Lizzie Ann West

Keep On Keeping On...

2009-05-15T19:04:00.002-04:00

Have you ever noticed that time seems to go faster than physically possible when you have multiple things going on? I've been dealing with that feeling a lot lately. Between work, my writing, and trying to stay caught up with my critique partners, it seems like there are never enough hours in a day. My solution? Keep going and doing the best I can to get everything done.

I started out the year with the goal to get a specific manuscript revised and ready for submission by June. Yeah, that's not going to happen. I finished rewriting chapter seven last night and there are twenty-some chapters. Tonight's goal is to revise chapter one to correct an omission (that's what I get for being overzealous with removing info dumps). Once I finish that, I'm sending the whole manuscript off to a critique partner who is a very brave woman. Everything in that story past chapter seven is rough draft. Trust me, it's not a pretty sight and makes the editor in me cringe.

I know you're probably wondering why I would send a mess of a manuscript to a critique partner. Well, she asked to see it, for one thing. And for another, she's going to look at the story, not the quality of the writing. No one has seen this story in it's entirety other than me, and I know there's a bit of repetition going on. My hope is that she'll confirm my belief that there's hope for this particular story and that she'll be able to point out any inconsistencies, repetitive scenes, weak spots, boring places, scenes where I tell instead of show, etc. Basically, all the things that affect storytelling rather than the technical stuff like proper grammar and punctuation.

Honestly, I'm looking forward to what she has to say. I have great hopes for this manuscript and believe it will be publishable once I finish the first round of revision and follow it up with a second and maybe third round. Somewhere in all of that comes the tedious, frustrating task of writing a synopsis and a query for it. Since I already know where I want to submit, I can skip searching for markets...for now, anyway. I've been around the publishing world for far too long to believe that just because I think this publisher is perfect for my story, the editor who receives my submission will feel the same way. Statistics tell me I'm likely to receive a rejection. I'm hoping and praying I'll be one of the very, very few who get a contract from the first publisher they submit to, but I'm enough of a realist to know that in a few months, I'll probably be looking for another publisher or possibly an agent to submit my manuscript to.

But that's okay. It's all part of the process, and I'm willing to deal with dozens of rejections if that's what it takes to get my manuscript into the hands of the editor who will love the story as much as I do. What it all comes down to is following the advice in the title of this post: I just have to keep on keeping on, and someday the right manuscript will land on the right desk at just the right time.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Critiquing and time management...

2009-05-07T15:50:00.004-04:00

Once again, I'm making the attempt to critique chapters for my writer buddies. I'm not getting them done as quickly as I'd like, but life has a way of interfering with my best intentions. Which brings me to an interesting question. Writers know how important a good relationship with critique partners is and how beneficial critiques can be to their own writing. When it comes down to a choice between critiquing and writing, due to serious time constraints, which do you choose? I've been trying to alternate between writing and critiquing, but it's not working out as well as I'd hoped. Plus, I've run into another dilemma. If all my free time is spent writing and critiquing, when do I revise the story my critique partners at looking at?

Obviously, I've got serious time management issues. I've seen and heard of so many solutions for people like me who have way too much to do, but most of them don't look like they'd work for me. So, dear readers, do y'all have any time management solutions that might work for a disorganized multi-tasker like me?

What's up with paranormal?

2009-04-20T23:45:00.003-04:00

I've noticed a trend in the last couple of years that seems to be turning into something of an epidemic. Vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, telepaths...the list goes on and on. These creatures/characters are cropping up all over the place in books. It seems like every time I look at YA fiction, there's another paranormal story out there. What I can't figure out is why.

What is up with the paranormal fascination when it comes to YA books? I always preferred stories with realistic characters that I could run into on the street. You know, characters that were realistic enough that I could identify with them. How can I identify with a werewolf?

Don't get me wrong. I know really strange things can happen in real life. I've experienced enough to know that. But those things were rather unpleasant experiences for the most part. I have no interest in reading about fictional people who go through the same things.

Yes, I know all about reading to escape real life. I do that myself. But here's the thing. I like books filled with hope and goodness and that have a happily-ever-after ending. No, I'm not talking about stories where everything's happy and cheery all the time. I like realism with flawed characters who struggle with real issues and come out all right in the end. Knowing they can survive the same type of things I deal with/have dealt with and still have a happy ending is what I like.

Those are the same kind of stories I try to write. It's all about hope for me. Hope that no matter how bad things get, it will all turn out okay in the end.

So here's the question. What do you guys think about all of this? Do you understand the fascination with paranormal stories? Do you like stories with or without happy endings?

Easter is coming...

2009-04-10T18:10:00.002-04:00

It's been another crazy week in the life of this author. The good news is that the week is over, and on Good Friday, too. Now I can look forward to spending the weekend with my family and celebrating Easter. My sister and my brother and his wife are coming for the weekend, so the whole family will be together for a holiday for the first time in...years, I suppose. Usually, there's at least one sibling who can't be here for one reason or another. I'm looking forward to everyone being together; we need it. It's been a rough year for my family for a variety of reasons, so spending Easter as one big happy group will be great.

I hope y'all have an amazing weekend. To those of you who celebrate it, have a very happy Easter!

Spring has arrived!

2009-03-30T19:02:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the long absence. It's been a rough month, but I think things are settling down now...I hope. I'm going to try to get back into the swing of blogging, but I'm going to take it slow. Like one a week. I should be able to handle that regardless of what happens in my life. Now for the post.

It's spring! Sunny, warm, longer days...yep, it's time to think about planting a garden. I can't actually plant it yet, too big a risk for frost for another month or so, but I can start planning, buying seeds, and tilling the garden beds. I can't wait for the actual planting to begin! There's nothing like working with the cool soil, watching the plants sprout, caring for them as they grow. Oh yeah, I love gardening.

To help you celebrate spring, pop over to The Knight Agency blog. They're celebrating YA Spring Break Week. Each day this week, a different YA author is going to post about one of the classic character types found in YA novels. And there are prizes. So hop on over there and enjoy Spring Break! Who knows? Maybe you'll learn something about YA characters you never thought about before.

Ah, childhood...

2009-02-23T12:40:00.003-05:00

With my three-year-old niece in the house, I've been seeing a lot of cartoons, children's shows on PBS, and Disney movies. It's made me remember the good old days of my childhood when the most difficult decision I had to make was which flavor of Kool-Aid I wanted to drink. I've also been thinking about the differences between Sesame Street then and now.

While the format is still the same, there are some things I remember from when I was little that seem to have vanished into television history, such as the pinball machine counting cartoons and Ernie's original rubber ducky song. The good news is, I can still see these fondly remembered things thanks to YouTube. And in the process of watching some of them with my niece, I discovered that Sesame Street has a YouTube channel.

With 200 videos, I doubt I'll ever watch them all, but not for lack of trying on my niece's part. She wanted to watch "that one," and when I asked which one (since there were several to choose from on the screen) she said, "watch all of them." Obviously, that didn't happen, but we did watch one from my childhood where Kermit is reporting on Old Mother Hubbard's empty cupboard. Oh, the nostalgia of it all.

If you want to be nostalgic with me, check out Sesame Street's YouTube channel. Have a great week and try not to overdose on Sesame Street.

Revision Breeds Patience

2009-02-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

Revisions can be fun, but they can also be a headache. There’s nothing quite like looking at a paragraph and wondering what you were thinking when you wrote it. Or second-guessing what you think is a good sentence. What if it could be better? Would this wording make it a great sentence or just kill the flow?

When revisions are going well, it’s great. You clearly see how to improve the story, know just which sentences need work, which scenes need to be tweaked. I love taking a block of narrative summary and expanding it into a scene, especially when I know exactly how to write it.

It’s all a part of the writing process and does a great job of teach writers patience. Trust me, if you’re not a patient person, not only will multiple rounds of revisions drive you batty, you’ll be certifiable by the time you hear back on the submissions you made six months ago. Not all editors and agents take that long to respond, but plenty of them do take a month or more to give you an answer, even if it’s no.

Of course, once you get your publishing contract, there are still edits, galleys, and about a million other little things, not to mention the up to two years it can take for your book to finally be released.

Yes, the road to publication can be long and tedious, frustrating and fascinating. But for those of us who feel the pull to write for publication, it’s worth the occasional bouts of nuttiness to see your work in print.

Doing It My Way

2009-02-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

I’ve been thinking a lot about motocross lately. Partially because of Jeremy Lusk’s fatal accident, but mostly because of a novel manuscript I wrote that involves freestyle motocross and dirt bikes in general. I’ve been struggling with rejections on this manuscript, I’ve revised it multiple times, added scenes to strengthen the story, had it critiqued. The thing’s been driving me nuts, but I can’t give up on it. Trust me, I’ve tried. It just haunts my thoughts until I give in and tweak it again or submit it somewhere.

Last week, I started thinking about some new revisions on the manuscript, which will take some creativity and a lot of work. I was on the fence about whether I should go through with my ideas or not, since I’m currently revising another manuscript and have very little time to devote to revising anything. Then I woke up one morning and felt like God had hit me over the head. I finally knew what had been going wrong with the manuscript. I’d put my own ambitions and plans before whatever God has planned for me and this story.

Once I realized that, I felt peace with my decision. It may take me six months, but I need to revise that manuscript and aim it toward the Christian market. If it ends up in the mainstream market (which is where I wanted it and thought it should be), that’s just an added bonus. But the important thing to me is no longer what market I submit it to. I just need to remember to put God first in my life. Everything else will fall in place, even if it’s not the way I thought it should be.

How can I have such confidence? Experience. Lots of it. I can’t count the number of times I’ve tried to do things my way, only to get frustrated and have nothing work right. Then I give up and pray for the wisdom and strength to do it God’s way. Once I do that, I usually see the solution to the problem right in front of me, just waiting for me to find it.

This time, I have a complete manuscript that’s been polished to a high shine, but it’s still not where it needs to be for the Christian market. Someday, I’ll get the manuscript where it needs to be, find either an agent or a publisher willing to take it on, and it will finally see publication. I believe in this story like I’ve rarely believed in any other story, and I’m certain there’s a publisher out there who will love it. I just think that publisher might be in the CBA rather than the ABA like I originally thought.

Dangerous Sports

2009-02-16T00:01:00.001-05:00

As longtime readers of this blog know, I’m a fan of freestyle motocross. Last week, something happened to remind the world just how dangerous the sport can be. Twenty-four-year-old rider Jeremy Lusk crashed on a landing and died two days later in the hospital. My heart goes out to his family and friends.

Injury is an accepted part of life for athletes, and when you combine any kind of machinery, the risk for serious injury is just that much higher. Thankfully, most athletes recover from their injuries and live to compete another day. When the tragic happens, however, and the athlete loses his life doing what he loves, it’s a reminder to everyone in the sport what could happen.

In the case of Jeremy Lusk, he’d had a similar crash before and walked away. He was a great rider and will be missed in the sport, but more importantly, his family and friends will miss him. A Jeremy Lusk Trust Fund has been set up at athleterecoveryfund.com. I’m sure his memory will live on, inspiring young riders far into the future.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, the one of the year nearly everyone thinks about love and romance. The day isn't about expensive gifts and dinners out. It's about showing your sweetheart you care. Remember back in elementary school when everyone handed out those goofy valentines with cartoon characters and cliche sayings on them? Or maybe you made the valentines you gave your friends. Either way, you showed you cared with those silly cards even though you might have been too embarrassed to admit you actually like a certain boy or girl.

I always loved making valentines. I could show my artsy-crafty self and cutting out all of those hearts was just plain fun. Several of my friends also made valentines instead of buying them. I think the sweetest valentine I received as a child was homemade.

It came from a boy who lived about a block away. We'd been friends for a couple of years, played with all the other neighborhood kids every day, and I had no clue he liked me until I received that valentine. It was made out of red construction paper and had hearts all over it. Inside, in his childish handwriting (we were maybe all of eight years old at the time), he wrote something like, "Happy Valentine's Day. I like you. Will you be my valentine?"

After a massive giggle fit because this came from the boy I played tag with and dug up worms with, I realized it was really sweet. I think that's the first time I understood the point of valentines. It wasn't about seeing how fancy you could make a heart-shaped card or buying the latest "in" cartoon character valentines; it's all about showing that you care.

I bet you're wondering what happened after I received that sweet valentine. I don't remember exactly what my response was, but I think I probably agreed to be his valentine. Neither one of us had a clue what that meant, so we just kept being friends and riding our bikes to the park with all of our other friends. We stayed friends and saw each other nearly every day until he moved out of state when we were thirteen. As happens so many times, we lost touch. Several years later, he brought his wife to see where he'd spent a good portion of his childhood, and he stopped by my house to say hi. It was great meeting his wife and hearing about their two small children (who had stayed with grandparents for the day).

This Valentine's Day, if you're like me and without that someone special in your life, you can still enjoy the day. Take a minute to let your friends and family know you care about them. Make one of those heart-shaped cards for your mom or your best friend. Maybe you can reminisce about Valentine's Days past and have some laughs over childhood crushes.

Whatever you do, take a moment to appreciate that love and romance make the world a better place to live. And if you have a sweetheart to celebrate the day with, enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing your crush returns the warm fuzzy feeling.

Conflict

2009-02-11T00:01:00.002-05:00

So far, I've talked about goals and motivation. Today, I'm talking about the third element that's essential to good fiction: conflict. What is conflict in terms of writing? It's whatever gets in the way of the characters reaching their goals.

Let's use Monday's example of Holly, the high school student who wants perfect grades so she can get a full scholarship to her dream university. What could keep Holly from her dreams? There are countless possibilities. Maybe her arch rival for the scholarship accuses her of cheating on a big test and plants incriminating evidence in her locker. Holly's dad could lose his job and Holly has to take a part-time job to help her family survive. The university could think about changing its policies and the proposed changes threaten Holly's eligibility for the scholarship.

Whatever the conflict, just like the goals and motivation, it has to be believable. Here's an example of an unrealistic conflict in Holly's situation: A movie producer walking down the sidewalk sees her talking to her friends. The producer falls in love with her looks and offers her a multi-million dollar contract and an acting career for life if she'll be in his next four movies. Unfortunately, filming would keep her from finishing high school on schedule and wouldn't leave her time to go to college anyway.

As you can see, this is completely unrealistic and so far fetched it wouldn't be believable. The best conflicts are the ones that feel like they could happen to you if you had the same goals as the character. If you feel like it wouldn't happen to any real people, don't have it happen to the character. The realism is what draws readers and keeps them caring about the characters and the story.

So, the next time you want to write a story remember the three key elements: goals, motivation, and conflict.

Motivation

2009-02-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

I apologize for not posting this last Wednesday as I'd promised. My life got a little crazy and blogging had to take a backseat for a while. But I'm back, so here's the post on motivation I promised.

Once you know the goals of you character, how will the character reach those goals? What is it that makes the character strive to achieve them? Once you know that, you know the character's motivation.

Here's an example of goals and motivation. Holly wants a 4.0 grade point average when she graduates from high school. What's her motivation to work hard enough to get perfect grades? A full-ride scholarship to the university of her dreams.

This is a very simple example, but it shows a goal and the motivation to achieve that goal. Most stories involve multiple goals and the motivation for each of those goals can overlap. The important thing to remember is to keep the goals and motivation realistic. If your character has unrealistic goals or unrealistic motivation, the story isn't going to work well. So, like I've said before, keep it real.

On Wednesday, I'll talk about conflict. And I promise, the post will be there this time.

Goals

2009-02-02T09:38:00.004-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about goals in the last month. Mostly, I've been thinking about my goals for the year and listening to the goals of others, but as a writer, there are other goals I need to think about: the goals of my characters.

When writing a story, there are three things the author has to keep in mind: Goals, motivation, and conflict. If any of those three are absent, the story won't work or will be mind-numbingly dull. Since I never plot and rarely know where the story is going to end up, I tend to not think about the goals of my characters before I write the story. It usually becomes apparent to me what the character's goals are soon after I start writing. But when it doesn't, I have to rethink the story and start over.

So, how do you know what a character's goals are? Ask yourself this one simple question: What does your character want? Sometimes, the character will want multiple things. Maybe the character wants to get an A in biology, the cute girl who lives down the block, and to go to the upcoming concert by the most awesome band known to man.

Now that you know the character's goals, how does he reach them? That's where the motivation comes in. What reason does the character have to achieve those goals? What is it that keeps him working toward his goals even when things look hopeless?

Check back on Wednesday to learn about motivation.

Choices and Responsibility

2009-01-30T11:30:00.006-05:00

Have you ever seen a movie or read a book that stuck with you? Something that really struck you emotionally or intellectually that you want to see or read again? I've experienced that a few times, and every time I think, "Man, I wish I could write a story like that."

Last night, I watched Dangerous Minds. I love that movie for so many reasons, a big one being that it shows you have choices. No matter what happens, you can always choose something. It also gives hope that regardless of your current situation, you can have a good life. It's all about the choices you make.

