Friday Obsessions: Rita's, Pedicures, and Snow White and the Huntsman

Oh, readers. Thank you so much for all your beautiful comments on my post from Monday. It's been a rough week and I haven't replied to them all yet, but...thank you. I just want to hug all of you.

Figuratively, I mean. I actually don't want anyone touching me unless it's a masseuse or my (soon-to-be) newborn baby.

See, I'm one of those ladies who has "false" labor for weeks and weeks before the kid actually arrives. But there's not much false about it. So. For the next four weeks, until I can evict the child with IV medication, I'm going to be dealing with some pretty serious pain and generally being in the biggest MOOD ever.

This is the kind of thing that makes you nostalgic for the 1950s, where they just loaded a lady up with sleeping pills and narcotics and a month later, she had a baby.

I am (mostly) not kidding.

But still. It's only four weeks, and Mood or no Mood, life doesn't stop, right? Which makes it particularly lame that I haven't written anything since the Word War on Monday night. L-A-M-E. And to think I wanted to hit 35K this week. Hell, I didn't even BLOG on Wednesday. And I didn't because of...what? Back pain? Swollenness? Exhaustion? Puh-lease. Katniss would probably roll her eyes and spit at  me, and then shoot me straight in the heart with an arrow because I was taking up all the good air.

(As you may be able to tell, I could use a good drill sergeant right now. Seriously, kick my butt. Leave your application in the comments, pleaseandthankyou.)

Ah well. Without further ado...

Everything I was obsessed with this week. 
Because I know you want to know.


1. Pedicures.
It could be because the only shoes that fit on my feet are flip-flops, it could be the inevitable hospital stay in my near future, but either one of those situations makes me terrified of gross feet. I'm doing a self-pedi a week. Unfortunately, I think the Hunger Games colors are not the most gorgeous for Spring-and-summer toes, so I'm using bright pinks and oranges and feeling generally delighted about the state of my toes' grooming, no matter how much they resemble tiny, tiny sausages.

2. Rita's Italian Ice
The first day of Spring was Tuesday, and as always, my beloved Rita's gave away free Italian ices.
This year in the 614, instead of being 50 degrees and rainy, and consequently deserted, like it would be on any other year, it was 85 degrees and PACKED with people wanting some free ice. I know it was tough on the guys working the counter, but heck if I'm not more in love with Rita's than ever after getting it for free on that hot, hot day.

3. Snow White and the Huntsman extended trailer.
Okay, seriously? I'm psyched for two movies this summer. Spiderman, and this. I watched this whole extended trailer with my mouth hanging open. Charlize Theron is TERRIFYING. Heck, Kristen Steward is terrifying.

 And Chris Hemsworth is...well...he's Chris Hemsworth. Thank the Lord in heaven.



That's it for me this week! I'm posting this from the office, so no Scriv, so no WiP snippet, but I'm hopping to slap one up here later, because yes, I did write a few K.

Now it's your turn! What were YOU obsessed with this week?

Friday Obsessions: Yo-Yo Ma, Blogging Ahead, and Peeta's Bread

Happy Friday, sweet readers!  

It's actually been a pretty decent week! I mean, I'm still in the query trenches, but I didn't have to eat any trench rats this week (translation: nothing made me cry) so we're calling that a WIN.

In less pleasant news, my ankles are the size of my head.

The upshot is that I pretty much have to sit on the couch with my feet up at the end of the day. Which means my WiP did not suffer for word-count this week.  Another WIN.

Anyway. Enough about me. Let's get on with talking about my obsessions.
(I know, I know. Self-centered, etc. But it's my blog, you see?)


Everything I was obsessed with this week. 
Because I know you want to know. 

1. Yo-Yo Ma. Very little makes me emotional, music-wise. The things that most get to me are my MS's playlists (duh) and then artists like Yo-Yo Ma, who is an unquestionable MASTER in his field, and plays so beautifully.

His treatment of Bach's cello suites is absolutely astounding, and definitely the music I listen to when I need that weird mix of neutral, calming, and energizing, all at the same time.

But, you guys. There's MORE. Watch this video of him playing. He's an expert, yeah, but check out how HARD he works to nail a piece that he's played a kajillion times - a piece that he's famous for. You can just tell that he is trying so hard to get better - AS IF HE COULD GET BETTER - each and every time.

