What's Up Wednesday: 06.19.13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by my ever-so-lovely YA writer friends, Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk. The idea? Well, it's a great opportunity to touch base once a week with all of our blog friends and let them know what's up. Should you wish to join, head on over to Jaime's blog and sign up with the link widget at the bottom of her post! 

WHAT I'M READING:

Over the weekend, I finished off SEIGE AND STORM (The Grisha, #2) by Leigh Bardugo - and will say this is one of those rare occasions where I actually loved the sequel perhaps even more than the first book...and the first book was a-mazing! I am completely in love with everything about this book - particularly Sturmhond. Love. Him.

From there, I jumped right in and just finished THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by Jennifer E. Smith (author of STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT which I adored!) last night and I really enjoyed this great summer read!

Late last night I started in on LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS by Laura Buzo, which I'm really looking forward to reading from all the great reviews I've seen!

While running, I finished FOREVER TOO FAR by Abbi Glines yesterday - book #3 in the TOO FAR series; it was a great end to a fun series. So I picked right up on DOUBLE CROSSED: A SPIES AND THIEVES STORY by Ally Carter. I'm a huge Ally Carter fan and love all of her books - and I haven't found another author that has had the ability to creatively mold THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR with OCEAN'S ELEVEN - but for teens - quite like Carter can! 

WHAT I'M WRITING:

So I'm not fully back in the swing of things, but I finally opened Scrivener Monday evening and started in on some revisions for WHERE THE WATER FALLS. I still have that last chapter to go, but right now, I'm not going to push it - and a few updates to the opening chapter is what I'm working on. So I'll take that.

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW:

Reading: My yearly reading challenge goal on Goodreads is 50 books for 2013 - the same goal I've had the past two years and have never beat. Last year was close, but I missed it by just a couple. This year? Well, considering it's only June and I'm on my 40th book, I think it's safe to say I'll finally beat my goal - not to mention, I've read some pretty amazing reads this year! 

Writerly Friends: I know I've said this one before, but it's so true. So many of you have been oh-so encouraging over these past few weeks that I haven't felt inspired to write. It's definitely been a challenging time and I'm grateful for all of my great writerly friends who tell me to step it up and get going. So thank you. 

Also, a BIG hug and congrats to a great writer friend of mine that has some majorly exciting things happening in her life right now. I am so, so, SO happy for her and just want to say what an inspiration she has been. And she deserves all the greatness that's coming her way. All of it. xoxo 

Running: Last Thursday was the first time I ran 6 miles in under 60 minutes. Normally I hit the 6 mile marker around 63 minutes - but this time I finished just around 57 minutes. I know that's not Earth-shattering fast - but considering I started out at a 16 minute fast-walk pace and now I'm averaging a 9:45 minute mile, I'll take it. Back in college I ran a 5:50 mile and while I think that's a very ambitious dream, my goal is to at some point get back around 7:45 minutes. Granted, I may need to be drug behind a car, but I hope to get there one day.

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO:

My husband and I went to see MAN OF STEEL last weekend - and you know what? I have to say I thought it was really well done. Yes, it's a story that's been retold several times over, and I'll always love the original, Christopher Reeves - but man, Henry Cavill did an impressive job. Not to mention, he's just impressive to look at (tell me you don't agree?). And he's British to boot. Um, yum and with an accent??? If you haven't seen this one yet, I highly recommend you catch it in the theaters. It's definitely worth it.

Now all they need to do is remake WONDER WOMAN and I'm so there. Because I rocked those red boots, gold headband / wristbands, and lasso like nothing else when I was little - and I'd almost admit, I'd gladly do it again now. 

This coming weekend, we're having dinner with some friends and then we're going to see WORLD WAR Z. After all, I've said it a million times how much a fan of zombies I am - so I'm really looking forward to this one. And well, Brad Pitt, you know...won't be too hard to stare at for a couple of hours. 

SO WHAT'S NEW FOR YOU THIS WEEK? WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ALL ABOUT IT, SO WON'T YOU JOIN TODAY'S WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY???

