If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Once again my super awesome independent bookseller/friend/writer Joanne has passed along to me an ARC that is AMAZING!!!!

I read all of Gayle Forman's upcoming book If I Stay within 24 hours, I probably would have read it in 4 if I didn't have to get up for work the next morning. This is definitely the book of the year in my opinion. Definitely its in my top three of the past year with the list going as follows:

1. If I Stay, Gayle Forman
2. Curse as Dark as Gold, Elizabeth C. Bunce
3. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

Ok and now that I'm here making a list...

4. 13 Reasons Why, Jay Asher (I get to see him Saturday, SQUEEEEE)
5. Savvy, Ingrid Law


But lists aside...man I like lists!

If I Stay is about Mia, whose entire life is turned upside down when her entire family is in a car accident on a snow day. Mia leaves her body after the accident and follows her body to the hospital. Much of her life is told in flashback, as the scene unfolds and we find out how serious the car accident is. Mia basically has a choice to move onto the other side or return to her body and live.

This story was told in such a subtle, beautiful, poignant and suspensful (without feel cheap or gimmicky) way. I'm just in awe right now of this book and this author, whose other books I am purchasing immediately. I seriously cannot wait to buy a hardcover copy of this book. I'm so in love with the world she created and I'm pretty close to writing to the author and begging for a sequeal because I just want to know more and spend more time with Mia and also Adam (her boyfriend) who I'm totally in love with right now. He's a punk rocker and he can eat Edward Cullen's heart out.

I don't want to say too much and give the story away, but just trust me this is just the most amazing and well told story. I'm going to read it again this weekend. This is just the kind of story that reminds me of why I want to be a writer. Amazing!

So now I need to pack for the SCBWI winter conference tomorrow-and finish working on my SCBWI Poconos critique piece.

Also Buffy the Vampire Slayer-the movie is on tv-which is always an important thing to know.

Recently Read: If I Stay, Gayle Forman
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (GREAT)

Currently Reading: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

Superstars of Dance Finale!

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I just watched the finale (did I say earlier I was going to get to work...yeah...that was until I realized I hadn't seen the finale yet...).

Anyway, I am ecstatic that the United States won the competition! Especially since I think we were totally robbed of our amazing duet couple, and also Rob should have won the gold for the soloist competition or atleast the silver.

And I am not at all happy with Michael Flately for teasing us with a performance of his and then just showing a video of Celtic Tiger (ewwww, worst dance show ever!). UGH! Seriously Michael Flately, you are the Lord of the Dance, so act like it! And I was really not happy that throughout the competition all Ireland could show us was Lord of the Dance-Michael Flately's show and choreography. I think they could have stuck around the competition longer if they mixed it up a bit. But anyway...I still love Michael Flately, but ugh! Please never show Celtic Tiger on live tv again.

Anyway, as for the soloists, I don't know, but I really didn't care about the Russian ballerina. Maybe bc I'm not a ballet afficionado. I was really torn between the US and India. In a way I was thrilled that India's classic dances were being shown in such a big and exciting venue and I thought that was a great boon for them, and also their soloist was clearly a master and a masterful dancer, but Rob was SO innovative and he just did not deserve the bronze at all. So I was really dissapointed in the scoring there, until I saw the Russian judge's reaction to winning the gold, and then I kind of switched sides for a moment bc I love him and I was happy to see him so adorably happy.

Duets...
I didn't feel too invested in this one. America was robbed-our duet was amazing! And seriously, what happened to Anya and Pasha?!?!? I was really starting to like Australia, but their duet just did not strike me in this episode at all. Argentina...I don't know, it never really grabbed me. South Africa...strongest man in the world and strongest woman in the world were amazing, but their performance tonight (or rather last night) was kind of eh. They were all eh... though I would have given the gold to South Africa just based on the fact that I'm pretty sure they are the spawn of Superman.

And now for the groups category. I was surprised that Australia got the bronze, because their last two performances had me making all sorts of crazy faces-they were tremendous! They made me a convert! The Shaolin Monks didn't make me cry this week-so you know...but they were still amazing. And then the Groovaloos! Wow, they are amazing and took it home! Though I kind of thought Australia's performance tonight was better...I don't know.

Anyway-wow this show rocked and there needs to be another season.

Speaking of new seasons, apparently there is going to be The Tudors Season 3! Woot!

Wow Lots of News! John Updike, Awards, J.K. Rowling's Cafe!

