Sara B. Larson's Blog, page 8
March 7, 2013
The big 3-0
So, I have a rather big birthday heading my way next week. But will I be here, celebrating in the cold?
No way!
I will be here, relaxing on the sunny, gorgeous beaches of Cancun with SHH!
Sun and sand and all-inclusive restaurants and I can't wait!
See you all on the flip side!
No way!
I will be here, relaxing on the sunny, gorgeous beaches of Cancun with SHH!Sun and sand and all-inclusive restaurants and I can't wait!
See you all on the flip side!
February 26, 2013
So much gratitude
*warning, this post is long, but hopefully worth reading
Wow. Just, wow. The response over the last few days since my book deal for DEFY got announced have been absolutely amazing. So many messages, emails, comments, tweets, and more--some of which even made me cry! An amazing book blogger that I admire and have followed for years already added DEFY to Goodreads and it just made it that much more real: my book is going to be a REAL BOOK. People want to read it! People are excited about it! I can't even begin to express my gratitude to all of you for making this such a wonderful moment in my life--and for being excited about DEFY!
Guys, most of you know what a looooong road this has been for me. And I linked to a bunch of posts about that in my last post, so I won't repeat it again. Instead, I'm going to talk a little bit more about this particular book, and how it came to be.
Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Josh's death. My sweet cousin Megan's birthday is today. I can't believe a year has passed since we lost him. After his death, I couldn't write. I'd sit down at my computer and nothing would come out and the reality of Josh's death would hit me over and over again, and I'd just sit there and cry. This is the post I wrote after we lost Josh: sometimes the answer is no.
It was a very difficult time in many lives.
One thing I didn't talk about on my blog, was that three weeks before he died, I'd made the gut-wrenching decision to leave my first agent after two years of working together. Within a couple of days after his funeral, my month of waiting was up and I began querying again. I was terrified. And broken in so many ways. Everyday that I sat down to write (because as I've said before, the best advice anyone gave me was to always WRITE ANOTHER BOOK), no words would come.
Then one of my friends told me to just let whatever I was feeling come out. To not worry about a story or a plot, just write what was in my heart.
So I did. It was a dark scene, in a jungle. Someone had just died. I poured all of my emotions into those words.
And that scene became the first words I wrote of DEFY. I had no idea what it would turn into. I had no idea who these characters were--yet. All of my pain, the stark reality of death I had just experienced, and my wish for eventual happiness in the face of death became a story that is full of hardship and loss, but also a story of courage and life. A story of magic and love and sword-fighting and defiance and characters who surprised me and took me places I didn't know we were going, and who I love so intensely, I can't wait to share them with all of you. But it was a difficult story to figure out. I wrote the first 10k quickly, within a few days. And then I hit a wall. I had a different idea that I decided to pursue instead. I figured DEFY (which was called Daughter of War at the time) would be nothing more than an exercise to help me sort through some of my emotions after Josh's death.
But it wouldn't leave me alone. And when July came and I still hadn't received another offer yet, I decided I needed to come back to this book. To figure out what the heck was going on with it.
For weeks, I tried to figure out where the plot was going, what needed to happen. I barely got any words written. It was unusual and so frustrating for me. I barely managed to eek out another 5-10k words. By early August I had almost come to hate this book. It just wouldn't speak to me. And the book I was querying, while it garnered some very serious interest, a near-offer, and a request for a revision, ultimately didn't seem as though it was going to get me another agent.
It was the closest I'd ever come to quitting. I knew I couldn't quit--I knew I wouldn't quit--but after six and a half years of rejection and trial after trial after crazy trial, and now seemingly unable to write a new book, I didn't know what to do.
Did I truly want this dream or not? Was I willing to give up now after everything I had been through, suffered, pressed on and endured?
Yes, I wanted it. And I was NOT going to quit. So I sat down, and just made myself write. It didn't happen that day, or the next, but about a week later, suddenly, it clicked. The plot FINALLY fell into place. The characters finally told me their secrets. And I wrote the last 60k in about five days, including one marathon session on a Saturday from eleven in the morning until eight at night. (I had to hire a babysitter because my husband worked.) When I finished DEFY, I was crying. I was drained. But I'd never felt more proud of a book in my life. I knew there was something special about this one. I love all of my books, but I truly felt like this was the best work I'd ever done.
I revised it for a couple of weeks and sent it to some readers. Two had read for me before and one hadn't. The one who hadn't loved this book so much, it blew me away. I waited for the feedback from all three, and then spent another month revising it, and then decided to bite the bullet and query it.
Well, you know what happened next.
And now, here we are. DEFY is going to be published in about a year.
Life is so interesting. One year ago, I was the one in the hospital wondering why the whole world hadn't stopped spinning, why so many people were living their lives, blissfully unaware of the heart-shattering loss we were enduring.
Today, one year later, my sister is in the hospital, but not because of death. Instead, she is there to deliver life--to welcome her first child, her newborn son, into the world.
And today, one year later, the book that grew out of grief and loss, and turned into so much more, has been announced to the world.
All around us are triumphs and failure. There is joy and devastation. As I sit here, trying to figure out how to put my gratitude and excitement into words, I can't stop thinking about my cousin who is celebrating her birthday for the first time without her sweet husband. I can't stop thinking about my sister, about to usher new life into the world. I can't stop thinking about everything that has brought me to this moment. Death. Life. Joy. Sorrow. Life is made of all of these and more.
DEFY is a story that grew from a broken heart and a desperate hope, and became something that I am truly proud of and excited to share with all of you. I hope that when you get the chance to read it you will love it as much as I do.