What's Up Wednesday: 06.12.13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by my ever-so-lovely YA writer friends, Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk. The idea? Well, it's a great opportunity to touch base once a week with all of our blog friends and let them know what's up. Should you wish to join, head on over to Jaime's blog and sign up with the link widget at the bottom of her post! 

WHAT I'M READING:

Holy crow. I chewed through 4 books and 2 companion novellas - just over the weekend!

I finished THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey and the only thing I can say right now, is how irritated I am with how far away August 2014 really is. Write faster, Mr. Yancey, oh please write faster! Because THE 5TH WAVE? Yeah, it was freakin' a-mazing.

I even got my husband to start reading it last night and he actually made it through 5 chapters - which is insane for him, considering he usually falls asleep after only a page!

I also ran out the other day to Barnes & Noble and purchased a handful of new books - and promptly jumped right in to REBOOT by Amy Tintera, a 2013 DAC author. And I managed to devour that book in less than a day! I thought it was a very good read and had some similarities to DIVERGENT, while still managing to hold it's own.

I then immediately cracked open SHADOW AND BONE (The Grisha, #1) by Leigh Bardugo and OH MY FREAKIN' GOD, WHY HAS IT TAKEN ME SO LONG TO READ THIS BOOK???? Seriously. I haven't read anything this good, since I polished off the GRACELING series by Kristen Cashore last year!

I am simply enamoured by Bardugo's ability to fabricate such an amazing world, from the varying terrains of Ravka, to the incredible character arcs of Alina, The Darkling, and Mal. Full review to come, but if you haven't read this one, you must run out now and pick it up. I'll wait for you to go get it. Go on. 

I'm still waiting.

Anywho. I also managed to fly through THE WITCH OF DUVA (The Grisha, #0.5), a short companion folk tale to SHADOW AND BONE, along with THE TAILOR (The Grisha, #1.5), another short companion read, as told through the eyes of Genya. 

And then of course, I dove right into SEIGE AND STORM (The Grisha, #2), which just came out last week. I'm reading this one now, but am almost finished...and damn if this won't be yet another series I'll have to wait until 2014 to read!

I also turned the last page on Abbi Glines CEASELESS - and now, while running, I'm reading BARED TO YOU by Sylvia Day. They say it's for fans that really disliked FIFTY SHADES and wanted so much more, but so far, it's just okay for me. At least it doesn't have the high word count thanks to a repetitive mention of the phrase "inner Goddess", so it does have that going for it.

WHAT I'M NOT WRITING:

Like how I changed the header there?

Yep, I'm still NOT finished with my first draft of WHERE THE WATER FALLS. Aside from being busy with everything else right now, I'm just having a plain ole' hard time writing. 

A hard time as in I open Scrivener and just stare at it. And stare.

O_o Yep, still staring.

But nothing comes to me. I'm thinking maybe a little break might be in order, because I can't force myself to write when I'm not feeling it. And right now, I'm so not feeling it.

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW:

This is going to sound bad, but I'm totally uninspired right now. Ugh. I've been cranky-pants-McGee lately and nothing is snapping me out of it! Of course, this most likely totally relates to my above comment on what I'm NOT writing.

I'm still running, but for the past week or so I've been so sluggish - like I'm running in knee-deep mud - and my pace has been just okay, not stellar. I already mentioned I'm not writing. So there's that pile o' poo. But I guess I am definitely reading...so maybe that's where my inspiration needs to come from right now?

I dunno. Just a funk, I guess. At least I hope so. Any recommendations? I could use a few!

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO:

I mentioned in last week's WuW post that Bridgid Gallagher and I are plotting together on a secret project! And while I can't quite let the cat out of the bag just yet, I can tell you that we're aiming to launch this said secret project on Monday, July 1st!!!

We're so very excited about what it is we're working on and we really hope you'll all check back to see what's up! Stay tuned as we draw closer for hints of the awesomeness that's to come!

