What You Always Wanted

Hard to believe it's been over a year since I updated this bloggy thing! And to think I used to hold myself back from posting more than once in a single day! How times have changed here in the blogosphere.

So, let's catch up!

My daughter is officially TWO, which is amazing. SHE'S amazing. And adorable. And hilarious. She runs really fast and dances like Davy Jones from the Monkees and sings "H.O.L.Y." by Florida Georgia Line like she's on stage.

I've run a few 5k's this year. I might be training for more. I might be training for a 10k in November. I might be training for a 15k in February. I might be training for a half marathon in April. I might be crazy. But only half crazy.

This past March, my second young adult novel was born into the world, officially. Publishingly. Or some such. My launch party was at my local B&N, where I was joined by friends and family. I made yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting, we wore stars on our cheeks, and I gave away a copy of Singin' in the Rain to a trivia winner! It was so much fun. A highlight of my life, because this book, y'all.... I love it so much.

Of course I love Wish You Were Italian, my first book baby, but What You Always Wanted came from a different place in my heart. It's more personal. It's so much more me because I was the high school kid stuck in the past, drooling over hollywood heartthrobs like Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, and, of course, Gene Kelly. Some of my friends humored me by watching old movies with me, but it was mostly a solo venture. And I was okay with that. It led me here. It gave me a story to share.

And I hope you enjoy it, You, Wonderful You.

My Book Has a Cover (AND A BLURB!) Part 2

That was such a fun cover reveal day! Thanks again to my blogging friends for helping me celebrate!! Cari's Book Blog, Ex Libris, The Daisy Daily, Gone with the Words, G Reads!, Girls in the Stacks, Hip Mama Jenn, I Read Banned Books, Joy's Novel Idea, Mundie Moms, A Nook for Books, Portrait of a Book, Sarah's Books & Life, and Katie M. Stout!!

Coming May 6, 2014 from Bloomsbury!

I'm also SO super pumped about the AMAZINGLY ADORABLE BLURB from Lindsey Leavitt, author of Going Vintage and Sean Griswold's Head!

“With Italy's brilliant landscapes, a main character you'll love from the first line and a new dreamy book boyfriend (he's mine!), IF ONLY YOU WERE ITALIAN is a charming and addictive read. Devour this delicious treat like a double scoop of gelato.”

Cutest blurb EVER!! I'm still freaking out that someone besides my agent and my editor has read my book, but to have her say such SWEET things about it too?! I'm so so so very delighted and thankful!

My brain doesn't fully understand that in seven months, this THING that I wrote will be OUT in the world! Even sooner once ARCs start floating around! I'm so hopeful that my little story will find its readers and give them all the warm squishy feels. Eeeep!

Books to Movies and Expectations

Over the weekend, I saw quite a few disappointed Tweets and FB posts about the Beautiful Creatures movie, and possibly an equal amount of praise. The difference seems to be between those who loved the book vs. those who hadn't read it, or were just okay with the book. I haven't read the book (I'm currently listening to it on audio--difficult for this visual girl, but it makes me take longer walks when I'm trying to concentrate on a story), so I quite enjoyed the movie. I didn't know what to be looking for. My brain was not searching for the differences, or waiting for my favorite scene that may or may not have translated.

I had zero expectations aside from being entertained.

(I will now take this pause to say WOW! Ethan was such a FUN character. I'd see it again just to laugh at his lines.)

I like to think that even if I had read and loved the book, I still would have enjoyed the movie for what it was. I think when it comes to movies made from books, you have to consider them two different things. Creations from two different people/groups of people. I flipped this way-of-thinking switch several years ago after watching an interview with the author of P.S. I Love You. She basically said: The book is my baby. The movie is someone else's baby, based off of my book.

Then again, maybe it's just my personality to be able to separate the two. I will admit to being nervous before seeing The Hunger Games adaptation, but despite the differences, I was entertained. I was moved. I enjoyed it. The book and the movie are two different things, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

And I understand that for some, flipping that switch might not be quite that easy. But there is a bright side for you to consider. Even if the movie tanks, the book sales still go up, and that's never a bad thing for anyone.