This is inspirational, y'all. I only hope that I work this hard at everything I write.


2. Blogging-in-Advance. Probably about a month from now I'll need to take a short hiatus (a few weeks at least) from blogging. I'd like to continue to post at least twice a week. Lord knows I have a pile of drafts sitting on my dashboard, but they need to be finished and shined up before I can post them.

Also: I'm looking for guest posts. Especially from those of you who are my favorites. You know who you are. Or even IDEAS for posts I should write. No, seriously. I'm obsessed with getting a backlog done so I can just hit "publish."

Thanks. *kiss kiss*

3. Peeta's bread.
So....my Wisconsin baking bestie Amanda Stein, who runs The Challah Blog, is just as in love with The Hunger Games as I am. (Not just as in love with PEETA, mind. No one loves Peeta as much as I do. Seriously. You may think you do, but you don't. Step off.) 

Anyway. She invented a recipe for Peeta's bread - you know - the kind he burned on purpose to give to Katniss so that he could save her life and then....*sigh*

Anyway. I made some. A couple batches, actually. Want a loaf? I will trade one for a guest blog.
 (*kiss kiss*)



And last but not least, Chrome. Chessie shamed me in a word war on Wednesday - like, cleaned the internet's floor with me, and it's DIRTY down there - so I figure might as well show something for it.

Here's a part of a scene from when Havah visits the Iver, who live underneath Chrome City.

An Iver answered the door. Her clothing looked like a sack - brown and loose and tied with a sort of makeshift belt. Her hair, wiry and dark, was cropped short, like all the peoples’ seemed to be down here. Men and women, the same. 

She peered out the door, and a sheen of sweat coated her brow. Havah grimaced. There was an odd, unclean sort of smell coming from inside the little room. Sweat, and something else. Something warm, something heavy.

“Here for a routine transgression check,” the bionGuard barked at the woman.

Havah swore the woman’s lower lip trembled. “Yes,” she said softly, “of course,” and stepped backward inside.

She stared down at the ground as she gestured toward the tiny, dimly-lit room. There was a single table, three chairs, and a wide white mat on a slightly elevated surface in the corner.

“Do you…live here?” Havah asked.

The woman gave her a strange look, then a curt nod. It seemed to Havah that she didn’t breathe. That she was holding a space open with her silence. Like she was waiting for something.

Just as a bionGuard looked at the woman and said, “Thank you, Iver 3476,” A strange, high sound pierced the air.

The bionguard stopped in its tracks, and the Iver woman clapped a hand over her mouth. Her body heaved with a silent sob.

The high sound crested through the air, again, longer. Coming from nowhere.

The bionguard looked at the Iver woman, then strode straight to her cupboard, snapped the lock off, and flung open the door.

Inside stood a wide-eyed child, the space under its nose glistening with something wet. Its eyes bugged wide, as it stared at the bionguard. The child reached up a chubby hand, strangely stuck to a spindly arm, as if to touch the bion’s sleek silver face.

The bionGuard crouched down to the child’s eye level. A blue light emanated from its eyes, sweeping down over the child’s body. A scan.

“Female,” the bion announced. The Iver woman let out a keening wail and fell to her knees on the concrete floor beside Havah.

Yikkkkkes. I'll tell you right now - this isn't going to end well for anyone.  (Thanks for reading!)

Okay, sweet readers. Your turn - What were YOU obsessed with this week?

Friday Obsessions: Unagented Writers, Blankets, and Query Fever

Hi there, everyone! How was your first week back to the Real World after holiday breaks? (Please don't tell me if you've not gone back yet. I know who you are and I'm sufficiently jealous, okay?) Seriously, though, even though things get crazier when the students get back to campus, I like it much much better when they're here. Things are busier, days go by faster, I get to feed more people. It works out.

Aaaanyway. Let's do this.

Everything I was obsessed with this week.
Because I know you want to know.

1. Unagented Writers. Yep! I'm guest posting this morning about the awesomeness of unagented writers over at Zap's Lobster Tank. So come check me out.

