Giveaways
Erin L. Schneider
Goodreads Giveaway: SUMMER OF SLOANE
Goodreads Giveaway: SUMMER OF SLOANE

What's Up Wednesday: 06.26.13

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'm still reading LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS by Laura Buzo, although will say, I haven't had a chance to turn any pages over the past few nights thanks to finally being able to write again! 

While running, I started and finished the short novella, DESTROY ME by Tehereh Mafi (SHATTER ME #1.5) yesterday - which of course, I loved.

Now while on the elliptical, I'm reading a great book written by a friend of mine - and fellow YAwesome Writer - Dorothy Dreyer, called MY SISTER'S REAPER. It just came out at the beginning of June and I'm so, so very happy for Dorothy - and I'm totally excited, because Dorothy actually included me in her acknowledgments at the end of the book! That's a first time for me and I'm thrilled to know I had any part in helping her during her road to publication, however small it was. I wish her much success and can't wait to see her add more books to the bookshelves!

WHAT I'M WRITING:

I am so excited to finally be back at writing!!! Man, that kinda sucked there for a while! But, I decided to give Ready. Set. Write! a shot and see if it would bring the encouragement I needed to get my tail back in the chair - and sure enough, it did!

Because I'm so close to the end of my novel, WHERE THE WATER FALLS - and thanks to my recent bout of writer's block - I wanted to set some somewhat achievable goals last week. And they were:

1. Write at least 1,000 words.
2. Begin revisions, from the beginning, on adding two critical personality elements (AKA, flaws) for my MC - neither of which were small characteristics, and both would require a lot of thought on how to weave them in successfully.

Well? I'm so excited to say I bested both of my goals.

While I still have that very last chapter I need to get down, I have two other chapters that were falling a little short - and Monday night, the inspiration struck! I cranked out 1,100 words in an hour and now feel so much better about both of these chapters.

I also started in on my goal around character revisions, late last week - and by 3am yesterday morning, I made tweaks to my last chapter!

So, goals for this week:

1. Write the last chapter - or at least decide how it ends (I'm toying with just tweaking how it currently ends now or if I want a different version that I've been thinking about).  
2. Start and finish complete revisions from the beginning.

Both are goals I really think I'll hit this week. Well, fingers crossed.  

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW:

Secret Projects: I know I've mentioned it a few times, but I am totally inspired by a secret project that Bridgid Gallaher and I - along with seven other a-mazing women - have been working on lately. 

In case you missed my post the other day, we're so excited to launch this said secret project and it goes live on:

07.01.2013

Yep, that's this coming Monday! As in five days. 5

And because I can't give away any of the details just yet - eh-em, it IS still a secret! - I WILL share this grand tidbit of information: who all is participating!

I'm so excited to announce that aside from Bridgid and myself, the following wonderful ladies have been asked (and accepted!) to join us on these crazy adventures:

Sara Biren 
Erin L. Funk
Kelly Loy Gilbert
Jaime Morrow
Ghenet Myrthil
Kris F. Oliver
Heidi Sinnett

The past several weeks have been filled with some of the most fantastic side-splitting laughs with all of these wonderful women - which may or may not have been induced by some badly placed facial hair, some awkwardly aligned adam's apples, and the repercussions of lightening and toenails (um, ew.).

I have had such a grand time with all of them and I can't wait to venture on this journey we've got planned. So won't you please stop on by on Monday to check it all out? I hope so!

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO:

The husband and I went to see WORLD WAR Z this past weekend, and I ABSOLUTELY loved it! It was chock full of action and suspense and on more than one occasion I actually jumped! And I loved the different spin they put on a few things.

Of course there are also the teeth-snapping zombies, which I am totally infatuated with (and yes, I believe I do have the necessary skills to survie a zombie apocolypse, should one ever happen). And I'll close this summary with two words: Brad Pitt. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Okay, that's three.

Perhaps I should just post pictures of beautiful men every Wednesday, since this now seems to be becoming a trend. :) But seriously, would you just look at him? -------------------->

I also watched the movie PITCH PERFECT for the very first time. And that I also loved!!! Total inspiration for being young again, impressive singing (not sure how much of it was real, but I don't really care!), and lots of great humor, primarily thanks to Rebel Wilson, AKA Fat Amy. 

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

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???

All That Was May 2013: Great Reads

May 2013 Reads:

What a month of fantastic books! I managed to polish off 10 great titles - in a fun PicMonkey collage, here they all are:

Collage details from top to bottom, right to left: EXISTENCE by Abbi Glines, PREDESTINED by Abbi Glines, LEIF by Abbi Glines, ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake, my absolute favorite read for the month of May: THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS by Sarah Ockler, JUST FOR NOW by Abbi Glines, FALLEN TOO FAR by Abbi Glines, TWISTED PERFECTION by Abbi Glines, NEVER TOO FAR by Abbi Glines, and TAKEN by Erin Bowman.

What great books did you read in May? June is shaping up to hold some fantastic titles, but I'd love to add more to my list, so please share!