Friday Five - Book Hoarding and Swapping

1. I had one more B&N gift card left from Christmas, so I ordered My Very UnFairy Tale Life by Anna Staniszewski, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, Legend by Marie Lu, and A Million Suns by Beth Revis. I can't wait to read ALL of them.

2. Those of you that get the Alice Marvels newsletters every weekday know the awesome giveaways she hosts. I've won two books from Alice so far, the latest one being The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten.

3. Recently I met up with a group of Houston blogging friends for lunch and field trips to two of our Houston Half Price Books. I picked up Wither by Lauren DeStefano, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by  Michelle Hodkin, and Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer. Like I should be adding more books to my pile, but I can't resist a good deal on a book I know I'm going to read!

4. Tomorrow I'm going to another local bookstore after lunch with with my blogging friend from Cari's Book Blog! The same bookstore I recently picked up Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.

5. My name is Kristin and I'm a book hoarder. Hi, Kristin!


Here's the current list of used books I have up for swap if anyone is interested!

YA:
-ARC of Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culberson
-Paperback of Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
-Hardback of Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) by Sarah Mlynowski
-Paperback of Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
-Paperback of Red Riding Hood by Blakley-Cartwright/Johnson

Adult:
-Paperback of The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
-Paperback of The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Fabulous in February

Hard to believe we've finished an entire month in 2012 already. It flew by quicker than expected for me, as evidenced by my still incomplete first draft of my WIP. BUT, it's getting super close!! It's safe to say it will definitely be done by the end of February. It's the research that's bogging me down the most. 

I've read some great books the past month. 

• Finally dove into The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, and finished the first book, City of Bones. It took me a little while to get into it, but once the action really got going, I couldn't put it down. I look forward to the next one, and her other series, The Infernal Devices. 
• I've already gushed about Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. Can't wait to start book two! 
• Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper was fantastic! If you're even remotely interested in mermaids, READ IT! You won't be disappointed. 
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson was quite different from anything else I've read. I can't even explain it to you. Just read it. It's remarkable. 

Lined up for February:

• I'm currently reading Unearthly by Cynthia Hand and I'm completely sucked in. I'm skeptical where angel books are concerned, but I'm trying to treat it like any other paranormal story I'd read, and it's quite good. 
• The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney for book club. I won this book over a year ago in a blog contest and have yet to read it! Looking forward to discussing it at the end of the month with the girls. 
• Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles. Hola Fuentes número dos! This counts toward my Multi-Cultural book challenge too!
• I also plan to start Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner. It sounds great!

Besides reading fabulous books this February, I've decided to look more fabulous too. Most days, I dress like a slob in my yoga pants and sweatshirt, hair in a big knotted mess piled on top of my head. I want to make a better effort to look presentable, fix my hair more. Accessorize! My birthday is this month, so it's a reminder that I'm not getting any younger. The time to feel good about myself is NOW. 

How was your January? Read anything fab you'd like to gush about? Anything exciting planned for February?

***Be sure to stop by YA author Joy Preble's blog. I'm being interviewed!*** 

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

I'm only doing one reading challenge this year, hosted by Truly Bookish and One Page at a Time.

My first book for this challenge is Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

I'd heard chatter about this series for a while now, but hadn't picked it up... until now.

Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.  In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

Holy schnikies this book was fantastic. I had no idea what I was missing. Why on EARTH did I wait so long to read it? The fast-paced writing had me flipping page after page. I liked how both Brittany and Alex were pretending to be someone they weren't, and managed to reveal this secret only to each other. I loved how Brittany was with her sister, and how Brittany felt such intense pressure from her mother. How Alex struggled with his place in the gang (yes an actual gang) and his devotion to his family. These characters all felt so real. I loved them and rooted for them the whole way. And the romance... hot. Sure, there's some cheesy dialogue, but it's worth it.

I snatched book two the other day and I can't wait to see what the next Fuentes brother is up to!

Heightened Reality Trickery

HRT: 
A curious type of deception that presents symptoms when exposed to larger than life scenarios such as written works of fiction, television shows (see also Hallmark, Lifetime, ABC Family, Korean Dramas, Scripted Reality, et al.), movies and stage productions. Symptoms include: brighter colors, selective hearing, rapid pulse. Prolonged exposure may be hazardous.  

