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Debs Do It Again Blog Tour: Stacey Jay

Cheryl — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:14:00 GMT

Stacey Jay visited a few weeks ago. She kicked off the series on how weather affects author's writing. She's back today for a quick interview about her book that came out in January: Undead Much?

Megan Berry--Zombie Settler extraordinaire--just wants Pom Squad to trounce Cheer Team in this freakishly funny follow-up to You Are So Undead to Me. But someone's turning coma victims into settler-resistant Uber-zombies--and everyone thinks it's Megan's fault! Well, except for super-creepy male cheerleader Aaron. (Ew!)

Meg's also being stalked by a hot--albeit undead-- seer named Cliff. Can Cliff's premonitions help Megan stop a zombies-on-ice deathscapade and discover who's really behind the coma-killer crusade before an entire army of undead rise up? And when Megan's boyfriend Ethan grows jealous of Cliff, will it end their intra-settler romance?

Stacey Jay's snarky teen-speak is "dead"-on and hysterical! Ally Carter better get used to the smell of grave dirt.

Heehee. I love that description!

Stacey, what do you love (or hate) most about your main character?

I love that Megan is tough and never gives up, even when she's scared to death and the zombies are swarming. Her tendency to whine about "not being normal" can drive me up the wall, but we all have our faults and I think she's getting used to her abnormal lot in life. Lol.

If you were spending the day with him/her what would you do together?

Go shopping or see a movie--something where zombie attacks wouldn't be likely. I have kids and no super powers and can't risk getting involved in an undead smack-down.

Lol. What advice do you have to offer about making your dreams come true?

Work hard. Strive to improve at your craft. Work hard some more.

Good advice! Thanks for stopping by!
To learn more about Stacey, check out her website
You can order her books from Indiebound or Amazon

And now, I'm off to Disneyland! So I probably won't post again until late in the week. Have a great one!

Slowing down

Cheryl — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:27:00 GMT

Do you ever get caught up in the whirlwind? Sucked in, unaware that you've been torn from your roots and are being flung about by the whim of the wind? All too often, I find myself becoming aware that it's happened again. That it's time to slow down. And breathe. Today's five is dedicated to my top ways to get grounded when life has me winging through the sky.

1. Go for a walk in nature. It may sound boring. But there's something about putting your feet on the earth and walking where you can breathe clean air. When I go, at first I find my thoughts still whirling and swirling. But after a while, they quiet. And I start to notice the trees and the birds and even the few wildflowers that have been tricked into thinking it's spring. Walk your thoughts into the earth. It will neutralize them.

2. Seek inspiration -- whatever works for you -- have a favorite book or playlist or movie or piece of art on hand to refer back to when you need a boost. Let it be something positive and moving. Something that opens you up inside. If you don't have anything like that, then find something that moves you because of how much you love it -- like a sleeping puppy or kitty or child. Take time to just watch and remember what that love feels like.

3. Take a minute to recapture the innocence of a child's eye view. Remember the excitement of watching a hummingbird hover over a flower, the delight of a birthday or holiday morning, the joy of getting the hang of riding a bike for the first time. Let yourself get excited about the little things.

4. Give yourself a break. Are there ways in which you've been too hard on yourself lately? Sometimes we need a break from all the rules. Go eat a little chocolate. Or push that deadline a bit. Or let the house (or your room) be messy. Let go of perfectionism -- even if it's just for a short while.

5. And my favorite way, though it's not always doable -- is to plan a trip. It can be a little trip. It doesn't have to be for tomorrow, could be down the road a ways. It's just fun to have something to look forward to. A little getaway to work towards. On that note, I should tell you that I'm off to Disneyland with my family. A no-work-allowed weekend for us all. And man do we need it! I've got a quick interview here on the blog tomorrow morning with Stacey Jay, and then I'll be off for a few days, charging the battery, filling the well.

Enjoy your weekend. Spend some time on you! <3

Malinda Lo: Under the Weather

Cheryl — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:48:00 GMT

I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but here in Northern California it is pouring -- again. To finish off the guest post series on how weather affects our moods and writing, Malinda Lo is visiting the blog today. Her debut novel is called Ash and it's a beautiful retelling of Cinderella. If you like books where the narrator's voice lends a magical mood to the story and is totally compelling, you should check this out. It drew me in from the first words. And look at the gorgeous cover:

It's even prettier in real life. Ash has been nominated for tons of awards this year. Oh, and did I mention her story has a twist? Cinderella, or in this case Ash (Aisling) doesn't fall for the handsome prince. She falls for the female leader of the hunters.

Here's Malinda:

As I write this, the rain is pounding on the roof of my house and I have a cup of hot tea nearby. Today, the rain isn't bothering me too much, although it does make me long to curl up on the couch with a good book rather than work!

