L.J. Singleton's Blog, page 13

STRANGE ROMANTIC MEETINGS & DATES WEEK! (#2)

FROM GUEST BLOGGER DEBORAH LYNN JACOBS (YA author)

The worst date I can remember happened when I was a freshman in university. I’d become friends with a guy, and he asked me out. He said he’d pick me up at 7:00. I expected “pick you up” meant he had a car. Nope. We took the bus. I don’t remember the date itself. Did we go for pizza? Go bowling? See a movie? I have no idea.What I do remember is that he’d come straight from the gym. He brought his gym bag along, which smelled like a locker...

STRANGE ROMANTIC MEETINGS & DATES WEEK!

In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm sharing strange romantic meeting posts.  If you have a story to share, email me at ljscheer@inreach.com or just put it in the comments.  To start off with, I'll share my most unusual romantic meeting. Then tomorrow I'll post a story from another YA author.

My story:    ARRESTING ROMANCE

When I was 23, a friend's husband got in some legal trouble that led to a temporary arrest.
My friend was stuck at work and couldn't contact a bailsbondman, so I offered to call...

RAP VIDEO FOR READING BOOKS

SCBWI Regional Adviser (and my critique pal) Erin Dealey has created a rocking amazing rap on why you should read a book.
And if you look closely you'll notice one of my books.

http://ow.ly/14CEN

Librarians and teachers will especially love this as a fun short rap to share with kids.

Edgar nominees for YA & MG novels!

I heard today was Edgar Allen Poe's birthday -- which
must be why this is the day the Edgar nominations were announced.

Last year I went through the MG & YA nominees and read almost
all of them -- discovering some amazing books & authors.

I challenge you to read this year's nominees then let me
know which you like or don't like.

Edgar mystery awards 2010:

BEST JUVENILE
The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
The Red Blazer Girls: The Ri...

Who would still be your friend if the Internet died?

I woke up this morning thinking about how I used to write letters to 3 friends every week. Other friends I kept in touch with through occasional phone calls. Then the Internet ignited like a firestorm and within a few years my 3 snail-mail friends switched to email. I keep in touch with friends and family on Facebook, enjoying the fun of gifting them on Farmville. No actual talking but I feel like we're connecting through game-play.

Since I got online in 1995, I've made many, many friends who...

lindajsingleton @ 2009-12-28T15:57:00

Hi LJ friends,

It's been a while, I know. Please excuse LJS for her absence for the following reasons:

* I've been busy writing my spin-off SEER book about Thorn. Up to page 120! Yay!

* I wrote two picture books this year. Both have been submitted. Fingers crossed.

* Family comes first. Sorry, writing has to wait sometimes. Family has been busy!

* Parties, exercise, reading, weekend trips and every-day-adventures.

* I saw Avatar. Yes, it's a verrrry long movie. But worth it.

* And my guilty pleasure...

lindajsingleton @ 2009-12-15T17:31:00

I'm sending books to a 13-year-old foster girl who asked for Golden Compass and I made a list with more suggestions for her future reading. These are some of the MANY fantasy kid books that I love:

1. MAGYK by Angie Sage (a magical series with a dragon boat, a princess and magicians)

2. ISLAND OF THE AUNTS by Eva Ibbotson (best first line ever!)

3. DRAGON RIDER by Cornelia Funke (over-looked & fantastic!)

4. ESCAPE FROM MEMORY by Margaret Peterson Haddix (a really grabbing...

Authors COLLECT the STRANGEST Things!

What do you collect for fun or obsession?

I collect girl series books from AMBER BROWN to WOODCRAFT GIRLS; over 5,000 although I haven't counted in years. My hubby collects unusual salt & pepper shakers. And even my characters have collections: Sabine collects nightlights (to keep away ghosts) and Amber collects Hollywood magazines (ambition to be an agent).

So I asked Young Adult and Middle-Grade authors what they collect. Your favorite authors may be on this list. The link is on the front p...

Are aliens the next hot book trend?

When I was a kid, my dad belonged to a group of "UFO" enthusiasts who investigated local sightings. He interviewed people who claimed to see UFO's or aliens. Once there was a sighting at a campsite near Placerville, CA, which wasn't that far away so my parents packed up us kids (ages 10, 9, 6, 5) plus the family dog  Sandy and we went camping. We had splash wars in a river, chased lizards and went hiking. But no sign of aliens. The only strange moment was when my youngest sister vanished for...

Hanging out at the Halloween Zoo

Just back from the Micke Grove Zoo in Lodi where author/friend Danna Smith signed her TWO FOR THE ZOO.

Kids loved Danna's storytelling and especially her book. My family had a great time, checking out monkeys, birds, spiders and a mountain lion. Fun way to celebrate Halloween! And it's always fun to come to a friend's booksigning.