That is the kind of story I strive to write. All choices have consequences, whether good or bad, and you have to choose what you want out of life. If you choose hope, you start making choices that lead to that better life you hope for. If you make bad choices or you choose to give up, well, life's not going to improve.

Me, I always try to choose hope. Yes, I screw up sometimes, but that's part of being human. We all make mistakes, but the point is to learn from those mistakes (and the mistakes of others) so we don't keep repeating them. It's only when we learn that we can make the world a better place, even if it's just our little corner of the world.

Regardless of what we choose, we have to take responsibility for our actions. Like I said, there are consequences to every choice, and we have to accept the bad with the good. No one else is responsible for the choices we make; each individual is responsible for his or her own choices. If you make good choices, you'll see good results, and those are easy to accept. It's the bad choices, however, that most people want to pass off as someone else's fault. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. You make a bad choice, you deal with the bad consequence. That's just the way life is.

To bring this all back to writing, when I'm working on a story, I do my best to show the characters making choices and the consequences of those choices. The good ones are my favorites to write, but I have to show the bad decisions and consequences as well. It is my goal to show, through my writing, that there is always hope for a better life. It's all about the choices made, and yes, taking responsibility for your actions is a choice.

You could choose to pass off the blame for your choice onto someone else, but what does that really accomplish? You might get away with it, but in all likelihood, it will come back on you at some point and you'll still have to deal with the original consequences and possibly more because of refusing to accept responsibility in the first place. Either way, you'll likely lose a friend or the chance of becoming the friend of whoever you blamed for your choice. I know there are times you probably don't care if you ever see that person again, but I'm sure you do care about losing respect. And refusing to take responsibility for your actions is almost guaranteed to cause people to stop respecting you.

The way to keep and gain respect is to make the best choices in life that you can and take responsibility for the bad choices as well. It takes a strong person to admit when you've made a mistake, especially when it's a big mistake. If you choose to be that strong person, you'll go much farther in life than if you say, "Uh-uh, it's not my fault," when it really is.

Make good choices, take responsibility for your actions, and make your corner of the world a better place. Have a great weekend, and if you get a chance to watch Dangerous Minds, do it. It's a great movie.

I Love Technology

2009-01-28T00:01:00.001-05:00

As anyone who knows me can tell you, I love nifty technological toys. I'll never be able to afford most of the coolest things, and even if I could, they're not available to the general public. (Have you seen some of the stuff our military uses? Talk about the most awesome technological toys on the planet!) But I've learned about a device that should be available to the general public next year: the Plastic Logic e-reader.

Thin, eight and a half by eleven inches, supports a variety of formats...can it get any better? For a while, I thought the Sony e-reader was the coolest e-reader I'd ever seen. And while the Sony reader is still awesome and I'd love to have one, the Plastic Logic reader is now at the top of my list of coolness.

So, if Plastic Logic needs anyone to test their reader before it goes on the market, I have one thing to say. Pick me, pick me! With as much time as I spend reading documents on computers thanks to my job and being a writer, and e-reader would be awesome. I just have to find the perfect one for my life. The Plastic Logic reader is looking like it might beat out the competition.

Submission Update

2009-01-26T11:21:00.000-05:00

Update on one of my submissions from earlier this month: I received a rejection letter on Saturday. The good news is that I was invited to submit something for the magazine’s next issue. I think it was a form letter, but that invitation still feels pretty good even if everyone who received a rejection also received an identical letter.

If anyone knows of a Christian magazine aimed at kids ages 6-10 that needs some short fiction, please share! I have two stories for that age group, and I don’t know where to send them. It’s been a while since I was in the 6-10 age range and there weren’t a lot of Christian magazines for kids readily available. Most of my Christian reading material came from Sunday school and were retold Bible stories.

I’m trying to expand my writing horizons, which isn’t always an easy task. I’ve successfully written for adults, I’ve had teens approve of my YA writing, but anything for kids under twelve hasn’t been tested by kids or accepted for publication. Of course, I haven’t submitted much for kids under twelve, so that probably has something to do with no children’s publishing credits.

I know, a lot of people think authors should pick one area of writing and stick with that. Unfortunately, I have ideas for stories in a variety of areas. Which is why I write for small children to adults and everywhere in between. My reading habits tend to reflect this as well. I read mostly adult and young adult novels, but I love Dr. Seuss and any good picture book.

What can I say? I have eclectic tastes in books and writing.

Finally! It's Friday...

2009-01-23T00:01:00.000-05:00

Update on my rewriting struggle: Since Wednesday's post, I've managed to rewrite about twelve pages. I'm feeling pretty good about that. Maybe I have my momentum back. We'll see.

Now, for a little book fun. Ever wonder how you could use a book other than for educational or entertainment purposes? Here's a video to help you out.

Have a great weekend and beware of people wielding pointy sticks!

Mid-week blahs...

2009-01-21T13:19:00.004-05:00

I know, I was so excited about starting rewriting a manuscript on Monday. Here it is two days later and I'm feeling discouraged. No, the rewrite didn't suddenly get harder. My personal life kind of blew up. A couple of minor crises occurred, and my rewriting has gone down the drain.

Since Monday, I've managed to rewrite two pages. Of course, I added three pages to a different manuscript last night. I hadn't planned on doing any new writing until I finished my daily goal of rewriting five pages, but I needed the relaxing creative release of writing something new. It helped, but I feel bad about not getting more rewritten.

In spite of everything that's going on, I'm determined to get that manuscript rewritten by summer. I'd like to have it done by March, but my life is going to be pretty unpredictable for the next few weeks. The end of June is a goal I'm sure I can reach regardless of what goes on to keep me from getting any work done.

Here's to hoping I reach my daily goal for rewriting for the rest of the week. I'll post an update on Friday.

Monday, Monday

2009-01-19T10:39:00.004-05:00

It's the start of another week, and it promises to be a busy one. I finished revising my tween novel on Saturday (Woohoo!!!), and now I'm working on rewriting a YA novel. It needs more work than I remembered, but I love the characters and the story. I'm looking forward to spending time with them, even if I do want to beat my head on the desk occasionally as I try to figure out how to fix awkward sentences, repetitive information, and about a million other little things. It's going to be an adventure, that's for sure.

Rewrites are something I always look forward to and dread. Weird combination, huh? It makes sense if you think about it for a moment. Rewriting can be extremely tedious, frustrating, and time-consuming. On the other hand, it offers the opportunity to develop the characters more, add in those little details and comments that bring the story to life, and write new scenes to bridge any gaps in the story.

The YA manuscript I started rewriting yesterday is going to take a little more work than I thought, but I don't mind. I love this story and the characters. It's the only thing I've written so far that might actually be the first in a trilogy. I have a vague idea of what could happen in two more books, but that's where the story of these characters would end. There's just not enough to them for a series. I'm not sure about the trilogy idea however. The next two books, and especially the last one, would get into some controversial areas. I know I'm making y'all curious, but I'm not comfortable explaining what it's all about. Rest assured all three books would have happy endings.

I'll admit I've played around with starting the second book in the trilogy. It went in a direction I hadn't anticipated, and I got stuck. I have ideas of how to get unstuck, but I don't know if I want to go ahead with the trilogy idea or not.

What do y'all think? Would a contemporary trilogy for teens work? Would people buy it? I know I haven't given y'all any details, but in general do you think trilogies that aren't fantasy or science fiction have a chance?

Brr...

2009-01-16T12:50:00.002-05:00

The temperature dropped to double digits below zero last night. Last I heard, the temperature still hadn't climbed above zero. We aren't even going to talk about wind chills. The funny part of all of this? Parts of Alaska are in the forties today. That's forties above zero. Who ever heard of Alaska being fifty or so degrees warmer than the Midwest in January? Kind of makes me want to take a vacation.

What do you do when the weather is so cold you get frostbite just thinking about it? I love to curl up with a good book, a cup of hot chocolate, and a cat or a dog (or both, depending on the mood they're in). If I had a fireplace, I'd be sitting in front of a nice warm fire today. With my book and hot chocolate, of course.

The question now is which book to read. I have seven of them waiting for my attention. Out of those seven, one is science fiction (something I rarely read), one is general Christian fiction, two are Christian romances, one is Christian women's fiction, and two are mainstream sweet romances.

Yes, I'm on a romance kick right at the moment. When the weather's this cold, I might as well read stories that give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Besides, I'm a sucker for happily-ever-after endings.

I'm off to make a nice hot cup of tea (almost as good as hot chocolate) and read. Maybe I can talk my cat into keeping my toes warm while I read.

Stay warm and spend some time this weekend with a good book.

Singin' in the Snow...

2009-01-14T10:09:00.003-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like...Canada? That's right, the arctic cold front the meteorologists have been talking about for days has finally arrived. The last temperature I heard this morning was fifteen degrees Fahrenheit. Tonight's low? Oh, just a measly five below zero. The good news is the snow this frigid air brought with it. I love snow, but this winter's been remarkably warm so I keep getting rain instead. There's nothing warm about the weather now. It definitely feels like winter.

The forecast high for tomorrow is four degrees where I live. Sound cold? Well, it is, but it also brings back a memory from my teenage years.

My best friend and I were going to her car for one reason or another. I think we were going for on a soda run, but I don't remember. What I do remember is that it was four degrees, snow was everywhere, and I had wet hair. That's right, I ignored all of those parental warnings about going out in the winter with wet hair. The result? My hair froze about twenty feet from my front door.

Let me tell you, frozen hair is one of the weirdest things I've ever experienced. It was stiff, I could crack the ice crystals, but contrary to the myth, my hair didn't break. It also didn't freeze dry, which I thought would have been really cool, but I did learn what frozen hair feels like. After that, I dried my hair before going out or tucked it into a hat or under my scarf. Why? Because frozen hair is really cold.

Enjoy the winter weather and try not to freeze your hair.

Jerk, California by Jonthan Friesen

2009-01-12T00:01:00.002-05:00

Last night, I finished reading Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen. Can we say awesome book? It's one of the best YA novels I've read in a very long time. A story of self-discovery, it follows Sam as he struggles with a cruel stepfather, constant frustration and embarrassment because of his Tourette's, and a father who left when he was two. As the story progresses, Sam takes a road trip set out by the man he'd grown up thinking was the town crazy. Turns out the old guy was smarter than Sam realized.

Jerk, California shows the importance of looking past strange behavior, weird muscle tics, and rumors to the true person beneath. It also shows how important knowing the truth about where you come from can be.

Throughout the novel, I laughed and cried and felt Sam's frustration as he tried to understand vague statements and seeming wild goose chase he'd been sent on. Sam's story drew me in like few others, and hours passed without my notice as I lived in Sam's world.

One thing I particularly loved was the way Jonathan Friesen handled Tourette Syndrome. It weighed so heavily on Sam's mind at the beginning of the novel, but he focused on it less and less as he realized there were bigger, more important things he needed to think about. The tics were always there, they still irritated him from time to time, but it felt like he learned to accept them as a way of life (most of the time) rather than despising them for making him a freak.

All in all, Jerk, California is a great book. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a terrific read. Be prepared for a wild ride that will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotion and leave you with a happy ending.

Hope

2009-01-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, I mentioned the hope I had as a teen. I also mentioned how hard it was to see my friends and others I knew who had no hope. The hardest part of seeing them hurt so much was knowing that they could have the same hope I did; the same hope that carried me through some of the toughest days of my life.

Where did my hope come from? God. That’s right, my hope come from my Christian faith. I ran with several non-Christians when I was in high school, and none of them could understand my optimism that everything would work out in the end. I tried to explain it to them, but without faith in God, they never had a chance of understanding.

I didn’t always understand it myself. I also didn’t truly learn to appreciate it until I passed through the proverbial fire and came out unburned.

One of the things that hit me hard and made me realize the true value of my faith was the rape and murder of one of my friends. Like so many young people, I knew people died in violent ways. I even knew in a superficial way that people my age died. But it didn’t really hit home that it could happen to me until my friend’s death.

I struggled with facing mortality. I cried out to God and anyone who would listen for an answer to why it had happened. I never got an explanation for why God had allowed such a horrible thing to happen, but I did learn some things I didn’t even know I was looking for, such as how to rely on God no matter what. My faith is what got me through. Even in the midst of the tragic death of my friend, I still had an underlying joy. Don’t get me wrong; I wasn’t skipping around happy while everyone else grieved. No, I struggled with depression, I grieved with my best friend, but I came through it more unscathed than my best friend.

The difference? I had my faith to rely on; she didn’t. I knew that our friend was in heaven. She’d been a Christian for years at the time of her death. My best friend didn’t even know if heaven existed, so she couldn’t find the same comfort I had.

My friend’s murder is probably the most dramatic example of how Christianity has affected my life in a positive way. But there are myriad little ways my life is affected by my faith. For one thing, I couldn’t write without God’s help. I’ve tried it and failed miserably.

I think the thing I notice the most about having faith in Christ is the hope. No matter what I’m going through, no matter how impossible the situation seems, I see that glimmer of hope that things will one day get better. I know that God is right beside me through everything: comforting me when tragedy strikes, rejoicing with me when something good happens, giving me strength when I’m weak.

That relationship, that hope, is something I want others to experience. It’s why I weave a thread of hope into everything I write. Being a teenager is hard enough without being hopeless; being a Christian teen is still hard, but you have Someone you can rely on to help you through the hard times, the only One who will never let you down. As a woman who worked with my youth group once told me, “People will always let you down at one time or another in your life, but God will always be there for you and He’ll never let you down.”

Why I Write for Teens

2009-01-07T00:01:00.000-05:00

Why do I enjoy writing YA literature so much? The endless possibilities for plots. Another reason is that teens are just plain fun to write. The powerful emotions, the innovative ways of thinking, the fresh look at the world around us...it’s truly amazing.

Or it could be that I never grew up. A few months ago, I was told I operate on the level of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old. I don’t know if it was meant as a compliment or not, but I took it as one. I can act my age, and do on a regular basis, but it’s so much more fun to enjoy life in the carefree manner of a teen.

I know, I hear the groans of the teens reading this. Trust me, when I was actually a teenager, I couldn’t wait to be considered an adult. Then I hit adulthood, and realized how much fun being a teenager could be.

Don’t worry, I’m not one of those people who says the high school years were the best years of my life. In all honesty, they were probably some of my worst for a lot of reasons. But the hope of making the world a better place when I was a teenager is something that will always stick with me. In recent years, I’ve begun to hope I can make the world a better place with my writing.

One of the things I hope to accomplish with my young adult stories is to give teens the hope I was lucky enough to have. I never went through the stereotypical hopeless teen phase, but a lot of people I knew did. There were times it literally put me in tears to see how much they were hurting.

By writing stories of hope, I can show the teens who feel like it’s all pointless that things can get better. No, it’s not always an easy road, but there is hope for a better life and a better world. All you have to do is embrace that hope and hold on to it no matter what.

Writing for Teens

2009-01-05T00:11:00.002-05:00

Writing for teens is tricky. You can’t trivialize emotions, events, or anything else; they aren’t trivial matters though many adults like to thing they are. You can’t take things too far; teens will likely be exposed to much worse soon enough without stealing their innocence through your writing. And more than anything, you don’t dare write down to them. Contrary to what sometimes seems like popular opinion, teenagers tend to be quite intelligent and understand far more than they’re generally given credit for.

So, knowing all this, how can a person possible write for teens without fear of insulting someone? It’s simple: keep it real. Write pertinent topics, realistic dialogue, vibrant descriptions. Don’t shy away from difficult or uncomfortable topics. Teens live in the real world. They know about tough subjects like drug addiction, rape, and mental illness.

No, you don’t have to focus on the bad stuff to successfully write for teens. Hit on the good topics as well, like winning a full academic scholarship to college, the giddy feeling of romance, the football team making it to the state championships.

Just like with everyone, the teenage life is filled with good and tempered with the bad. Therefore, books written for them, just like books written for adults, should show reality. Rarely, if ever, is life all good or all bad.

It all goes back to keeping it real. If your writing mirrors real life, your stories will be much more well-received than if you write unrealistically happy people with perfect lives or characters who never have anything good happen to them. Show challenges and show success as well. Conflict may drive a story, but hope is what keeps the reader coming back for more. Hope that things will turn out all right, that the character will overcome the obstacles in his path and succeed.

Don’t fear writing for teens; enjoy it. The teen years provide fodder for countless stories. You can explore so many topics and give teens hope for a brighter future. So, keep writing your YA stories, and remember to keep it real.

Time for the goal-reaching to begin!

2009-01-02T11:24:00.003-05:00

This morning, I took my first step toward meeting my writing goals of this year. I sent out two submissions by email, so hopefully those will bring me good news in the coming weeks. Sometime in the next couple of weeks, I'll be sending out another submission. I just need to do a little more polishing on the manuscript (it's short, so it shouldn't take too long).

Now, if I can keep up a steady stream of submissions, both for novel-length works and short pieces for magazines and/or websites, I'll be in great shape. The difficulty with that steady stream comes in when my vacation time ends and I have to get back into the swing of work. I'm determined to do more in the way of developing my writing career this year, so my weekends will probably be full of preparing submissions.