And I hope that no matter what your dream is, no matter what heartaches you may be enduring--or that may come someday--that you will never give up. That you will keep fighting for your dreams, for happiness, for the joy that will always come, if we just believe long enough
And I hope that when that day of triumph comes, that you will have as many wonderful people to celebrate with you as I have been blessed to have in my life! I have been so fortunate to have very supportive family and friends to celebrate with me and here is some picture proof:
Going to The OG with my family to celebrate! (This is the sister that is having her baby boy right now!)
Another one of my beautiful sisters (and my darling niece)!
Most of the family (a few had to leave early). This was such a memorable night! The server at the table next to us shouted out to the whole restaurant that someone had a birthday, so then my dad stood up and shouted to the whole restaurant that I had sold my book and was getting published! Everyone cheered, and the women at the birthday table were very excited to ask me about it. The most ironic part is that a couple of weeks ago, we all went to Chili's and the same family was there and she remembered my dad and came up and asked me if we were the ones from the OG who he'd yelled about getting published! A memory I'll never forget, for sure.
My husband's parents, a couple of his cousins, and his aunt and uncle also wanted to celebrate with me! We went to dinner, where his aunt brought me flowers, his mom bought dinner, and SHH had the sweetest surprise for me!
A personalized pen!
This is the box the pen came in (as I said, the book was originally called Daughter of War).
The pen inside has my name on it and a bunch of inspirational words/phrases. It was the most thoughtful, wonderful gift. I saved that pen so that the first time I used it was to sign my contract a week ago!
And then my parents surprised me on Christmas Eve by giving me a Christmas/Congratulations present: my very own Le Creuset!! (Any of you chefs out there know how amazing this gift is.) That is the face of super excitement and shock!
And I also had some wonderful friends take me to dinner: Natalie Whipple and Michelle Argyle made me feel so special! Thank you girls!
I also celebrated with many other wonderful people in many ways. But this post is already SO long, I better stop. I just want to say thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And don't ever, ever give up. No matter what.
Wow. Just, wow. The response over the last few days since my book deal for DEFY got announced have been absolutely amazing. So many messages, emails, comments, tweets, and more--some of which even made me cry! An amazing book blogger that I admire and have followed for years already added DEFY to Goodreads and it just made it that much more real: my book is going to be a REAL BOOK. People want to read it! People are excited about it! I can't even begin to express my gratitude to all of you for making this such a wonderful moment in my life--and for being excited about DEFY!
Guys, most of you know what a looooong road this has been for me. And I linked to a bunch of posts about that in my last post, so I won't repeat it again. Instead, I'm going to talk a little bit more about this particular book, and how it came to be.
Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Josh's death. My sweet cousin Megan's birthday is today. I can't believe a year has passed since we lost him. After his death, I couldn't write. I'd sit down at my computer and nothing would come out and the reality of Josh's death would hit me over and over again, and I'd just sit there and cry. This is the post I wrote after we lost Josh: sometimes the answer is no.
It was a very difficult time in many lives.
One thing I didn't talk about on my blog, was that three weeks before he died, I'd made the gut-wrenching decision to leave my first agent after two years of working together. Within a couple of days after his funeral, my month of waiting was up and I began querying again. I was terrified. And broken in so many ways. Everyday that I sat down to write (because as I've said before, the best advice anyone gave me was to always WRITE ANOTHER BOOK), no words would come.
Then one of my friends told me to just let whatever I was feeling come out. To not worry about a story or a plot, just write what was in my heart.
So I did. It was a dark scene, in a jungle. Someone had just died. I poured all of my emotions into those words.
And that scene became the first words I wrote of DEFY. I had no idea what it would turn into. I had no idea who these characters were--yet. All of my pain, the stark reality of death I had just experienced, and my wish for eventual happiness in the face of death became a story that is full of hardship and loss, but also a story of courage and life. A story of magic and love and sword-fighting and defiance and characters who surprised me and took me places I didn't know we were going, and who I love so intensely, I can't wait to share them with all of you. But it was a difficult story to figure out. I wrote the first 10k quickly, within a few days. And then I hit a wall. I had a different idea that I decided to pursue instead. I figured DEFY (which was called Daughter of War at the time) would be nothing more than an exercise to help me sort through some of my emotions after Josh's death.
But it wouldn't leave me alone. And when July came and I still hadn't received another offer yet, I decided I needed to come back to this book. To figure out what the heck was going on with it.
For weeks, I tried to figure out where the plot was going, what needed to happen. I barely got any words written. It was unusual and so frustrating for me. I barely managed to eek out another 5-10k words. By early August I had almost come to hate this book. It just wouldn't speak to me. And the book I was querying, while it garnered some very serious interest, a near-offer, and a request for a revision, ultimately didn't seem as though it was going to get me another agent.
It was the closest I'd ever come to quitting. I knew I couldn't quit--I knew I wouldn't quit--but after six and a half years of rejection and trial after trial after crazy trial, and now seemingly unable to write a new book, I didn't know what to do.
Did I truly want this dream or not? Was I willing to give up now after everything I had been through, suffered, pressed on and endured?
Yes, I wanted it. And I was NOT going to quit. So I sat down, and just made myself write. It didn't happen that day, or the next, but about a week later, suddenly, it clicked. The plot FINALLY fell into place. The characters finally told me their secrets. And I wrote the last 60k in about five days, including one marathon session on a Saturday from eleven in the morning until eight at night. (I had to hire a babysitter because my husband worked.) When I finished DEFY, I was crying. I was drained. But I'd never felt more proud of a book in my life. I knew there was something special about this one. I love all of my books, but I truly felt like this was the best work I'd ever done.
I revised it for a couple of weeks and sent it to some readers. Two had read for me before and one hadn't. The one who hadn't loved this book so much, it blew me away. I waited for the feedback from all three, and then spent another month revising it, and then decided to bite the bullet and query it.
