friday5 for December 7, 2012

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1. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw these pictures of a Freaks and Geeks reunion. Thank you Vanity Fair for making this happen! Freaks and Geeks is a series that is firmly on my list of shows that never should have been cancelled. Of course, most of the cast and crew has since gone on to do wonderful things (as we knew they would), which is probably part of the reason why VF thought a reunion would be worth their while, but it's so great to see them all back in their F&G personas. I have to say, the actors who played Cindy and Bill are the most surprising changes, but that may be because neither has been on my radar in a while, while Rogan, Segel, Franco and Daley all have. VF also has a bonus gallery of unseen photos from back when the show was being filmed and they are definitely also worth a look.  Ah, memories!

2. Okay, I know I just talked about Catching Fire filming in last week's Friday5, but they're currently filming in Hawaii and lots of great pics are coming out! This post over at Hypable has a good round up of the photos coming in (plus I'm pleased to see J.Hutch--isthatathing?--looking good without looking over-the-top beefy. He just looks like a normal guy, which I approve of!). I'm currently on the fence about Jena Malone's Johanna look. Not how I pictured her, but I am totally on board with Jena as Johanna so I can overlook her hair. I came to love Woody as Haymitch and Lenny as Cinna despite them not being how I pictured those characters. The photos can keep coming! They are only making me more excited for this film! And only partially because I miss Hawaii :)

3. The holiday season is upon us! (Though my brain is still in denial. Seriously. Part way into the Christmas episode of The Office last night, I thought, But why are they showing this sooooo early? Oh wait.. it's December....) I just have to give a nod to all those classic holiday shows/movies that are popping up, as they always do (and some new ones too--I think I've seen the Bubble Guppies Christmas episode about eight million times already). I personally make a point of always watching Rudolph, ideally with a side of holiday food and drink. It's my required holiday viewing. I mean really, who doesn't love Hermey? Dude is P.I.M.P. Plus, you know he's gonna be knee deep in ladies one day, being a singing dentist and all. Kidding aside, watching Rudolph has become a holiday tradition for me, as I'm sure it has for many others, and this year, I'm going to watch it with Emmeline, bringing her into the tradition as well. I feel like now is the time to start thinking about future traditions that I can start with her now. Have you got any holiday traditions on the go? Are you planning to create any new ones this year?

4. Are you excited for The Hobbit? Yeah, you are. Who wouldn't be? Hobbits are highly entertaining. Also highly entertaining: The Hobbit actors posing with the Lego versions of their characters! I get the impression this film is going to be a lot, uh, hairier, than the Lord of the Rings films. As it should be! I think Ian McKellen is my favourite photo of the lot. He looks a little like he can't figure out how he's holding a tiny version of himself. Cute.

5. I have a terrible confession to make. I love Pretty Little Liars (this is no secret). It's a guilty pleasure like whoa. But I haven't read a single one of the books. I know. It's bad. I plan to remedy that one of these days. I swear. If they're anywhere near as compulsive as the show is, I know I'll heart them, I just haven't gotten around to them yet. Honestly, the more books come out, the more daunting the whole thing seems, but I will get on it some day soon, and then I'll fly through them and cry when I finally find myself in waiting mode like everybody else. Anyway, if you've been a good little liar fan, and are all caught up, book #12 (yes, 12), titled Burned came out this week and while I haven't read #1-11, I have adored their covers from afar. The doll thing is just so eye-catching and fun:
pretty little swirly doll
I don't even know which liar is on the cover because one thing I do know about the books is that the girls look different from the way they were cast on the show. (But I'm guessing... Aria? Okay, that was totally based on what Lucy Hale looks like...)

Spoiler-alert for those who haven't read the books (like me) unless you don't mind a little spoiler here or there (like me):


It's spring break, and the pretty little liars are trading in Rosewood for a cruise vacation. They want nothing more than to sail into the tropical sunset and leave their troubles behind for one blissful week. But where Emily, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna go, A goes, too. From scuba diving to tanning on the upper deck, A is there, soaking up all their new secrets.
Emily is smooching a stowaway. Aria's treasure-hunting partner is a little too interested in her booty. Spencer's going overboard trying to land a new boy. And a blast—or rather, a crash—from Hanna's past could mean rough waters ahead for everyone.
The liars better tighten their life jackets. A perfect storm is brewing, and if they aren't careful, A will bury them at sea. . . (Summary from Amazon.com)
Yeah, I need to read these books ASAP. Aria is treasure-hunting, people. Treasure-hunting! And there's a booty pun! I can't... I just can't....

