Bootlegger's and Balls

What's Up Wednesday is a writer's blog hop created by Jaimie Morrow and Erin Funk.  To find out more and see how you can play along, click here.

So, I missed you all last week!  I was without the internets for THREE WHOLE DAYS.  It was like a third world country around here.  I just took naps and used my phone's 4G like it was going out of style!

What I'm Reading:  I read two great books in the last two weeks.  

 I thought WE WERE LIARS was beautifully written.  The story was touching and horrifying at the same time.

I am a huge groupie of anything Rainbow Rowell writes, and this book did not disappoint.  She has a way of creating these characters that are so darn real you'd swear you'd met them before.  This one would probably fall under the category of magical realism, but that's not why you'd want to read it.  The relationship between the married couple is raw and amazing, so that's why I gave it a million stars.  

What I'm Writing:  I finished THE BOOTLEGGER'S LETTERS!!!  WOO-HOO!  I think it might be a hot mess, but at least it is first-draft-done.  I worked on editing my MG Sci-Fi UNDER THE BLUE, and have passed it on to another round of Beta readers, including my BFF's 5th grade class!  Truth: That scares me more than sending it off to agents!  LOL

I am in the super fun brainstorming portion of a shiny new idea.  I think it might be MG for me from here on out.  I just really hate writing kissing scenes.

What Works for Me:  For my last three novels I have written the query letter before I started drafting. That is an easy way to tell if your stakes are high enough, and if your hook is strong enough.  Always start a new WIP by asking yourself.  Who is my MC?  What does he/she want?  What will happen if he/she doesn't get it?

What Else is Happening:  My handsome husband took me to the Policeman's Ball last weekend!  It was amazingly fun, and I looked super hot, if I do say so myself.  LOL.