Sounds like a good plan, I know, but like so many people my good intentions at the beginning of the year tend to get lost in the shuffle of daily life. With God's help, I'll stick to my goals this year. I just have to remember to rely on God and not myself, a lesson I've learned many times in my life and have no doubt I'll keep learning.

I could go on and on about this stuff (and probably will in future posts), but since revising four manuscripts is at the top of my goal list for 2009 and my vacation only lasts through the weekend, I'd better get to work.

Have a great weekend, and I'll be back on Monday!

Looking Back...and Forward

2008-12-31T11:35:00.004-05:00

Well, another year has passed. This has been a good one for me in terms of writing and work. I've been working as a freelance editor since early January, which is my dream job. I've also had minor success with writing under a pseudonym. I didn't achieve my goal of getting an agent or publisher for any of my young adult writing, but since that's my goal every year, I can't exactly call it a yearly goal. It's more like a life goal that I'll reach someday.

I believe I'll get at least one YA novel published in my lifetime. I'm hoping for more, but God may have other plans for me. He's the one who knows which novel will be published, when it will happen, and who the publisher will be. It's always possible I haven't written it yet, but I'll keep writing and submitting until someone falls in love with one of my manuscripts. Nothing like blind faith, huh?

Yes, it's hard to be patient and keep plugging away at trying to break into publishing. It's discouraging to get rejection after rejection with no clue as to why my work is being rejected. I struggle with feeling like I'm never going to get published, so what's the point in even trying? Yet underneath it all, I know I'm a writer. I can't not write, and believe me there have been times when I was so discouraged I tried to quit. But I can never go for more than a couple of days without writing anything. Writing is a huge part of my life, and I believe it's what God wants me to do. That faith is what keeps me going, keeps me rewriting the same manuscript over and over, keeps me submitting regardless of how many rejections I receive.

I haven't submitted nearly as many queries in the last year as I should have. I could blame it on learning my new job and a heavy workload, but I know those are just excuses. I have evenings, some weekends, and the rare vacation day that I could focus on submitting. Maybe I am a little afraid of receiving yet another rejection, but I know it's just part of the process. Someday, when I submit the right manuscript to the right person, I'll get an acceptance.

So, I'm going to try to send out more queries in 2009. I have four YA manuscripts (although one of them is more on a tween level) that I'm going to focus on. The tween manuscript and one of the YAs need a quick once over, then I'm calling them ready to go. Another YA manuscript needs some serious help since the writing is less than stellar (can we say first draft?), but I already know where I'm going to submit it. And the last manuscript is in pretty good shape other than some big blocks of narrative summary I didn't even realize were there until a critique partner pointed them out (thanks, Glenn!). Three out of four manuscripts also need queries and synopses, so I'm going to spend a few hours banging my head on my desk as I struggle to write those. Synopses and queries are the hardest part of writing for publication, at least for me. Just ask anyone who knows me.

Yeah, I have a busy year ahead of me, but I'm looking forward to it. I may try writing some short YA fiction and submitting to magazines and websites, but my main goal is to revise as many of those manuscripts as I can, get the synopses and queries ready to go, and submit to as many places as it takes to get some interest. Who knows? Maybe 2009 is the year I'll get an agent and/or a publishing contract.

Have a safe New Year's Eve, and I'll see you in the new year!

Think Before You Submit

2008-12-29T14:26:00.000-05:00

Thinking is essential when looking for a place to submit your manuscript. Even if your book meets all of the guidelines, ask yourself: Does it fit with the rest of what they publish? Another important question is this: Does it work for their target market?

Well, I’ve mentioned that I found what I think is the perfect publisher for one of my manuscripts. I’d planned to submit to them by the end of January, but now I’m having second thoughts. Why would I have second thoughts about submitting to the “perfect” publisher? I realized I’d only asked myself one of the two important questions that should always be asked before submitting. I checked out the books they’ve published, and I think mine would fit in great. Unfortunately, I didn’t ask myself if it would work for their target market.

The other day, I got to thinking about my story and their market. The main character in my story is homeschooled by a friend’s mom. The publisher I wanted to submit to publishes books that are meant for public schools. I realized there’s something wrong with this scenario. What public school is going to want a book about a homeschooled kid?

It’s always possible the schools would want it for the story, because the story isn’t about being homeschooled. The homeschooling part is secondary to the main plot. So I might submit my manuscript to this publisher and hope the homeschooling aspect doesn’t shoot me in the proverbial foot.

Obviously, I’ve got some serious thinking to do while I revise that manuscript and work on the query and synopsis. There is another publisher I might submit it to, or I could try the agent route. This story is teen-tested and mother-approved, so I might have a chance of getting an agent or a publisher without too much trouble. Of course, I also know that most authors have to go through countless rejections before they finally submit to the right place.

So, I’ll keep working on making that manuscript shine, write the most excellent query and synopsis I’ve ever written, and keep researching markets. Who knows? Maybe I’ll submit it to the publisher I originally planned on and they’ll love.

A girl can dream.

Christmas

2008-12-24T11:43:00.002-05:00

I've been trying for several days to write the perfect post for today since tomorrow is Christmas. Every time I started writing the post, I'd get two or three sentences in and either get stuck or be completely dissatisfied with the direction of the post. Why is it so hard to write what should be a simple post on Christmas? Because Christmas means so many things to so many people. Every family has their own traditions (or, in some cases, no traditions), each person has things they like and don't like about the holiday.

I love Christmas lights and the specials on TV, but I don't like the way Christmas has been commercialized. So many people are concerned with what they're getting for Christmas and what they have to buy for others that they miss the whole point of gift-giving. It's not about the current "in" thing or how much you spend; it's about the giving. All of the gifts I'm giving this year are at least partially homemade. It's not much, but when you're broke you do what you can. But even if I had thousands of dollars I could spend, I'd probably still make gifts.

Another thing that tends to get lost in the commercialized Christmas is the reason we celebrate it in the first place. The Bible tells us the story of a man and woman traveling through Bethlehem. There is no room at the inn, so they have to stay in the stable. While there, the woman gives birth to a beautiful baby boy, wraps him in swaddling cloths, and lays him in a manager. That humble birth is just one part of the amazing story of Jesus Christ.

The original reason for Christmas was to celebrate the birth Christ. The name of the holiday came from the Catholics: Christ's Mass. As the years have gone by, however, so many have lost the true meaning of Christmas. It has nothing to do with gift-giving, decorated trees, or cheesy songs. It's all about celebrating the birth of Christ, the greatest gift ever given. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

So this Christmas, take a step back from all the commercial aspects of the modern holiday and think about the real reason we celebrate it.

Revisions and Submissions

2008-12-22T12:40:00.002-05:00

It’s official. I’ve finished going through my manuscript once. Now I need to go through it again, write a synopsis, and write a spectacular query. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? I wish it were that easy. But trying to condense nearly two hundred pages of story into a page or two is hard. I’ll probably start out with a really long synopsis and whittle it down. That’s usually what I end up doing. Then there’s the query. For that, I have to give a brief summary of the story without giving away the ending. Translate that to: I have to write one paragraph about the story that leaves the agent/editor hanging and begging to read the story. So not easy to do.

Going through the manuscript again is the easiest part of the whole process. I’ve revised and rewritten so many things that I’ve lost the “it’s my baby and I can’t bear to change anything” feeling a lot of new authors have. Yes, this manuscript is still my baby, but it needs work to make it marketable. Once I polish it to a high shine, I’ll send it out into the world. I’m prepared to deal with rejections on it; goodness knows I’ve seen enough of those lovely (ha ha) form rejection letters over the years. But when the right person sees that manuscript and loves it as much as I do, that’s when the real work begins.

Dealing with contracts, edits on the manuscript I thought was as perfect as possible when I submitted it, waiting for the release of my book. Then there’s the ever popular (or unpopular, depending on the author) promotion. I learned a long time ago that I am not a marketer. Unfortunately, I still have to do promotion for my own book, regardless of who publishes it, if I want to sell a decent number of copies. It’s one of the harsh realities of being an author. Writing the book is only a small part of the job. Revisions, submissions, waiting, submissions, revisions, submissions, waiting, contracts, revisions, waiting, and promotion are all necessary steps after the first draft of the manuscript is complete.

If you’re looking for an easy, quick way to make money, don’t become an author. It’s a tough business and you have to develop a thick skin and a lot of patience to survive it. Rejection is a way of life for writers. If you can’t handle rejection or you think you are being rejected (not just your manuscript), this isn’t the job for you. If you have absolutely no patience and can’t stand waiting months to hear from an editor or agent, don’t write a book. Publishing can be very slow. Think molasses in the Yukon in January. That’s fast compared to some publishing timetables.

But when you receive that first encouraging note, that first request for a partial, that’s what makes it all worth it. And receiving a contract is even better. I’ve learned that thanks to a couple of short stories written under a pseudonym. I can only imagine how much of a happy dance I’ll do when I finally get that book contract that’s been my goal from the beginning.

For now, however, I have a long road of revisions, synopses, queries, submissions, and more waiting than the average mortal would believe possible. The end goal, getting a novel published and then another and a few more, is what keeps me going through all of the hard, often discouraging, work of writing for publication. Someday, I’ll reach that goal. And when I do, you can bet I’ll be posting about it here.

Until then, I’ll keep posting whatever random topic floats through my mind as well as keeping y’all updated as I travel the long and winding road to publication. Like any trip, this one is better when shared with someone else.

Exciting market for YA!

2008-12-19T10:34:00.005-05:00

Months ago, maybe even a year or so ago, I heard rumors that Harlequin was starting a young adult line. For a while, there was no sign of this rumor being true. Then the Harlequin site said they were accepting agented YA submissions, even though there was still no separate teen line listed. I thought that was the end of it for me. No agent, no YA published through Harlequin.

Last night, I was looking at Harlequin's writer's guidelines and discovered something awesome. Not only do they officially have a YA line (Harlequin Teen), they're taking submissions from unagented writers! Agented authors still get more in front of the editors, since agents can submit a partial or a full manuscript and ungented authors have to submit a query, but the market is open to those of us without agents.

Now, I hear the groans when people hear (or read) the name "Harlequin." But you have to keep in mind that Halrequin is the publisher readers worldwide associate with romance. They're a huge publisher with something for everyone, including inspirational romances that follow CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) guidelines. I would love to have something published by them. If I could get even one book published through Harlequin, I feel like I'd gain a certain amount of credibility for the simple fact that they are well-known and big.

Do I have anything that fits their YA guidelines? Yes, but it's still pretty rough. Actually, I finished the first draft around the same time I started hearing rumors about Harlequin's YA line. I've been hoping since then that I could submit there when I get the manuscript whipped into shape.

So, in addition to the manuscript I mentioned a few weeks ago that I want to submit by the end of January to a different publisher, I now have a second manuscript with a publisher in mind. It's a great feeling to have some idea of where all these stories I have floating around would fit. All I need now is the time to revise, rewrite as necessary, and write synopses and the most awesome query letters ever.

I bet you can guess what I'm doing during my Christmas vacation, in addition to hanging out with my family and making Christmas cookies. I hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll see you next week!

Check out the 12 YAs of Christmas

2008-12-17T11:39:00.003-05:00

Looking for some good young adult books to read? Maybe you like stories with some romance, but can't find any that don't focus on sex. Well, I have the perfect solution for you! Check out the 12 YAs of Christmas from The Wild Rose Press on the Climbing Rose blog. These great stories are guaranteed clean (check out the submission guidelines for more info on what they're allowed to contain).

For more good, clean YA stories with a little (or a lot) of romance, visit the Climbing Rose line of The Wild Rose Press. All the stories are sold as e-books, and the full-length novels are also sold in print.

Whether you read something from a Climbing Rose author or from another author, be sure to enjoy Christmas vacation with a good book. Reading is a wonderful way to pass the time. Books also make great gifts, so consider giving someone a book or a bookstore gift certificate this Christmas. If you want to give someone one of the 12 YAs of Christmas, but you're not sure which one they'd like best, The Wild Rose Press also sells gift certificates.

Amigurumi

2008-12-15T10:54:00.003-05:00

Can you believe Christmas is only ten days away? I spent the weekend immersed in crochet projects, including amigurumi dolls. I only learned about amigurumi recently, but it's a ton of fun and the creations are so adorable. They're surprisingly easy to make as well. I just hope my niece (age three) and my nephew (newborn) will love them as much as I do. Everyone who's seen them so far does.

You can find many websites on amigurumi, like this one. If you've never crocheted before, you can find website tutorials. Once you know the basics of crochet and want to try amigurumi, there are a ton of free patterns out there. This site has plenty to get you started. I think my next project, once I get the Christmas presents finished, is going to be an adorable amigurumi frog. I'll just have to figure out which frog pattern is the cutest (to me, anyway). Apparently, I'm not the only crocheter who loves frogs.

Now, it's time for me to switch gears from yarn to words. My writing was neglected over the weekend, but I enjoyed the chance to get away from the computer and crochet. I love working with yarn! Since it's Monday, that means it's time to get back to the business of writing. Maybe I'll create a character who crochets. It would make a good excuse to do research and try out all those patterns I've fallen in love with. Or maybe I'll just try out the patterns as I find the time and leave the writing and crocheting separate.

Have a great Monday, and I'll be back on Wednesday!

Ain't Technology Grand?

2008-12-12T12:09:00.003-05:00

It's amazing just how much we rely on technology. I can't imagine life without computers and the internet, and I'm sure a lot of you feel the same way. Others would struggle without their iPod or cell phone, and I think we can all appreciate electricity. How did people ever survive without all of that?

Quite well, actually. There's a reason nearly everything I listed is called a modern convenience. Yes, it would be tough to get along without, say, electricity, but it could be done. I did it every summer as a child when my family went camping. I learned the value of a fire for heat, cooking, and light. There's nothing quite like reading by the light of a campfire, and the flavor of woodsmoke in everything you eat is an added bonus.

More recently, I'm living without another modern convenience: the microwave. Mine died a few days ago, so I'm cooking the way my grandmother did before she got a microwave (and even after she got one), on the stove and in the oven.

I don't mind; I cook dinner on the stove top most days anyway. Without access to a microwave, it just means everything has to be cooked that way instead of tossing the veggies in the microwave for a couple of minutes while I cook the rest of the meal on the stove. Yesterday, however, I learned a very important lesson about only having a stove for cooking; you can't decide at 5 pm that you'd like to make chili (with frozen meat) for dinner. Meat doesn't thaw that fast without a microwave. Needless to say, dinner went to plan B.

The lesson in all of this? Embrace technology, but don't rely on it so much that you can't live without it. I know I said I can't imagine life without computers and the internet, but I could do it. I like to take a day or two (when I can) and turn off the computer. It's nice to get away from the screen, since I spend so much time sitting at a computer due to work and my own writing. It would take some major adjustment to live for months or years without a computer or internet access, and I'd have to find a new job and buy an old typewriter so I could continue working on my writing career, but I could probably do it. If I absolutely had to. I hope I never have to find out for sure.

Enjoy technology, enjoy some time without it, and have a great weekend!

Teens and E-books

2008-12-10T13:44:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows teens love technology and understand it better than most older adults. What no knows for sure, however, is what teens think of e-books. E-books have been around for years, but they’ve only recently started getting recognition as a viable and legitimate way to publish. I think a lot of that can be traced back to the Kindle. A lot of people knew about e-books before Amazon introduced the Kindle, but the device’s popularity went a long way in spreading the word. When Oprah talked about the Kindle on her show and gave one away to each audience member, e-books were suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

Here’s the thing about the Kindle: it’s so expensive it’s out of the price range of a lot of people, especially given the current economic climate. There are other more affordable e-readers that have gotten less attention, such as the Sony e-Reader and the ebookwise reader. All of these devices, and many more, make e-books (which are cheaper than print books) easy to take with you anywhere—just like a paperback novel.

Now, back to teens and e-books. There’s a theory going around that teens don’t read, especially not teen boys. I’ve seen not evidence to support this theory; in fact, I’ve seen tons of teenage readers. Plus, the young adult market is growing all the time. If teens weren’t reading, the market wouldn’t be so popular. But is the e-book YA market doing as well as the print market? Seemingly not.

Why is this? No one seems to know. It sounds logical that teens, who love technology and like to read, would embrace the e-book revolution going on in publishing, but that doesn’t seem to be the reality. I have a few theories of my own (and please tell me if I’m wrong) about why teens don’t seem as interested in e-books as adults.

Theory #1: Teens spend so much time in front of a screen, whether computer, TV, or cell phone, that they see books as an escape from technology. If they switched from print books to e-books, that would be just one more screen consuming their lives.

Theory #2: There’s something about the smell of paper and ink, not to mention the feel of holding a book and turning pages, that appeals to teens. I know it appeals to me and a lot of other readers as well, but I wouldn’t mind having an e-reader.

Theory #3: E-readers cost too much. Yes, the e-books are cheaper than print books, but you have to have the $150-400 to buy the e-reader. No, you don’t have to have an e-reader to read e-books, but that brings me to my last theory.