It also occurs to me that January is just around the corner, which means the show will be back, and so will the Pretty Little Recap! Hooray! 

Side note: at first, I wrote "Aria is treasure hunting people" without the comma. Heh. Yet another example of how punctuation can completely change the meaning of a sentence.


Above and beyond the 5, I want to wrap things up with a shout out: a good friend of mine recently started a beauty blog, Beauty Junket, and she is seriously rocking it! Not only does the site look a-mazing, but the posts are fun, informative, and accessible. Beauty Junket is a beauty blog for those of us who want to read about lovely things and get actual useable tips without feeling like we're being talked down to. If you're still doing your holiday shopping, it's also a great place to stock up on great gift ideas :) Please take a moment and check it out, and then follow them on twitter @beautyjunket 

the next big thing blog tour

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Friend and agent-mate Wende Dikec recently tagged me in her addition to the Next Big Thing blog series, where she answered ten questions about her current work-in-progress. Now I've been charged with the same task, though task isn't quite the right word as I'm quite excited to talk a bit more about Unnatural, the book that changed everything for me, and landed me my uber-fantastic agent, Marlene. I've also tagged a few more writer friends below to invite them to join the current project fun. So please visit their blogs in the following weeks to see what they're up to as well! If anyone else would like to join, please feel free to link to your blog in the comments. It's a share-a-palooza!

(I'm re-wording some of the sentence structure in these questions because it's driving me crazy, but the questions are the same ones making the rounds.)

What is the working title of your book?

The original working title was Unnatural Disaster, but we nixed the "Disaster" and now it's just called Unnatural. Who knows if it will change again, but I think Unnatural really captures the essence of what's happening in the book.

Where did the idea for your book come from?

I'd been wanting to write a "monster in the house" style book for a while, ie: one wherein the bulk of the story takes place in an isolated setting where the characters are forced to face their circumstances without escape or intervention. For a lot of people that means murder mystery or literal monster story, but for me that means outdoorsy survival tale.

The magic element came one day when I was thinking about the Filch character in the Harry Potter series. A lot of focus in the series was placed on muggle borns, (especially since our girl, Hermione, was one) and the ensuing persecution they had to suffer, but we didn't get nearly as much on the squibs--those born without powers in a magical world. Filch was the only squib we really got to see up close, and aside from providing the role of the crotchety old man with a well-hidden heart of gold, we never really got too deep into Filch. The question that I found myself asking was, what was it like for him growing up without powers? What would that look like? What would it be like to be a teenager without powers in a world where everyone else has them? And what if society wouldn't stand for it? The idea for Unnatural started to form from there.

What genre does your book fall under?

Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy with some dystopian themes. 

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I never picture a movie actor playing my protagonist when I'm writing. Other characters, sure. But my protagonist is always just this amorphous person in my brain. Still, I'll give it a shot. Here are the main three (I may do a longer post one day where I dream-cast the others as well):

Let's start with Ren. Ren is attractive, but he's no pretty boy. It's hard to think of a young actor these days who isn't a pretty boy, but I think a lighter-haired Steven R. McQueen could pull it off, or Lachlan Buchanan, who I'm not that familiar with, but he definitely has the right look in his IMDB photo:
Ren probably wouldn't be wearing a suit...

For Caden, I always pictured a Taylor Kitsch type because he defines swoonworthy to me, but since Taylor is starting to look a little more mature (I say mature and not old because he's the same age as I am...), I would have to cast Tyler Blackburn, who I've thought of as mini-Kitsch or Kitsch-lite since his adorable Riggins-esque face first appeared on Pretty Little Liars--though it would have to be a rugged-looking Tyler, not the fresh-faced Tyler we often see in magazines:

Looking especially Kitsch-y

And finally, Ember, who I'm going to have to figure out right here on the spot because, as I said above, I never really picture her as anyone but this voice in my head. The easy answer is that I'd want an unknown actress to play her, and that would probably also be the truth, but since we're getting visual, I picture her as having a look similar to Melissa Benoist. The Glee-newcomer definitely has the deer-in-the-headlights meets girl-next-door look of Ember, but she also looks like she's capable of going somewhere darker, messier, which would also be required of the character. She's a women of many hats.
Not wearing any hats here

What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?