Well, you know what happened next.
And now, here we are. DEFY is going to be published in about a year.
Life is so interesting. One year ago, I was the one in the hospital wondering why the whole world hadn't stopped spinning, why so many people were living their lives, blissfully unaware of the heart-shattering loss we were enduring.
Today, one year later, my sister is in the hospital, but not because of death. Instead, she is there to deliver life--to welcome her first child, her newborn son, into the world.
And today, one year later, the book that grew out of grief and loss, and turned into so much more, has been announced to the world.
All around us are triumphs and failure. There is joy and devastation. As I sit here, trying to figure out how to put my gratitude and excitement into words, I can't stop thinking about my cousin who is celebrating her birthday for the first time without her sweet husband. I can't stop thinking about my sister, about to usher new life into the world. I can't stop thinking about everything that has brought me to this moment. Death. Life. Joy. Sorrow. Life is made of all of these and more.
DEFY is a story that grew from a broken heart and a desperate hope, and became something that I am truly proud of and excited to share with all of you. I hope that when you get the chance to read it you will love it as much as I do.
And I hope that no matter what your dream is, no matter what heartaches you may be enduring--or that may come someday--that you will never give up. That you will keep fighting for your dreams, for happiness, for the joy that will always come, if we just believe long enough
And I hope that when that day of triumph comes, that you will have as many wonderful people to celebrate with you as I have been blessed to have in my life! I have been so fortunate to have very supportive family and friends to celebrate with me and here is some picture proof:
Going to The OG with my family to celebrate! (This is the sister that is having her baby boy right now!)
Another one of my beautiful sisters (and my darling niece)!
Most of the family (a few had to leave early). This was such a memorable night! The server at the table next to us shouted out to the whole restaurant that someone had a birthday, so then my dad stood up and shouted to the whole restaurant that I had sold my book and was getting published! Everyone cheered, and the women at the birthday table were very excited to ask me about it. The most ironic part is that a couple of weeks ago, we all went to Chili's and the same family was there and she remembered my dad and came up and asked me if we were the ones from the OG who he'd yelled about getting published! A memory I'll never forget, for sure.
My husband's parents, a couple of his cousins, and his aunt and uncle also wanted to celebrate with me! We went to dinner, where his aunt brought me flowers, his mom bought dinner, and SHH had the sweetest surprise for me!
A personalized pen!
This is the box the pen came in (as I said, the book was originally called Daughter of War).
The pen inside has my name on it and a bunch of inspirational words/phrases. It was the most thoughtful, wonderful gift. I saved that pen so that the first time I used it was to sign my contract a week ago!
And then my parents surprised me on Christmas Eve by giving me a Christmas/Congratulations present: my very own Le Creuset!! (Any of you chefs out there know how amazing this gift is.) That is the face of super excitement and shock!
And I also had some wonderful friends take me to dinner: Natalie Whipple and Michelle Argyle made me feel so special! Thank you girls!I also celebrated with many other wonderful people in many ways. But this post is already SO long, I better stop. I just want to say thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And don't ever, ever give up. No matter what.
February 21, 2013
THE post!
I've been staring at this blank screen for ... well, a while now. There are so many things I could say today--things I want to say. But I honestly don't know how to put into words what I'm feeling right now. Ironic, considering that words are what I use for a living.
I've already said much of what has lead me to this point before in THIS post, or THIS one, or even THIS SERIES of posts, way back in the distant past detailing my path to getting my first agent. (That link is the first post, I think I did it in 5 parts or something crazy like that. Also, I probably sound incredibly naive in those posts, so don't judge too harshly!)
It's been a long, long road.
BUT.
SOMETHING BIG HAPPENED.
Since I'm struggling to figure out what to write, instead of words, I'll use images. Today, this post is about something that makes me feel like this:
And this:
And now, finally, I get to share this from Publisher's Weekly:
Lisa Sandell at Scholastic Press has bought Sara B. Larson's Defy, a debut YA adventure romance pitched as in the vein of Kristin Cashore and Leigh Bardugo. In the novel, the fiercest member of a prince's elite guard is actually a girl disguised as a boy, who gets embroiled in a deadly game of thrones while keeping her secret, and realizes she has far deeper feelings for the prince than she thought. The book will pub in spring 2014; Josh Adams at Adams Literary brokered the deal for North American rights.
I've been dying to share this news for a while and now I finally get to! AAAGGGHH!!!! ALL THE HAPPINESS!!!
When I got the call from Josh, he asked me how I was doing and then said, "Well, you're going to be published!"
I thought I'd do this:
And this:
Which I totally did... eventually. But when he said that to me, before I even knew who or what, I think I said, "I am?" and then did this:
And then when I found out who and what I did this:
(Except, they were ECSTATIC tears... But the ice cream is really appropriate because my hubby brought home ice cream to celebrate!)
Tears of joy, tears of relief... I'm sure Josh thought I was crazy.
But after my tears dried, there definitely was a lot of this:
Wow, that's a whole lot of emotion, right??
Guys, I am so so thrilled to be working with Lisa and to have my book published by Scholastic! It's an absolute dream come true!! And I can't wait to share DEFY with you! (This is the book I wrote last August, that used to be called Daughter of War--I'm pretty sure I talked about it in one of those posts I linked above.) I still can't quite believe it's going to be a real book, on a shelf, in my hands--possibly in your hands--in about a year! SQUEEE!!!! *happy dance* *all the tears of joy in the world*
See? Here's me and my ice cream (after the happy tears had dried up), after I got my offer, with a nice little placement of a decoration beside me. In case you can't read it, it says "BELIEVE."
