here. And somehow they’re all packed with coffee and doughnut junkies.
(3) I don’t live in Boston, but I am pretty sure you should not make a U-turn on Commonwealth Avenue, and if you do, a state trooper with a buzzcut will probably pull you over. Then, you’ll need to pull your license out of your “pocketbook”, a term I thought only old ladies used for purses, but so do folks from the Bay State. But don’t be so scared that you soil your jeans (dungarees) even if you are fed up with the laws and government of the state that some who feel likewise refer to as “Assachusetts.”
(4) You don’t want to be arrested, or “bagged”, and not just because it could build up a huge appetite, enough to eat a platter of fried clams (quahogs, so now you also get the joke of the town name on Family Guy); a milkshake-type beverage; a sandwich that would elsewhere be called a “sub” or a “hero”; and an ice cream cone (probably Hood’s or Friendly’s) with sprinkles.
However, in truth, Georgia and I rarely hear these expressions because we live in the forgotten part of the state, the West. We do not think the world revolves around Boston. We do not pahk our cahr in Hahvahd Yahd. And some of our neighbors even have the temerity to root for the Yankees. We believe that Western Mass deserves more attention because there’s some really great stuff here.
SPRINGFIELD has the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Museum Quadrangle, which features sculptures of local hero Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Here are the Grinch and Max 
courtesy of http://www.catinthehat.org/memorial.htm.
NORTHAMPTON AND HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, AKA “THE HAPPY VALLEY” have five colleges (UMass, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, and Amherst), great college towns with bookstores and excellent restaurants (including great vegan food at Café Evolution and Bela in Noho (Northampton)), plus some beautiful farmland and countryside. It also features the best ice cream anywhere at Herrell’s in Northampton 
The BERKSHIRES is almost unmatched for beauty: mountains, lakes, streams, and wildlife. Plus lots of great little towns and small cities, Tanglewood’s famous outdoor concerts, hiking and skiing, museums in Pittsfield and North Adams, and Lenox has the home of one of my favorite writers, Edith Wharton’s The Mount, pictured here. 
Out here in the west, we may not get as much attention as Boston and the east, but it’s a great place to live.
ENTER HERE AT RAFFLECOPTER TO WIN THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE SNARK AND CIRCUMSTANCE E-NOVELLA SERIES. SEND ME YOUR TWO FAVORITE BITS OF LINGO FROM WHERE YOU LIVE AND YOU COULD WIN!
a Rafflecopter giveaway Or just leave a comment here, on my Twitter page (@s_wardrop) or at the blogs of our awesome reading road trip tour guides, @Hafsah of http://www.iceybooks.com and Britta of http://www.ilikethesebooks.com/ . Thanks for including me on the road trip, ladies, and happy reading and good luck to all who enter!
Catch more of the Reading Road Trip:
Reading Road-Trip Itinerary 2013
Hosted by: Britta at I Like These Books & Hafsah at IceyBooks
(Key: MG, YA, Adult, All Three)
Monday July 1:
Maine
New Hampshire: Book Cover Justice {International}
Tuesday July 2:
Vermont
Massachusetts: World’s Oldest Fledgling {International}
Wednesday July 3:
Rhode Island
Connecticut: Read-A-holicZ {International}
Thursday July 4:
New Jersey
Friday July 5:
New York: My Life is a Notebook {US Only}
Saturday July 6:
Pennsylvania: NightlyReading {US Only}
Delaware
Sunday July 7:
Maryland: The Eater of Books {International}
West Virginia: Reading Angels {International}
Monday July 8:
Washington D.C.