But often, the weather is more than a sound on the roof; it can be an inspiration or a road block. When Cheryl asked me to blog about how the weather affects me, I thought it would be an easy blog post, because hey, rainy days suck and sunshine is great! But it turns out it's not so simple.

I blame it on California.

I moved here in 2000, and before then, I don't think I really noticed the weather that much. (I grew up in Colorado and then lived on the East Coast for seven years.) Sure, blizzards or thunderstorms or excessively sticky Boston summers made an impression, but day to day, I rarely noticed it. But after I moved to California, a lot of things changed.

First of all, the weather here is usually fantastic. Let's be honest: There's a reason people move to the Golden State! Every year in February, I can go outside on a sunny day and gaze up at the blue sky and think, this is why I live here.

OK, so today it's raining and it's February. But the weekend was absolutely gorgeous. I had my oh-my-god-it's-so-beautiful-and-it's-February moment.

The problem is, all this great weather has made me excessively sensitive to the days when it's not so great. In January we had a string of cloudy gray skies and weeks of rain. This was fabulous for nature (we've been in a drought forever), but for my emotional state, it was torture.

And that's another thing that changed once I moved to California: my own level of attentiveness to my feelings. Oh, sure, I had feelings before I moved here, but after I moved here, I really had them. Let's just say I went through a difficult time in my life — a life-changing time — and in the course of those experiences, I came to see things differently.

If you're depressed and it rains for three weeks straight, it's going to have a detrimental effect on you. If you're depressed and it's sunny, and you can go for a hike in the woods or hang out on the beach at sunset, I guarantee you'll feel better.

These days, I'm so happy with my life. I'm a full-time writer. I'm married to a wonderful woman. My dog is the cutest dog on the planet. I'm eating leftover mac-and-cheese for dinner (yum!). And because I'm feeling pretty good emotionally, the rain makes less of an impression on me.

But back in January, when I was slogging through a particularly difficult part of my next book, the rain was so awful. It felt, sometimes, like it was dragging me down into the ground. Luckily, it was raining in my book, too, so I'm pretty sure I got the feelings right.

The point is, becoming sensitive to the changing moods within me showed me how much I was affected by external things like the weather. And now that I know that, I can adjust for it. I know that if it's going to be gloomy for a long period of time, I have to do something else to cheer myself up — like make a big pot of soup or buy that book I've been wanting for a long time.

And in a way, I'm grateful for those long, dark, rainy days. I certainly wouldn't appreciate the sunshine as much without them.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Malinda!
You can find out more about Malinda at her website
Or go to Indiebound to take a closer look at Ash.

It's March! So spring must be coming soon, right? Right?! Wherever you are and whatever the weather, enjoy the day!

Debs Do It Again Tour: Erin Dionne

Cheryl — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:54:00 GMT

Happy Saturday! I'm just popping in for a quick weekend visit with my Deb buddy Erin Dionne. Her debut novel, Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies, has been followed up by an equally wonderful tale called The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet, which I mentioned here a few weeks ago.

Here's what it's about:

Hamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that's not terribly easy. It gets worse when they decide that Hamlet's genius sevenyear- old sister will attend middle school with her-- and even worse when the Shakespeare project is announced and her sister is named the new math tutor. By the time an in-class recitation reveals that our heroine is an extraordinary Shakespearean actress, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that she--like her family--is anything but average.

It's really funny, especially her crazy parents. So, Erin was kind enough to stop by to answer my Debs Do It Again questions. Here we go:

Erin, what do you love most about your main character?

I love that Hamlet deals with her family the best way she can, using her sense of humor.

If you were spending the day with him/her what would you do together?

We'd definitely go get ice cream (yum!), then maybe hit a movie or an amusement park. Her parents don't go for such "contemporary treats" that often.

What advice do you have to offer about making your dreams come true?

If you want to make your dreams come true, you have to work toward them and never give up on them. EVER. EVER.

I wholeheartedly agree! Thanks for stopping by.

To learn more about Erin, check out her website

To order the book, go to Indiebound

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. March is almost here, which means it's almost spring!

On the Muse

Cheryl — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:15:00 GMT

There has been some talk this week on other blogs about the idea of a muse, if it exists, what it is, if it matters vs. the importance of sitting with pen or laptop and making the writing happen. Lisa Schroeder's post from yesterday highlights the recent blogs that have touched on it. And Sarah Darer Littman, seemingly unaware of all this posted a similar topic on her Facebook note. Because this issue is near and dear to my heart, I'm going to skip the Friday Five and share my thoughts on the subject.