I don't do one sentence well :) But here goes: Unnatural is the story of a girl facing a harsh fate, having grown up powerless in a world where everyone must be able to do magic.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Unnatural is represented by The Stringer Literary Agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Much longer than it would have if I didn't have a baby in the middle of it. Writing time was about four months, but overall, drawn-out time was over a year. Being on mat leave has taught me that I can write much faster than that :)

What other books would you compare your story to within your genre?

In terms of the types of challenges the characters face, I'd compare it to something like Delirium or Divergent, where the protagonists find themselves singled out from the societal norm, only to discover that the societal norm has some severe flaws. But it's not a great comparison because Unnatural has magic (MAGIC!).
While querying, I had a few agents compare it to The Hunger Games, which is certainly flattering, though I don't think they're actually that similar. It's an easy comparison because the bulk of the action takes place in a outdoors setting and like all novels with dystopian themes, there's societal oppression to deal with. But here's how I replied to the comparison whenever I was asked about it:
-->Both novels can easily be categorized as “monster in the house” style narratives with the bulk of the action taking place in an isolated setting, but while The Hunger Games explores themes of extreme class systems, voyeuristic culture, reality television, the realities of war, etc, Unnatural Disaster deals with a group of teens who are working together to survive a trial by magic and certainly aren’t in opposition the way the tributes of The Hunger Games are. It’s about a girl who should have powers, coming into her own as she suffers the harsh standards her world is built upon.  Where Katniss is a champion, Ember is a fledgling, unwittingly forced to prove she deserves a place in the magical society she was born into.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

As I mentioned above, there was definitely a moment where I was inspired by the question, "What if Filch was a teenage girl?", but when I started in on Unnatural, I was querying my first book, Chameleon, and I was looking for something exciting and fresh to distract me from the process. It's strange to say, but as the mix of requests and rejections came in, I started to feel urgently accountable for my potential to succeed as a published author. Moreso than I ever had before. It sunk in that "if this doesn't work out, I NEED a next book" and that made me feel very inspired and excited to get going on Unnatural.


What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

One of my goals with Unnatural was to avoid a drawn-out intro. It hits the ground running and takes you on a roller coaster ride. Even when it's quiet, it's kicking and screaming inside. There's plenty of action and romance (this is not your typical torn love triangle) and enough twists to keep the roller coaster flying. It's a lot of fun, and yet, there are scenes that absolutely broke my heart to write. I'm immensely proud of it, and I hope I'll be in a position to share it with you all one day.


And now it's time for some tagging action! Check out these other awesome authors, who will soon be posting on what they've got on the go:
Sarah Schauerte at SarahWillAlwaysWrite
Shari Maurer, author of Change of Heart

I'll be back tomorrow with a one-off Tuesday post about my NaNo results and where they leave me heading into December!


friday5 for November 30, 2012

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1. Lots of Hunger Games-y news this week (which I'm always a fan of), including these incredible pics out of Hawaii where they're currently filming the quarter quell scenes for Catching Fire. The outfits aside (which fans won't recognize from the books as they're quite different, though spiffy nevertheless), things are looking EXACTLY as I'd pictured them when reading. I know that's not hard to do (water water everywhere, let's all have a drink), but I feel like I'm re-reading the book just looking at these pictures. I'm already beyond excited for this film! As an aside, have you checked out any of the promo for Silver Linings Playbook? Could Jennifer Lawrence be any funnier/more down to earth? LOVE that girl.

2. In related (sort of) news, Suzanne Collins' (author of the HG) next book has been announced and it's not likely to feature kids violently killing--unless they're "killing" illiteracy. Year of the Jungle is a picture book, aimed at children 4 years and older. I think HG fans will be a bit disappointed by this news, but hey, if J.K. could follow-up Potter with The Casual Vacancy, then why not a children's book for Collins? It doesn't mean she won't go on to write more awesome YA one day. Maybe her writer brain just needed a break after the heaviness of Mockingjay.

Hmmm...maybe this new protagonist also likes Mockingjay pins? Yes, my Photoshop skills are 2-legit-2-quit.

3. I don't know why exactly, but this totally made my week. The song is great. And no description I can give you would do the video justice. You just have to watch it.