WHAT'S NEW FOR YOU THIS FINE WEDNESDAY? WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ALL ABOUT IT, SO WON'T YOU JOIN TODAY'S WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY???

What's Up Wednesday: 06.05.13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by my ever-so-lovely YA writer friends, Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk. The idea? Well, it's a great opportunity to touch base once a week with all of our blog friends and let them know what's up. Should you wish to join, head on over to Jaime's blog and sign up with the link widget at the bottom of her post! 

WHAT I'M READING:

THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey - and holy @!#$! am I loving this one! Just started it Sunday night and managed to polish off more than half the book in just a few hours!

As well, while I'm on the elliptical, I'm reading Abbi Glines CEASELESS - and so far, it's a great wrap up to a fun to read series!

WHAT I'M WRITING:

Still cracking away at the final pages of my first draft of WHERE THE WATER FALLS. I'm so close to being finished, I can see the light! But...other projects have kept me busy as of late, so I haven't had the chance to finish off that last chapter just yet.

However, I brainstormed around it yesterday and think I know how I want it all to end. I've got two different thoughts in my head, so worst case, I write both two chapter endings and see which one sticks!

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW:

The great friends I've made in the writing community.

And no, I promise, I haven't been drinking.

It honestly amazes me how many wonderful people I've met since I started down the path of this crazy adventure and decided to write seriously - almost six years ago.  

Critique partners that have become more than just a CP, but also fantastic friends: Bridgid Gallagher, Heidi Sinnett, Kris F. Oliver, and more recently, Sara Biren - I'm talking about all of YOU!

There are days when I don't know what I would've done without all of these great people. And considering how this year started out, each one kept me sane, when it would've been so easy to find myself fighting the restraints of one of those fancy white jackets with all the brass buckles.

Thankfully, I know without a doubt, they'd never let me be alone in a cell of any kind - padded or cinder block!

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO:

Speaking of the a-mazing and talented, Bridgid Gallagher - well...

Let's just say I solemnly swear that WE are up to no good!

We're brewing up something spectacular and it's a pleasure to work with such talent. And I can't wait to share all of the goodness with the rest of the world!

Soonish, I promise. 

But I will say, I'm VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO TODAY!!!

SO, HOW'S YOUR WEDNESDAY SHAPING UP? WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ALL ABOUT IT, SO WON'T YOU JOIN TODAY'S WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY???

What's Up Wednesday: 05.29.13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by my ever-so-lovely YA writer friends, Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk. The idea? Well, it's a great opportunity to touch base once a week with all of our blog friends and let them know what's up. Should you wish to join, head on over to Jaime's blog and sign up with the link widget at the bottom of her post! 

WHAT I'M READING:

I finished reading Sarah Ockler's THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS the other day and will say, it's definitely right up there with TWENTY BOY SUMMER as my favorite Sarah read. My full review to come shortly, but I really loved it and will leave it at that for now. 

I then jumped right in to ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake - who I didn't realize lives about 30 minutes away from me! And if I could talk to her in person, I'd tell her that I absolutely LOVED ANNA.

Maybe I was just in the mood for a good spook, because I couldn't stop turning the pages of ANNA and enjoyed every ounce of creep so much so, I devoured it in one day. And promptly went out that night and bought the sequel, GIRL OF NIGHTMARES, which I'm reading right now. 

Which makes me believe I must be on some sort of death / voodoo kick, because I'm also reading Abbi Glines PREDESTINED while I run. I loved the first book in the series, EXISTENCE - which I finished last week - and so far, I'm really enjoying book #2. There are two more books in this series and once I'm done with those, I have no idea what I'm going to read on the elliptical, because I'll have successfully read all of Abbi's books. Bum-mer.

WHAT I'M WRITING:

I'm almost finished with my first draft of my YA Contemporary WiP, WHERE THE WATER FALLS. I was stuck for a bit there, thought I'd figured it out and wrote, then went back and realized I didn't love what I came up with. 

I decided to take the weekend off and didn't write much, but then I actually managed to polish off a chapter late last night. And now I have one, maybe two more to go and then I'm done!  

