Paper Towns and Parent Trips

It's time for What's Up Wednesday, a blog hop sponsored by Jaime and Erin.  You can look here for more information and how to play along.

What I'm Reading:  I just finished the brilliant John Green's Paper Towns and I loved it.  But is it just me or were the two MC's in Paper Towns exactly like the two MCs in Looking for Alaska?  The whole time I was reading I was just like: 1- Mysterious wild girl 2- Sort of nerdy boy who is way less cool than her but obviously in love with her.  3- They go on adventures and she makes him be brave 4.  She dies (or almost dies, whatevs).  So while I loved the book, I felt like it was pretty dang similar.  I will say I liked Paper Towns better, and I will totally see the movie when it comes out!

What I'm Writing-  I am rounding the last lap of Camp Nanowrimo and at the time of this blog draft I was up to 46K of my 50K goal.  Beings that I still have two nap times and one library session to finish I think I am in good shape.  This is my MG Mary Poppins retelling, where Mary is actually Marty, a manny with tattoos and an attitude.  This project has been completely different from anything else that I have ever written, but wait, I say that every time!  Maybe I should pick a genre and go with it, eh?

What's Inspiring Me:  My son is the potty training champion of the world all of a sudden.  We have had several good days in a row where I have had to clean up nary a puddle or a turd.  Woo Hoo!

What Else is Going On:  I'll tell ya what else- my hubs and I are headed to Eureka Springs, AR this weekend for some kid-free fun!  I plan on zip-lining, taking a train tour and possibly a ghost tour!  But let's be serious.... I mostly just want to eat and sleep in!

F-Bombs and Tinkled Shoes

It's time for What's Up Wednesday, a weekly blog hop sponsored by Jamie.  Check out her blog for more details and how you can play along.

What I'm Reading:  I just finished TEETH by Hannah Moskowitz.  It is about a quasi gay merman and some magic fish.  I loved the premise, and I read the thing in just a few short days, but I only gave it three stars on Goodreads.  Why only three, you ask?  Excessive use of the f-word.  I know that this makes me sound like an old fuddy-duddy and a goody-two-shoes and all other sorts of hyphenated insults, but Oh. My. Word.  F-bombs on every page.  Sometimes twice in a sentence.  I totally get how using profanity is a part of writing voice, and it's not like none of my characters cuss, but I found it distracting enough here that it pulled me out of the story.  What do you think about excessive use of swearing in YA?  And what is excessive?

What I'm Writing:  I am still plugging away at my Mary Poppins remake, and I am just past 35K.  It has been rough trying to get writing time in since we have had house guests NON STOP this month, so I will probably need to get a few trips to the library in to finish my 50K by the end of the month.

What is Inspiring Me:  My daughter, who is five, carries around a little notebook and a pen and says that she is an "Are-fur" like Mommy!  Love, love, love this girl.  I can't believe she will be starting kindergarten in just a few short weeks!

What Else is Going On:  We are still in potty training hell.  Took my kids bowling today and my son peed in the rental shoes.  Sigh.

A Partial Request and a Pantless Sucess

Woops, I missed a few Wednesday in there!  It's time for a What's Up Wednesday update!  WUW is a blog hop sponsored by Jaime.  You can get all the details and find out how you can play along by stopping by her blog.

What I'm Reading:  I just finished IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma.  It took me a few chapters to really get into it, but it turned out to be a delightfully creepy and very well written read.  The relationship between the sisters, Ruby and Chloe was what really got me hooked.

What I'm Writing:  What I'm writing is a sh#t-ton of words!  LOL.  Am I allowed to say that?  I am particiapting in my third Nanowrimo, and so that is the main reason I have miss the last few updates, because all my writing time is going to drafting my new WIP.  It has been a lot of fun so far!  I am writing a MG humor, a retelling of Mary Poppins.

What's Inspiring Me:  My CP Jennie.  She is killing it on the word count lately, and I can tell she is really loving her WIP.  Also, I got my first partial request this last weekend, so that was pretty exciting.  Opened an email expecting a rejection and BAM, they want more.  Pretty cool.

What Else is Going On:  My family has entered the seventh circle of hell other wise known as POTTY TRAINING.  My two and a half year old son has been running around pantsless and adorable for the last three days, and he is acutally doing really well.  As long as he is naked.  If you put underware on him, bad things happen.   My friends say this is great progress, but I have to wonnder if you can really consider your kid potty trained if they can't wear pants or leave the house.  Hmmm.  Hope you all have a great week!

UNSOULED in The Fountain City

Is it Wednesday again?!?  That means it's time for WUW!  What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime and  Erin Funk, to help connect writers on this writing journey. Visit their blogs for more information!