Theory #4: Being tied to a computer while reading a novel isn’t as much fun as taking your novel with you. When faced with the choice between sitting in a desk chair to read a novel on the computer and sitting wherever you please to read the print version, it’s a no-brainer to choose the print book.

I make no guarantees about the accuracy of any of these theories; they’re just things I thought of that made sense to me. If you have any theories about why e-books don’t seem as popular among teens as everyone thought they would be, please share. And if any of my theories are totally off, please let me know. I’d hate to spread information that’s been proven false.

Weird isn't a bad word...

2008-12-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love Hallmark movies, even if they are a little cheesy sometimes. I watched the Hallmark movie Front of the Class last night and loved it. I think it's my new favorite Hallmark movie.

Front of the Class is based on a real teacher in Georgia who has Tourette Syndrome. The actor who portrayed the teacher did a great job. All of his tics looked realistic, but I can't say how well he did with the verbal ones. It sounded realistic to me, but the only person I ever knew with Tourette's didn't have verbal tics.

Anyway, one of the lessons in this movie (which is apparently also based on a book) was that weird isn't a bad word. It can be used as an insult, but it isn't always an insult. The teacher, Brad, did come across as pretty weird sometimes. I wouldn't mind knowing him, however. He had such a great outlook on life, rolled with the punches, so to speak. Yes, he got frustrated with his Tourette's sometimes, but for the most part he just lived. Weird or not, he was determined to be a teacher and he succeeded.

That movie got me thinking. I've known a lot of people with various disabilities, including some in my own family. Even if they seem "weird" compared to everyone else, they are some great people. They don't let disability stop them; they don't let weirdness be an insult. Like Brad in Front of the Class, they keep going and live out their dreams regardless of the difficulties they face.

Talk about inspiration. Life is hard enough if you're "normal," but imagine what it's like for those who have extra obstacles in their path due to mental, physical, or neurological disabilities. I'm sure there are some who let the disability win; those are the people who just give up the fight to succeed and never achieve their dreams. But there are so many more who overcome the obstacles and lead successful lives.

Everyone, even the most "normal" person out there, has probably felt like they were weird at some point in their lives. I know I have. I can't remember a time when I didn't think I was weird. But what started out as an insult from other kids has turned into something of a compliment. Yes, I'm weird, but that just means I'm not like everyone else. I'm not going to complain about that; I've always enjoyed being unique. Remember, uniqueness is what creates the variety that makes the human race such a rich, wonderful thing. If everyone were the same, the world wouldn't be nearly as interesting.

So, to all those weird people out there who have more obstacles (or at least different ones) to overcome than the "normal" people, keep working to overcome them and live out your dreams. To those who have succeeded or are well on their way to succeeding, I applaud you. You're an inspiration to us all.

Whoops...

2008-12-05T15:30:00.004-05:00

Oops, I missed Wednesday's post. I'd love to be able to say I had a really good excuse, like having tea with aliens, but I can't lie. I just totally spaced that it was Wednesday and then forgot I didn't post. What's today's fascinating topic, you ask? How about JK Rowling and Harry Potter?

JK Rowling has written another book called The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which is currently on sale. The book is a collection of five fables mentioned in the Harry Potter books. This article from the Associated Press has more information.

On to the Harry Potter news. The Lexicon: An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction and Related Materials will be released January 12, 2009. This book has come under all kinds of fire. Back in 2007, the original version of this book caused a copyright infringement suit. The publisher lost the suit and had to pay damages to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. After that trial ended, the author spent the next several months revising his book to keep it legal. Now, the revised lexicon is coming out in January. For more on this interesting story, check out this article, also from the AP.

Have a great weekend!

I'm back!

2008-12-01T12:57:00.005-05:00

Last week was great. I got to see my brother and sister-in-law, I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, I realized just how many things I have to be thankful for. Something about Thanksgiving always makes me think about the things I'm thankful for...could it be the name of the holiday? Nah, that's too obvious. Just kidding. The whole point of Thanksgiving, at least to me, is summed up in the name: it's a day to give thanks.

Here's the cool thing: you don't have to wait for the fourth Thursday in November to give thanks. You can do it any day of the year, even multiple times a day. Thinking about what you're thankful for is a great way to improve your mood. I've had absolutely horrible days, but as soon as I started thinking about all the blessings in my life, my spirits began to lift.

So, what specifically am I thankful for? That list is way to long to post all of it. Here's a truncated version of the list:

God loves me
My family (including my furry kids)
My friends
My African water frog
Working at my dream job
Snow sticking to the ground (I love snow. It's so beautiful!)
The ability to hear beautiful music
The creativity that allows me to create stories
The ability to communicate my thoughts clearly
Chocolate
Technology (yes, even when it's driving me crazy, I'm thankful for it)

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. Some things I'm thankful for might not seem like much to anyone else, but they mean a lot to me. I'm sure all of you have your own list of things you're thankful for, and I'm sure some of the things on it mean more to you than they would to anyone else. That's part of what makes each individual person unique. We all have our own way of looking at things; we're each grateful for different things. That variety is what makes the world so awesome. If we were all the same, the world would be a very boring place.

Embrace the differences, think about what you're thankful for, and enjoy life. I'll be back Wednesday with another profound (or not so profound) post.

Going on vacation...

2008-11-24T11:43:00.002-05:00

Hey, y'all! Since Thanksgiving is Thursday, and I'll be busy with family, I'm going to take this week off from blogging. Enjoy the holiday, celebrate your family and friends, and I'll be back next week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mmm...Toast....

2008-11-21T00:03:00.002-05:00

Think toast is just for eating? Well, maybe that's what it was originally intended for, but now it can also be used in advertising. Specifically, in book trailers. Check out the most awesome use of toast I have ever seen.

I have the sudden urge to eat toast...and read a book.

Have a great weekend!

Iron Chef + MRE = Good Food?

2008-11-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sure most if not all of you have heard of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat). Very common in the military, and the punch line of jokes about bad food. Now, in the last few years, various companies have been improving the quality of the food in MREs so it's no long the nasty stuff our grandfathers had to deal with. According to various articles and reports I've come across, the current generation of MREs actually aren't too bad. If you have firsthand experience with MREs, and I'm wrong, please let me know. I'd hate to spread false information.

Now, on to the point of this post. I was looking around the Army's news page (I do this occasionally with various branches of the military) and came across an interesting article. Apparently, Ana Allen of Soldiers Radio and Television gave Chef Roberto Donna and Sous Chef Claudio Sandri the mission of making two dishes out of two MREs in only thirty minutes.

Check out "Iron Chef gets creative with MREs" by Elizabeth M. Collins from the Army News Service to learn the whole story and how the dishes turned out. If you have a chance, check out some of the other articles available on the site. It's amazing how much goes on that never hits the mainstream media.

Where does the time go?

2008-11-17T12:29:00.005-05:00

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? This year has flown by for me. It seems like just yesterday that it was August. Now it's the middle of November and it's snowing (at least where I live it's snowing).

With the year nearing its end, I'm thinking about the goals I had at the beginning of the year. I've achieved some, like getting my dream job; but I've failed at others, such as getting an agent and/or a publishing contract for a YA novel. I'm the first to admit my failure is by and large my own fault. I haven't put in the necessary time to submit a LOT. I haven't finished revising the manuscript I have high hopes for. I know where I want to submit that one, I just have to finish the revisions to make it as perfect as possible.

Yes, my job keeps me busy. I'm taking a break from it right now to write this post. What I need to do is remember that I'm also a writer. The only way to succeed in becoming a published writer is to focus on that career any time I have a spare moment. That may mean scheduling specific tasks to complete, giving myself deadlines, or waiting to read the next novel in my "To Read" pile until I've finished revisions.

The publishing industry becomes even more difficult to navigate around the holidays (all those agents and editors are just as busy with personal lives as the rest of us), so I may way to send out any query letters until mid-January. I want to give them a chance to catch up with any correspondence that piled up during Christmas vacation before I add anything to their inboxes. That will also give me a couple of months to finish revisions before I need to worry about the submission process.

So, there's my goal, and y'all are my accountability for it. I'm going to finish revisions and make my first submission on that manuscript by the end of January. That gives me two and a half months. Even with work and holidays, that should be more than enough time. I'll keep you updated on how it's going.

Has HeroClix breathed its last?

2008-11-14T15:36:00.003-05:00

For those who have never heard of it, HeroClix is a strategy game played with little figures based on comic book characters. Not just the standard Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman everyone has heard of either. There are also figures for Yukio, Captain Britain, and Nightmare.

HeroClix was created by a company called WizKids. The Topps Company bought out WizKids a while back, and on November 10, Topps announced that they're shutting down the WizKids operations, including HeroClix.

This has angered a lot of people who are avid HeroClix players and fans. It doesn't make good business sense to me to shut down production of HeroClix either. Everytime a new expansion set came out, the product moved fast. Retailers sold out fairly quickly; the booster packs didn't pile up in a warehouse somewhere because there was such a high demand. This is obviously a game that's loved by a lot of people, and it's profitable for the company.

The question now is what can be done to save HeroClix. Well, there are a lot of people working to save the game by working out a plan to start their own company and purchase the HeroClix brand. They have a blog and a group on Facebook where you can keep up to date on what's going on and what they need in the way of help.

I'd love to see this mission succeed. I'm not much for HeroClix (it's too complex for me), but I know people who love the game. For them, I want to see HeroClix survive this.

Is Research Really That Important?

2008-11-12T10:46:00.003-05:00

We all know research is an essential part of writing papers for school or an article for a magazine. But is research important when writing fiction? Absolutely. Realism is everything, and if you don't do the research, you don't have the realistic touch. I know, you're all thinking "It's fiction. Everyone knows it's make-believe." You're right, it is make-believe, but readers want to be able to believe it's possible; they want to feel like they could go to that world and meet those characters. By doing a bit of research for your story, you can throw in details to give the story that added oomph to really draw readers in. You can also be sure you're not spreading misinformation.

So, we know why research is important. The next question is how much research you need to do. That depends on a lot of factors. Are you already an expert on the subject you want to write about? How long is the story? How big a part of the story is the topic?

Let's start with that first question: Are you an expert? Well, if the answer is yes, you obviously won't need to do much research, if any at all. You've already done it in the course of becoming an expert! Depending on the topic, you may want to do a little fact-checking before you submit just to make sure everything is spelled correctly, all dates are right, etc.

How long is the story? I know, this seems like an odd thing to think about when figuring out the amount of research necessary, but it makes sense. If you're writing a short story involving a mechanic, you're not going to need to know nearly as much about working on cars as you would for a full-length novel with a mechanic as the main character. The smaller word count prevents you from needing a ton of facts and lingo, while the longer word count makes it necessary to have a mechanic's vocabulary so you're not using the same half dozen phrases over and over while he works on the same part of the car for three hundred pages.

This brings us to the third question: How big a part of the story is the topic? Let's stick with the mechanic idea. If the mechanic is the main character, you're going to need to know a whole lot more about working on cars than you would if he were a secondary character or just a guy who shows up twice in that three hundred-page novel. If you're writing a mystery that revolves around multiple acts of sabotage to a car, you're going to have to know what kind of sabotage would have what effect, how to tell it's sabotage and not normal wear and tear, how to repair it so the car can be driven until the next act of sabotage, etc. If you're writing a mystery that involves Grandma getting poisoned by a greedy grandchild, and the car breaks down so the main character has to stay at a creepy motel overnight, obviously, you're not going to need to know much about car repair. You'll only need enough information for the mechanic to briefly explain the problem and the repair, and that's it.

There's one thing to keep in mind when researching for fiction and then including that research in the story. It is fiction, not a technical paper, so only include enough information to give the story realism. Don't inundate readers with technical jargon they need a glossary to understand. If you have to use technical terms, be sure to weave in an explanation of the meaning in such a way that the reader doesn't feel like he's looking at a dictionary entry. Use the characters to explain terms, either through dialogue or through thoughts about whatever the term applies to.

Also, watch out for "info dumps" filled with those nifty things you learned during your research but really have nothing to do with your story. Save those facts for another story or write an article about the subject if you're dying to share what you learned. Only include information pertinent to the story in the story and weave it in so the reader learns without even realizing it. A fast way to get a reader to put down a book is to make her feel like she's being lectured by a professor. Of course, if your main character is a professor and is in the middle of lecturing one of his classes, that's different.

As you can see, there is an importance to research, even in fiction. So the next time you want to write a story that involves something you don't know much about, don't let that stop you! Read a little on the subject, pick up enough facts to give the story realism, and start writing. You can always do more research later on if you need to, but don't feel like you have to become an expert on dolphins to have your characters visit the dolphin exhibit at the zoo. Just read an article or book (ones designed for kids are great if you don't need in-depth information), and write your story.

Whew!

2008-11-10T10:35:00.003-05:00

I made it! Those of you who read Friday's short post know about the deadline I faced. I succeeded in making it, but just barely. Now, I can sit back and relax and...Oh, wait. This isn't a dream world, is it? I can't sit back and relax until next weekend or Christmas vacation. I have a job that requires me to work. Plus, there's all that writing I haven't been doing lately, thanks to a sudden influx of deadlines at work. I'm in a good place with that now, so I should be able to get back into the swing of writing.

I know I've talked about responsibility on here before, but it's something that runs my life. It runs the lives of most people. Yes, it can be a drag, and trust me, I'd much rather spend all my time writing, but I have people counting on me to do my job. I also have responsibilities at home.

Do I ever want to just walk away and let someone else deal with everything? Sure. Don't we all? Last week I said a couple of times that I wanted to quit. I got slammed with several things that needed to be done by the end of the week, and it was overwhelming for a while there. I didn't quit, however. I kept working at it, and met every deadline I had. My shih tzu wasn't too happy with me Friday, because I pretty much ignored him while I tried to meet that last deadline, but after taking a brief break to play with him for a little while, he forgave me.

That little dog is one of my responsibilities. He needs a lot of attention or he gets upset. We're slowly working out a treaty of sorts where I can ignore him for a little while without him getting upset. It can be a tough task balancing work and home, but it's part of being a responsible adult. It's not always fun, but it's worth the occasional headache.

Go forth and be responsible. Take a deep breath if life gets overwhelming; once you've had a chance to relax, I bet you'll see that quitting and giving up your responsibilities really isn't such a great idea. Oh, and if you have a dog or can borrow one, I highly recommend playing with the pooch. Playtime is a great stress-reliever and the dog will love you for the attention.

Short Post

2008-11-07T15:53:00.003-05:00

Hey, y'all, sorry for the short post, but I have a major deadline for work today, so that's keeping me really busy. I have to share my new favorite kind of chocolate, however, since it's keeping me sane as I work to meet my deadline. If you get the chance to try Chocolate Truffle Hershey's Kisses, I highly recommend you do it. They're so chocolaty and smooth and melt in your mouth and...you get the idea. I'll quit drooling on my keyboard now.

Also, for your entertainment, check out Trunk Monkey. My dad told me about it yesterday, and I think it's hysterical. I'm not a fan of the last bit (I think it's wrong on a couple of different levels), but the rest of it is pretty funny.

Enjoy Trunk Monkey and get some Chocolate Truffle Hershey's Kisses. They'll help you have a great weekend.

The most awesome two points in basketball...

2008-11-05T10:09:00.005-05:00

I ran across an article yesterday about what is probably the most awesome two points ever scored in a college basketball game. They were the result of two free throws, which doesn't seem all that awesome until you consider who made the shots. 73-year-old Ken Mink, a full-time student at Roane State Community College is the man who scored two points on free throws.

Ken Mink is definitely an inspiration for anyone who thinks it's too late to finish their education or that they're too old to go to college. He's 73 and on his college basketball team as he works to earn his degree. How cool is that?

For a picture of Mr. Mink making one of his free throws and an article giving the details of his moment on the hardwood, check out this article from the Associated Press.

Talking Politics

2008-11-03T11:42:00.002-05:00

I know, you're all probably tired of hearing about the presidential election that's happening tomorrow. But this is an important election, since it will decide the next leader of our country. Don't worry, I'm not going to tell you who you should vote for and why. I'm just giving you the resources to make an informed decision if you're old enough (and registered) to vote. If you're under the age of eighteen or not registered, you might learn something you can pass onto voters you know.

I doubt most people realize there are actually six people running for president. I know I've only heard about two of them, especially in the last few weeks. So, here are links to websites for all the candidates (in alphabetical order by last name):

Charles Baldwin, Independent

Robert Barr, Libertarian

John McCain, Republican

Cynthia McKinney, Green Party

Ralph Nader, no party

Barack Obama, Democrat

I also came across an impartial resource to help voters learn more about the candidates. If you're interested in learning about each candidate without wading through the "Vote for me because I'm great" rhetoric that all campaigns contain, check out Project Vote Smart.

Tomorrow promises to be an interesting day with candidates (and not just the presidential ones) all over the country vying for voters. By the time I post on Wednesday, we should know who our next president will be. Good luck to all the candidates!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T10:52:00.003-04:00

It's Halloween again. You know what that means. Little kids dressed in cute costumes ringing the doorbell and asking for candy. Bigger kids in cute and sometimes creepy costumes doing the same. Teenagers with no costume trick-or-treating just because they can. Jack o' lanterns, myriad decorations, and general fun stuff (who remembers bobbing for apples?).