First, I think everyone is different and there are different kinds of writers. Some are very organized or creative or both. They can sit down and hammer out a detailed outline for their story and make it happen. Others sit down with no plan and wait for the words to come. Both are valid methods. Writers talk a lot about butt-in-chair time. In other words, don't wait for inspiration to strike, sit down and write.

For me, it's a little of both. I write when my kids are in school. My time is limited. If I just waited around during those hours for inspiration to strike, I wouldn't get a whole lot of writing done. I usually spend the first half hour to an hour dealing with email and online stuff. Then I shut that down and either take out pen and paper or my laptop and the rest of my hours are spent with them. But I don't just make words. Or at least that's not where my best writing comes from. I listen. And I wait. Until I'm moved to jot down the words that are flowing in my brain. And if none come, then I might dive in a little more forcefully in the hopes of coaxing them out. I might stir them up with a character sketch or a drawing of the MC's bedroom or I might light candles and incense and spend some time settling my thoughts so there's room for the words to come.

There is plenty of hard work in writing, plenty of time spent coaxing the words and ideas to flow. But I know my best work comes when I let the words come through me, not when I make them up. As I said, this is no more or less valid than the writer who makes up every word in their book. It's just my way. And what I've learned recently, is that if I try to do it someone else's way, I kind of suck at it. I'm no more a thinker-upper type of writer than I am a businessperson. It's just not my gift. So what I need to do is appreciate the gift that I do have, which is listening for the words and taking them down. That's what I think of as the muse -- the place where those words come from all on their own. And if I'm lucky, once the words start flowing, the ideas come on their heels, so even when I'm not writing, ideas about what will happen in the story start popping into my head at random times, so I get a sense of where we're going. But usually, I'm surprised many times at the twists and turns and reveals in the story.

I spend a lot of time going back through, tweaking and revising and revisioning. It's not like the words come and then everything is perfect. There's always plenty of work to do. But for me, butt-in-chair time isn't enough in and of itself. I have to reach into that other place where the magic happens. That's what works for me -- no better or worse than anyone else's way. What works for you?

LK Madigan on Weather and Writing

Cheryl — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:14:00 GMT

LK Madigan is here with an interesting perspective on the benefits of rainy weather. See what you think:

The Creation of Precipitation?

Submitted for your approval:

Oregon rain – aka liquid sunshine – imparts an extra sprinkling of literary sparkle to its damp denizens.

How else to explain the flourishing authorial scene?

Offered in evidence:

Laini Taylor’s LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES (illustrated by her super-talented husband Jim Di Bartolo) was chosen as a Top Ten pick for the2010 Best Books for Young Adults! And by the way … it was a finalist for the National Book Award. Oh, and did I mention she had two books released last year? In addition to LIPS TOUCH, her middle grade faery sequel – SILKSINGER – was released.

Christine Fletcher is the author of two YA novels, one of which (TEN CENTS A DANCE) was chosen as a Top Ten pick of the ALA’s 2009Best Books for Young Adults.

Could it be that we Oregonians benefit from dazzling drizzle?

New York Times-bestselling author April Henry writes for teens and adults; she is the author of something like 432 books. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but she is stunningly prolific. Her first novel was published in 1999; since then she has published seven more, with an additional eight on the way!

In the past two years, Lisa Schroeder has published three YA novels in verse. Her middle grade novel IT’S RAINING CUPCAKES comes out next month, and she has a picture book scheduled for release in the fall. Yes … that’s three books in one year. She’s also the author of the much-loved picture book BABY CAN’T SLEEP.

Or perhaps we enjoy magical mizzle.

Emily Whitman’s YA novel RADIANT DARKNESS and Rosanne Parry’s middle grade novel HEART OF A SHEPHERD debuted in 2009 to great critical acclaim. Both authors are deep in the midst of second-book revisions right now!

Carmen Bernier-Grand’s DIEGO: BIGGER THAN LIFE and Virginia Euwer Wolff’s THIS FULL HOUSE were both finalists for the 2009 Oregon Book Award (Young Adult Literature). Carmen’s book also won a 2010 Pura Belpre Honor. She is the author of many other children’s books.

Do we revel in visionary showers?

YA author Suzanne Young’s first novel – THE NAUGHTY LIST – came out this month; it’s the first in a series of four books. Plus she just announced another two-book deal!

Middle grade author Heather Vogel Frederick is the author of eight hugely popular books.

Illustrator Matt Holm works with his award-winning author sister Jennifer Holm on the bestselling BABYMOUSE series - twelve books published with more on the way!

We scribble prolifically in the mist.

Librarian Sara Ryan writes novels and graphic novels for teens. Not only did her first YA novel, EMPRESS OF THE WORLD, debut to universal praise and accolades, it won the 2002 Oregon Book Award. Her second novel, THE RULES FOR HEARTS, won the 2008 Oregon Book Award! Authors who are also librarians are like bookish superheroes, aren’t they?