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW:

Time.

I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed having all this time off. And I realized just the other day, that it's been almost twenty-four years since I've taken this much off from working. Seriously, the last time I had a summer off was when I was thirteen years old before I got my first job at Safeway, bagging groceries! Can you believe that? 

And I find myself more busy now than I was two months ago when I held a job that took more than fifty hours away from me each week.

I really hope the Job Gods work in my favor when I decide it's time to go back. I'm not quite sure when that is, because for now, I'm finally getting to do things I've always wanted to do...and I'm loving every moment of it.

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO:

I had lunch with two writer friends (who happen to be sisters) that I met at the PNWA Writer's Conference back in 2010. It was so great to see them and catch up and I can't believe it's been almost three years! And Cathy, I promise to get to your chapters this week!

My husband and I also went to this amazing dinner at a restaurant called The Herbfarm in Woodinville (about twenty minutes outside of Seattle) - I posted all about it with pictures, in my blog post below. It was amazing.

Memorial weekend was also super fun - we went out with some of our friends (including a few we haven't seen in forever!), had dinner, and went bowling. Another night we went to see The Hangover Part III - while not nearly as funny as the first or second, hey, it's got Bradley Cooper, so I totally won't complain! We also saw Fast and Furious Part 6 - which I have to admit, was pretty entertaining. 

And after all that, I'm still running! For the month of May I'll have racked up more than 150 miles and I can't believe it. I'm also doing this gruesome 30-Day Squat Challenge (yes, Jaime and Katy, I'm cursing YOU!) that's down right insane. The other day I got a cramp in my ass. Yes, you read that right - how that's even possible, I'm still not even sure.  

SO, WHAT ARE YOU UP TO THIS FINE WEDNESDAY? WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ALL ABOUT IT, SO WON'T YOU JOIN TODAY'S WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY???

What's Up Wednesday: 05.15.13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by my ever-so-lovely YA writer friends, Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk. The idea? Well, it's a great opportunity to touch base once a week with all of our blog friends and let them know what's up. Should you wish to join, head on over to Jaime's blog and sign up with the link widget at the bottom of her post! 

WHAT I'M READING:

I am very fortunate to be writer / Twitter buddies with the ever amazing Sarah Ockler of FIXING DELILAH, TWENTY BOY SUMMER (one of my absolute FAVORITE YA contemp reads!) and BITTERSWEET greatness. Sarah graciously had her editor over at Simon & Schuster send me an ARC of her upcoming newest title THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS which is set to release on 5.21.13! And let me tell you, I already know this one is going to tear at my heart after the first 100 pages I've read so far, but I truly am LOVING it!!! Stay tuned...I hope to have an interview with Sarah if timing permits, and of course, my review of THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS.

Oh, of course, I'm still reading Abbi Glines while running and I'm now on to her new series, EXISTENCE. 

WHAT I'M WRITING:

I'm still working on my YA Contemporary WiP, WHERE THE WATER FALLS and made quite a bit more progess over the past seven days! I only have a few more chapters to go, before diving into revisions of course, and then it's off to my CP's to rip apart!

THE LUCKY FEW is still out with a handful of agents right now, which is ever so exciting! But...I think I'm going to dig back into this one and relook the entire beginning. I know, I know, crazy pants over here just can't stop revising this one, but it's only because I know this story has so much potential. And the beginning has been something that's bothered me for quite some time, it deserves to be written right! 

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW:

Senior Prom with BFF Kristy (May 7, 1994)This is one of my most ABSOLUTE favorite times of the year to write. And why is that? Well because it's prom and graduation time, but of course!!!! I love seeing all the kids dressed up in tuxes and formal dresses out on the town - it brings back so many great memories for me - not to mention all the graduation parties that will no doubt be popping up soon. And all of it definitelyKentridge High School Graduation Class of 1994 (June 9, 1994) makes my creativity soar!!!!

Of course, why wouldn't I share some pics of my own Senior Prom and Graduation??? That's me over there on the left with my BFF Kristy, just before we left for our Senior Prom...man what a night that was! 