And here I am just last week, signing my contract!
I will do a post soon about all of the celebrations that have taken place over the last couple of months, including the amazing gift my sweet hubby gave me (other than ice cream). And I'll probably talk a lot about not giving up, and and inspirational shtuff like that. Because, let's face it, this is me we're talking about.
But for now, all I have to say is:
WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've already said much of what has lead me to this point before in THIS post, or THIS one, or even THIS SERIES of posts, way back in the distant past detailing my path to getting my first agent. (That link is the first post, I think I did it in 5 parts or something crazy like that. Also, I probably sound incredibly naive in those posts, so don't judge too harshly!)
It's been a long, long road.
BUT.
SOMETHING BIG HAPPENED.
Since I'm struggling to figure out what to write, instead of words, I'll use images. Today, this post is about something that makes me feel like this:
And this:
And now, finally, I get to share this from Publisher's Weekly:
Lisa Sandell at Scholastic Press has bought Sara B. Larson's Defy, a debut YA adventure romance pitched as in the vein of Kristin Cashore and Leigh Bardugo. In the novel, the fiercest member of a prince's elite guard is actually a girl disguised as a boy, who gets embroiled in a deadly game of thrones while keeping her secret, and realizes she has far deeper feelings for the prince than she thought. The book will pub in spring 2014; Josh Adams at Adams Literary brokered the deal for North American rights.
I've been dying to share this news for a while and now I finally get to! AAAGGGHH!!!! ALL THE HAPPINESS!!!
When I got the call from Josh, he asked me how I was doing and then said, "Well, you're going to be published!"
I thought I'd do this:
And this:
Which I totally did... eventually. But when he said that to me, before I even knew who or what, I think I said, "I am?" and then did this:
And then when I found out who and what I did this:
(Except, they were ECSTATIC tears... But the ice cream is really appropriate because my hubby brought home ice cream to celebrate!)
Tears of joy, tears of relief... I'm sure Josh thought I was crazy.
But after my tears dried, there definitely was a lot of this:
Wow, that's a whole lot of emotion, right??
Guys, I am so so thrilled to be working with Lisa and to have my book published by Scholastic! It's an absolute dream come true!! And I can't wait to share DEFY with you! (This is the book I wrote last August, that used to be called Daughter of War--I'm pretty sure I talked about it in one of those posts I linked above.) I still can't quite believe it's going to be a real book, on a shelf, in my hands--possibly in your hands--in about a year! SQUEEE!!!! *happy dance* *all the tears of joy in the world*
See? Here's me and my ice cream (after the happy tears had dried up), after I got my offer, with a nice little placement of a decoration beside me. In case you can't read it, it says "BELIEVE."
And here I am just last week, signing my contract!I will do a post soon about all of the celebrations that have taken place over the last couple of months, including the amazing gift my sweet hubby gave me (other than ice cream). And I'll probably talk a lot about not giving up, and and inspirational shtuff like that. Because, let's face it, this is me we're talking about.
But for now, all I have to say is:
WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 29, 2013
Craziness and stuff
So, I'm in the middle of moving right now. You always forget how much moving stinks until you get to do it again. The being in a new house, and organizing everything, and all of that--I love. The packing up the old space and transporting everything and all of that--I hate. Add to that three kids who like to "help" a lot (to varying degrees of usefulness), and a mountain of writing work to be done, and let's just say it's kind of a crazy week! But I'm so excited. This has been a long time coming, and I can't wait to get settled in and make our new house a home!
THE NEW HOUSE! (kind of a funny angle to hide the numbers on the garage... just to be safe.)
And as far as the writing goes, well, that's good stuff, too! #ProblemChild (aka my WIP) has finally decided to behave (for the most part), and I'm more than halfway done. Probably closer to two-thirds. Which is good, because I'm hoping to finish it before I get hit with some revisions that are looming on the very near horizon. It probably won't happen, but at least I'll be close! This book is very different from the other ones I've written in many ways, and while I'm extremely excited about it, I'm also nervous. It's always a little scary to branch out to something unfamiliar.
Also, it's snowed about a foot in the last twelve hours. Or maybe more. Between the never-ending-inversion-of-death and now the never-ending snow, I'm kind of done with winter. Good thing I get to escape to Mexico in March, just in time for my birthday (the Big 3-0!) with SHH! I can't wait!
What are you all up to these days? Has this first month of 2013 treated you well? Or are you grateful to see January go, and looking forward to change on the horizon for February?
Wishing sunshine for us all. And lots of wonderful words in our WIPs. And magical moving faeries that will surprise me and have all of my stuff moved when I wake up in the morning! Oh, wait...
THE NEW HOUSE! (kind of a funny angle to hide the numbers on the garage... just to be safe.) And as far as the writing goes, well, that's good stuff, too! #ProblemChild (aka my WIP) has finally decided to behave (for the most part), and I'm more than halfway done. Probably closer to two-thirds. Which is good, because I'm hoping to finish it before I get hit with some revisions that are looming on the very near horizon. It probably won't happen, but at least I'll be close! This book is very different from the other ones I've written in many ways, and while I'm extremely excited about it, I'm also nervous. It's always a little scary to branch out to something unfamiliar.
Also, it's snowed about a foot in the last twelve hours. Or maybe more. Between the never-ending-inversion-of-death and now the never-ending snow, I'm kind of done with winter. Good thing I get to escape to Mexico in March, just in time for my birthday (the Big 3-0!) with SHH! I can't wait!
What are you all up to these days? Has this first month of 2013 treated you well? Or are you grateful to see January go, and looking forward to change on the horizon for February?