Perhaps the Reigning (get it? … reigning? … raining?) Oregon Queen of children’s literature is Cynthia Rylant, the award-winning author of more than one hundred much-loved books!

I could go on – after all, I’ve only mentioned children’s books authors – but this list should give you an idea of our fertile creative environment.

Fellow wet writers? Whose turn is it to do the Rain Dance this month?

L.K. Madigan is the author of FLASH BURNOUT, winner of the 2010 William C. Morris YA Debut Award, which honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens. Her second novel, THE MERMAID’S MIRROR, comes out this fall. She does realize that plenty of other regions are home to vibrant literary communities … but she needed to say something interesting about weather, since her factual answer would have been: “I write mostly in the dark, before the sun comes up, so the weather doesn’t really affect me. The End.”

Lisa's award-winning novel is an excellent read. As for her rain theory...

Hmmm, interesting ideas, Lisa, but while the "liquid sunshine" spills outside my window, I'm going to cuddle up with a blanket under my artificial sunlamp and hope the light brings inspiration

Debs Do It Again: Interview with Shani Petroff

Cheryl — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:31:00 GMT

Last year I was lucky enough to have many of the 2009 Debs stop by for a quick interview to celebrate their books' release dates. This year I plan to have another round with those Debs who have a second or even third book come out in 2010. First up on the Debs Do It Again series is Shani Petroff. I read the first in her Bedeviled series. It was really cute, fun, and original. In it, the protagonist, Angel, learns that her mostly absent father is actually the devil. Now Shani is back with Book 2: Bedeviled: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Dress.

Angel Garrett knows two things for sure. The first is that she inherited her devil-dad’s powers. The second is that she wreaks havoc whenever she tries to use them. Especially when she’s trying to impress her crush, Cole. Angel’s only solution is to stay as far away as possible from him until she learns how to harness this new gift. But how do you avoid someone and get him to ask you to the school dance at the same time?

Sounds fun! So, Shani, What do you love most about your main character?

I love how she’s quick on her feet and figures out all sorts of different ways to get out of the problems that somehow always find her.

If you were spending the day with him/her what would you do together?

Well, thanks to the “special gift” she inherited from her father, Angel can do some pretty amazing stuff. Like take you on a field trip to outer space. So, I would love to go on an awesome trip like that (as long as she can guarantee we make it back safe and sound!)

What advice do you have to offer about making your dreams come true?

Ignore anyone who tells you it can’t happen. It doesn’t matter if the chances are slim—or if it only comes true for one in a million. There’s no reason you can’t be that one! Don’t give up hope, work hard, and keep trying until it happens—no matter how long it takes.

Awesome advice! Thanks for stopping by!

To learn more about Shani and her books, check out her website

To order the book, visit Indiebound or Amazon

Grab a book and enjoy the last bit of the weekend!

Friday Five: Random Musings

Cheryl — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:00:00 GMT

So here are my five random musings for today:

1. We've had a really beautiful week in Northern California -- mild and sunny and pleasant. This afternoon the rain is supposed to return and stick around for a while. But just having had that break makes such a difference for me, the reminder that spring isn't too far off. It gives me the fortitude to face another week of gray gloom. And speaking of the weather, I have two more guest blogs by authors about how the weather affects their writing for the next two Tuesdays.

2. I'm feeling really grateful right now, just appreciating my life and the awesome people in it, grateful to be a writer and to be fortunate enough to be able to share the stories that come to me. What are you grateful for today?

3. My son has been off of school this week, my daughter hasn't. It's always special to have time with one or the other of them one on one. Yesterday my son wanted a cloak to become a ranger like the one in the series he's reading. I felt so bad that I'm not the kind of mom that can sew up a costume on the spur of the moment. The internet saved the day. We looked online and found a cool way to make a hooded cloak without any sewing. Then we went to the fabric store and bought the perfect piece of fabric -- a swirl of greens for camouflage in the trees -- and turned it into a cloak. He was so delighted. We hadn't done anything like that together in a long time. It was such a treat to be able to make him so happy.

4. In the writing group I go to, we always do a little meditation/visualization at the beginning to get us in a good place before we start. The group is led by Susanne West who is such an inspiration. Last night she said something about finding acceptance for what is so. I love that phrase "what is so." She reminded me not to jump ahead to what I hope for tomorrow and not to jump behind to what happened yesterday, but just to sit right here with what is in this moment and be okay with it, whatever it is.

5. Right now, it's time for me to head out for a walk with my dog in the graying sky with my cloaked son into the green trees. And I am perfectly okay with that

Have a great weekend and tune in Sunday for a fun author interview!