First of all I have to mention the huge loss in the literary world today, John Updike died at age 76. Here's the link to his obituary in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/01/27/books/AP-Obit-Updike.html?_r=2

John Updike visited Cornell when I was there and I got to attend one of his readings and a private talk on the art of creative writing. He was the first major writer I ever got to hear speak on the craft of writing (after I had become serious about writing).

Also, the ALA announced all of their awards and I'm super excited about Savvy by Ingrid Law winning a newberry honor, and A Curse as Dark as Gold winning a new award for best new talent! Congrats to Laurie Halse Anderson (she's amazing) for her lifetime achievement award.

Here's the link to the full story and all of the award winners:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28857052/

And finally, J.K. Rowling's original cafe is up for sale! Anyone who followed my blog adventures in Scotland this past summer will know I devoted a great amount of time to figuring out the truth about which spot in Edinburgh Harry Potter was truly originally written in.

For anyone who missed those entries or needs a refresher-here it is.

J.K. Rowling originally wrote the first Harry Potter books in Edinburgh on Nicholson St. in Nicholson's cafe, a second story cafe. Nicholson's eventually sold the space and moved to...now I'm drawing a blank, George IV Street? and opened up The Elephant House, and then on Marshall Street, their littler sister cafe, Elephants and Bagels (which was my favorite!).

Anyway I spent a good deal of time my first week in Edinburgh trying to track down the original spot- was it The Elephant House (with their HUGE sign in the window claiming to be the spot where Harry Potter was born?) or Elephants and Bagels?? Or was it even a cafe at all?

And it turns out that the famous cafe was now a chinese buffet! And I can tell you, I felt the energy there! I loved it there, even though I famously do not love chinese food (only bc Ive had too much of it in my life).

What I thought was interesting was how hidden this place was. Its on the second story of shops, its not well marked, and only upstairs right before the entrance is a small bulletin board with a few articles about J.K. Rowling that let you know that this is the spot-you've completed your pilgrimage. But those boards are not well spotted, I only saw them on my way out.

In a way, it was odd. The story about JK and the cafe is so famous, I thought the place would be eating up the publicity, or the secret would be out and tourists would all be making a stop there. But it was kind of like a best kept secret (or...really old news). I kind of liked the fact that I had to work for the information and find the place, it made it more significant to be there.

But alas, it will be a chinese buffet no more. Will it become a Potter museum?
Here's the article:
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Harry-Potter-39home39-hopes-to.4915540.jp


Here are some pics from this summer inside the Chinese Buffet/Nicholson's Cafe/Birthplace of Harry Potter





Now I feel nostalgic, and inspired to do some more writing!

Currently Reading: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Beds are Burning....SQUEEEEEE!!!!

Ok, so today a nearly 10 year quest of mine came to a happily ever after. Let me tell you the story!

Once upon a time when Frankie was a teeny tiny girl...ok I was 16 and looked exactly the same as I do now, but anyway...one day not long after her 16th birthday, she was listening to the radio and heard this song that was fun and passionate and catchy and full of all kinds of drama-everything Frankie loved in a song. And she only caught a little bit of the lyrics...something about paying the rent. And then it was over, off the radio for forever- and the DJ never said what the song was, and she was also not even completely sure what radio station she was listening to so she couldn't call to ask either.

So she went and did what anyone else would do and googled songs about rent, and what did she come up with? The musical Rent! She tried to sing the song to her RENT-head best friend Allison, but she was clueless (and also quite possibly in pain because Frankie's singing is really really bad!) And though in later years she also loved Rent, the song she had heard was not from that show, though she secretly hoped when she went to see Rent, she'd find her song anyway.

Anyway, years went by and Frankie mostly forgot about her song (she was on a quest for two other songs that ended in happily ever afters and those were instrumental pieces without any lyrics at all to guide her!).

Then about a year ago(?) she saw the movie The Kite Runner, and lo and behold, they were playing her song in the background of a scene in a bar! So she stayed after the movie to watch the credits-but didn't see it. Then she checked the sountrack but it wasn't on it.

Ok, this is starting to become a really long blog entry, OMG, but it was a ten year quest for my song, and these things just don't happen overnight, so it deserves a long entry.

So...a few weeks ago, she caught the last seconds of the song on BEN FM bc that radio station is awesome and routinely plays Chumbawumba. But finally today! I caught the song, the whole song and I memorized the lyrics (by the way I'm no longer telling this story in 3rd person, glad you're still with me) and I looked it up and I found it and its called Beds are Burning and its by Midnight Oil and I downloaded it on itunes and also another cool version that I like by Novaspace.