And I'm also over there to the right (first one on the left) just before we were about to walk out for graduation. 

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO:

Still running, of course - and loving every minute of it (I'm late to go run as I type this!!). Oh, and something I shared with a few of my wonderful CP's on what happened on Monday:

So I was running on the treadmill. I'm running...and I'm tired - just not really feeling it - and it's pissing rain outside and the wind is howling. Trees are whipping every which way and branches are literally flying around the parking lot. So weird, because it's been sunny and gorgeous here for the past 10 days! And all of the sudden? Yeah, the power goes out and my treadmill just stops. Doesn't gradually slow down, it just plain out STOPS. And I go flying off like nobody's business. And make all kinds of racket in the process, as I swear out loud, loudly. 

There's a guy - probably around early 20's that comes every day and walks on the treadmill and he's blind. I've seen him the past 7 or so weeks I've been going, but haven't ever said anything to him. Yeah, he's surprised because his treadmill stopped, but turns and says, "Are you okay? Did you just fall off the treadmill?" His face shows he's super concerned, when I know most people would totally laugh (cause I sure as hell would!). I told him the power went out and that's what stopped our treadmills and yes, I'd flown right off.

After reassuring him I was okay and that it was okay if he laughed, he smiled and said, "Man, if I could've seen that, I would have laughed!!! But I'm glad you're okay though!" It was so sweet and literally made my day, regardless of the situation! 

So, what are you up to this fine Wednesday? Would love to hear all about it, so won't you join today's What's Up Wednesday???

What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by my ever-so-lovely YA writer friends, Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk. The idea? Well, it's a great opportunity to touch base once a week with all of our blog friends and let them know what's up. Should you wish to join, head on over to Jaime's blog and sign up with the link widget at the bottom of her post! 

What I'm Reading:

Well, I just finished reading Erin Bowman's TAKEN early this morning and then started in on Justina Chen's NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL. And while running on the treadmill in the mornings, I read all things Abbi Glines, and right now I've just started in on her FALLEN TOO FAR series. I love reading Abbi while I'm running - I mentioned in my last post, how I almost flew off the treadmill during one particular section - and that's exactly why I like reading her while I run!

What I'm Writing:

I'm still cranking away on my YA Contemporary WiP, WHERE THE WATER FALLS and I just added the little blurb on what it's about, to my PROJECTS tab. This one has been a lot of fun to write and as of yesterday, I'm about 2/3 done with the first draft. 

Of course, I've still got TLF brewing on one of my burners and last month I dug back in on book #2 in that series. Since I switched over to Scrivener, it's been so much easier to outline, which has kept me more than busy.

What Inspires Me Right Now:

Running.

I know I've mentioned it before, but seriously, running every day has helped so much to clear my mind and allowed me to focus. I never imagined it could be like this, but now, I'm not sure how I'll ever go without it. 

It took one day to for me to decide to lace up my shoes and go. I never thought I had it in me to get back to a place where I loved running so much. But how wrong I was. And I don't like it when I'm wrong. 

What Else I've Been Up To:

Well, at some point I'll need to realize I need to start looking for another job. Technically, I'm okay until September, thanks to the severance package I received, but still. I figure I'll give myself through May before I really start to dig in and get serious. I'm just not sure what I want do, but I know I have a lot of options.

I could stay in Marketing / Merchandising - there are a number of great companies here in Seattle: Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, Expedia. Or I could get back into Apparel Merchandising / Buying: Nordstrom, REI, and Zulily are all right here, too.

Yes, I'm very fortunate to have so many great companies right in my city, and even more so, that I have two separate career paths I can go down. But I'm just not sure what I want to do. Honestly, I wish more than anything I could just write, because this is where my passion is. So...perhaps I might check out what Amazon has open in regards to positions in their publishing side of the business. You never know, right? 

So, what are you up to this Wednesday? I'd love to hear all about it - come on, you know you wanna join us in What's Up Wednesday?