Wishing sunshine for us all. And lots of wonderful words in our WIPs. And magical moving faeries that will surprise me and have all of my stuff moved when I wake up in the morning! Oh, wait...
January 11, 2013
Friday Five: the long-winded story version
1. SonB (who had a birthday on Monday and will now only let me refer to him as "Big Four-Year-Old" and not his name) is quite the... independent little boy. A bit precocious, one might say. (Or A LOT.) He used to be a really good eater, but for the last year and a half, almost every meal is a struggle with him. My husband decided to start telling him that with every bite he took, he was getting taller, to give him incentive to eat. So, now SonB has decided that he'll take a bite, then he gets down on the ground and tells his older brother "Tell Mommy that I'm coming to surprise her!" I have to wait for SonA to tell me, and then say, "Oh, no, where did SonB go?" and then he pops up and points to his head. I must then say, "Wow! Look you got taller, you must have had a bite of food!" To which he nods and tells me what he ate. And then it starts all over. EVERY. MEAL. EVERY. BITE. And if any of these steps gets messed up (if I jump the gun and say, "Where is SonB?" before SonA tells me he's coming for example), hoo-boy. Tantrum City. Well, now Baby Girl (who is officially 18 months old now) has decided that she needs to start patting the top of her head when she eats, too. Except she still uses a combination of a spoon/fork and her hands to eat, so this usually means that part of her meal ends up on top of her head. And I have to tell her, "Wow, you're getting taller, too!" and then she nods emphatically and grins at me, then eats some more. (She's still a good eater--in fact, she usually out eats my boys.) Living with these kids is never dull, that's for sure!
2. So for Mother's Day last year, SHH gave me a gift certificate for a massage. I save things like that for a "special occasion" which usually means I save it and save it until it's about to expire and then have to rush to get in time. Worried that it would expire, he told me to book it for last night, since he had the night off. I left to meet him and switch cars (and hand off the kids) in a total blizzard. I barely made it out of our neighborhood. I called him to say I wasn't sure this was a good idea, but he said the roads were barely even wet where he was, and it was probably just bad on the benches. So we made the switch, and off I went. The roads were fine, the weather was ominous, but not bad, until I was about half-way there. (The place was downtown.) Suddenly, from one second to the next, I was driving in a near white-out, on a freeway that had suddenly turned into an ice-rink with half a foot of snow on the ground. Surrounded by semi's with no visible lane-lines and crazy drivers who were going too fast and spinning out of control, I clutched my steering wheel with white-knuckles and kept on going. It was pointless to turn back now, right? Needless to say, I was late. So instead of being nice about it (HELLOOO, I came to you during the snowpacolypse rather than cancelling!), they cut my massage short. And I had a male masseuse for the first time ever. He was a little... different. I figured since it was going to be short, I'd try to get the most out of it that I could, and had him do fairly firm pressure. (As in, I was clenching my jaw and holding my breath to not cry out in pain at times. I have a very tight/knotted back.) This was a mistake, as it turns out. Because today? I feel like my entire back got beat with a sledgehammer. So rather than helping me stand up straighter, I can barely handle lifting my daughter. #epicfail
3. Many of you have probably seen me tweeting/FBing about my "Problem Child." This is what I'm (semi) lovingly calling my new WIP. I'm a fast drafter. It's just how I write. Usually. This book? Not so much. This book is trying to kill me. I have moments where I think I'm prevailing, where I feel like I'm figuring it out and whipping it into line. And then my characters and this plot just laugh and laugh at me when I'm floundering five minutes later, totally frustrated and lost yet again. Does this mean I'm on the brink of brilliance--or the cusp of utter and total failure? Maybe somewhere in the middle. I hope.
4. So recently I've been thinking a lot about social media, and the negative effects it has in life. We are SO interconnected now; I don't think it's necessarily a good thing to see every picture and hear every detail of each other's lives. It can lead to moments of jealousy or feelings of inadequacy or being left out or a myriad of other negative emotions. Or at least it does for me sometimes. Maybe I'm just insecure like that and that doesn't happen to anyone else. But there are also moments when social media can be absolutely incredible, and SO helpful. Like when I tweeted about #ProblemChild and how it wanted to be set in a place I know nothing about... and one of my amazing friends/followers tweeted back and when I told her about it said, "It sounds like it wants to be set near where I live!" SCORE! Her help has been invaluable. So the point is that I'm torn in my feelings toward FB and Twitter. I guess that's how most things in life are though, there are always good and bad sides to most everything.
Wow, these were all so long, let's just call it quits at 4, shall we? So that's a glimpse of what's on my mind on this snowy cold Friday morning. How about you?
2. So for Mother's Day last year, SHH gave me a gift certificate for a massage. I save things like that for a "special occasion" which usually means I save it and save it until it's about to expire and then have to rush to get in time. Worried that it would expire, he told me to book it for last night, since he had the night off. I left to meet him and switch cars (and hand off the kids) in a total blizzard. I barely made it out of our neighborhood. I called him to say I wasn't sure this was a good idea, but he said the roads were barely even wet where he was, and it was probably just bad on the benches. So we made the switch, and off I went. The roads were fine, the weather was ominous, but not bad, until I was about half-way there. (The place was downtown.) Suddenly, from one second to the next, I was driving in a near white-out, on a freeway that had suddenly turned into an ice-rink with half a foot of snow on the ground. Surrounded by semi's with no visible lane-lines and crazy drivers who were going too fast and spinning out of control, I clutched my steering wheel with white-knuckles and kept on going. It was pointless to turn back now, right? Needless to say, I was late. So instead of being nice about it (HELLOOO, I came to you during the snowpacolypse rather than cancelling!), they cut my massage short. And I had a male masseuse for the first time ever. He was a little... different. I figured since it was going to be short, I'd try to get the most out of it that I could, and had him do fairly firm pressure. (As in, I was clenching my jaw and holding my breath to not cry out in pain at times. I have a very tight/knotted back.) This was a mistake, as it turns out. Because today? I feel like my entire back got beat with a sledgehammer. So rather than helping me stand up straighter, I can barely handle lifting my daughter. #epicfail
3. Many of you have probably seen me tweeting/FBing about my "Problem Child." This is what I'm (semi) lovingly calling my new WIP. I'm a fast drafter. It's just how I write. Usually. This book? Not so much. This book is trying to kill me. I have moments where I think I'm prevailing, where I feel like I'm figuring it out and whipping it into line. And then my characters and this plot just laugh and laugh at me when I'm floundering five minutes later, totally frustrated and lost yet again. Does this mean I'm on the brink of brilliance--or the cusp of utter and total failure? Maybe somewhere in the middle. I hope.