So that's my story, 10 years for a song and its mine!
I'm obligated to say now how much this has lifted my spirits and made me believe again that whatever it is we are looking for in life, or whatever goal we are trying to achieve, in the end, you will find your song!

OMG!


The cheese factor...almost too much for me to take!


Hehe! ;)

FIN!

The First Sentence is Dead, Long Live the First Sentence

I think I'm on to something new here... :-)

I Bellydanced Today-Also, Return of the Sentence!!!

Also, I should tell you that its finally snowing, like really snowing and its making every single thing I do feel ten times cozier than it probably should based on the mere fact that snow is out there and I am in here. If this keeps up, I'm thinking snow day tomorrow!!!

Ok-so today I finalled popped in Dolphina's new belly dance workout video, cardio bellydance-and I know that most people in the BD community can't stand her, and I've been flamed for liking her before-and yeah I see what the problems are-but I just don't care, because I started with her and I will always love her, and her little to no explanations on how to actually do things doesn't matter to me since I'm more of a visual learner anyway. Today was the first day I really belly danced (in a practice/workout manner) since...I can't remember...at least a year (ouch!).
And though this video was...severely flawed, and I think she may have gotten some of her burlesque moves confused with belly dance-I had SO much fun. I felt like a complete begininer again and I remembered suddenly why I fell in love with dancing in the first place. On top of the fact that Eva and I have been doing these killer ab workouts, my entire mid section is burning (but I like it;)

And...I think I finally found the balance I'm looking for in chapter 1 of action and backstory, and then somehow out of nowhere, I realized that the first sentence that I was dreaming about...WORKS! OMG! It was meant to be!

So I'm working my intellectual/creative butt off today to finally wrap chapter 1 up and move onto chapter 2. Im trying to get this draft (final draft) together by May!

Hope everyone is staying warm and enjoying the snow:-)

And More Progress

Real quick, but I think that things are really starting to shape up, and I am registering for a mentoring day with the NJ SCBWI and pretty much have my critique piece ready to print for the April Poconos retreat! Yay!!!

Progress!

Ok, so I'm pretty much done with my new prologue which Joanne, my favorite book seller, called "delightfully creepy." Yay!

Also, Ben over at BrandywineGardens.com is working on design and it looks awesome!

Also, I had somehow misplaced my printed copy of the manuscript so far, which included a bunch of notes I wrote to myself about things to change and I was seriously freaking out trying to find it, and then today like magic, it appeared-in a place I already looked! But thank you universe for helping me find it! Woo!

Currently Reading: The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb

Just finished reading: The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
How to Talk to Girls by Alec Greven(So cute and he's 9!)

Happy Diary of a Wimpy Kid Release Day!!!!!

The third book is here! The third book is here! DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE LAST STRAW! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited! In between work, work and school I ran to the bookstore, bought my copy and ran! I'm so excited, I can't wait to read it tonight. I already read the first entry and it's great! So excited!

Seriously, everyone needs to go read these books if you haven't already -it will leave you in total hysterics!

Unless of course you hate laughter and fun and smiling and jokes and all good things in life...but you don't, so go read and laugh!

Grad School Bloopers!

Welcome to my adventures in Stupid! Luckily it was only a short stay.

So today was my last first day of school in my masters program, and it was bound to be a strange day since I am taking two classes on Monday back to back, which equals six straight hours of class. My first class was super fun-especially because its about social deviance in Renaissance England, plus Mike, Jen, and Phil are with me:-)

But then...I had to get to History of Rhetoric, a supposed doozy of a class, and one that is required in my program. First of all- I can't find the building. It was in a building I'd never heard of before (because its new) and I had no idea where it was located. Phil pointed me in the general direction and after circling like a vulture around a huge set of buildings and almost slipping on ice three times- I found the building, connected to another building, tucked behind another one as well. So I walked in, and I knew I needed to get to the second floor. I found a stairwell and climbed up, and...I'm in a different building! WHAT!

I went back downstairs and I'm in the right building again. I take the elevator. And...I'm in a different building! So I'm kind of freaking out that everytime I go to the second floor the building changes and I'm supposed to have class on the second floor so I go back outside and enter the right building again. And it turns out...that the stairs are like hidden in the back of the cafe! Ugh!

So I get upstairs, with 2 minutes to spare, and class is of course already in session. So the first thing on the agenda? Let's take a quiz to see how much you know about Rhetoric. I know nothing about Rhetoric! I know it has something to do with Aristotle and maybe started in Greece, and that's it.

So question number 1: What do you know about Rhetoric?

My answer? "Rhetoric is the topic of this class."