In books, we're perfectly okay with the flowery things the hot guy says because, well, he's hot and the whole story has set us up to root for him to say these flowery things so when he finally does we CHEER! We swoon! We melt! But if someone said similar things to us in person, we'd probably roll our eyes and walk swiftly the other direction, mumbling something that sounds like What a pansy.

Then there's TV. Take this season of The Bachelor, for example. Bachelor Ben, very normal looking to the eye, the California-wine-maker-next-door type. He's gone YEARS being a regular guy, grocery shopping and pumping gas in his car just like the rest of us. Suddenly he's on television and thousands of women who now think he's the most beautiful thing that ever walked the planet claw over each other just to get to him. Did that happen to him every time he went to the grocery store before he was on TV? No. The reality has been heightened and the minds of the people have been TRICKED. (I'm not speaking out against him as a person, just demonstrating what HRT does)

These things are all constructed to bring out our emotions, to get us addicted, to make us feel like it's love. The build up of tension and tingly words in the stories we read. The driving music during that scene where the forbidden lovers are shouting at each other in the pouring rain. The guy you wouldn't look at twice out in public that's now on stage with his guitar and suddenly your legs are jelly.

Handy often (lovingly and jokingly) says, "You live your life in the movies, don't you?" or "You live inside your books." *snicker*giggle*snicker* I like to escape to my gushy heightened reality as much as the next person (okay, maybe more). It's not that I'm running from anything, but it's like having the best of a million worlds. In my heightened reality I've survived The Hunger Games! I've gone to school at Hogwarts! I've been a freaking PRINCESS! In my actual reality... I'm the wife to the sweetest guy in the world, I'm a daughter, a dog mom, daughter- and sister-in-law, aunt, friend, a writer who writes her own heightened realities, photographer, crafter, and pizza eater. Who says I can't have it all?  

How about you? Do you let yourself get swept away?

Austin Teen Book Festival

Am I going to see you in Austin this Saturday for the Austin Teen Book Festival??! Check out the load of authors that are going to be there!!

Scott Westerfeld!!! -  Heather Brewer -  Jenny Han -  Coe Booth -  David Levithan -  Maureen Johnson -  Jackson Pearce -  Alyson Noel -  Gabrielle Zevin -  Margo Rabb -  Mary Pearson -  Jessica Brody -  Cristina Garcia -  Simone Elkeles -  Stephanie Perkins!!! -  Jennifer Ziegler -  Christina Mandelski -  Varian Johnson -  John Corey Whaley - Melissa Walker -  Geoff Herbach -  Tera Lynn Childs!!! -  Sophie Jordan!!! -  Andrea Cremer!!! -  Jonathan Maberry -  Brian Yansky -  Cynthia Leitich Smith – Rosemary Clement-Moore

Scott Westerfeld is the keynote speaker, and I'm so pumped to hear from such a successful author. And also very pumped to finally own a copy of Lola and the Boy Next Door, and to meet Stephanie again! She pretty much rocks my book world. 

If I have cell service, I'll be reachable via Twitter @kristincreative. I'll be the one with the pile of books in my arms o_O

Lo Lo Lo Lo LOOOLA! (And the Boy Next Door, of course)

GUESS WHAT I GOT TO READ!!!

That's right! My most anticipated release for 2011, LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR!!

The sweet and amazing Sarah from Sarah's Books & Life let me borrow the ARC that she won! (FOLLOW HER!!) So I flew through it, then I read it again... out loud! Yep! This past week, I've been reading Lola over the phone to my mom! Fun times!

Here's the summary from Goodreads:

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. 
When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. 

My thoughts: Stephanie Perkins made me fall in love with YA Contemporary with her debut, Anna and the French Kiss. She has a way about her storytelling that SUCKS ME IN! I'm completely addicted to everything about this book. The characters and all their delicious quirks. Lola and her insane outfits! Cricket and his... Cricket-ness... sigh. Anna and St. Clair (YES, YOU READ ME!). The bits about figure skating (former figure skating coach here, so I'm very partial). The PIES (MUST bake a pie, like, now). 


Stephanie is especially gifted at DRAWING OUT the SUSPENSE in the ROMANCE department! OMG it makes you want to yell JUST KISS ALREADY! But it had me turning those pages and falling in love right along with these characters. Characters that I know, personally. Because they're totally real. My new best friends. They can be yours too! You just have to wait until September 29th.