Now, I don't go all out for Halloween. In fact, I don't really do anything other than hand out cheap candy to any kids who show up at my door during trick-or-treating. I do that, because those kids are adorable, and I remember how much fun I had as a child doing the whole trick-or-treating thing.

I have to admit, Halloween is not one of my favorite holidays. Too many people take away the innocence and cuteness I grew up with and turn it into a way to see how many people they can scare half to death. Obviously, I don't go for that. I'm the person who doesn't like horror movies. I like happy endings, and I have yet to hear of a horror movie with one.

Okay, now that you know more than you ever wanted to know about my opinion of Halloween, here's a little information on the holiday to keep you entertained.

About the tradition of dressing up (from History.com):

The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.

About jack o' lanterns (also from History.com):

People have been making jack o'lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o'lanterns.

Another note about jack o' lanterns (based on a legend my younger sister told me after a college history course):

Way back when in Ireland, the farmers used to put carved turnips and squashes out to scare away the evil spirits. Pookas (ornery little spirits) would come and destroy a farmers crops on Halloween, but the carved turnips and squashes (the predecessor to what we know as jack o' lanterns) would scare the pookas away and keep them from ruining the crops.

Now that you know a little more about the history of Halloween traditions, have a safe and fun day!

For those of you who are curious about something interesting that happened on October 31, 1517, check out the ninety-five theses Martin Luther posted on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.

Nifty Nomination

2008-10-29T12:05:00.004-04:00

The Children's & Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards, also known as the Cybils, have announced the nominees for 2008. One of the nominees, Ordinary Me by June Sproat, is from small publisher The Wild Rose Press.

The Wild Rose Press is an e-publisher, but they do print books as well. It's so exciting to have a book from a samll press receive such a nomination. If you like sweet YA romances (including some stories that are light on the romance), check out the Climbing Rose line at The Wild Rose Press.

A bit of sad news...

2008-10-27T11:08:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite authors has died. Tony Hillerman, known for his Navajo mysteries featuring Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, passed away yesterday. Hillerman was a great writer with a talent for showing the struggle of people to stick to the traditions of their ancestors in the mordern world. One thing I loved about his books is how he brought the rich Navajo culture to life while creating a fascinating mystery that tested his characters' abilities.

The International Herald Tribune has a good article about Tony Hillerman, his career, and his life. If you haven't read any of Hillerman's books, I highly recommend checking one out. There's no greater tribute to a writer than to have his work loved by people even after he's dead.

Have You Ever... My Answers

2008-10-24T12:02:00.001-04:00

As promised, here are my answers. Enjoy!

Have you ever…

caught a crawdad (crayfish, mudbug, etc.) with your bare hands? Yes. There’s nothing quite like standing barefoot in a creek and trying to catch a crawdad without getting pinched. The best method I’ve used involves a large cup or some other container. Slowly lower the container into the water behind the crawdad; don’t splash around or you’ll scare the crawdad away. Once the container is sitting on the mud at the bottom of the creek, move it toward the crawdad. Move your other hand in front of the crawdad to startle it. The critter will go backwards into the container. As soon as it’s inside, lift the container from the creek, and you have a captured crawdad.

eaten sushi? No. I have this thing against eating raw fish. I’m not a fan of eating fish period, but the thought of eating raw fish is just too much for me.

walked to the top of a mountain? Yes, twice. I was at a church youth conference in North Carolina both times, and my youth group hiked to the top of the mountain. It was an awesome experience standing at the top and looking out at the surrounding mountains and down into the valley. Seeing the beauty of creation laid out before me like that was awe-inspiring. God is so cool and created such a beautiful place for us to live.

done the jitterbug? Yes, at the same youth conference in North Carolina. Another teen and I were waiting with a couple of our chaperones for the rest of our group. The chaperones decided to teach us to do the jitterbug. Other conference attendees seemed to enjoy our impromptu show, and a couple even danced along with us.

dyed your hair? Sort of. I once tipped it with red Kool-Aid after a friend of mine assured me it would wash out easily. I got sick of pink ends on my hair after a month and got it all trimmed off. Word of warning: Kool-Aid can be semi-permanent dye on light-colored hair.

Evoking Emotion

2008-10-22T09:47:00.004-04:00

The goal of every writer, musician, and artist is to evoke emotion. This isn’t an easy task. Some people will have an emotion reaction to nearly anything good; others have to be exposed to a spectacular work to feel the emotion of the piece.

I tend to be an odd one. Some things that everyone around me finds moving won’t have an effect on me. Yet there have been times when I’ve been deeply touch by something that others are indifferent about. I’m sure everyone has had experiences like that.

When it comes to artwork, nearly all of Claude Monet’s paintings have a soothing effect on me. I have a print of his painting La Seine á Giverny hanging on my wall, and all I have to do is look at it for a moment to feel calmer. The misty effect of the pastel colors, the impressionistic shapes of the trees along the river, and just the way he applied the paint to the canvas all combine in a way I love.

Music also tends to have a strong effect on me. I recently came across a song that makes me cry every time I hear it. It’s a beautiful song, but it’s sad. “Home No More” by Thomas Pace with vocals by Kris Penn is about a woman who’s lover has gone off to war and will never come home. One song that inevitably makes me happy no matter how bad a day I’ve had is “If I Had a Million Dollars” by Barenaked Ladies. It’s such a cheerful tune about what the guy would do with a million dollars.

It usually takes more for a book to get to me, though I’ve been know to laugh or cry at any number of stories. The really great ones are those that have me laughing and crying at various parts. One example is Quaking by Kathryn Erskine. I just posted a review of it a couple of weeks ago if you want an in-depth look at my opinion, but this book played with my emotions even though it’s written in a style I don’t particularly like. That’s a sign of great writing.

As an author, I strive to write in such a way that anyone who reads my work (whether they like the style or not) will feel the emotions of my characters. Whether I succeed or not is another story. Time will tell on that one, though my critique partners’ comments have been very encouraging.

Here’s a question for you. Is there a song or book or a work of any other medium that evokes an emotional response every time you’re exposed to it?

Have You Ever...

2008-10-20T12:55:00.001-04:00

It’s time for another round of Have You Ever! Read through the questions below and post your answers in the comments section. I’ll post my answers Friday.

Have you ever…

caught a crawdad (crayfish, mudbug, etc.) with your bare hands?

eaten sushi?

walked to the top of a mountain?

done the jitterbug?

dyed your hair?

2008 National Book Award Young Adult Finalists

2008-10-17T14:15:00.006-04:00

The finalists for the 2008 National Book Awards have been announced. Here are the finalists in the Young People's Literature category:

Laurie Halse Anderson, Chains (Simon & Schuster)

Kathi Appelt, The Underneath (Atheneum)

Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied (Scholastic)

E. Lockhart, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (Hyperion)

Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now (Alfred A. Knopf)

Congratulations to all of these wonderful authors!

Quaking by Kathryn Erskine

2008-10-15T11:30:00.001-04:00

I recently read Quaking by Kathryn Erskine. It’s a great story told from the perspective of Matt, a troubled fourteen-year-old girl. Ms. Erskine did a marvelous job of capturing the emotions and reasoning of a foster child. The story also gives a true look at the Quaker religion and how the silent meeting is viewed by a non-Quaker kid.

As the small Pennsylvania town is torn apart by the war in Iraq, Matt quietly stands up to a warmongering teacher and promotes peace. Her silent stance doesn’t improve her predicament with a bully referred to as the Rat. Quaking follows Matt as she struggles to deal with problems at school, trying to fit into yet another home (this time with Quakers), and the turmoil tearing the town apart. To survive, she must face her many fears and learn to love. Can she do it? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

There were a couple of things I didn’t like about the book, but they just have to do with my personal preferences. The book is written in first person present tense, which tends to annoy me. I also have trouble imagining a teenager who never uses contractions, but that doesn’t mean such a person doesn’t exist. While I would have preferred the book written in past tense and with more contractions, the story itself is compelling and well-written enough that I enjoyed it a great deal in spite of it using two writing styles I don’t particularly like.

One other thing that bothered me is the end. I won’t give away any details, but there were a couple of things shown in the story that weren’t tied up at the end. It was an anticlimax to read about these things, have them affect Matt so deeply, then leave them unresolved. Ms. Erskine, if you read this, please write a sequel. I want to know what happened next!

I recommend Quaking to anyone looking for a good read that deals with relevant issues in a realistic way.

Coming Soon: The Sword of Light by Kimberli Reneé Campbell

2008-10-13T10:32:00.003-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THE SWORD OF LIGHT

Author Kimberli Reneé Campbell Releases New Young Adult Fiction

Summary / Description: The Sword of Light is the first in a series of young adult Christian fiction, set in a medieval village. The Protagonist is a young man who struggles to understand the importance of faith in a brutal world. Aided by his grandfather our hero undertakes a journey of self- discovery and spiritual awakening.

Dubuque, IA -- 09.01.08 – First time author Kimberli Reneé Campbell tells a spellbinding tale of a young man’s journey to understand his faith. The book targets pre-teens with a positive message of the importance of family, friends and most importantly the power of God’s Word. The book will be released on November 11, 2008, by Positive Productions Plus! as a part of their family friendly product line.

Ms. Campbell offers a refreshingly uplifting message in a storyline that keeps you captivated and familiar characters that feel like family. Readers will find themselves identifying with the characters and their relationships as they are transported into the rich and majestic setting. The Sword of Light was written for several reasons, two that are dear to Kimberli’s heart, “Many popular adventure novels can be overwhelming to young children and some adults, and this series provides full, compelling stories with short chapters and easy reading. It also reminds us where our true peace and strength comes from by incorporating the Word of God.”

For more information about The Sword of Light or Kimberli Renee Campbell, please contact Positive Productions Plus! President and CEO Dale Campbell at DaleCampbell@ Positive ProductionsPlus.com, or visit the website www.PositiveProductionsPlus.com

About the Author:

Kimberli Reneé Campbell resides in Nebraska with her husband, Todd, and their two sons, Xavier and Alexander. After working outside the home for many years, the Lord opened a door to allow her to write The Sword of Light from home, where she continues to work with the support of her family and friends.

Contact Information:

Positive Productions Plus!

2358 Graham Circle

Dubuque, IA 52002

(563) 581-7360

www.PositiveProductionsplus.com

Email: CustomerService@PositiveProductionsPlus.com

###

This is the Information needed to order the book:

Title: The Sword of Light

By: Kimberli Reneé Campbell

Release Date: November 11, 2008

Publisher: Positive Productions Plus!

ISBN# 978-0-9821493-0-0

List Price: $12.99

**Please spread the word!**

Call for Submissions

2008-10-10T10:58:00.002-04:00

Have you written a young adult romance novel? The Wild Rose Press Climbing Rose line may be the place to send it. If your story is a sweet romance (yes, it can be light on the romance as long as it's there), check out the submission guidelines at The Wild Rose Press. Be sure to read the guidelines for Climbing Rose while you're there, since there are a few extra guidelines for YA stories.

The Wild Rose Press is a romance publisher who does both electronic and print formats. They are a royalty-paying publisher and very author-friendly. In accordance with their goal to grow writers, they never send out a form rejection. All rejections are personalized and generally include a few tips for how to improve your manuscript.

Worried about your story being too short? Don't be! The Wild Rose Press accepts manuscripts of all lengths from 3,000 to 100,000 words. If you're struggling with point of view or knowing what a romance is or any of a number of other writing related issues, check out The Greenhouse section of their website. It's packed with informative articles on all aspects of writing that were written by multi-published authors and some of The Wild Rose Press' own editors. Want to get a better feel for what the Climbing Rose editors are looking for? Check out their interview with Ima Rose.

Good luck with your submissions!

Reading Preferences

2008-10-08T11:56:00.002-04:00

I love to read a wide variety of genres and styles. Most of my favorite books are written in third person, past tense. I've enjoyed several books written in first person, past tense. I even read a book written in third person, present tense. Present tense writing is not my favorite, but it can work if done well. But there's one thing that distracts me every time I try to read it: first person, present tense.

I'm not a fan of first person, but I've read some good first person writing. When an author combines first person and present tense, I have to make a conscious effort to ignore it and concentrate on the story. That makes it hard for me to get drawn into the book because I keep noticing that it's in first person present tense.

Obviously, there are some people out there who like the style. I'm currently reading Quaking by Kathryn Erskine. It's a good story, Matt (the main character) is interesting and well-written, but it's driving me nuts because it's first person, present tense. That doesn't mean it's not good writing; it's a great book and I'm enjoying the story, I just wish it were first person, past tense or third person so I could lose myself in the story.

So, what do you like to read? Is there a style that drives you batty or can you read any style and enjoy it?

Web Design

2008-10-06T10:55:00.003-04:00

Once again, I've realized I need to create a website. I'm far from being a graphics designer and know nothing about developing websites. I've found a program that looks good and hopefully is easy to use since I'm not a computer expert either. I'd heard about Joomla from a couple of people, and finally looked it up yesterday. It looks like a fairly user-friendly program, and the best part is that it's free.

Open source software is my friend. I downloaded OpenOffice.org a few months ago and it's a great program. I need to take some more time to familiarize myself with it so I can finally take the plunge and use it exclusively instead of relying on an old version of Microsoft Office. From what little I've used OpenOffice, it's a user-friendly program and not that hard to understand.

My only hope is that Joomla is just as friendly. I admit it, I'm a little intimidated by the thought of designing my own website. I've never done such a thing successfully. The only website I've ever created was back in high school and the thing looked like it had been created by a kid. Needless to say, that site went far away shortly after I created it.

Now, I just have to design something that looks professional (that's where Joomla comes in). Of course, I also have to find a good web hosting service, buy a domain name, and probably a million other things I know nothing about. If anyone has any tips for a novice web designer (me), please share. Once I get the site up and running, I'll post a link to it on here. Don't expect the link any time soon. I still have to download Joomla and figure out how to use it.

Teen Lit Sites

2008-10-03T10:08:00.003-04:00

I came across two websites that discuss YA literature. I heard about them a while ago, but they completely slipped my mind until I read about them again on Galley Cat. If you're interested in YA books and want to see what other teens think about various novels, check out Readergirlz and Guys Lit Wire. If you're looking for God-honoring fiction, see what they're reading over at Novel Teen Book Reviews.

What books are you reading? Let me know what you think about them and maybe I'll add them to my reading list.

Sibling Relationships

2008-10-01T09:44:00.004-04:00

I was working on a story last night; specifically, I was writing a conversation between a teen girl and her oldest brother. It became obvious to the girl that her brother is seriously considering marrying his longtime girlfriend. She can't help finding the thought of her brother getting married a little weird and tells him so. His response is that it's not weird, just different.

This got me thinking about how siblings react to each others' relationships. Personally, I'm with my girl character. It was so bizarre to me the first time my older brother had a girlfriend. I mean, that was my annoying brother. What girl in her right mind would want to spend a lot of time with him?

It didn't take too long for me to get used to the thought of girls finding my brother attractive. I couldn't quite understand what they saw in him, but I was all for my brother finding the girl of his dreams.

Fast forward a few years. My brother brings his current girlfriend home to meet the family. She's a total sweetheart and we can all see why he loves her. The next thing I know, I hear they're engaged. Whoa! I could accept him having a girlfriend, but getting married? My brother having a wife? That brought back the old "too weird" feeling. Don't get me wrong, it had nothing to do with him or his fiancee. It was just the thought of my big brother, the one who picked on me all throughout my childhood and was still a dork in my mind, being a husband and having a wife and eventually having kids.

Needless to say, I quickly got over that "too weird" feeling and was extremely happy for both my brother and his soon-to-be bride. By the time I went to their wedding (which was absolutely gorgeous), I had no idea why I'd ever thought my brother getting married seemed weird.

The thought of him being a father is still a little weird, but I'm sure he'll do a great job when his first baby is born early next year. I know our whole family is so excited for him and my sister-in-law. I love being an aunt.

So here's what I'm wondering. What do you guys think about your siblings in relationships? Did you have the same "too weird" feeling I did when you brother or sister had their first girlfriend or boyfriend? For those of you with married siblings or those who are getting married soon, what was your initial reaction when you heard about the engagement?

The Toyminator

2008-09-29T11:14:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I finished reading The Toyminator by Robert Rankin. I loved it, though there were a few places where it descended into crudeness. However, the humor in the book outweighed the crude bits.

The Toyminator is a comedy sci-fi novel about the teenage boy Jack and Eddie Bear. Eddie and Jack have to find out what’s behind the sudden outbreak of Spontaneous Toy Combustion in order to save Toy City. In the process of saving toykind, they must save the world of mankind as well.

A wacky cast of characters and a satirical portrayal of human nature and American movie culture all written with the same wit as Douglas Adams makes this one of my new favorite books. The Toyminator is the sequel to Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse, which I didn’t know when I first picked it up. Now, I need to find and read Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. I have a feeling I’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed The Toyminator.