Tuesday July 9:
Virginia: The Bookmark Blog {US Only}
North Carolina
Wednesday July 10:
South Carolina
Georgia: Panda Reads {US Only}
Thursday July 11:
Florida: Jenna Does Books {US/Canada}
Alabama: Zach’s YA Reviews {US Only}
Friday July 12:
Mississippi
Tennessee: Bookish Things and More {International}
Saturday July 13:
Kentucky
Ohio: Book Jems {International}
Sunday July 14:
Michigan
Indiana
Monday July 15:
Illinois: In Wonderland {US Only}
Missouri: Mommasez… {US Only}
Tuesday July 16:
Arkansas
Louisiana: Verb Vixen {US/Canada}
Wednesday July 17:
Texas: The Princess of Storyland {US Only}
Thursday July 18:
Oklahoma
Kansas: Claire M. Caterer {US/Canada}
Friday July 19:
Iowa
Wisconsin
Saturday July 20:
Minnesota: Fiction Freak {US Only}
North Dakota
Sunday July 21:
South Dakota
Nebraska
Monday July 22:
Colorado:
New Mexico
Tuesday July 23:
Mexico
Wednesday July 24:
Arizona: Darci Cole {US Only}
Utah: Angela’s Anxious Life {US Only}
Thursday July 25:
Wyoming: Hope, Faith & Books {US Only}
Montana
Friday July 26:
Indiana
Nevada
Saturday July 27:
California: The White Unicorn {US/Canada}
Sunday July 28:
Oregon
Washington: Lisa Loves Literature {US Only}
Monday July 29:
Canada: Mark of the Stars {US/Canada}
Tuesday July 30:
Alaska: Little Lovely Books {International}
Wednesday July 31:
Hawaii
July 1, 2013
It’s Time to Vote!
Vote Ull in the NA Crush Tourney at NA Alley blog. Round one begins at midnight on July 2d.
June 30, 2013
As if you need a fifth reason. . .
But if you do RAGNAROCK’N'ROLL, BABY! You want this man on your side when the dark forces come to destroy humanity. So vote #TeamUll Tuesday in Round One of the #NACrushTourney at NA Alley. Don’t let the dark elves win.
P.S. He’s the only Norse god on Twitter @ullmyrh. So that’s a sixth reason.
All together now: 5 Reasons to Vote for Ull Today
Godspeed you to the on July 2 to vote a Norse god to victory in round one of the NA Crush Tournament! Thor’s too busy swinging his hammer and Loki’s just a conceited ass with daddy issues. Look to the God of Winter for love, ladies – though he’s already chosen someone to share his life (and Ragnarock) with. Check him out in ST Bende’s Elsker Saga and GO VOTE!
Indie-pendence Day Giveaway! Leigh T. Moore’s Dragonfly
Leigh T. Moore’s DRAGONFLY is a romantic tale, and, as you can probably tell by the excerpt here, all kinds of steamy. So, to celebrate INDIEpendence Day with the good folks at The Indelibles Blog*, Leigh is giving away one signed paperback copy of Dragonfly (US only) and one ebook (international). Just leave a comment below telling me about a memorable experience you had in a car (it does NOT have to be steamy — no letters to Penthouse, please.). Maybe it was a rockin’ road trip or a first kiss. Share in the comments and win a great book!
*http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com/...
June 27, 2013
4th Reason to Vote #TeamUll
He’s not just hot. He’s not just a natty dresser. He;s also well-educated, erudite, and sensitive.
Boo-yah!
Vote Ull on July 2 at the NA Alley’s Crush Tournament!
June 26, 2013
A Third Reason to Vote for Ull
If you haven’t even read ST Bende’s Elsker yet, let me remind you that the hero is based on this guy and that he is a god (not god-like. He’s a straight-up bona fide immortal). So go get yourself a copy. And then vote at the NA Alley Crush Tournament. Ull’s first round is July 2d!
awesome cover reveal #2
Kenya Wright’s COMPLICATED, soon to be released by Swoon Romance!
Get your summer reading on.
Awesome cover reveal #1
Lizzy Charles’ EFFORTLESS WITH YOU coming soon from Swoon Romance!
June 25, 2013
Reason #2 to Vote #Team Ull!
Don’t forget! July 2 we put our favorite Norse god through the first bracket of the NA Crush Tourney over at NA Alley. And stay hydrated, my friends.