Looking forward to meeting Stephanie again in October at the Austin Teen Book Festival, where I will probably get another picture that looks like this one,

and which also has the POSSIBILITY of hosting the FIRST MEETING OF THE BOOKRUSHERS! I'm most definitely going, Kim Franklin is PROBABLY going, and Kristi Chestnutt is BEING HARASSED to make the trip to Texas so we can have a Kritique Group Weekend Getaway! I can't even tell you how excited I am about the possibility of meeting two of my best friends (sounds weird, I know, but you blogging peeps totally get me) for the first time ever!

Are you going?!

Borders: A Love Story

So many of you have been sharing your pains of Borders shutting its doors, so I'm taking this chance to express my sadness as well. *Warning, this post will be a ramble, possibly without sense.

If it weren't for Borders, I'm not sure where I'd be in my writing/reading right now. It's played such a major role in my life over the past several years, I can't imagine what will take its place. And I know a lot of people are anti-big chain, but the closest indie is an hour away, Borders was five minutes away.

When I started getting serious about writing, I joined my local writers guild, and that's where we held the meetings. A small group of us broke off from the guild (which was way too large by that point), and we also met at Borders. The employees were always friendly and helpful, and loved having us there. I met so many people for the first time there. People who have played such a vital part in my growth as a writer.

I've taken many a long lunch there with friends, many instances of "oh I'll just see what's new" and I ended up with a handful of books, the list goes on and on. Just this past birthday I wandered in to kill some time and sat down to read a couple chapters of Anna and the French Kiss by the fantastic Stephanie Perkins. Guess what? It's like my favorite book of all time now.

It's sad to see physical bookstores disappear and suffer in this technological age. If I get the chance to be published, I'd love to have a printed copy I can hold in my hand and put on a bookshelf. Sigh.

We will miss you, Borders.

Christmas in July?

I've seen a few things pop up this past week about Christmas in July, and while I haven't given it a ton of thought, today I actually find myself listening to Christmas music. I accidentally ran across a song in my iTunes library (I think it was on shuffle) and now I can't stop.

Maybe it's because it's so blasted hot out and my area is in the middle of a record-breaking drought, I'm especially yearning for the coolness of December. The holiday music is doing a nice job of tricking my brain, however temporary. :)

I saw a giveaway for novels with a Christmas theme, and it got me wondering if I've read any "Christmas" books. Some books touch on it... some of the Harry Potters, A Walk to Remember... maybe one or two others that I can't remember.

Have you read any that don't feel like the screenplay to a Hallmark movie? (NOT THAT I DON'T WATCH THOSE!! I'm a fan of the fake snow and cheese as much as the next person.) Any recommendations for me? I must quench this Christmas yearning!

The Book or the Movie?

It's not a new thing for books to be made into movies, but look how much more often it's being done since the success of Harry Potter and Twilight.  In the YA genre alone, we know The Hunger Games movies are in the works, The Mortal Instruments series, and Incarceron just to name a few.

What do you think about this sudden rise in books to movies?  Do the movies help bring life to the characters you already love, or does it take away from the magic of the story for you?  Can you enjoy them separately from each other?

The author of P.S. I Love You, Cecelia Ahern, addressed the creative liberties movie-makers take when her book was turned into a blockbuster.  She said she had to get it in her head that the book was her baby, and the movie wasn't.  Certainly if the AUTHOR can come to terms with it like that, we, as readers and viewers, could too.

But what if the cast is off? What if the acting is bad? Will it ruin it??

What if the cast is perfect, and the acting is incredible? Will it make us forget about the book and watch the movie instead?

I've been thinking about books vs. their movie counterparts, and came up with a little list.

Title:                                                  Preference:

The Harry Potters                              Love them both
Confessions of a Shopaholic             Movie
The Time Traveler's Wife                 Movie (sorry, folks!)
A Walk to Remember                       Book
Twilight                                            meh... I like that the movies have live boys, but... meh
Love Story                                        Book
The Count of Monte Cristo               Book was good! Movie was better!
Pride and Prejudice                           Movie(s)
Marley and Me                                  Movie was surprisingly good! Book is still better!

