Friday, March 29, 2013

Five for Friday

1. I'm baaaaaaack. I know, I'm like the woman who cried blogging, I keep saying I'm back and then disappearing again, but I promise this time I'm REALLY going to try and keep the posts coming. I have to say that I've run out of good blogging ideas, which is one of the reasons I've stayed away, I didn't want to bore with the same old same old.

2. I've gotten some great reading done the last couple of weeks and would like to recommend The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. It's sooo good you guys. With the overwhelming amount of dystopians out in the market sometimes it's hard to find something unique that can hold your attention. Well, The Darkest Minds was that for me. I fell in love with the writing, the world-building, and characters. Ruby was stand-out leading lady and Ms. Bracken did a great job of bringing her to life. And then there's Liam (commence swooning), a great leading guy who's a gentleman all around and knows how to treat a lady. And the ending, you guys, so heart breaking.

3. The 6yo had spring break this week and the husband had to travel for work, so we tagged along with him (one of the reasons I haven't been around). While on said trip we went to the movies and watched The Croods, which I also highly recommend. I was laughing so hard, you guys. And it's not just a kid movie, adults will love it too. The family dynamic was great for comedic relief and was sweet, reminding me to be grateful for my own little family.

4. I still haven't finished the first draft of Restoring Casey, but I'm so close. I'm struggling a bit because I don't think the plot is quite strong enough to stand alone and I know I need to add more character depth to the story. I know that's what editing is for, but I'd like to have a better idea of what direction I want to take the story before getting back to it.

5. Spring is in the air (FINALLY) and I'm loving every second of it. Not only is my birthday in the spring, but it also means it's almost time for summer break! Obviously I don't want summer to get here just yet, but it is nice to know that the weather is finally cooperating.

That's all folks, I'll be back next week (I promise), meanwhile, have an amazing weekend!

Friday, March 8, 2013

Five for Friday

1. My e-mail account was hacked last night. Again. Ugh. I don't usually freak out because it happens more than it should, but this time around the spam e-mails were sent to a few agents I queried. I have no idea if I should reach out and let them know what happened or just let them delete the e-mail which I'm sure they'll realize is spam. Any suggestions?

2. On a happier note, I am almost done with Kiersten White's Endlessly. The Paranormalcy series has been fun to read and it'll be sad to see Evie go, but I'm sure the ending will leave me satisfied.

3. This week has been a roller coaster ride of running errands, taking kids to dentist appts., being awake with a teething baby, and not having enough time to just sit and write. I'm hoping today is a slower day and that i can finally get some writing done, because I miss it.

4. The weather has been mostly Springish around these parts and it's been so nice not having to worry about jackets all the time. Our coat closet is overflowing with them and I can't wait until I can store them all away for next winter.

5. I want to go see The Great and Powerful Oz but I'm seeing a lot of mixed reviews, so I'm not sure if I should. It looks visually stunning, but I hear the story line is weak. My little brother went to a midnight showing today (or last night or however you see it) and I'm going to ask him his thoughts on it.

Have a fun weekend!

Monday, March 4, 2013

Sometimes Life Happens

Not all writer's out there gets to do it every day. (If you do, then good for you. I'll just be around the corner hanging my head in shame). Why? Because life happens. STUFF. HAPPENS.

Take last week for example. Well, the last TWO weeks. (Yes, I will be using my caps button generously). First I got a sore throat. A bad one, like the kind where swallowing felt like trying to fit an unpeeled kiwi down my throat. Then the soar throat mysteriously went away, only to be replaced with congestion. Then there was the fever and body aches. Hello, flu, I believe you are now in season. Yeah, I haven't felt like such crap in a long time. That was two weeks ago. ONE (I warned you about the caps) week ago the left side of my face felt...not nice. My head only hurt on that side, the congestion and resulting runny nose was colored oddly (so GROSS), my cheek was tender, and my gums and teeth on that side felt like they'd just gotten done chomping down on uncracked walnuts. Oh, it's you, Sinus Infection, I much preferred flu.

As you can guess, I didn't write.

I like schedules, I'm not neurotic about it, but it's nice to have an outline for my day. I wake up before the kids and run on the treadmill. Then I wake up the children and get the oldest ready for school. When I come home I finish exercising (I can't function without working-out...I'm one of those weirdos. [It makes me feel better about myself, stop judging me]). Then I shower, because I don't like walking around smelling rancid with sweat. After that I usually work with my younger kiddos (not including the babes) on school stuff. Like letters and numbers, colors, shapes. Kind of like pre-school. I also like to play with them outside at some point. So where does writing fit into all of this? I don't know. Really, I don't. Despite my fondness for schedules, I don't actually pencil in writing. Why? Because there are THINGS going on. Things other than writing. I LOVE writing. A LOT. But it can be hard to find the time I want for it.

I DO find time. Whether it's fifteen minutes here or twenty there, as long as I get something in I'm happy. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't beat yourself up if life happens, we've all been there.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Five for Friday

1. So I was back and then I left and now I'm back again. It's crazy how busy this year (all two months of it) has been. I'm exhausted, but determined to keep things up. Thankfully I have the weekend to recover and this weekend is going to be warm and full of sunshine, so I'll definitely take my time recuperating.

2. I know I'm late to the party, and by late I mean I got there about an hour after everyone else had already left, but I fell head over heels in love with The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. Not only is the cover enticing, but the title is totally original and perfectly sums up the story.

3. My older sister also loves reading a good YA book, and we share very similar tastes. It's fun because we can discuss the books and talk about all sorts of spoilery things. She texted me last night for some more recommendations which I was more than happy to provide. I love sharing my love for a certain book with others, especially when they love them, too.

4. I'm almost done with the first draft of my contemporary project, Restoring Casey! I'm super excited because it's been a while since I've finished a first draft of anything. I get distracted very easily. You can guess why I haven't been around as much, I've been busy exerting my creative energy into finishing RC, and I'm hoping to get done by mid-March.

5. Okay, so I haven't had chocolate in a few days and I'm very proud of myself. A couple weeks ago I finally admitted I had a sugar problem and needed to get it under control. It's been hard, guys, really hard. The cravings can be fierce and hit at the most inconvenient of times (like right after I'm done working out, what is up with that?), but I keep it cool, drink some water, make sure I'm keeping my appetite satiated and write. Writing has been a great distraction.

Time to go. Have a wonderful first weekend of March!