4. You didn't think I'd write a post on the last day of NaNo without a single mention of NaNo, did you? I'll do more of a follow up sometime next week with my final stats, thoughts, etc, but for now, a important tip to reiterate for those of you who have managed to finish a 50k novel during this month we call Novemeber: No matter how happy you are with what you've written, it's not ready to be published (if that's your goal). Take December and revise. Take January and revise (because you know December is going to be waaaay to busy to revise properly) and maybe even take February to make it shiny. Then, and only then, should you consider sending it to an agent or publisher for their consideration. A 50k book (aside from being on the short side) written in a month, no matter how brilliant you are, is not ready to go.

5.  I know I usually reserve #5 for my YA book rec of the week, but this week I want to give a special shout-out to a new site that recently launched called The Secret Life of Writers. It's run by five awesome young authors, who will be posting their own "insider" stories over the next little while and will be hosting fantastic giveaways as well. It's a blog launch party extravaganza! Definitely check it out. It's shaping up to be a great site and should be a good resource for aspiring young writers and book enthusiasts alike!


One final note before I sign off for the weekend--a big Happy Birthday to my friend, Emily! Go find and follow her on twitter @storyphile. Her tweets will make you wiser, I promise :)



mother mother, can you hear me? i'm just calling to say hello

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Happy Earth Day Blogonians! (yeah yeah, I'm working on it...Blogonians, Blogophiles, Bligabloogs... hmmm, I kinda like that one...)

In honor of our dear, sweet mother earth, who has nothing but unconditional love for we, her unappreciative tenants (ok, she has unconditional love aside from the odd natural disaster... mama's gotta lay the smack down every now and then), I hope everyone takes a little time out of their day to think about what they can do to help care for and sustain our ailing mother earth. Putting her in a retirement home is not an option.

If I didn't have to be at work today, I know I'd want to be out there planting trees (I hope there comes a day when my schedule is flexible enough that I can do stuff like that on earth day). Trees are amazing and here's a few reasons why:
-pretty
-that oxygen thing
-fun to climb
-home to birdies
-provide excellent shade on hot summer days
-atmospheric around Hallowe'en
-they make books, which I'm clearly a huge fan of
-that cool rustling sound they make when there's a breeze

Another thing I like to do on earth day is spend a little time with my good pal David Suzuki:



Let's face it, the guy could not be more awesome. If you want to spend a little time with DS too, I HIGHLY recommend checking out his website , which is full of useful tips and information for how we can reduce our carbon footprint.

I hope everybody has an educational earth day! Post dedicated to Lil Novey still to come!

things that are made of win

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The following things are made of win (and puppies and rainbows and warm gooey chocolate chip cookies which I can't eat at the moment because I, in a moment of befuddlement, gave up chocolate for Lent):



1] My eee PC. Yes, there are currently better models of this pc out there (there's a lot to be said for not buying the first model to come out), but mine is small, and cute, and oh yes, it's PINK! This puppy has come in oh-so-handy for writing on the go and I recommend it to anyone who wants a light cheap laptop or enjoys pretty pink electronics.


2] This video. I cannot tell you how many times I've watched this. It is essential viewing if you're breathing. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to go out and buy a Roomba and adopt a litter of kittens.

3] Guilty pleasure songs. Everybody has a few and I think people should dance about to them in their pjs with pride (in the privacy of their own homes of course). It's entirely likely I'll randomly mention a few of my own guilty pleasure songs in future blog posts so I'm hoping this "made of win" post will give said future mentions an edgy coolness :)

4] Feel good songs. These are sort of like guilty pleasure songs except you're not embarrassed to tell the world about them. My current happy song is You and I by Ingrid Michaelson. I'm starting to think it's impossible for this song to NOT put me in a good mood.

5] FreeRice.com English word definitions quiz site with a twist. For every word you define correctly, they donate 10 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger. Literary nerdiness + charity = big win.



6] Cadbury Mini Eggs. These little delights are absolutely what I'll be eating like they're going out of style as soon as this whole Lent debacle is over with. Cadbury = pure yum.

7] Mike's cover song blog. Whether you're a fan of cover songs or not, you gotta respect the topical categorization and witty post titles. Cover songs are pretty fun on their own, but they're more fun when Mike has done all the work of finding them for you :)