The only thing I'm almost as as obsessed with as the writers is that I wrangled myself a guest post slot over there. Brushes with celebrity, friends. This is where unagented writers get their kicks.

2. Blankets. And couches. And hibernation.


I am not even kidding, it was like twelve degrees here a couple days this week. I am fantasizing about sitting on the couch for hours under stacks of blankets to read/write/crit this weekend. Not that it'll happen, but....yeah.



Oh, excuse me. I just lost, like, fifteen minutes of my life electric-blanket shopping on Amazon.

3. Finding the Perfect Mocktail
I need a drink. Like, really really. But when you're 6 months pregnant, that's not exactly socially medically acceptable.

It's getting sad, you guys. SAD. The other night I mixed orange juice with Sprite to approximate a mimosa? Maybe? I don't know. I'm going crazy.


Send me your recipes. PLEASE.

Friday Obsessions: New Crit/Revising, Baker's Dozen, and Spiced Pear-Raspberry Sauce

(returning after a week's hiatus...)


Everything I was obsessed with this week. 
Because I know you want to know.


1. Revising TT.

It's just a teensy bit. Just a few lines here and there, that will greatly improve a character, and maybe up her woodchipper factor.

Here's what went down: I was lucky enough to get new crit from a friend, and she said something that all my other CPs had said as well, something that I agreed with. But I didn't know how to fix it and still have the story happen like it had to happen. A few months down the road, though, and I've entered a phase of my writing, or maybe it's a better relationship with my CPs, where I can admit, "I see what you're saying, and I agree with it. I'm just too dense/stupid/clueless to know how to fix it."

So I finally say that to my CPs, and they say, "Oh, okay. Well, here's how."

Oh. OH. And look! All the things are already in place in the story, I just have to USE them! OH!!!

(illustration credit: hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com, who continually knocks my socks off.)

So I had the lightbulb moment, and now am completely obsessed with putting the plan into action. I already told David about the whole debacle, and he's cool with me holing up in the study as much as possible this weekend. But I'm starting now.

(Alexa - would you mind checking out my changes along with the other ladies? I'll buy you Jeni's.)


2. And the revision inspiration is due to The Baker's Dozen Auction over at Authoress Anonymous's "Miss Snark's First Victim" Blog. I was lucky and my entry got pulled from the slush (which included authors and books  more awesome than me/mine) along with 59 others to be critiqued by peers and hopefully bid for on Tuesday. If you have a moment, go visit, pick an entry that catches your eye, and leave a critique. The authors REALLY appreciate it - don't forget to be encouraging!

3. Spiced Pear Raspberry Sauce. So, I went grocery shopping yesterday (yes, in my boring life, this is exciting, because I normally go at like 6AM on Sunday and frankly it's getting old) and these gorgeous red pears were on sale. I bought, like, six pounds of them and decided to make pear sauce. Then I was cleaning out my freezer and found some raspberries from the summer (oops.) I put them all in the crock pot with some  brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon zest, and a couple hours later I threw the whole thing in the blender.



It. Is. Amazing.

I'm actually thinking of getting some vanilla ice cream for the sole purpose of drowning it in this. (Any other flavor suggestions? I'm a little dense when it comes to combos like this.)

Bonus: My kids hate it. More for me!

Okay, those are my boring obsessions of the week! How about you? What are you obsessed with this week?

Friday Obsessions and Guest Vlogging at Gina's!

A couple of housekeeping notes AWESOME ANNOUNCEMENTS before we start with the obsessing:

1. I'm doing my first guest vlog ever about my history of literary crushes over at Gina's blog this morning! Please come visit and assure me that I don't sound like a man. Or a complete tool.

2. I'll be announcing the winner of the Lauren Myracle's SHINE giveaway on Monday (which means there's still time for you to enter!!!) and simultaneously kicking off my Classy Author Giveaway series. Get excited for this one, guys...

Okay. And now...


Everything I was obsessed with this week.
 Because I know you want to know.

1. Once Upon A Time.  I blogged about the preview to this months back, and this show does not disappoint. It's beautiful. And incredible. But if I'm being honest, my real obsession is with Prince Charming:

If you watched the first episode, you know he's not only devastatingly handsome, but also totally kickass. He took down, like, five guys with a sword. With one hand. WHILE HOLDING A BABY IN THE OTHER HAND. 