Why I Shouldn't Be Adding Books to my TBR Pile...

So, yesterday I had y'all help me figure out which books I should order with my mad money Amazon gift card.  It seems Matched was mentioned by nearly everyone, so I think if I don't win it in a blog contest I entered over at Novels During Naptime (yes by mentioning it I am decreasing my chances, but if you aren't following Karen, you should be), Matched will definitely be on my list.  As for picking the other two... gosh.  So. Hard.  Across the Universe will probably make it (Again, assuming I don't win it in a contest), and I'm torn between Anna and the French Kiss, Firelight, and The Iron King (Actually I'm torn between more than that and the longer I wait the more my list will change (hello... Desires of the Dead??)

Here is a quick grainy photo I snapped of my bookshelf this morning:

My insanely handy husband (maybe I should be calling him Handy??? :) built this for me a couple years back (I think he could sell them...), and it's still unfinished. I cannot decide what color to paint it!!! I tested out some reds and they all looked hideous, tried chocolate brown but the books would get lost on such a dark color. So there it sits. Just plain wood.   

Anyway, there are quite a few holes you see on my shelf because of the reorganizing I did for the sake of this picture, which I'm thinking should stay to inspire me.  Let me draw your attention to the large section mid right:

Blogging friends, I give you my TBR pile.  Now... this collection has been building for several years, some of them bought back when I had a steady paying job and I frequently took my lunch breaks at Borders (hey, they sent me the coupons... and now that they are facing bankruptcy, I sort of blame my old company for laying me off and keeping me from spending money there), some of them (7) I won in blog contests (it really does pay to enter them {ok, I see Twenty Boy Summer made it in that stack... that was an accident. I've already read it, but I won a copy last week along with 4 others and apparently didn't take it out of the stack}), some of them are loaners (those three books with the glare are The Vampire Diaries books my friend is letting me borrow--she read them when she was a teen so they are beat up and smell nice and old the way I like my books!), many of them were bought with gift cards I got for birthdays and Christmases. . . (can you tell I'm making excuses--trying to make it sound like I did not spend $300 on all of these hahaha).

No matter how I ended up with them, the point is, I have them, and I haven't read them... and there are a lot more of them than I thought.  So... no more book buying after my Amazon certificate unless I'm going to meet an author (hello Rachel Hawkins (of Hex Hall fame) on March 4th!) until I make a SERIOUS dent in this pile!!!!  

Anyone else have a ridiculously large TBR pile haunting them??

A Nice Problem to Have... But I Still Need Your Help

It's becoming a tradition for hubs and I to collect our spare change throughout the year in a milk bottle/carafe thing and come January (at least this year and last year it was January) we split up the coins at the local Coinstar machine.  Instead of taking straight cash (for which they charge like a 9% fee), you can get an eCertificate to places like iTunes, Amazon, GAP stores, etc...  Last year, I put all my money into iTunes, but this year I got smart and split it up and it was miraculous how it worked out--$25 to Amazon, $25 to iTunes!!  (Hubs couldn't find a place he wanted so he took straight cash of $55 and some odd cents which he will probably take to some outdoor store to buy a new Duck Decoy)
Not too bad for a year's collection in a milk bottle!! Who knew?!?!

So here's my problem: narrowing down my choices.  Obviously I am going to get books from Amazon because to this brain, that's all they sell ;)

Some of the titles I'm considering:

    

   

The list really does go on and on.... because there are still so many books that have yet to be released--I'd just need patience for that!!  (plus I really should be looking out for my 2011 Reading Challenge we're going to host at bookrushed.com! But I'll do a post on that later this week ;)  Let's not even mention the STACK of books in my TBR pile here at home and the new stack of books I've won from blog contests (a post on that coming as well!).

So, what say you?  Any votes for which 3 books my list should be narrowed down to??  Feel free to throw some at me that aren't on the list--if you loved it, tell me.  

1/11/11 = Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Today is 1-1-11, also known as the day Beth Revis' debut Across the Universe hits the shelves!  Many of you have been waiting for today, but for those of you who have yet to be introduced (and for those of us that love book trailers and author videos), take a gander at what the awesome people of Penguin sent over for me to share with you!