Deb Interview: Kristin Walker - A Match Made In High School

Cheryl — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:26:00 GMT

I first met Kristin Walker at a writers' conference when we were both unpublished. Then we ended up being 2009 Debs together! Her book got moved to 2010, but she'll still always be a Deb So I dug around and pulled out my 2009 Deb interview questions because Kristin's book is now out in the world! Welcome A Match Made In High School!

When a mandatory marriage education course forces Fiona to “try the knot” with super-jock Todd Harding, she’s convinced life could not possibly get any worse. Until moments later, when her long-time crush is paired with her arch-enemy (otherwise known as Todd’s obscenely hot, slightly sadistic girlfriend). But that’s nothing compared to her best friend’s fate – a year with the very shy, very goofy, very big Johnny Mercer.

A series of hilarious pranks and misunderstandings leave Fiona wondering: is there something her supposed “best friend” hasn’t told her? Could there be more to Johnny Mercer than a deep voice and an awesome music collection? And perhaps most intriguing of all, is it possible that Todd Harding could actually have a heart – and a brain – beneath his pretty-boy exterior?

Kristin's writing is so funny!

Thanks for stopping by, Kristin.On to the questions!

Please tell us one thing you love about your book’s story or your characters.

I love my main character, Fiona. I wish I'd been as smart-mouthed, uninhibited, and clever as she, when I was in high school. I definitely was as geeky and flawed.

Where is your favorite place to write? What is your writing process like?

I like to write on my laptop in bed. My writing process varies, but on the whole it's the dump-and-dissect method. I dump out the whole manuscript in the first draft, then go back to slash and burn through revisions. Many times.

Tell us about one dream you’ve chased in your life (other than getting a novel published) and how it turned out.

Growing up, all I ever wanted to be was an actor. I have a BA in theatre arts from Penn State and I worked at a resident theatre company after I graduated. But I gave it up when my husband and I had our first child. It was an insanely good trade. I'm very lucky.

That does sound like a worthy trade To find out more about Kristin, check out her website

To order A Match Made In High School go to Indiebound

or Amazon

Enjoy the day! I'll be back on Friday with the Five!

C Lee McKenzie - On Weather and Writing

Cheryl — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:39:00 GMT

The weather was gorgeous in Northern California this weekend -- sunny and warm and delicious. I went with my family for a little day trip to Bodega Bay, which was beautiful, explored the beaches, relaxed in the sand. But I know much of the country was not as fortunate. Here to talk about how the weather impacts her writing is C Lee Mckenzie, author of Sliding on the Edge.

Here's what it's about:

Shawna Stone, 16, can handle anything from a Las Vegas hustle to skipping out on the rent. Scarred inside and out, she's survived with a tough, hardened attitude. Yet she's thrown when her mother abandons her in Vegas with only a bus ticket and the name and number of a stranger to call. Now this troubled, desperate teen finds herself on a Northern California horse ranch with Kay Stone, her steely, youngish, disillusioned grandmother, who overwhelms Shawna with rules and daily barn chores. Shawna will baffle Kay with her foul-mouthed anger and shrugging indifference to everything-except the maltreated horse on the ranch next door. But it's worse than even Kay suspects: Shawna's driven to cut herself by that strange voice inside her head, which at times has been her only steady companion. As this unlikely pair struggle to co-exist, will they overcome their inner suffering to build a bridge to each other, and together find the strength to transcend the past?

It's beautifully written, pulled me in right from the start. Here's what Lee has to say about weather and writing:

Being a California native, I’ve always had to take trips to experience “weather” in the sense of really hot and humid (Southeast Asia) or really cold (Alaska). Most of the weather we get is of the medium variety (50-70 degrees) with a rare freeze and sometimes a few days in the hundreds during August. And boy do we complain when those days happen. I think we’re weather sissies.

When Cheryl asked me to write how the weather affected my writing, I had to scratch my brain a bit to come up with something. Then I went to my journal and thumbed through a few entries. What I found is I become more prolific on either really stormy days (usually about day three) or on really sunny, sparkly days. And I know this because I have pages that remark on exactly these weather conditions.

I did discover that any settings I write about during those wintery times have a lot of clouds and wind electrifying the scenes I’m developing. There are several summer notes that involve toasty park benches with fountains playing in the background.

Since I like to write in different locations, when the rain keeps me inside I often roam to different rooms with a clipboard. I do this roaming after I put in a long morning (between 4 and 8 is my usual stint) at my desk, pounding on my computer keys. Those spring and summer days allow me to be in the garden or on a hike with my journal tucked into my backpack. I can always spot entries I’ve made outside; they’re smudged with dirt and sometimes a leaf falls out when I flip the page--a small token of a day I’ve lived and written about.