Yes, it's true. I can't find the video clip because I think ABC is, like, patrolling YouTube for it or something, but if any of you has it, please please post the link so that everyone can enjoy. *grin*

2. Sweaters. And tea. And heavy blankets. It's that time of year and there's nothing more I want to do than hibernate and not come out till spring snuggle on the couch with the fam and a book.

3. Sushi. Maybe it's Halloween and all the candy that's been around, or maybe it's that I've been obsessed with tater tots and other fried, quasi-fried, and high-fat foods over the past few months. But suddenly all I want is sushi, in all its cold, whole-food, fresh gloriousness. (Yes, I got some on Wednesday. Yes, it was delicious.)

Your turn! What were your obsessions this week?

Friday Obsessions: "The Worst Witch," New THG Posters, and Jellly Donut Challah

Everything I was obsessed with this week.
Because I  know you want to know.

1. The Worst Witch.
Best. Halloween Movie. EVER.
So, me and my sister grew up with this when it was a seasonal HBO special. It's about a girl at a witches' academy who's a bit of a disaster and just can't seem to do anything right.

It may be needless to say, but as an 11-year-old, I could TOTALLY relate.

This year, I discovered that I could buy it on DVD on Amazon, and I flipped out. We've been watching it all week.

2. New Hunger Games Posters. 
The fabulous Lori Lee linked to these on Twitter and I had to take a good five minutes out of my day for deep breathing and composing myself.

Hold on. Gonna have to take another minute.

3. Jelly filled challah.
So, remember when Francesca was hungry on Monday? And you know how my Jewish mother genes get all twitchy when I hear about hungry students? And how I started freaking out and brainstorming how I could create a shippable Toaster Pastry?

Yeah. This happened. I think this is better. (Of course I taste tested it. And then, um, ate a whole loaf.)

And here's the big big superhugest news of the last three months.
Ready?

The first draft of ONE is done!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am too giddy and have waaay too many posts to write about this first draft, its messiness, its beauty (at least to me!), and its relentless pull at my heartstrings. But for now, I'll just share my very favorite most beloved line(s) of the whole thing so far.

The ground beneath my feet buzzes, like it’s too solid to handle me, like I don’t even belong there. Not anymore.

Eeeek! Can't wait to share more with you! 

So - What about you? What were you obsessed with this week?

Friday Obsessions: WriteOnCon, Sara Bareilles, and Fish Tacos

Everything I was obsessed with this week. 
Because I know you want to know.


First up - Writeoncon. It is a full-on, no holds barred, completely epic annual online conference. It's absolutely free, and it has forums for writers to give each other feedback on their queries, synopses, etc. Perhaps even more awesome, this year they've started a Secret Ninja Agent program, where several of the best agents in the industry sneak around the forums, giving advice and - wait for it - MAKING REQUESTS.


Uh, yeah. This Conference has been incredible.  Here is a dissection of how I see the YA forum front page, which should explain my complete and total obsession with WriteOnCon this week.




Next on the dockett: "Gravity" by Sarah Bareilles. This is a gut-wrenching, beautiful song, that just happens to describe pretty much the entire emotional conflict of my WiP. (Except, in my WiP, the "gravity" and the "keeping me down" is a good thing. I swear. You'll get it, if it ever gets published.)

*Sigh* Sarah Bareilles is too awesome.

Third - FREAKING FISH TACOS. I don't think this one needs any embellishment.


Fourth - My WiP! (This may be getting annoying, I know, which is why I always put it last.) What kind of a writer (ahem) would I be if I  wasn't head over heels for my WiP at barely 20K in? Hmmm?

Some lines, because your weekly alpha reading feedback makes my weekend brighter.

Mom told me I either need to stop hating myself or stop hating everyone else. “Preferably both,” she’d said in that condescending tone that makes me feel like I’m Michael and Max’s age, not a sophomore in high school. 


That was two years ago, and it didn’t work, because I hate everyone just as much and myself even more, probably. And her a little more too.

(Huge thanks to Gina and Heidi, who have each been good sports and alpha read, like THE central scene, all seven pages, from the rising action part of the WiP. You ladies rule.)

So, what were you obsessed with this week?