4. So recently I've been thinking a lot about social media, and the negative effects it has in life. We are SO interconnected now; I don't think it's necessarily a good thing to see every picture and hear every detail of each other's lives. It can lead to moments of jealousy or feelings of inadequacy or being left out or a myriad of other negative emotions. Or at least it does for me sometimes. Maybe I'm just insecure like that and that doesn't happen to anyone else. But there are also moments when social media can be absolutely incredible, and SO helpful. Like when I tweeted about #ProblemChild and how it wanted to be set in a place I know nothing about... and one of my amazing friends/followers tweeted back and when I told her about it said, "It sounds like it wants to be set near where I live!" SCORE! Her help has been invaluable. So the point is that I'm torn in my feelings toward FB and Twitter. I guess that's how most things in life are though, there are always good and bad sides to most everything.
Wow, these were all so long, let's just call it quits at 4, shall we? So that's a glimpse of what's on my mind on this snowy cold Friday morning. How about you?
January 4, 2013
Friday Five: The New Year Edition
Why hello, shiny new year! We didn't get off to the best start, but we're not going to let that shape how this year turns out, are we? No. No we're not. We're going to shake off this flu/bronchitis of death, and rise victorious, making this year the best one yet! Right? Right.
Okay, so I might still be suffering from the lingering effects of lack of sleep, and cough syrup, but here are just a few of my thoughts on this first Friday of the New Year:
1. Last year was quite the year -- some of the worst lows of my life, and some of the best highs. I learned a lot, I grew a lot, I reached some amazing new milestones in my writing career and in my personal life. I can hardly believe it's over and that 2013 is already here.
2. I've been super sick for almost two weeks, and all of my kids have been, too. And SonA had his tonsils out two days after Christmas. And it's 2 degrees outside right now. We're finally on the upswing, getting better, but still not quite there yet. Can you say recipe for going stir-crazy????
3. Luckily I had some great books to keep me sane during all the hours of sickness. There are some amazing books coming out this year, and one of the first ones is THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT - the sequel to UNDER THE NEVER SKY. I was lucky enough to get to read an arc of TTEN during the break and I'm here to tell you Veronica Rossi knows how to write a sequel. SERIOUSLY. SO. GOOD. I'm still thinking about it and contemplating ways to bribe her into letting me read the last one. I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! So, if you haven't already pre-ordered this baby, go do it. Like, right now. Or you can wait until it comes out January 8th and go buy both of her books to celebrate!
4. I love spending time with good friends. Last night I got to go to dinner with two wonderful friends (who are also writers), and it was SO very needed. I got to escape the sick house, enjoy amazing food and even better company, and talk books/writing/life for hours. Just what the doctor prescribed!
5. There are so many exciting things coming up in 2013, it's going to be a year to remember! (AKA, I have too many thoughts to put into a list of five, so I'm finishing with a vague, "wait and see what else is coming" tease to round this list out.)
So that's it for now. How's your new year starting off? Do you make resolutions? Do you have a good feeling about lucky 13?
Okay, so I might still be suffering from the lingering effects of lack of sleep, and cough syrup, but here are just a few of my thoughts on this first Friday of the New Year:
1. Last year was quite the year -- some of the worst lows of my life, and some of the best highs. I learned a lot, I grew a lot, I reached some amazing new milestones in my writing career and in my personal life. I can hardly believe it's over and that 2013 is already here.
2. I've been super sick for almost two weeks, and all of my kids have been, too. And SonA had his tonsils out two days after Christmas. And it's 2 degrees outside right now. We're finally on the upswing, getting better, but still not quite there yet. Can you say recipe for going stir-crazy????
3. Luckily I had some great books to keep me sane during all the hours of sickness. There are some amazing books coming out this year, and one of the first ones is THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT - the sequel to UNDER THE NEVER SKY. I was lucky enough to get to read an arc of TTEN during the break and I'm here to tell you Veronica Rossi knows how to write a sequel. SERIOUSLY. SO. GOOD. I'm still thinking about it and contemplating ways to bribe her into letting me read the last one. I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! So, if you haven't already pre-ordered this baby, go do it. Like, right now. Or you can wait until it comes out January 8th and go buy both of her books to celebrate!
4. I love spending time with good friends. Last night I got to go to dinner with two wonderful friends (who are also writers), and it was SO very needed. I got to escape the sick house, enjoy amazing food and even better company, and talk books/writing/life for hours. Just what the doctor prescribed!
5. There are so many exciting things coming up in 2013, it's going to be a year to remember! (AKA, I have too many thoughts to put into a list of five, so I'm finishing with a vague, "wait and see what else is coming" tease to round this list out.)
So that's it for now. How's your new year starting off? Do you make resolutions? Do you have a good feeling about lucky 13?