Check out the book trailer:

And here's a video of the author giving an exclusive look at the massive ship that serves as the setting:

Here are some super important links!  And if you don't follow Beth's blog, you should--she rocks!

Link to Beth Revis’ author website, blog and Twitter:

Website: http://www.bethrevis.com/

Blog: http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bethrevis

Link to the Penguin Teen website, Twitter, and Facebook:

Website: http://www.penguin.com/teen

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/penguinteen

Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/penguinteenbooks

Be sure to explore the official site for Across the Universe.  It's super high-tech!  The entire ship, Godspeed, is explorable.  This isn't a book that you'll have trouble picturing the setting because here is your chance to hop on the ship yourself and look around.  I had no idea it would be so massive.

Want a sample?? Check out the exclusive 111 page excerpt from Across the Universe, only available from 11:11 AM Eastern to 11:11 PM Eastern on 01.11.11 HERE! 


And if you aren't following my new team blog 






yet, hop on over and check it out!  Big pre-launch giveaway going on!!

Ahead to 2011 -- Back to the Future

It almost sounds space-age doesn't it??  2011?? Are we seriously already here?  You see kids walking around in letter jackets for class of 2013 and you think, it CAN'T BE.  

In one of my favorite movie trilogies, Back to the Future, Marty goes to 2015 (in Part II).  Back in the 80's, with the way technology was developing, they probably really thought we'd be in hover cars by then, and that we could rehydrate food in a device like a microwave and enjoy a large, pre-sliced, steaming hot Pizza Hut pizza.  We laugh at this now, because we are certainly more than 4 years from that sort of advancement, but they did nail a few things.  Flat panel TVs that take up entire walls, thumb print security systems, voice commands, etc.  Still waiting to be able to fly my car around (could you imagine the accident rate! Not to mention insurance!).

So looking ahead to this next year, what are our expectations? Have any goals?

It's really hard to believe we're at this point again where we talk about New Year Resolutions.  I always say I don't want to make any because I rarely follow through with them, but there are definitely a few things I'd LIKE to accomplish this year.  Though I'm not eager to share them because they sound too similar to last year's and I'm pretty sure none of it got done.  Sigh.

If you're into books (as many of my followers are), check out Stephanie's list of books coming out in 2011.    I'm definitely waiting on some of these.  

There are also movies coming out in 2011 that I'll definitely be seeing: 

Water for Elephants - After I read the book, I seriously didn't think I'd go see this movie (especially because of the Reese/R-Pat pair up), but I just watched the trailer, and it looks sort of good (and the soundtrack sounds awesome).

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Though I'm not much of a Penelope Cruz fan, this movie is all about CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW and that's enough for me.  Check out the trailer, it looks pretty good :)

The Green Hornet - Now, I'm not always into superhero movies that don't include RDJ or Christian Bale, but this one looks a bit hilarious.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II -- Can't wait for the trailer for this!

Breaking Dawn -- Because there's no NOT going to see it.

Paranormalcy! Nightshade City! And... I'm Famous!

Well, not FAMOUS famous.  But Kiersten White, debut author of Paranormalcy, is doing a Q&A series of posts and today she selected my question :) 

Isn't the internet a funny thing?  When viewed one way, it appears that social networking isolates people.  Of course, they LET it isolate them from their physically social lives of families and friends (here's a hint, let it ADD to your life, not BECOME your life). 

And in another sense, social networking brings people together.  Just look how we've all found each other here.  We have similar interests, most of us are writers hoping to be published, some are published hoping for staying power... we are networking, not only to learn from each other, but to support each other.  To buy each other's books when they come out, read them, review them, spread the word!!

Congrats to Kiersten on her debut!  I picked up a copy earlier this week, and so far I'm loving it.

Also, congrats to Hilary Wagner for her debut middle grade book, Nightshade City!  Even though the release date is in October, B&N already has it out on their shelves, so I'll be sure to pick that up soon.

Happy Friday and three day weekend! :)

August is over already?

How insane is that?  And we actually had a couple of pleasant days last week (which for Houston means less humidity) so now I'm officially ready for cooler weather. It's practically Christmas already! Seriously... who would have thought it would be time to start thinking about gifts again.  This will be a light Christmas for us (less than a month left of being employed!), but my new nephew is due Christmas Eve, so I'm sure we'll all be caught up in the newborn hoorah. 

