Love Letter To My Literary Crush

So it's here--the official release date for Eclipse complete with all the swooning and oohing and aaahing over the world's most popular vampire and werewolf.

Pssssh!

There are SO many other hotties in the world of YA literature (and non YA) that they deserve some love--and love letters! So today, let your literary crush know who they are---come on, swooning is half the fun!

If you want to check out more literary crushes and love letters or you want to sign up for the fest (and hey, its never too late to join the party here) then follow this LINK!

And now....onto my crushes.

Umm, because I couldn't pick just one here are my current top 3 YA crushes, and top 2 paranormals.

1) Kent McFuller, Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver

Dear Kent,

You won me over on Day 1 of Before I Fall--even though it took Sam a few extra days to smell the hottie. I loved your shoes and that you drew your own valentines. It's not everyday you find a guy who doesn't care about being popular, is a great kisser and tucks you into bed.Having a party just to get Sam to come was too cute and I LOVE how you stuck up for Juliet and called Sam out on all her crap--while still loving her. Kent, you can be my hero any day!

Love,
Frankie


2) Adrian Ivashkov, Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead

Dear Adrian,

I admit, I've been an ardent member of Team Dimitri, but in Spirit Bound, I finally fell for you too. Maybe it was the silk boxers was the way you stuck by Rose no matter what...maybe because for all of your joking around and come ons, you really are a serious and senstive person vampire. I love how you don't care about status and politics and always seem to come through for Rose and understand her in a way that no one else does. You can walk into my dreams anytime.

Love,
Frankie


3) Gale Hawthorne, The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

Dear Gale,

You know I refuse to choose sides. I love you and Peeta both. But I decided to write my love letter to you, because like Adrian, this is a day for the underappreciated. I loved you through all of book 1 and knew Katniss felt the same way even though you were only on the page like 3 times. It takes a really special guy to leave that kind of an impression, especially with the big show Peeta put on. I love how you hunt and took Prim away from Katniss when she got up on the stage at the reaping. I love how you accept every new twist and turn and horror in your world so stoically and I love how you had to kiss Katniss. Because...you just had to. I don't know who I want to end up with Katniss, but if it isn't you, Gale, I would marry you.

BTW, do think you could ever like tofu?

Love,
Frankie

4) Seth Mortensen, Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid Series), Richelle Mead

Dear Seth,

Seth, Seth, Seth...you are the love of my literary crush life. I never thought I'd go for an introverted awkward writer who can't dance. But I can dance enough for the both of us. You're sweet, caring, passionate and have great taste in t-shirts. I don't even think I'd mind when you get into one of your moods and start writing for 10 hours without stopping to realize there's a real world out there (including me) because...well, I'm the same way. If we did get married though, you'd have to take dance lessons. If you and Georgina don't get your happy ending in Succubus Revealed next September, I'm going to cry. But then I will propose to you myself.

Love,
Frankie

5) Marc Ramos, Stray (Werecat Series), Rachel Vincent

Dear Marc,

I love the way you speak Spanish at random moments and the fact that you never ever seem to get tired. Your loyalty and devotion to Faythe are unmatched in the literary world and so is your passion. While I do think being your girlfriend would be the most exhausting thing in the world--obviously due to your possessive nature and jealous streaks (no other reason...) I wouldn't be able to say no if you asked me to be with you. Especially if you ask me in Spanish. Jace is cute, but if Faythe doesn't pick you in Alpha, she is crazy. Also, I'd wear your ring. Just saying...

Love,
Frankie

Honorable Mentions (or more boys I crush on)

James from Ballad and Lament, Maggie Stiefvater (sorry Sam, James has my heart)

Adam, If I Stay, Gayle Forman (the wait for Where She Went is too long)

Fred and George Weasely, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling (I still miss Fred :( 

Dexter, This Lullaby, Sarah Dessen (If any of her novels deserve a sequel, its this one)


Thanks for sticking around while I swooned. Let me know who your crushes are too and if you see Eclipse tonight....have fun!

I'm Giving A Presentation On...

So perhaps the biggest step I've gotten to take in my quest to become a professional writer (after like writing a book and starting a blog (or two) and signing with Agent Laura) was being asked by Arcadia University to be featured in their Writers Return To Campus series.

And guess what?

I'm Ms. Fall!

Ok, so they don't actually call you Ms....or let you wear a sparkly tiara or a ribbon for the season you're featured...but you do get to see your picture on a lot of flyers...

And you get to give a presentation!
:-0

Yeah, I'm presenting that night after running a writers workshop with 10 students.

So here's the thing, they want me to give them a title for my talk so they can start advertising it...

One problem.

What do I talk about???

You guys know me and you know what I'm good at discussing (or not so good at discussing). If you were coming to my talk (which BTW Philly writers/bloggers it's October 15th and FREE) what would you want me to talk about? What topics would be the most helpful for you to listen to (assuming I have any idea what I'm talking about).

All advice is mucho appreciated as are fun title's for my talk!

SEQUEL!

*Have you checked out The Love Letters To Literary Crushes Blog Fest Yet? Coming this Wednesday show your love for your fave YA boy (or girl--and adult love interests are welcome too) before you head out to see Eclipse and drool over watch Edward and Jacob (but mostly Jacob because he has abs)*

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So this weekend I turned in what I believe to be my final draft of revision to Agent Laura...*fingers crossed* but we shall see. Despite the fact that I'm at the point in revising (or rather post revising) where I can't really take my book anymore--I have a really good feeling about it.

And...I have a really good feeling about book 2! I was def having a struggle-fest trying to start it, and as popular as the alien abduction theory was--I'm now pretty positive my earlier anxiety and struggling came from not having completed book 1.