OMG-I know, I know!

And then for good measure..."Rhetoric is a topic I need to learn in order to earn my masters."

Yeah...

Then for really good measure..."I really don't know."

So I answer some other questions throwing in Ancient Greece and Aristotle, but...then my professor collects the quizes. AAAAAhhhh!

So I was sort of hoping he'd laugh when he saw my answers, I mean its not like knowing anything about Rhetoric was a requirement for the course. But then a minute later, he says, "Where is Frankie Mallis?"

I think I turned three shades of red as he then told me I shouldn't be in this class because I need it for my masters, I should be here because my life depends on it. OMG!

Then as we go around the room and introduce ourselves, we all need to say how far along in the program we are. So I happily announce I'm in my last semester and then my professor looks at me and says, "That's what you think!"

So I totally got on his bad side immediately without even trying. He then went into a half hour lecture about why its important to learn Rhetoric and why no one should simply be there for a masters requirement.

Ahhh! Whoops!

On the plus side...I was the only one to raise my hand and say I liked a certain speech over another and it turned out my speech writer was a nobel laureate. So I think I slightly redeemed myself.

Another plus...Joanne surprised me this weekend with a special package of books! I love her!

Ok off to bed!

Vegan/Hippie Parents...the new trend in YA Lit?

So I just finished reading Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey -what an awesome last name by the way-it's like a combo of fantastic and fantasy and key (you know, because keys are awesome), and the main character Jessica had these really cool hippie vegan parents that ran a farm in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania with no live stock on it at all. Her parents were awesome, making carob tofu ice cream and vegan cakes. I visited the author's website and I don't remember seeing any information about her knowledge of veganism and she mentions once getting food poisoning from chicken, so I'm pretty sure she isn't vegan herself.

But I'm still curious...does she know other vegans, what is her exposure to it. From the novel, I didn't get the impression she was that well versed in it-a lot of the descriptions of vegan food sounded kind of awful and if I was reading it as a non-vegan, I'd think "ew why would anyone eat that!" Of course the main character didn't totally share her parents diet, sneaking in meat and dairy at school and at the mall-not to mention human blood=since this is a vampire novel.

So today I started Deadly Little Secret, the first in a new series called Touch by Laurie Faria Stolarz, and the main character's mom is a raw vegan! And she describes very well putting together a raw meal! I'm very impressed-though the main character threw in a quick mention of sneaking off to taco bell with her dad. So I checked out Laurie's website, and she is into vegetarian cooking, holistic nutrition and using Aveda and Lush products(both are awesome and vegan and I like that she is a fan of them), but she also eats salmon...

So...I guess I'm just wondering- is it trendy now to have vegan parents in YA novels? Or are there just more raw/vegan/vegetarian/holistic nutrition authors writing books and including their experiences?

Any ideas?

Simple Update...Chapter 1

Ok seriously-I might as well take my name off of this blog and just rename it Chapter 1, because it's clearly what I talk about the most on here! I'm still working with it, having a bit of trouble getting into my groove-which is normal after a break. I was like this after summering in Scotland and then I wrote a ton-so I expect this to pass soon and to start writing like the beast I know I can be!

In other news related to The Seven Sisters Brandywine...

I have a new fan (yay!) who read the first few chapters and then tried to trick every answer and secret about the series out of me-and as much as I was trying to keep quiet and not reveal the ending, it was soooo hard, because all I really want to do is talk about it! But still, I'm really happy to know that people are enjoying my story and becoming invested in it:-)

Speaking of investing...The Seven Sisters Brandywine already has its first fan website! Pretty soon you'll be able to get a ton of cool information at Brandywinegardens.com. :-)


And so...that is my update. Less than a month til the SCBWI Winter Conference in NY!

Defiance, Hunger Games, and That Sentence

I finished Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games last night and all I have to say is WOW!!!!!!!! Please pick up this book. I was a tiny bit skeptical in the middle but it was SO worth it! The tension was incredible and you never knew what to expect. I can't wait for the next book to come out!

And I saw Defiance, which was also incredible. It was an amazing story about survival during the Holocaust, all based on a true story. I was so impressed with it.

And...that sentence from my last post, the one that I'm dreaming about I reworked it another 100 times trying to fit it into the chapter and...it's just not happening. I'm going to put it down.

And I'm still working on chapter 1, but trying to finish it today-or tomorrow. Thankfully I have my writer's group tomorrow, and they always seem to find a way to inspire me or unlock that piece of my brain that feels locked whenever I'm stuck. And then it's on to chapter two!!!!