Well I realized it's been a couple of months since I've done a "here's what I read this month"... so let's play catch up, shall we?  You can read all my reviews at Goodreads.com/kristinrae.

Books read in June:

Rumors (Luxe #2) by Anna  Godbersen *3/5

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan *4/5

The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan *4/5

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer *4/5

July: 

I don't know what happened in this month that I only read one book...... I guess I was too stressed.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting *5/5

August:

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater *4/5

Graceling by Kristin Cashore *4/5

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti *3/5

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins *5/5
Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs *4/5

Pages read YTD: 

10,152

What I look forward to in September:

A vacation

Working the rest of my employed time from home

Tom Petty concert on my last day of work

Hub's birthday (well, not sure HE's looking forward to it... every year closer to 30 is cringe worthy)

Several newborn shoots!

Maternity shoots!

A family shoot!

Cooler weather!!!!!!

What's your favorite book(s) you read this summer?

March in Review,,, Hello April!

March was a pretty good month. Hubs and I were able to visit Jamaica, I finished the mother of all revisions of my first novel (one step closer to querying), and I read seven books!!

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin *5/5
Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel *3/5
Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors *4/5
Wake by Lisa McMann *3/5
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter *4/5
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer *5/5
The Wolf Within by Kristi Chestnutt *4/5

Pages read in March: 1798
Pages read YTD: 4754

Hello April!

Today was the first day of April. Thankfully, no one threw any April Fools Jokes at me, but I did get a kick out of Google and Topeka, Kansas switching names. There's a whole article and everything... very elaborate.

I'm all a buzz today because earlier this afternoon, a basically complete storyline for a young adult book popped into my head. I'd been tossing a few ideas around for a month or two, very eager to give writing YA a shot, and today it all came together. BAM!
I have a title and everything... I'm so excited and can't wait to really get into it.
It has 184 words so far! How cute is that?!

This month I plan to give away a signed copy of Kristi Chestnutt's The Wolf Within, so keep an eye open!

How was your March? And how has the first day of April treated you?

Contest Winners!! And February Recap.

Last week, on February 23, I announced my Birthday Contest!
I was pleased with the number of entries, and the sentences! Such gifted writers y'all are!
But about this age guessing business... I was tempted to deduct entry points from everyone who guessed 30 and above!! GASP!
My new age is....
27!!

The main prize was a signed copy of Heist Society by Ally Carter!

And the book goes to.......


Sarah Ahiers of Falen Formulates Fiction!!!!

Please e-mail me at kristinrae023 at gmail dot com with the address you'd like it shipped to!

The side contest was for a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

And the winner is......

Jen Daiker at Unedited!

Congrats Winners!!
Thanks for entering!

Febbraio Recap:

Did this month just FLY by, or is it just me?
I mean, sure, it's a shorter month than most, but wow.
Writing progress wise, I've been focusing solely on Between the Letters this past month. I've been working on one chapter a day, revising it then sending to my online Krit Group! They've been giving me AMAZING feedback, and are more excited about BTL than I have been, which is boosting me SO MUCH. A big THANKS to you lovely ladies. ;)
As of today, I'm on chapter 17 which is right around halfway done!
Hopefully in my March Recap, I can say I've begun querying!! But we'll see!

Reading wise this month, I've read:

Give up the Ghost by Megan Crewe *4/5
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain *5/5
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison *4/5
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick *5/5
Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore *4/5

Apparently, my pace is 5 books a month, because January was also 5.
March may be a bit less because I'm about to tackle Beautiful Creatures (FINALLY) and that baby is 563 pages!!

February also held my BIRTHDAY, which was fantastic! I celebrated for an entire week (my husband would say longer), and I was given some very thoughtful gifts that I'm very thankful for! Love them ALL!
AND it SNOWED on my birthday for the first time ever!! It's always rained! First time for snow!! And by the weekend I was wearing bermuda shorts and flip flops, getting sun burned on the back deck while reading a book. Yes... yes I did.

I hope everyone else had a fabulous February!!

Felice Lunedi!