Robert Rankin definitely ranks up there with Douglas Adams in my favorite author list. They both have a way of taking the most stereotyped parts of humanity and turning them into a humorous story filled with absurdity that makes me want to read more.

If you’re looking for a book that will make you laugh, and you don’t mind a few crude bits, I recommend The Toyminator. One last statement inspired by this book: Beware the chickens.

An unusual sport...

2008-09-26T11:05:00.003-04:00

While researching Afghan names for a story, I came across an unusual sport called buzkashi. According to an article I read, women aren't allowed to watch it. After reading a description of the sport, I completely understand. Here's a brief description of buzkashi.

A calf carcass is soaked in cold water for twenty-four hours to make it tough enough. It's usually beheaded and gutted, the four legs cut off at the knee. Sometimes sand is packed inside to add bulk. A goat can be used in place of a calf and is prepared much the same way.

The carcass is put in a hole that's just deep enough to keep it at ground level. A circle is drawn nearby with quicklime and is called a hallal. To the left of the hallal is a pole and there's another pole to the right. There is no set distance for these poles, but since buzkashi is played on horseback, they aren't real close to each other. The riders encircle the pit containing the calf carcass and, on a given signal, attempt to grab the carcass and gallop around one post then the other before depositing it in the hallal.

The other riders try to prevent this by attacking the rider and trying to steal the carcass. The rider who drops the carcass in the hallah is the winner, even if he doesn't ride around either pole and steals the carcass just feet from the hallal. Anything goes in buzkashi.

Obviously, this is not a sport for the queasy. I can't imagine playing a game where you have to drag a calf carcass around, but as I mentioned, women aren't even allowed to watch. I have to agree with that, since I find the whole thing unappealing and a little disturbing to my American female sensibilities. But it is fascinating to learn about other cultures, even if it seems a little weird to me. Had I been raised in Afghanistan, I might not find buzkashi quite so disturbing. i'd probably just see it as a sport men played for fun. Kind of like football in America. I don't particularly like it, but that's just me.

If you want to learn more about buzkashi, there's an article on it at eAfghans.com. What are the most unusual sport you've ever heard about, witnessed, or participated in? Leave me a comment and I might do a post on it. I love sharing trivia and knowledge. That's probably why I'm a writer.

Feeling Opinionated

2008-09-24T09:09:00.002-04:00

Okay, I admit it. The first time I ever heard the Jonas Brothers, I thought Hanson had come out with a new song. Now, quit laughing. I was in high school when Hanson first appeared. “Mmmbop” wasn’t too bad the first time I heard it, but it quickly got annoying. Kind of like the Macarena song. But those boys had a way of singing that stuck with me for some reason. And the Jonas Brothers have the same kind of sound. Fans of either group probably don’t agree with me, but I’m not the only one who thinks they sound the same.

Of course, one band sounding like another isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Take Evanescence and Flyleaf. I like them both and they both have a similar sound, at least in terms of vocals. Their songs are different, however, so it doesn’t feel like I’m listening to the same song over and over. Nickleback, on the other hand, has several songs that sound like they took the same music and modified it a little for each set of lyrics. Nickleback is another example of how fans view the music differently than indifferent listeners. I’ve had fans argue with me about how the song I think sound the same are completely different from each other.

All of these differences or similarities in music come down to one thing: opinion. Everybody has an opinion about something. Some are vocal in their opinions, others quietly keep their opinions to themselves. But everybody has one. The important thing is to respect the opinions of others. You want people to respect your opinions, but you have to respect theirs as well or it’ll never work.

There are a lot of areas where differing opinions can lead to disagreements. Music is one. Religion and politics are two that often lead to arguments. Since this is my blog and I’m feeling rather bold today, here’s my opinion on both of them, since I’ve already covered music:

I’m a Christian, believe the Bible is God’s Word, and if it goes against the Bible I’m against it as well. I’m not as conservative as some, but I’m nowhere near as liberal as others. I have a strong faith in God, and I’m so thankful He loved us enough to sacrifice His Son Jesus Christ so we have the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven with Him. All we have to do is accept His free gift of salvation. I know it sounds way too easy, but who ever said accepting a gift should be hard?

As for politics, I don’t like the Republican or Democratic presidential candidates. I have problems with things both of them have said, and I have problems with things their running mates have said. Yes, our country is a mess right now, but it’s not all Bush’s fault. Congress approved a lot of what everyone blames Bush alone for. I happen to like the man and think he’s done a great job of keeping our country together through devastating times. Do I like all of his policies? Nope, but he’s still a good president.

I bet you’re wondering what all of this has to do with writing or teenagers. Here’s the connection: Teens listen to music and have opinions about religion and politics, even if the opinion is “I don’t care.” The connection to writing is just as simple. My opinions affect what I write. No, my characters aren’t fictional versions of me. They don’t always share my opinions either. But my faith comes through in what I write, even if the only evidence of it is that the writing is clean (no profanity or graphic stuff). I’m all for dealing with tough topics in my writing, but I see no point in glorifying the bad and/or immoral parts of life.

Remember, the Jonas Brothers sound like Hanson (in my opinion) and if you respect the opinions of others, they’re much more likely to respect yours. And if you’re destined to argue every time a particular subject comes up, agree to disagree and don’t discuss that topic. Peace is so much better than fighting with your friends over differing opinions.

A sixth book in the Hitchhiker's Trilogy?

2008-09-22T09:01:00.004-04:00

Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, died in 2001. He'd written five books in the misleadingly named Hitchhiker's Trilogy, and everyone assumed that was the end of it. It turns out he'd made notes for a sixth book titled And Another Thing... Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl, is going to write this sixth book in the trilogy. Now, he's going to write under his own name and not pretend to be Adams, but it still leaves me wondering how well this sixth book will fit with the other five.

Anyone who knows me can tell you I love the Hitchhiker's Trilogy. I've been reading the books off and on since high school, and I still get as big a kick out of them now as I did then. I'll probably read And Another Thing... when it comes out next October, but I have no idea if I'll like it or not. I'm a little skeptical about the idea of someone else writing a Hitchhiker's book, since Adams was a genius of the absurd, but I'll give it a fair read. Who knows? Maybe it'll work out great and I'll become a fan of Eoin Colfer as well.

Talk like a pirate...

2008-09-19T12:16:00.003-04:00

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Avast, me mateys! Today's yer chance to talk like the mangy pirate ye always wanted to be. Talk like the ol' sea dog ye dreamt of being as a lad or lass, swab the decks, and hoist the mainsail! And fer a bit o' fun, walk the plank or just visit the official site for International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

'Tis a great delight to know ye kin find books on priatey words. Ye kin also find many books about pirates and their lives in yer local library. Arr, we must be settin' sail fer the golden shores, so talk like a pirate today and read about pirates fer the weekend.

Where are they?

2008-09-17T09:22:00.003-04:00

I'm sure everyone's heard about the autism "epidemic." Last I heard, something like one out of every one hundred fifty kids is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. I have my reasons for arguing with the prevalence of autism getting called an epidemic, the big one being that autism is NOT a disease, but that's another post. Today, I'm talking about autism spectrum disorders and books.

With so many kids, teens, and adults on the spectrum, you'd think there would be a ton of novels with autistic characters. This was an assumption I made and found myself proven wrong last night. Just out of curiosity, I looked on Amazon for young adult novels dealing with autism. I found remarkably few. Of those few, even fewer had a main character with an autism spectrum disorder. The majority of those are actually middle grade novels, not young adult.

So I did a Google search for the same thing. I found a list of books that include autistic characters. That was encouraging, until I discovered most of them only briefly touched on the topic of autism or only had secondary characters with an autism spectrum disorder. A minuscule number had main characters somewhere on the spectrum.

With so many kids on the spectrum, which leads to a lot of teens on the spectrum, where are all the books with main characters on the spectrum? The theory is that fiction mimics reality. If this is true, there should be a ton of books for kids and teens with autistic characters.

There's a big hole in the young adult market. Hopefully, authors and publishers will realize this and work to fill it rather than producing another vampire or "it" girl novel. The autism spectrum is an amazing place, and I think a lot of people could benefit from seeing the world through an autistic's eyes. Readers might be surprised at just how feeling and perceptive people on the spectrum can be.

My Tomboy is Showing

2008-09-15T10:05:00.003-04:00

This weekend was great for sports. No, I don't mean the billion or so football games; I'm far from being a fan. I'm not talking about baseball either, although it's my favorite team sport. No, I spent the weekend watching less traditional sports.

Saturday afternoon, I enjoyed freestyle motocross. Those guys rock! Adam Jones won the competition, which is cool. Seeing the Kiss of Death backflip was awe-inspiring. One of my favorite parts of the competition was getting to see a Cordova backflip. I wrote a description of that particular trick a while back, and I always love the chance to see it performed. I have to say, it's not an easy task trying to describe a Cordova backflip well enough that a person who's never seen one can imagine it. Dirt bikes, ramps, and guys who appear to fear nothing...How can that not be awesome?

Sunday afternoon found me watching bull riding. Can you say most exciting eight seconds in sports? And that's for each rider, if they manage to stay on the bull that long. J.B. Mauney succeeded on all three of his qualified rides. He had a re-ride during the championship round (his first bull decided to buck in a straight line and give him an unbelievably low score), and that re-ride made him the winner. All of those riders are some tough cowboys. They aren't the only athletes in the sport either. The bulls are amazing athletes and get excellent care that's probably comparable to the kind of care NFL players get with their various trainers and team medical staff. Then there are the guys who get the least attention but have the toughest job: the bullfighters. Time after time during an event, they run interference between a downed rider and the bull. They put themselves in danger, fully aware that one wrong move could result in a devestating injury. But they accept that risk and put themselves in front of the bull every time to protect the rider. Bullfighters deserve major props for the job they do.

As soon as the bull riding ended, I did a quick channel change to watch the BMX Park finals in Salt Lake City. All I can say is wow. Between Craig Mast's front flip up the ten-foot step-up (he's only seventeen, people!) and Ryan Guettler's double flip--among other things--it was insane. Daniel Dhers' spectacular second run won him the championship. Seeing the things these guys do with a bicycle and a few ramps is beyond impressive. I've heard that BMX Park is going to take the place of basketball in the Olympics. I am totally stoked! By becoming an Olympic sport, it gains legitimacy in the world's eyes.

All of the athletes I watched this weekend deserve as much (and possibly more) respect as the football and basketball players we hear about all the time. FMX and BMX riders and bull riders all compete even when injured. Most of the time, spectators won't even be able to tell the athlete is injured. All of these guys are tough and maybe a little crazy as well. I admire their determintation and ability to put mind over matter to block out the pain and compete anyway.

If you ever get a chance to check out BMX, FMX, bull riding, or any of the other "extreme" sports and rodeo events, I highly recommend it. These sports have a beauty and intensity like no other.

Sounds of Music

2008-09-12T11:38:00.001-04:00

Music has changed in many ways, but it’s also stayed the same. Teenagers still listen to music that makes their parents cringe. Parents still reminisce about the good music they used to listen to that is so different from what today’s kids enjoy. And you can find all the different styles of music on the radio.

What makes a song receive plenty of air time on the radio? Popularity. Every time a person requests a song, when it tops the charts, this all goes into determining a song’s popularity. Unfortunately, there are many stations that seem to play the same dozen or so popular songs and ignore the rest of the great music out there. Not all stations do this, and the ones that seem to generally mix in a little music that was popular a few years ago.

Some days (and some DJs) seem to play quite a bit of music that came out and was popular when I was in high school in the nineties. They mix in the current stuff and have a good blend of new and old, pop and rock. This is what I wish all stations and DJs would strive for. I’m sure there’s a very good reason why they don’t all mix it up like that, but they’ve never shared what it is (as far as I know).

Of course, I’ll never find a station that plays all the styles of music I like. I enjoy classical; the Brandenburg Concertos by Bach are some of my favorites along with Rachmaninoff, Handel, and the “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven. I have a few favorite country songs; two of my favorites are “These Are My People” by Rodney Atkins and “Different World” by Bucky Covington. I enjoy some pop (at least I think it counts as pop), such as Colbie Caillat, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Sarah Bareilles. Classic rock is awesome, especially if you include folk rock in the genre; older Bob Dylan works like Blowin’ in the Wind and Sara are awesome—so are the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, and Lynard Skynard. I like the softer music of Norah Jones and Michael Buble. I also enjoy Christian rock/alternative and rap like Family Force 5, John Reuben, Flyleaf, and Hawk Nelson. Christian contemporary, such as Chris Rice and Nicole C. Mullen, is great. Then there’s Cajun music, Broadway showtunes, and, yes, songs from Veggie Tales. I’ve even been known to appreciate a little Metallica, though I’m rather picky about which songs I listen to.

My taste in music is definitely eclectic. The list I’ve just given you is only a small part of what I enjoy hearing, but it does a good job of showing why I’ll never find a radio station that plays all of it. Can you picture a station that plays Bucky Covington and Family Force 5? I can’t. The styles are far too different. So I spend a lot of time changing radio stations and switching CDs.

What types of music do you listen to? How do you handle the dilemma of enjoying a wide variety of styles that will never be played on one station?

Totally Awesome Website

2008-09-10T14:07:00.003-04:00

I've been hearing about Wordle for a while now, but I didn't have a chance to check it out until today. All I can say is wow.

What you do is paste a bunch of text into the box and click on the go button. The result is a totally awesome word cloud. If you click on the randomize button, it changes the shape and style of the cloud. What I find useful is the fact that the largest words are the ones used most often in whatever you pasted. If I have doubts about my word usage in a particular chapter, all I have to do is hop over to Wordle and paste the chapter in to see if any pesky words appear too often in the chapter. I created a word cloud with an old version of a chapter (it's been through at least two complete overhauls since the version I pasted) and discovered I used the word "just" too much. It's way too prominent in the cloud. I'll have to run a newer version through Wordle and see what I get. Hopefully not such a big "just"!

If you're looking for a way to spend some time, I highly recommend playing around with Wordle. I know there are features I haven't had a chance to look at yet, but I'll definitely explore the site and learn more as I can find the time. It's a great tool and fun to play with. Who knows, maybe I'll post one of my word clouds on here at some point. I'll have to get one I'm satisfied with rather than one that points out an overuse of words I know better than to overuse.

Siblings

2008-09-08T08:59:00.004-04:00

A new dog joined my family over the weekend, and I saw plenty of sibling rivalry between him and my other furry kids. Since new dog is the most recent addition to the family, as well as the youngest, the other animals found it necessary to put him in his place and make sure he knows he's on the lowest level of the family hierarchy. This didn't deter him from inviting everyone to play with him, however. As I type this, he's barking at one of the cats in an attempt to get the cat to play.

Through watching this new dog integrate into the family, I've realized something. Well, a couple of things actually. One-year-old shih tzu's are quite similar to toddlers in one very important way: if it's quiet, you better see what kind of trouble it's getting into. The other thing I've realized is that animals and children all deal with sibling rivalry.

My older brother and I are a prime example of sibling rivalry. We fought nearly every day when we were kids. We also spent a lot of time in our rooms for that fighting. But here's the cool thing. No matter how much we fought or claimed we couldn't stand each other, we had kind of a code we lived by. We could pick on each other until the cows came home, but if anyone else picked on either one of us, watch out. We were protective of each other. I used to say I could pick on him because he was my brother, but if anyone else went after him, they'd have to deal with me. I never had to carry out that threat, but all of my friends knew I meant it.

One time, way back when I was in kindergarten, there was a boy in my class who wouldn't leave me alone. I'd tried everything I could, but nothing worked. My brother (who was a fourth grader) cornered this boy before school one morning and threatened to charge him a huge fine (of a made-up, impressive-sounding number) if he didn't leave me alone. I never had another problem with the boy. My brother and I still got into it, but I knew I could always count on my big brother when I needed him. He knew the same about me.

Now that we're adults, we don't fight anymore, though we do a little good-natured teasing when we get together. I never wanted to believe my mom when I was a child and she told me that I'd get along with my brother when we were adults. Thinking about the relationship I have with him now, I know she was right. We get along much better as adults than we ever did as children. I have no idea why it worked out that way, but it did. For those of you dealing with the same kind of sibling rivalry I did, I'm sure you'll be surprised how much better you get along when you both get older. I know I was.

Would I trade any of my siblings? Not on your life. I may get frustrated with them, we may argue, but those are my brothers and sisters. Even though we're all adults, that same protect-the-siblings feeling is still alive and well. No one messes with my sibs, and I know they feel the same way. Our family sticks together in good times and bad.

Back to the newest furry kid in my family. He's a part of the family already and has taken a couple of swipes to the nose for trying to play with the cat. But I know that no matter how much these furry siblings get into it, they still care about each other. I've seen plenty of evidence to prove that furry kids and human kids seem to follow the same code my brothers, sisters, and I follow: I can pick on my siblings, but you better not mess with them unless you want to deal with all of us.