One other thing I discovered, thanks to Cheryl’s great idea for this guest blog, is that I’ve made so many notes about the sounds and textures of what I’m surrounded by, that I have tons of weather to include in almost any book I write that takes place above ground level.

Thanks for stopping by, Lee!
Hope you all enjoy the weather this week wherever you are. Maybe you'll even find a little inspiration...

Friday Five: Love <3

Cheryl — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:46:00 GMT

Since it's the Friday before Valentine's Day, it seems appropriate to focus on the topic of love. Who doesn't love LOVE? Isn't it what we're all searching for all the time? There are so many kinds of love. Here are some quotes about love to inspire your Valentine's Day:

1. "All love that has not friendship for its base, is like a mansion built upon sand."

Ella Wheeler Wilcox, O Magazine, February 2004 -- link

I love this one. It's something that is all too often forgotten, the reminder that friendship is the heart of love.

2. "Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." (I found this quote on a site of kids' quotes about love.)

3. "Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings." ~ Anais Nin

In other words, love doesn't fail us; we fail it. I think this is reassuring because it means we have more control over it. As long as we tend love, it will be there.

4. "The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along." ~ Rumi

I've seen this one many times and I'm still not sure I fully understand it, but it resonates, makes me believe that true love is meant to be, that we're a part of each other, even if we haven't yet met on this realm.

5. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye." - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) French Aviator, Writer

So look with your heart and see if there isn't a miracle hiding somewhere near you.

Have a great weekend and Happy Valentine's Day!

Stop by on Tuesday for the next guest post in the series on weather and writing. This one by C Lee McKenzie, author of Sliding on the Edge. See you then

Guest Blog: Lisa Schroeder on Weather and Writing

Cheryl — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:02:00 GMT

Continuing the series today on how dark weather affects writing, Lisa Schroeder is here to tell us how it works for her. Lisa is the author of three YA novels in verse. They are beautiful, moving, and haunting. If you haven't read them yet, you are missing out.

Aren't those covers beautiful? Chasing Brooklyn is her newest release. Here's the synopsis:

Restless souls and empty hearts

Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams.

Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.

Sounds like a good book to write on a rainy day, no? Here's what Lisa has to say:

I'm an Oregonian.

And in case you haven't heard, it rains a LOT in Oregon.

Gray cloudy days are the norm for most of the fall and winter.

Believe it or not, a good rain storm on a Saturday morning causes me to jump out of bed, skip to the kitchen where I make a cup of tea just the way I like it (hot water and a tea bag), and then do cartwheels all the way to the computer.

I'm not joking (well, okay, the cartwheels aren't quite true. I mean, how could I hold my cup of tea?) because a rainy day usually means a good writing day. After all, what else is there to do? Clean the house? Yuck! Go to the movies? Well, yes, that would be fun, except in Oregon, going to the movies every time it rains would be terribly expensive! The mall? Oh please, I don't shop at the mall anymore, I'm too old for that. Who wants to go into a store with the music blaring and the skinny little girls prancing around the cute guys, all while trying to find jeans that are anything but SKINNY jeans, since those sure aren't going to work on MY body. Although, I have to say, watching those girls and guys can be good for research.

Anyway, my point is, I love the rain for writing.

Once the sun comes out, I want to go for a walk, I want to play tennis, I want to go to the Saturday market, I want to sit on my patio with a diet coke and a good book. I pretty much want to do ANYTHING but write.

I love the sun - summer is my very favorite season! But for writing, there is nothing better than a good old rain storm in my book!

~Lisa

I think I'm beginning to see where the dark edge to her books come from. It seems to be working for her Thanks, Lisa for guest posting! And if you haven't tried her beautiful books in verse, put them on your TBR list. You won't be sorry!

Hope the sun is shining where you are, and if not, go enjoy a good book -- reading or writing

Friday Five: Hope

Cheryl — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:05:00 GMT

A reader contacted me recently to tell me how much she enjoyed Breathing. It's always such a thrill to hear that the words I put down on a piece of notebook paper affected someone, moved them, inspired them. I consider it an incredible gift when I receive those kind notes. This particular reader asked about writing advice. I visited her blog and read her post about hope and how important hope is to her, how much she loves books that end, not necessarily in a happily-ever-after kind of way, but in a way that leaves readers feeling hopeful for the story and for their own lives. So today's Friday Five is about hope. Some of it is in reference to writing, but all of it is in reference to living.