December 11, 2012
Beauty in all things - joy and hardship
Yep, prepare yourself: it's time for a philosophical post as I look back at the last year. It has been quite the year, both personally and professionally. It's had some ups, and boy has it had some downs. We lost Josh to cancer, my sweet little dog was killed by a deer, I decided to part ways with my agent, I spent months writing, revising, and querying, I completed 2 half-marathons--meeting my goal of finishing in under two hours--but hurt my knee so I had to stop running for months. I got rejections. LOTS of rejections. And more. I've been low, very, very low. There have been a lot of dark days in 2012. But I've also had some amazing highs--there is so much beauty in my life. Out of pain and sorrow can come the sweetest joy. They say that you can only experience happiness in relation to how much sorrow you've experienced. In other words, the more bitter your trials, pain, and sorrow, the more sweet your joy and happiness when blessings flow in. I have three amazing children, when there was a long, dark period of my life when I thought we would never be able to have more children. I was able to put on my "dream" butterfly-themed 1st birthday party for my baby girl--the baby girl I wasn't sure I'd ever have. I have an amazing, supportive husband who ALWAYS believed, even when I was at rock-bottom--and who loves me no matter what. I have family and friends who are there for me, supporting and loving me, every step of the way. I could go on and on. And as far as my writing goes, I never gave up, and eventually... The sun finally broke through the clouds. I've had the same quote at the top of my blog since I began it years ago. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt I have clung to that hope, to those dreams, to that elusive future for SO long.
Just last week, I was driving home from taking SonB to preschool, and as I turned into my neighborhood, I saw this spectacular scene and had to stop to take a picture. It had been a dark, gloomy start to the day, fog obscured the sun all morning. But by afternoon, the light began to break through as the fog dissipated. And this glorious view was mine to enjoy for a brief moment as I drove home. It was pure luck, and perfect timing, that I happened to see this. Within a minute or less after stopping, the fog and clouds had moved, and even though it was still pretty, it wasn't stunning like this one moment had been when you could see the sun's rays shining down. For just that brief minute, the fog and the sun lined up perfectly to create this moment of breathtaking beauty.
Life is a lot like that. When you look for the beauty, you'll find it. Even if it's just one brief, glorious moment--a result of a little bit of luck, and maybe even some perfect timing.
For a year full of ups and downs, it is definitely ending on a major upswing. I feel like right now is one of those moments when the sun's rays are bursting through and a bright, new future is finally in reach.
The future has never looked brighter, and I can't wait to share all the good things in store with all of you--my loyal friends, family, and followers!
I hope that as you look back on this year, you can also see the beauty despite any pain or sorrow or struggles you may have endured. And I hope that you never stop believing in the beauty of your dreams!
Just last week, I was driving home from taking SonB to preschool, and as I turned into my neighborhood, I saw this spectacular scene and had to stop to take a picture. It had been a dark, gloomy start to the day, fog obscured the sun all morning. But by afternoon, the light began to break through as the fog dissipated. And this glorious view was mine to enjoy for a brief moment as I drove home. It was pure luck, and perfect timing, that I happened to see this. Within a minute or less after stopping, the fog and clouds had moved, and even though it was still pretty, it wasn't stunning like this one moment had been when you could see the sun's rays shining down. For just that brief minute, the fog and the sun lined up perfectly to create this moment of breathtaking beauty.Life is a lot like that. When you look for the beauty, you'll find it. Even if it's just one brief, glorious moment--a result of a little bit of luck, and maybe even some perfect timing.
For a year full of ups and downs, it is definitely ending on a major upswing. I feel like right now is one of those moments when the sun's rays are bursting through and a bright, new future is finally in reach.
The future has never looked brighter, and I can't wait to share all the good things in store with all of you--my loyal friends, family, and followers!
I hope that as you look back on this year, you can also see the beauty despite any pain or sorrow or struggles you may have endured. And I hope that you never stop believing in the beauty of your dreams!
November 30, 2012
Friday Four or Five
It's been a while since I did this, so let's give it a shot this week!
1. Baby Girl LOVES green smoothies. Whenever I have one, she runs up with her sippy cup and says, "pease? pease?" and if I don't immediately help her get some, she starts crying, and sometimes even resorts to banging me with her cup. That girl really loves her food. And drinks. Even the healthy stuff.
2. SonA stayed up reading Julie Berry's SPLURCH ACADEMY: Rat Brain Fiasco under his covers with a flashlight a couple weeks ago (he shares a room with his brother so he was trying not to wake him up). He read the whole book in one night! If you knew my seven-year-old son, you'd know how awesome this was. He's suddenly turned into an avid reader--staying up every night reading under his covers. I love it!
3. When I was his age, I would read until eleven or midnight almost every night, and sometimes until one or two in the morning. I've always been an avid reader, so it makes me that much happier to see him enjoying it so much now.
4. I finally bit the bullet and created an "author page" on FB. Right now I feel like a poseur. "Hey, come like my author page because hopefully I'll have a book published soon!" But, you never know. Maybe I'll have good news to share sooner than later. I certainly hope so!
5. SonA is obsessed with River Monsters. He's home sick from school with strep throat (probably going to have to get those tonsils out over the Christmas break, if the surgeon can fit him in...) and he's watching it right now. He also loves Swamp Wars and World's Deadliest. Despite all of that, he still really wants a pet snake. It's scary how much he reminds me of myself as a child. (Yes, I loved nature shows, and yes, I wanted a snake.)
So those are my random thoughts for the day right now. What's on your mind today? Spill it in the comments! And happy weekend everyone!