New YA Book Review Site

2008-09-05T09:24:00.000-04:00

Fellow YA author Jill Williamson has created an awesome website called Novel Teen Book Reviews. It showcases reviews of God-honoring young adult fiction. It's still a new site, but there are already a few reviews up. If you're interested in reviewing a YA novel (or having your YA novel reviewed), check out the Q & A section. If you're not sure how to write a review, you can find several tips on the Writing a Review page.

If you prefer to find book reviews on blogs, check out the Novel Teen Book Review Blog. Not only will you find reviews of YA novels, you'll also find information about YA authors. There's also a poll to help select the Book of the Month.

Novel Teen Book Reviews is a great resource to help find good reads, and the site will just keep growing as more reviews are added. So hop on over to Novel Teen Book Reviews or their blog and check out what the reviewers have to say about some God-honoring YA fiction!

Parents

2008-09-03T09:46:00.001-04:00

Parents. We all have them. We all struggle to get along with them at some point in our lives. When we’re little, it seems like our parents’ knowledge is endless. They know everything. Then we get older and it becomes obvious they don’t know everything, though they do know a lot. After that, our knowledge base goes at an angle to what our parents know, so we’re the ones telling them how the world works.

That’s where the problems begin. Our parents struggle to keep up with what we’re learning, and we relish the fact that we know more than our parents about technology, music, whatever it happens to be. Somewhere in all of this, we’ve gone from being the kid who hangs on Mom and Dad’s every word to the teenager who doesn’t listen to most of what they say.

Here’s the thing. Mom and Dad may not know about the latest cell phone or the best music, but they do have something we don’t: life experience. I know that sounds cheesy and lame, but it’s true. They’ve been alive a lot longer than us, and they know more about people regardless of how out of touch with our world they may seem.

I’m the first to admit I was somewhat weird as a teenager. I talked to my mom about my life; you know, the things I did, people I knew, problems I had with my friends. No, I didn’t tell her every little detail, but I did talk to her a lot more than most of my friends talked to their moms. My mom was remarkably cool about things like people I knew offering me cigarettes, alcohol, etc. I started out telling her about some of that stuff hoping to shock her. I ended up being shocked that she actually understood about peer pressure.

It didn’t take long to figure out that even though it had been a long while since she was my age, teenagers in her day and mine weren’t all that different. They rebelled against their parents and against society; thought they knew more about life than their parents; dealt with things like drugs, sex, and underage drinking and smoking. They listened to music their parents didn’t approve of, wore clothes that made their mothers cringe, and used language that got them grounded.

Once I realized all of this, I started going to my mom for advice. I came to respect her knowledge of people and life in general, and she listened to what I had to say because I spoke to her with respect. Just like you want to be respected, your parents want respect as well.

Don’t get me wrong; my mom and I had our disagreements. There were days I’m sure she wanted to ground me for the rest of my life, and I know there were days I dreamed of being eighteen and out of her control. But those days didn’t happen as often for me as they did for my friends. You know, the ones who didn’t talk to their moms about anything. I attribute my good relationship with my mother to communication.

So how do you get along with your parents now, after fighting daily with them for years? Start treating them with respect. Talk to them nicely, ask for advice, show that you realize they do know more about life than you just because they’ve been alive longer. No, your relationship with your parents probably won’t change overnight. They have to realize that your sudden change in attitude isn’t just because you want something. You have to keep up the respect even on the days it seems pointless. Trust me, your parents will eventually realize the change is real and start treating you with respect.

Will every day be full of sunshine and light once you and your parents are treating each other with respect? No, of course not. You’re all human. Mistakes happen and so do bad days when everything gets on your nerves. But the point is to put forth your best effort even when it seems futile. If nothing else, you can feel good about the fact that you’re trying.

If you slip up and get in a big fight with Mom and Dad, apologize after you’ve all had a chance to cool off. I know, your pride dictates the parents should apologize first, but they probably won’t see it that way. Take the high road, swallow your pride, and apologize. You just might be surprised at how far that little gesture goes to helping you get along with your parents.

Like I said before, you probably won’t have a perfect relationship with your parents immediately. It’ll probably take a while, and I doubt you’ll agree all the time even after that. Hey, nobody’s perfect—not even parents.

Happy Labor Day!

2008-09-01T11:35:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day. Here, it's sunny and warm (going up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit or so). It's a gorgeous day, if a bit humid. Elsewhere in the country, they're dealing with hurricane Gustav. Know that my prayers are with you if you or your family or friends are in its path. I know one person who's been evacuated from New Orleans due to worry about flooding, so this storm is definitely on my mind.

Back to Labor Day. This is the traditional last day of summer here in the U.S. A lot of school are already in session, so the students have a three-day weekend like me. Some schools start tomorrow, like the one where I work. So, this is the last day of my summer vacation, and I plan to make the most of it.

All you Americans enjoy the holiday! For the rest of the world, have a great Monday!

Music on the Web

2008-08-29T11:20:00.000-04:00

A while back, my younger brother told me about a site called Project Playlist. It's name has since changed to Playlist.com. It allows you to create a playlist of songs posted on websites all over the internet. I don't know all the technical stuff, but this site is awesome. I'm listening to one of my playlists while I type this, and I love the fact that it's free.

You can find music in any genre. Right now, I'm listening to Norah Jones, but I have a little of everything on my playlists from Rodney Atkins to Flogging Molly to Bob Dylan to Veggie Tales. I admit there have been a few times I couldn't find a song I was looking for, but I can always find something I like to add to my playlist.

I recommend checking it out. What are some other awesome music sites? I may be a writer, but music is an essential part of my life. It provides a great background to writing and revising or whatever I happen to be doing, writing-related or not.

Inspiration

2008-08-27T16:29:00.004-04:00

Inspiration can come from anywhere. I've been inspired by everything from movies and music to books and news reports. Things I've done, places I've gone, conversations I've had...all of these things have provided the inspiration to write.

Can you tell specifically what inspired a certain story or even a scene within that story? Probably not. When something inspires me, it makes me think, "That's really neat. What if..." The resulting scene or story comes from the "what if" not whatever originally inspired me.

Of course, there are a lot of times I can't tell you exactly what got me thinking about a specific story. One example is a manuscript I've titled Geek Posse. It's about a geeky girl genius trying to survive tutoring part of the high school football team. I have no clue where the idea for that one came from. One day I just started thinking "what if..." The next thing I knew, I was writing Geek Posse.

Where does your inspiration come from? Or do you just have a spontaneous thought and say, "Whoa! That would make an awesome story"?

What is Edgy?

2008-08-25T12:36:00.003-04:00

What is edgy? How do you know if it's edgy or just controversial? Many writers think the distinction isn't in the topics, but in how they're handled. I tend to agree.

Take drug use, for example. If you chronicle the life of a drug addict and get deep into the addict's point of view, you could easily end up with an edgy story. However, if you write the same story from the perspective of the addict's best friend who isn't a user, you're much more likely to have a controversial story than an edgy one.

So let me ask you this. Are the topics that make people uncomfortable controversial or edgy? There again, I see it as a matter of how it's handled. Is it written in an edgy way or is it treated as controversial?

Maybe the best question to ask is this: Are any subjects taboo? I don't think so, since I've seen books on every subject under the sun. In young adult literature alone I've come across books dealing with suicide, modern day slavery, sex, bullying, drug abuse, rape, child abuse, gangs, crime, homosexuality... The list goes on and on. All of these topics are handled in various ways and can be either controversial or edgy.

Now, I have a question for you, and I hope at least a few of you respond because I'd really like to know what you think. Are there any subjects you'd like to see a YA novel cover? Are there any you see too often in YA literature that you never want to see again? Possibly more important, do you want to see these topics written as controversial or edgy?

New Olympic Sports...

2008-08-22T17:04:00.005-04:00

I watched the Olympic BMX finals last night. It was awesome! Those riders are so talented. And brave. I got intimidated looking at that course on a TV screen. I can't imagine seeing it in front of me and not freezing in fear at the thought of actually riding it. Of course, I'm not an athlete of any kind; sports and I have never gotten along well.

One thought kept occurring to me as I listened to the commentators talking about BMX, especially when they mentioned the Dew Action Sports Tour. Will something like freestyle motocross ever become an Olympic sport? What about skateboarding? Or BMX vert?

It would so totally rock to see FMX in the Olympics. I love to watch the sport (I'm too chicken to ever try it myself), and I know there are a lot of people out there who would be impressed by what the riders do with a dirt bike. There are riders all over the world, so it wouldn't just be a competition between the U.S. and Great Britain, although that would be cool enough.

Yes, I'm all for watching some freestyle motocross. I've been impressed by the sport for years, and I even wrote a novel with a rider as one of the main characters. Let me tell you, that was some awesome research to do. It gave me a great excuse to watch video of runs by some of the best riders in the U.S. I also had the pleasure of learning about foam pits. I never would have thought about their flammability if I hadn't done the research.

With the high caliber of freestyle motocross riders worldwide, it wouldn't surprise me to see FMX in the Olympics at some point in the future. Those riders are terrific athletes and I think they deserve the chance to compete for a medal like gymnasts, swimmers, and runners. I'm not sure how events get added to the Olympic roster, but I'm sure "extreme" sports will find their way in at some point as the sports gain global popularity.

What sports would you like to see the Olympics include?

Random Blog Post

2008-08-20T13:00:00.005-04:00

What do you blog about when you have nothing to say? In this case, I'm just going to write about random things going on right now. So the question is, what can I say? Well, I guess I could talk about all the college students moving into their dorm rooms. My younger sister is one of them, and her room is somewhere between U and J-shaped. How do you organize a room like that? She has a few days figure it out before her classes start, which is cool.

Let's see, more random stuff...My cat is trying to steal my lunch right at the moment. I'm eating this tasty cheesy tortilla and cheese is one of his favorite flavors. Word of advice, don't eat anything involving cheese near a dairy-addicted cat.

One more random thing...

I'm also watching this lady cook Italian food on PBS. I'm not sure what she's making, but it involves pasta, cheese, and some kind of sauce. It looks pretty good and makes me want pasta. Have you ever had that happen? You're watching a cooking show and wish you could have whatever they're making? I go through that a lot, especially with baking shows. I love to bake (as evidenced by the recipe I posted a while back).

Okay, that's enough random stuff for one post. Check back Friday to see what exciting (or odd) things I have to say.

It's coming...

2008-08-18T10:41:00.003-04:00

I admit I'm not a fantasy reader. There have been very few fantasy novels I liked or even finished. But I loved Eragon and Eldest by Christopher Paolini. In slightly over a month, the third installment of the Inheritance Cycle (formerly the Inheritance Trilogy) will be out. Now, I'm not going to rush to the bookstore as soon as Brisingr hits the shelves. I'll read it when I have a chance, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the first two books. I'm sure I'll read the fourth installment of the Inheritance Cycle when it comes out as well. The good news is, I'll probably have read Brisingr by then.

Obviously, I'm not always the most up-to-date on my reading materials. I tend to wait for the hype to die down a little and talk to people who have actually read the book. Sometimes, there's a humongous build-up to a book's release, then when people read it they're sorely disappointed. Since my time is often limited, I'd rather wait and find out if a book is as good as promised than rush out and read it as soon as it's in print. Of course, I'm sure Brisingr will live up to everyone's expectations. Eragon and Eldest were great.

Okay, enough gushing about Christopher Paolini's books. I'll let you know what I think after I read Brisingr and maybe some of you non-fantasy readers out there will do like I did: read the series and be surprised at how much you like it.

One last note. There's a counter counting down to the release of Brisingr on Alagaesia.com. If you like countdowns to events, check it out.

There are days I love reading my email...

2008-08-15T11:38:00.002-04:00

With over 100 emails this morning and more coming in all the time, you'd think I'd be alternately muttering under my breath and sobbing under my desk. Not today. The first email I noticed in the intimidating list was an acceptance of a short story I wrote and submitted under a pen name a couple of months ago. In addition to that great piece of news, there were several emails from one of my online critique groups about other members with great news in their writing lives.

Woohoo for the members of Christian YA Readers and Writers! We're having a great week!

Some days, opening my inbox is a great thing. Today is definitely one of those days.

What Would You Like to See?

2008-08-13T10:13:00.003-04:00

This is the twenty-third post on here, and I've been kind of wandering aimlessly with topics from the beginning. I've posted about everything from writing to a cookie recipe to my African water frog to the Olympics. I'd like to put a little more direction into this blog, but I don't know what you, the reader, would like to see.

So help a girl out. What would you like to see posts on? Or if you like something I've done already, what would you like to see more of?

I know how intimidating it can be to leave a comment and tell a blogger what you want them to blog about. But I'm asking for your help. Please let me know what you want because this blog is for you. If you find my posts terribly boring, let me know that, too, and I'll do my best to liven things up around here.

So, leave me a comment or send me an email (There's a link in my profile. If you do send an email, please put "Lizzie Ann blog" in the subject line so my sp*m filter doesn't eat it.) and let me know what you'd like to see around here.

Olympic Thoughts

2008-08-11T13:40:00.002-04:00

Like a good portion of the world, I've been watching the Olympics off and on. I caught most of the opening ceremonies Friday night, though I missed the drummers. Man, I wish I would have seen that! I love good percussion and from the highlights I've seen, these guys were excellent.

One thing that's struck me as I watch bits and pieces of the various events is that I'm older than a lot of the athletes. Now, I'm not that old, but seeing what these athletes in their late teens and early twenties are doing is amazing. It's amazing what the older athletes do as well, but I have to wonder what it's like to be an Olympic athlete while still in high school. How do you have a social life outside of school with what I assume is a busy practice schedule?

It would be interesting to read some interviews with these young athletes and find out how they juggle school, training, friends, and family. If I ever get brave, I might attempt to write an Olympic hopeful character and explore it through fiction. I'd have to do a ton of research, of course. These admirable young people deserve to be accurately portrayed whether through journalism or fiction.

What's you're favorite Olympic sport and have you been able to see any of it yet? I love the equestrian events, especially dressage, but I have yet to watch any of it. Just as soon as I download some video software, I am so watching dressage. I just won't look at the results until I watch at least some of the competition.

As a commercial (I think it's for Visa) I've seen several times says, "Go World"

Write With a Buddy

2008-08-08T11:22:00.003-04:00

Writing is great. I love it, and I can't imagine not doing it. But it is a solitary activity, which can be a little lonely sometimes. One idea to alleviate that loneliness and still write is to write with a buddy.

Writing with someone is a great way to spend a couple of hours. Yesterday, my sister and I worked on a story together. We passed the laptop back and forth as we ran out of ideas and worked off of what the other had written. We had some great laughs over this story (which was kind of a challenge to see just how badly we could write) and wound up with fifteen and a half pages.

After that little adventure in writing, I can see how authors can enjoy collaborating with other authors on a book. There's nothing like sharing your ideas and having another person take those ideas and add to your story. Then you do the same with their ideas, and it goes back and forth until you have a complete story.

I'm not sure I could do it for a full novel, just because of the way I write and my personality, but maybe one of these days I'll write a short story with someone. Even if the story never goes anywhere, sharing the writing with someone else would be worth it.

Writing with a buddy is also a great way to get inspired. It's kind of like a brainstorming session with the ideas feeding off of each other and breeding more ideas. Now, what my sister and I wrote (since it was intended to be awful) didn't give me any ideas for a good story, but it did refresh me and make me long to write something good. So I did and managed to add a few pages to a story I've been stalled on for months.

So, if you're feeling burned out with writing, yet the desire to write is burning in your heart, grab a friend and write something of no consequence. Not only is it a good way to get your creative juices flowing, it can provide a lot of laughs.

Dream Story...

2008-08-06T12:50:00.002-04:00

No, this post isn't a story about a dream. It's about the story you dream of reading or writing. I've recently seen several things editors and agents would like to see in a submission. What plot or character would you like to see?

I'd like to write a story with an illegal immigrant as a protagonist. I'd also like to write a story that turns stereotypes upside down. As for what I'd like to read, a story that can transport me to the world of the main character and let me experience the story along with the MC (main character). Preferably one that takes an honest look at real life and shows how Christians handle it. That's another thing I'd like to read and/or write. A Christian character whose life isn't perfect, who struggles with life and temptation right along with everyone else.

So, what would you like to see in a book, whether you're just reading it or you're the one writing it?

New Stuff

2008-08-04T11:09:00.004-04:00

Allow me to sound like a tour guide for a moment.

If you look to your right, you'll see several new links to blogs and websites for all kinds of cool stuff. Agent and author blogs, author websites, book websites, and just plain nifty websites...please visit and enjoy them. Also, you can now subscribe to my blog.

Okay, that's enough tour guide. I'm always looking for new links to add, so if you know of any YA-related websites or blogs (or sites you think are nifty) you'd like to see on the lists, send me a link either in the comments section or in an email. I'll check out the site and put a note in a post if I add it to the list.

On a not-so-related note, but still really cool, check out the most awesome Link ever.