1. If you're an aspiring writer and you haven't read Ralph Keyes' The Writer's Book of Hope, I highly recommend it. It's full of wisdom and good ideas and lots of surprises about some of the best known and best loved writers and how they struggled on the path to get there. He quotes literary agent Jeff Herman, saying "No rejection is fatal until the writer walks away from the battle leaving dreams and goals behind." (p.67)

2. Keyes also notes that "the capacity to rewrite is what distinguishes productive writers from unproductive ones." (p.51) He quotes Theodore Solotaroff as saying "The gifted young writer has to learn that his main task is to persist." (p.48)

3. On my fridge I have a quote posted, I don't know who said it but it goes like this, "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail." Fear of failure can stop the bravest of heroes. Don't let it stop you. A friend once gave me this one: "Face your fear and watch it disappear."

4. Jonathon Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach is one of those books I re-read from time to time, always finding something new between its pages. Jonathon is a seagull who yearns to fly free not just for the sake of finding food but for its own sake. He separates himself from his flock and learns to fly in ways they never dreamed of. He tries to teach the other gulls. One gull with a broken wing says he can't because of his disability. Jonathon says to him, "You have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way." The wounded gull asks, "Are you saying I can fly?" And Jonathon replies, "I say you are free." I have always found great inspiration in that moment.

5. And one last quote from Jonathon Livingston Seagull: "To fly as fast as thought to anywhere that is... you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived." When I was younger I was intrigued by that idea but couldn't grasp what it meant. Here's what it means. Whatever you dream of doing or being, you have to believe in the possiblity of that happening, you have to see it in your mind's eye, know that you CAN make it happen. You have to feel inside the feelings you will feel when you get there, so that in spirit you're already there. Then work towards the goal and it's just a matter of time before your body catches up. If you're a Harry Potter fan, think of the scene when he's able to conjure a patronus charm because he saw a time-traveling version of himself produce it. The power of knowing he'd done it made him able to do it.

Those are my thoughts on hope for today. Keep on dreaming!
And tune in on Tuesday for our next installment on authors, mood, and writing.
Happy weekend!

CJ Omololu on the Weather of Writing

Cheryl — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:00:00 GMT

Last week, Stacey Jay kicked off the series of authors discussing how bad weather affects their writing/mood. We'll be continuing the series over the next several Tuesdays. Here to talk about our topic today is CJ Omololu, author of Dirty Little Secrets, which is being released into the world TODAY!! Happy book birthday, Cynthia!

Here's what it's about:

Everyone has a secret. But Lucy’s is bigger and dirtier than most. It’s one she’s been hiding for years—that her mom’s out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. She’s managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they’d be disgusted by the truth. So, when her mom dies suddenly in their home, Lucy hesitates to call 911 because revealing their way of life would make her future unbearable—and she begins her two-day plan to set her life right.

With details that are as fascinating as they are disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy’s desperate attempt at normalcy. Her fear and isolation are palpable as readers are pulled down a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen’s life will have readers completely hooked.

Doesn't that sound intriguing? Definitely in by TBR pile!

So here's Cynthia on writing and the weather:

The Land of Fog and Fog

Living in Northern California, we don’t have real weatherlike a lot of other places. It doesn’t snow, doesn’t rain much and it doesn’tget overly hot in the summer. What we do have is fog. Lots of gray, damp,sun-stifling fog. Year round.Summer mornings are the worst. You inevitably wake up to a faceful of graywhich makes you want to climb back into bed and just forget about it. If you’reever coming to San Francisco in the summer time bring jackets. I’m serious.Most of the tourists from normal climates foolishly think summer equals warmhere and stand out on Fisherman’s Wharf awash in goosebumps and those littlepurple blotches you get on your legs when you’re cold. The upside is that theyalways go home with a snazzy new San Francisco sweatshirt.

I’d like to say fog is inspiring. That it makes a cocoonaround me and that I bundle up in my favorite writing chair and am moreproductive than James Patterson on endless espresso shots. I’d like to saythat, but it would be a lie. Day after day of fog is nothing but depressing. Idon’t do my best work when I’m depressed. And when the sun finally does comeout, we all rush out like marooned sailors after a supply boat so writing isnot so great when the weather is nice either. So how does the weather affect mywriting? It doesn’t.

I do most of my writing in places and at times when theweather simply doesn’t matter. I wrote most of Dirty Little Secrets on a benchat the big, cavernous gym where my son was taking circus classes. Three hourstwice a week with nothing to do but sit with my laptop and write. Oh sure,sometimes there would be rain bouncing off the metal roof, but that’s about asmuch weather as I ever noticed. For my WIP, with the launch of DLS and mywriting day-job it is getting harder and harder to write while the sun is out(even when it’s gray, we know it’s up there somewhere), so I tend to write lateat night. Once everyone else is in bed, the phone has stopped ringing andpeople no longer want me to make them food or find their lost library book I canfinally get some quality work done. The hours between 11pm and 1am seemespecially sweet.