WHAT I'M READING:  This week I finished Neal Shusterman's UNSOULED, the third book in the Unwind Series.  It is a major testament to this series that even though I read books one and two a LONG time ago, I still remembered the main characters and most of what was going on.  I can't wait to read book four, which comes out soon.  Or maybe it's already out, but the dang library didn't have it yet.  Neal's acknowledgments hinted at movies to come, which would make me pretty excited.  

WHAT I'M WRITING:  Banging out that rough draft for THE WAR IN CABIN 12.  I actually got away to the library last night and got 3,000 words further down the road.  I am getting close to the end, so hopefully I can type THE END pretty soon.

WHAT'S INSPIRING ME RIGHT NOW:  Tonight I get to go see THE FAULT IN OUR STARS on the big screen with some good friends.  I know, I know, I am probably the only card-carrying John Green Fangirl that hasn't seen it yet, but I was waiting for a few people to read the book first.  Which they didn't.  Cause that's how book clubs go.  Can you imagine writing a book that gets made into a movie?!?  How amazing would that be!

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO:  Well the float trip last weekend was amazing.  At least the parts I can remember.  Probably shouldn't be saying that since I am supposed to be a YA Author.  Sorry future publicist.  And this weekend I get to see two of my besties from high school who have since moved to California and Colorado respectively.   I feel a lot of pressure to hype up Kansas City to these girls...  BBQ and Boulevard it is!

French Kissing and River Floating

Hey Writers and Readers!  Hope you had another productive week out there in aspiring author land!  This is another fantastic addition of Niki's "What's up Wednesday", a blog hop sponsored by Jaime and Erin.  You can find out exactly what it is and how you can join by checking out Jaime's blog here.

What I'm Reading:  I just finished ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins.  I know, I know, what took me so long, right?  I am not usually big into contemporary YA (I love me some Sci-Fi, Dystopia, Paranormal, etc.) but man oh man the voice on this one was right on.  The only reason I didn't give it five stars on Goodreads instead of four was that I didn't like the message that was subtly portrayed that if you are in love with someone you can't help but make out with them.  Sorry teens, but that isn't how life works.  Sometimes you have to control yourself even if you are SUPER in love.  I am the romance killer and make-out party pooper.  But other than that, I loved it.

What I'm Writing:  I am still plugging away at my camp story (which is contemp YA despite what I said above, lol).  Not sure that  I am going to have a complete first draft by the end of June like I had hoped, though.  I still have about 20-30K to write, and my sessions have been sporadic at best lately.  Maybe I can work in some library nights next week to try and knock some of that out?  I'd like to have it tucked away in a drawer with a big bow on top before I start my next project (Camp Nano in July).

What's Inspiring Me Right Now:  Um, has anyone else been binge watching  season two of Orange is the New Black???  Cause I have.  Even though the setting of my book is summer camp and not prison, I have been stealing some fun character traits from our girls in orange.  Also, I learn so much about prison from that show...

What Else Is Going On:  The only other thing that has been on my brain this week is FLOAT TRIP!!!  My husband and I get to spend this weekend leisurely floating down the Niangua River, drinking lots of "adult beverages" and having a crazy fun, kid-free weekend!  YAY!  I can't wait to drop those little angles off with the grandparents and meet up with some of our zany friends.

So that was my week!  What have you been up to?

Rain Rain, Stay Away!

Hey all you What's Up Wednesday Writers!  I thought I might hop on board this gravy train, and try and keep myself on schedule for blogging!  If you want more info about WUW, check out Jaime's blog.   So here goes...

WHAT I'M READING:   I just started reading GUSTAV GLOOM AND THE PEOPLE TAKER, it is a creepy/funny MG with amazing personality.  I sometimes sit the fence on whether I would like to write YA or MG.  

WHAT I'M WRITING:  I recently picked up a half finished attempt at a YA camp story, that is entitled THE WAR IN CABIN 12.  Rereading it made me chuckle, so I am currently trying to finish it up.  Had a few plotting problems this week that resulted in me taking naps instead of writing.  Oops.

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW:  We finally have some sunshine here in KC, after a few days of rain.  I am much more energized when it is sunny outside.  

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO:  My son, Roman, just turned two AND A HALF.  Every time another half year goes by, I am always shocked.  We are deep in the middle of the terrible twos around here, but that's okay.  Sometimes I have to laugh at my son so that I don't throttle him, ya know?

Book Signing

I went to the Epic Reads "Dark Days Tour" on Monday night!  It featured five different YA authors who have written darker themed books.  COMMITTED would have fit right in!  The authors answered some questions on a panel about their writing process, so it was fascinating for me as an aspiring author.  It seems ridiculous that anyone would stand in line for my autograph, but who knows?  This is me with Danielle Page, the author of DOROTHY MUST DIE, a fun retelling of THE WIZARD OF OZ.