Frogs and Nature

2008-08-01T11:20:00.002-04:00

Last week I mentioned cleaning my African water frog's tank. Rest assured, Kermit is a very happy frog now. And here's the best part. All Wednesday evening and off and on yesterday, I got to listen to that wonderful creaky-gate croak of his! That sound is so soothing and brings instant relaxation to me. Since I've got a couple of tight deadlines for work, I can use all the relaxation I can get.

Listening to a croaking frog, especially in the evenings, reminds me of camping trips when I was a child. There's nothing like lying in a tent, feeling the cool damp air, and listening to tree frogs and the frogs in nearby lakes, ponds, and streams. Roasting marshmallows over a fire, looking at the stars, talking with the family...

If you've never been camping, I recommend trying it. Spending time away from a fast-paced world filled with computers, phones, and the go go go atmosphere is refreshing. The time admiring nature, just enjoying creation, can bring you closer to God. There's nothing like admiring a Master's work to bring a deeper appreciation of that Master.

Psalm 8 verses 3-5 does a pretty good job of describing what I feel when I look at God's creation:

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

Remember to take a little time to enjoy the world around you, even if it's just admiring the flowering plant in the dentist's office. God is amazing, and just a little thought about the things He created will let you know just how amazing.

Cookies!

2008-07-30T09:10:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I had a major craving for cookies. Unfortunately, I didn't have any. So, I did what I always do in a case like that; I went to the kitchen to make a batch of cookies. Then I realized I didn't have a recipe. Did I let that stop me? No way! I just grabbed some stuff from the pantry and used my years of baking experience and made up a recipe. It turned out to be a happy experiment, unlike some of the other recipes I've come up with.

Dying of curiosity yet? Good. Here's the recipe for you to try. Let me know what you think of it! I can't tell you how many cookies this makes; it all depends on the size of the cookies. I made a couple dozen, but if you make them larger or smaller the number will be different.

Okay, now for the recipe. Enjoy!

Lizzie Ann's Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 package chocolate chips
Milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the egg, sugar, and peanut butter until well-blended and smooth. Stir in flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Dough will be dry and crumbly. Add in enough milk to make a stiff, moist dough. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by the spoonful on greased baking sheets. Bake 12 minutes or until cookie springs back when pressed gently.

Remove cookies from pan immediately and place on a cooling rack until completely cool. Store in an airtight container.

Now for a bit of writerly ego trip/paranoia. Please remember to attribute the creation of the recipe to me if anyone asks. I know, I'm sharing it on my blog for the entire world to see and use, but I'm a writer. I like to know I'm getting credit for my work. :)

Running Late... Have an Excerpt!

2008-07-28T20:22:00.002-04:00

Where does the time go? I intended to blog around lunchtime (like usual) and all of a sudden it's nearly nine in the evening and I just now have the chance. To make it up to you, and to give you a glimpse of my YA novel Crash Course, here's an excerpt for your reading enjoyment:

“Now, there is one other thing we need to talk about,” Mom said, crossing her arms on the table.

“What?” Angie wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

“Boys. I assume you’ve had at least one boyfriend?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t sleep with any of them.” Angie wondered if Sebastian thought she slept around, too.

“I’m not saying you did,” Mom said in a soothing tone. “But I’m sure our rules about boys and dating are different from Howard’s.”

“Dad didn’t give me any rules other than don’t get pregnant.”

Mom did a remarkable job of not looking shocked by Angie’s blunt statement. “Sebastian and I agreed that dating is okay, if he’s no older than eighteen. We also want to meet him before you go on a date, and we want to know where you’re going and when you’ll be back. If you’re going to date him a lot, we want to meet his parents.”

“Mom! That is so not cool!”

“I don’t care if it’s cool or not.” Her tone left no room for argument. “That’s how it’s going to be if you want a boyfriend. You also aren’t going to have boys in your bedroom.”

Angie slumped in her chair and crossed her arms. “I wouldn’t do anything with him even if I did.”

“I’m more worried about what he’d try to do. Teenage boys aren’t known for their self-control where girls are concerned.”

“Fine, I won’t have boys in my room, I won’t go to parties, and my social life is over except for church.” Angie stood up and shoved her chair under the table harder than necessary. “I’m going back to bed.”

Chores...Do They Ever End?

2008-07-25T12:30:00.003-04:00

No, they really don't. Once you become an adult, Mom and Dad aren't on your case about doing chores all the time, but they still have to be done. Otherwise, you'll have one nasty house or apartment. The garbage has to go out, the dishes have to be washed, floors have to be swept, etc. You know what has to be done to clean a home; most likely, you've been helping with it to earn your allowance for quite some time.

I know you're wondering what prompted this post. Believe it or not, it was my African water frog. Don't worry, he's not speaking English to me, though I wouldn't mind if he decided to croak a little more often. It's such a soothing sound! No, last night I looked in his tank and cringed. The tank had developed an algae problem, which meant I was scrubbing it out at almost eleven at night. Did I want to do this? No way! As a matter of fact, even while I was scraping out the algae and rinsing his tank I was saying I didn't want to be doing it.

But if I didn't do it, no one would. And I couldn't leave my poor little Kermit in a tank with algae on one side. He likes his clean water and being able to see out all four sides of the tank. Plus, it's just plain healthier for him. When you have pets (or kids, for that matter) you do what's necessary when it needs to be done. It doesn't matter if it's gross (as anyone who's changed a stinky diaper will tell you) or that you don't really want to do it, you do it anyway because a living being is relying on you for its care.

All chores, even dusting the furniture, have to be done whether anyone wants to or not. I have housework I have to do later. I'd love to hire a maid to do it all so I could just concentrate on writing, but I'm like most people and can't afford a maid service. Now, if my novel becomes a bestseller and I make a million dollars, then I'll see about a maid. But for now, I'll be like the majority of writers in the world and do my own housework, work for someone else, and write in my spare time.

Responsibilty

2008-07-23T14:03:00.002-04:00

I'd planned to embed the music video for the MxPx song "Responsibility" but the record company disabled embedding. So, here's a link to it instead.

While you listen to this awesome song (make sure to watch the video at some point--it's great!), think about what responsibility means. To me, it's making wise choices and doing what needs to be done regardless of whether you want to do it or not. There are days that I would love to just live the line "I don't want to think about it; we'd be better off without it." Unfortunately, that's not the way the real world works. Responsibility is there whether we want it or not. And if you really think about it, we'd be a whole lot worse off without it.

Consider this. If no one took responsibility for anything, crime would be rampant, the government would quit running the country, and we'd all starve to death because the farmers, food manufacturers, cooks, etc. would quit. Not a pretty picture, is it?

Thankfully, this isn't the way it is. Yes, there are areas with high crime rates, but there is also a police force working to stop it. Without those officers' sense of responsibility to their jobs, the crime would be even worse because there wouldn't be anything to slow it down. I admit, there are things our government could probably do better, but that's true of all governments. If they didn't take on the responsibility of running the country, it would collapse into complete chaos and endanger the lives of everyone here. Then there's the whole starvation issue. Hunger is a very real problem in the world, but there are organizations and individuals around the world working to combat it. If they suddenly decided they didn't want that responsibility, more people would die from lack of food.

On a more personal level, I have to say "Thanks, Mom, for feeding me all those years and teaching me how to cook for myself." Moms are great about taking on the responsibility of helping their children prepare to go out into the world. I know, some moms don't teach their kids anything; sometimes dads are the ones doing all the teaching. And, yes, sometimes a kid has to look to someone completely outside the family to learn what they need to know to survive in the adult world. But there's always someone willing to take on that responsibility if you look hard enough.

Now that you've heard my thoughts on why responsibility is important, let me add one more quick thought. Yes, responsibility is a drag sometimes, but it's necessary. And meeting whatever responsibilities you have gives a great sense of satisfaction you'll never find by being completely irresponsible. So, while it would be nice to completely blow off all responsibility and basically run wild like they do in the MxPx video, being a responsibly member of society is what earns you the respect of others.

Hemingway's B-day

2008-07-21T14:38:00.002-04:00

Ernest Hemingway was born this day in 1899 in Illinois. Now, I admit I haven't read a lot of Hemingway's works, but when I was freshman in high school I had to read The Old Man and the Sea for my literature class. I thought it was going to be yet another boring "classic" that everyone has to read in school.

Boy, was I wrong.

I fell in love with it. That book evoked more emotion than I believed possible and had me rooting for the old man as he struggled with the marlin. I nearly cried when sharks devoured the fish during his long journey home. Very few books have affected me so strongly and stuck with me the way The Old Man and the Sea has.

Just today, I learned it won a Pulitzer prize in 1953 and played a role in Hemingway winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. If you have the chance, I highly recommend reading The Old Man and the Sea.

If you want to learn more about Ernest Hemingway, check out his entry in the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Have You Ever... My Answers

2008-07-18T10:34:00.003-04:00

Okay, here are my answers, as promised. Enjoy!

Have you ever...

pretended you only spoke a foreign language?

No, but I've often wished I knew another language well enough that I could.

wanted to run away?

Yes. Stressed out teen years made me want to run away, but I never did it. I'm glad I didn't.

pretended you were a giant?

No, but there have been times when babysitting that I felt like a giant. What person of average height doesn't when sitting in one of those child-sized chairs?

gotten straight A's in any subject?

Yes, in my high school Geology class.

met someone famous?

Yes, kind of. It depends on your definition of famous. I once met David LaMotte, a singer/songwriter from North Carolina. Check out his website and decide for yourself if he's famous enough to count. I think he is.

written a book or wished you could write one?

Yes. I have a few completed manuscripts. Now I just need an agent and/or a publisher.

joined a band?

No, though I knew a couple of guys in a band when I was in high school. I knew people in marching band and jazz band as well. I was in a couple of choirs, but that's another story.

been to the circus?

Yes. My grandpa took all of us grandkids (and our parents) a couple of times when I was a kid. The first and only time I rode an elephant was at that circus.

eaten raw cookie dough?

Yes, but not in years. I prefer baking my cookie dough before eating it. I should make some cookies...

googled yourself?

As embarrassing as it is to admit, yes, I have googled myself. I had a reason at the time, but I've since forgotten what it was.

Is Fashion Really More Important Than Romance?

2008-07-16T12:03:00.003-04:00

I read an interesting New York Times article the other day titled "In Novels for Girls, Fashion Trumps Romance." My first thought on seeing that headline was, "That can't be true."

Then I read the article.

It seems communications professor Naomi Johnson studied the trend of product placement in novels for girls and wrote a doctoral thesis on it. I'm stunned to learn just how many mentions of brand names are made in the books she studied. And here's the kicker: none of the companies paid for mention in the books. This is something the authors decided to do on their own.

So, how can mention of Jimmy Choo sandals or a Louis Vuitton backpack give girls the same warm fuzzy feeling as the female main character receiving a first kiss from her crush? It's beyond me. There's nothing like reading a book where the girl is totally crushing on a guy and he finally notices, either by writing her a sweet note or maybe holding her hand as they walk through the halls at school. Those are the kind of stories girls thrived on when I was in middle school and even in high school. How did stuff take the place of a budding relationship?

This is one of those things that makes me think I'm a whole lot older than I am. Where I grew up, there were brand names, but no one wore them for fear of being called a snob (plus the parents said no to spending $100 or more on a pair of jeans). Has the world really changed so much in the last ten or fifteen years? It appears so, but I guess the real question should be: Is this current focus on designer everything really such a good thing?

My "old-fashioned" values say no. I can see how the designers and retailers benefit from it, but I can also see how society suffers. Yes, there are those kids whose parents can afford to buy them everything. But what about the majority of the population? The ones who hear you can only be cool if you wear X brand of shoes and Y brand of clothing but can't afford it? They are the ones who suffer with this current trend of materialism.

Remember those warm fuzzies caused by watching an innocent relationship develop in a novel? Those don't leave anyone out. Any girl can sympathize with the female character longing for the hot guy in the back of the classroom to notice her. There's nothing exclusive about love and romance. Everyone, from the most popular people to the crowd no one ever notices, can have the same emotions and develop relationships. It puts everyone on an equal playing field, so to speak.

My question to you readers is this: Which would you prefer to read, a novel with stuff-obsessed characters or a novel with a sweet romance?

Have You Ever...

2008-07-13T19:34:00.003-04:00

Have you ever...

pretended you only spoke a foreign language?

wanted to run away?

pretended you were a giant?

gotten straight A's in any subject?

met someone famous?

written a book or wished you could write one?

joined a band?

been to the circus?

eaten raw cookie dough?

googled yourself?

Post your answers in the comments section, and I'll post my answers on Friday. Feel free to put a few details in your answers if "yes" or "no" just doesn't tell enough.

Creativity and...Cicadas?

2008-07-11T11:03:00.004-04:00

The power of the human imagination never ceases to amaze me. Look at all the books, movies, TV shows, video games, artwork, clothing...the list goes on and on. Someone had to come up with all of that stuff and the creators, designers, etc. worked hard to make those ideas work.

I came across an article yesterday about a couple of creative teens in Massachusetts. The headline says it all:

Fashion Bug: Teens turn dead cicadas into jewelry

How weird/cool/kind of gross is that? I've seen tons of cicadas in my lifetime, and I never once considered turning them into jewelry. Those two Massachusetts teens deserve a round of applause for their creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial minds. Way to go!

So tell me, what's the most creative or unusual thing you've ever come across? Please keep it clean; this is a family-friendly blog.

What is Normal?

2008-07-09T23:34:00.003-04:00

I was out with my mom last night and we got on a discussion of what "normal" means. We both thought of the Patsy Clairmont book Normal Is Just a Setting on Your Dryer. Now, I've never read the book, but the title sums up the definition of "normal" pretty well. What counts as normal covers such a broad spectrum that it's nearly impossible to come up with a simple definition. It's much easier to list characteristics that are abnormal.

So, what is "normal"? Well, if you're a freak by society's standards, there's probably something about you that's outside of normal. I think the best definition of normal is being on par with your peers. If you're in the second grade and reading (and understanding) Shakespeare, that's not normal. Most second graders are liable to hear the name "Shakespeare" and say, "Who?"

Now, if a college student is reading and understanding Shakespeare, that's normal. Why? Because if you're in college, you're expected to have the knowledge base necessary to understand it. Plus, it could very well be required reading for one of your classes.

I could probably come up with countless examples of normal. You readers could probably come up with even more. But I think we all have a good idea of what's normal, even if it's just identifying what's abnormal.

I still think Patsy Clairmont's book title is still the best answer I've come across for what normal is: Normal Is Just a Setting on Your Dryer.

I've gone and done it...

2008-07-07T11:35:00.002-04:00

It's official. Yesterday, I finally joined the ranks of MySpace users. It really wasn't as difficult as I expected (I tend to be somewhat technologically-challenged) and I have to wonder why I didn't join sooner. Now all I need to do is figure out how to meet people, what groups to join, and all the other little things I'm sure every high school student in America could do in their sleep. You techno-whizzes are my heroes.

Okay, stop rolling your eyes. I know I'm not that old, but as a child I didn't have access to all the technology available now. The iPod didn't even exist. I remember when cassette tapes and vinyl records were cool and everyone wanted a Walkman. I also remember when CDs became popular. Now, it's Mp3s. It's fascinating watching technology change so much in such a short span of time.

In honor of this post showing the world just how technologically old I am, let me tell you about my first computer. It was an Atari. You know, the console you hooked up to your TV and all the programs came on those nifty cartridges. Ah, those were the days, playing video games with primitive graphics until my mom kicked me out of the house to play in the fresh air.

Yeah, I'm old in terms of the technology that was around when I was a child, but I'm doing pretty well with catching up. MySpace is just the start. Next, I tackle website design. That should keep me busy for a weekend or two.

If you want to check out my MySpace profile with it's ever so common theme, here's the link. You can also find a link to the right on this page, just under the About Me blurb. Be sure to check it out often as I plan to continue updating and modifying the page.

Independence Day

2008-07-04T10:44:00.004-04:00

Here in the United States, it's Independence Day. People all over the country are celebrating with cookouts, parties, and fireworks. Here's a very brief history of why we celebrate Independence Day.

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. The Revolutionary War dragged on until 1783, but with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, our country became free from England's rule.

As we grow up, we all seek independence from our parents. Just as our country separated from its parent to become its own nation, we separate from our parents and become adults. When is your personal Independence Day? Some people leave home on their eighteenth birthday. Others view going to college as their day of independence, even though they go home for vacations and, if they live close enough to home, the occasional weekend.

So the real question is, what is independence? Is it moving out of your parents' house and getting an apartment? Is it working and paying your own way while still living at home? Or is it something completely different?

To me, independence has nothing to do with where you live. It has to do with attitude. If you depend on others to do everything for you from cooking your meals and washing your laundry to making all the decisions in your life, you're not independent. You have to take responsibility for your own life and make decisions and follow God's plan for you whether it agrees with what your parents think you should do or not. And trust me, there are times when God's plan for your life can differ greatly from your parents' plan.

This Independence Day, think about why you're celebrating. Independence for a nation is a long hard struggle; the struggle for personal independence can be just as long and hard. But the result, once you're finally independent, is well worth the battles to get there.