1. Baby Girl LOVES green smoothies. Whenever I have one, she runs up with her sippy cup and says, "pease? pease?" and if I don't immediately help her get some, she starts crying, and sometimes even resorts to banging me with her cup. That girl really loves her food. And drinks. Even the healthy stuff.
2. SonA stayed up reading Julie Berry's SPLURCH ACADEMY: Rat Brain Fiasco under his covers with a flashlight a couple weeks ago (he shares a room with his brother so he was trying not to wake him up). He read the whole book in one night! If you knew my seven-year-old son, you'd know how awesome this was. He's suddenly turned into an avid reader--staying up every night reading under his covers. I love it!
3. When I was his age, I would read until eleven or midnight almost every night, and sometimes until one or two in the morning. I've always been an avid reader, so it makes me that much happier to see him enjoying it so much now.
4. I finally bit the bullet and created an "author page" on FB. Right now I feel like a poseur. "Hey, come like my author page because hopefully I'll have a book published soon!" But, you never know. Maybe I'll have good news to share sooner than later. I certainly hope so!
5. SonA is obsessed with River Monsters. He's home sick from school with strep throat (probably going to have to get those tonsils out over the Christmas break, if the surgeon can fit him in...) and he's watching it right now. He also loves Swamp Wars and World's Deadliest. Despite all of that, he still really wants a pet snake. It's scary how much he reminds me of myself as a child. (Yes, I loved nature shows, and yes, I wanted a snake.)
So those are my random thoughts for the day right now. What's on your mind today? Spill it in the comments! And happy weekend everyone!
November 15, 2012
Best Writing Advice
Today you'll find me over at YA Muses talking about the best writing advice I've ever received. This was a hard one to narrow down, but ultimately I kept coming back to the same thing. Want to find out what I had to say? Hop on over and find out!
Thanks to the lovely Veronica Rossi for asking me to be a part of the blog! If you haven't read her book UNDER THE NEVER SKY yet, you better go do it right now. It's good, you guys. Like INCREDIBLY AMAZING GO-BUY-IT-RIGHT-NOW good.
Gorgeous, right? So original and wonderful, go forth and buy and read.
And hope you'll go over and check out my guest post and comment, so I don't feel like a total loser who doesn't have any comments! :P
Thanks to the lovely Veronica Rossi for asking me to be a part of the blog! If you haven't read her book UNDER THE NEVER SKY yet, you better go do it right now. It's good, you guys. Like INCREDIBLY AMAZING GO-BUY-IT-RIGHT-NOW good.
Gorgeous, right? So original and wonderful, go forth and buy and read. And hope you'll go over and check out my guest post and comment, so I don't feel like a total loser who doesn't have any comments! :P
November 14, 2012
Double the Awesomeness
It's been a busy week for my amazingly talented friends, so you get a double helping of excitement in this post:
First up is the book launch for Ally Condie's final book in the MATCHED trilogy: REACHED!
My friend Stacey (who runs the My Pile Of Books blog) and I went to dinner first to celebrate my signing with Josh--yummy food and a wonderful friend = so much fun!
Then we headed up to the launch party for Ally's final book! Ally is such a humble, kind, amazing person. It was so surreal to stand there in line, staring at the box set of all THREE of her books, and thinking about how far she's come since I first met her four and a half years ago, when I got to read MATCHED for the first time. It couldn't have happened to a better person. So happy for you Ally, hope you have a great time on tour! For an awesome recap of the night, check out Stacey's blog post HERE.
They even brought the big bubble from BEA for us to get our pictures in, so here we are, trying to break free!
Oh no! The Society took Stacey, now I'm all alone in the Uprising! If you don't already follow Ally, here's the link to her blog as well.
Okay, so that was awesomeness part the first. Ready for the second??
Feast your eyes on this:
My friend Jenn Johansson's book cover got revealed today! Isn't it totally creeptastic?? Scary and yet beautiful (those eyes!) all at once. It's perfect! Congrats Jenn! To learn more about her book and to follow her (both of which you should do RIGHT NOW) go to her blog HERE.
And now, for anyone still reading this... a BONUS bit of awesomeness:
Yep, that's Michael Phelps. My hubby got to hang out and chat with him last week on a business trip. Rough life, huh? Yeah, I agree.
Any exciting awesomeness going on for you or your friends this week?
First up is the book launch for Ally Condie's final book in the MATCHED trilogy: REACHED!
My friend Stacey (who runs the My Pile Of Books blog) and I went to dinner first to celebrate my signing with Josh--yummy food and a wonderful friend = so much fun!
Then we headed up to the launch party for Ally's final book! Ally is such a humble, kind, amazing person. It was so surreal to stand there in line, staring at the box set of all THREE of her books, and thinking about how far she's come since I first met her four and a half years ago, when I got to read MATCHED for the first time. It couldn't have happened to a better person. So happy for you Ally, hope you have a great time on tour! For an awesome recap of the night, check out Stacey's blog post HERE.
They even brought the big bubble from BEA for us to get our pictures in, so here we are, trying to break free!
Oh no! The Society took Stacey, now I'm all alone in the Uprising! If you don't already follow Ally, here's the link to her blog as well. Okay, so that was awesomeness part the first. Ready for the second??
Feast your eyes on this:
My friend Jenn Johansson's book cover got revealed today! Isn't it totally creeptastic?? Scary and yet beautiful (those eyes!) all at once. It's perfect! Congrats Jenn! To learn more about her book and to follow her (both of which you should do RIGHT NOW) go to her blog HERE. And now, for anyone still reading this... a BONUS bit of awesomeness:
Yep, that's Michael Phelps. My hubby got to hang out and chat with him last week on a business trip. Rough life, huh? Yeah, I agree. Any exciting awesomeness going on for you or your friends this week?