I know some people like to write when it’s storming andother people get inspired by bright sunshine. Apparently, my favorite weatheris whatever is going on in the middle of the night.

Thanks, Cynthia, for stopping by and all best wishes for Dirty Little Secrets!

I'm enjoying hearing about how other authors think about the effects of weather. I hope you are too.

I'll be back on Friday with the Friday Five. Then tune in next Tuesday for Lisa Schroeder's guest blog!

The Crazy-Making of Finishing a First Draft

Cheryl — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:48:00 GMT

Yesterday I typed the words "The End" on my work-in-progress. It's always a bittersweet excitement to reach that moment -- the shift from creating to preparing to revise. Truthfully, I'm constantly revising, even while I'm working on the first draft. So it's not so much a change to revising as much as a change away from creating. There will still be new scenes to write and bits and pieces to add. But the heart of the story is told.

I've mentioned before that I'm not an outliner. I start with a character and a setting or scenario and just see what comes. So the whole time I'm writing I'm terrified that the story won't go anywhere, that I won't find my way to the end. That's never actually happened. But it doesn't stop me from worrying about it. So up until the last word is written, I'm stressing that it won't come together. In fact, when I sat down to write yesterday I knew I was getting close to the end, but I had no idea that I'd actually reach it in the next couple of hours.

When I'm in the creatiion stage the characters feel real and alive. And when I move away from that stage, they will begin to feel less so. I can still call them up and ask them questions and draw dialog from them. But they're not as present ever again. So it's sort of sad saying goodbye to creating.

Do you see why writing can be crazy-making? Driving towards 'The End' for fear of never reaching it but then being sort of sad to get there.

There's a long to-do list waiting to be addressed, things like dealing with dropped plot points, heightening tension, deepening characterization, smoothing out dialog, examining pacing and wording, and so much more. And then there's the long to-do list of all the household chores I've been putting off until that first draft was finished!

But it's Friday! And I just finished a draft of a novel! So I'm going to take it slow today.

Have a great weekend, stay warm and dry and cozy if you can. And stop by on Tuesday, when we'll have the next guest post in the series of how bad weather affects authors' moods and/or writing. This one will be CJ Omololu, on her release day (!) for her YA debut Dirty Little Secrets.

Stacey Jay on the Blood-Spattering Inspiration of Bad Weather

Cheryl — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:01:00 GMT

I've been moaning about the weather a lot lately -- how the gray and wet get me down. So I decided to check in with some other authors and see how they handle the weather. My first guest visitor on the topic is Stacey Jay, YA author of You Are So Undead to Me and Undead Much? which just came out last week -- excellent zombie books that are the perfect combination of romantic, scary, and fun!

Here's what Stacey has to say about how the weather affects her writing:

RAINY DAYS AND SUNDAYS ALWAYS...

Make me SO productive. In the past year, as my home town of Little Rock, Arkansas has done it's best Seattle imitation, racking up the biggest precipitation our area has seen in nearly a century, I have written my little fingers to the bone. There's just something about a storm brewing outside--the rush of wind, the dark clouds blowing in--that makes my mind spark and sizzle. I want to run to my desk and write a scene filled with danger and suspense, kill a few characters, torture my heroine to the brink of her tolerance before pulling back for the happy ending.

There's nothing like the soft, steady fall of raindrops, the rhythm of a drizzle or a downpour against the window pane, to keep me steadily pushing toward my word goal. When the world outside is violent and damp, my cozy desk with a hot cup of tea is one of my favorite places to be.

For me, it's the sunshine that's troubling. Like today...here I sit, a good 500 words from my goal, tons of interviews left undone, and several blogs to write...and I just...can't...focus... The baby is sleeping, I should be producing, but--

Sunshine! Pretty puffy white clouds! Sunshine! Squirrel!

My brain is like a little yippy dog on too much caffeine and my desk is a torture device keeping me from the sun on my face and that walk around the lake with my newly stocked ipod full of cheesy Taylor Swift songs that all sound the same but that I love anyway. I know the second my son wakes up, I'm going to be out that door, words unfinished for the second or third day in a row.

Hopefully, however, tomorrow will be better. I hear there's some rain headed our way and on Thursday, there's a chance of snow. (Don't even get me started on the rabid inspiration inspired by snow. All that fluffy whiteness, just begging to be covered in literary blood-spatter. Yeay!)

Thanks for having me over, Cheryl!

Thanks for visiting, Stacey!

Wow, I certainly could learn from her! So if it's as incredibly gray and wet where you are as it is here, take a page from Stacey's book and get inspired!