I started drafting the plot of STOLEN: The SEQUEL...tentatively titled BOUND and the ideas are pouring out of me.

I've gone back to working in my usual structure--habit--which is outlining by chapter aka The Chapter Summary.

Each chapter is well...a summary of what happens in that chapter--some have lots of details and even dialogue (like chapter 1 which is over 2 pages long single spaced) while others are a little more mysterious (chapter 2, one page).

But here's how I roll.

When writing my summaries/plotting I might not know EVERYTHING that happens, but I know this much:

A) The Setting--what location is this chapter taking place in/are there multiple locations if my characters are on the move

B) Characters--which characters are making an appearance in this chapter and how? A really helps since I'm telling a school story I know that a dining hall scene allows for a TON of characters to make cameos, but a classroom scene takes out a lot of possibilities--depending on each character's class schedule/curriculum.

C) The Tone--I know if my MC is happy, sad, distraught, pissed...or if she starts off as one thing and ends up another...she's bored and then she's pissed, or she's happy and then she's anxious

D) Events--The things that happen that kind of shift my MC's mood around and make her happy or sad or pissed off (sorry, I'm having too much fun saying pissed--because I am 5). I don't necessarily know every event, but I have a pretty good main idea and....

E) End--I know where it ends--usually on a cliffhanger involving some type of revelation or posing of a new question. These ends also work double duty because they are very good at telling me where the next chapter starts....so I know that too.

And then as I'm writing, the majority of the book is already there for me in pretty detailed outline form.

So all in all, things are going well this week :)

Do any of you guys use chapter summaries? And how detailed do you get?

Love Letters To Literary Crushes Blog Fest

So we all know that next Wednesday, June 30th, Eclipse will be in theaters and we know that we're all going to go see it.

Admit it, you are!

Anyway, I was thinking, you know with the movie coming out and all, Edward and Jacob are kind of stealing all of the love.

Sure we all love Edward...as long as he keeps his shirt on.

And we love Jacob...as long as he keeps his shirt off.

But there are a lot of other fabulous literary guys (and girls) we have crushes on--especially in YA!

And maybe they are feeling a little neglected this week...

"I look good with my shirt on and off! Where's my love?"

Damon Salvatore, Vampire Diaries

"Once the school finds out I'm dating a student, I'll NEED some love."

Ezra aka Mr. Fitz, Pretty Little Liars

So I propose a Blogfest on Wednesday, June 30th!

Before you head out to see Eclipse, why not let your underappreciated literary crush know how much you love them. Tell them why they are so cute, adorable, sexy, caring, funny, and awesome that you wish they were real and not just living in some author's head. And even if they're not starring in a major movie at the end of this month, we still think they're all that and a bag of chips.

Anyone can participate by signing up down below with the Mr. Linky. And if love letters aren't your thing, feel free to format it any way you like--but come on, let's spread the YA Literary Love! You can help out by tweeting, and posting on your blogs and then check back here on Wednesday to see who everyone's literary crush is!

Just Checking In

Things are a little hectic this week since I've been finishing final line edits and also started my summer job--seriously, summer is supposed to be like all laid back and stuff and somehow I always seem to be busiest when the heat goes up. So anyway, just wanted to check in and alert you to the possibililty of a lack of blogging this week--if that is the case, now you know why.

But I'll rally. No worries.

Anyway now that summer is officially here, I hope you're all enjoying it.

While I work a bajillion hours, can you tell me about any awesome books you've recently read? #curious!

Friday Five: The Universe Responds Edition

1. OMG OMG OMG! Sometimes when you want something really badly and you put your request out into the Universe, the Universe responds...

2. Or rather Lillie from Read My Mind and Kelsey from We Love YA Arc Tours responds.

3. See, I really really really really wanted to read Lauren Oliver's DELIRIUM because I absolutely died over BEFORE I FALL which is now officially one of my favorite books of all time. Even though it makes me cry.

4. And I was crazy with jealously for anyone who scored a copy at BEA.

5. I mean, I went to BEA and I all got was to step on the carpet.

6. OK, so I also got to meet Agent Laura which was AWESOME.

7. And drink BEA lemonade.

8. And sit in the Penguin car, but I digress.

9. What else is new? (We all know I can't count to 5)

10. Anyway, to get to the point. I wanted to read DELIRIUM like crazy (and I never seem to win any contests).

11. And then Lillie emailed me having seen one of my  desperate tweets and offered to lend me her copy!!!!!

12. And I was first in line to recieve DELIRIUM for the arc tour at We Love YA Tours!

13. So I kind of got two copies.

14. But not for keeps.

15. But I will write a review.

16. And I'm already loving it.

17. I think I need to title these posts something other than Friday Five.

18. Any suggestions?

19. Now that's 19!

On Becoming Like Your MC

*Hey Guys, I redecorated, hope you like it:-) I also added helpful tabs at the top for easier navigation, though most of them are still under construction, but should be finished soon. Anyway, just in case you were wondering, you have come to the right blog. And if by chance this was not the blog you originally intended to come to, then what other conclusion can there be but divine intervention. Obviously, you should stay and hang out awhile;) And....onto the regularly scheduled post.*

OK! So I think it's a pretty universal thing that we pour ourselves into our characters, especially our main characters--though hopefully not too much.

I know for a fact that I gave my MC, Lilliana Brandywine my hair texture, and big family.

JK Rowling gave Harry Potter her glasses.

Maggie Stiefvater gave James her bagpipes.

However, what I didn't expect was to find myself becoming more like my MC.

In STOLEN, Lilliana is forced to train as a knight--it's very physically demanding to the point where she can barely stand it--and she is someone with absolutely no athletic ability believing running is only something you do when you're being chased.

Oddly enough I was also someone with little athletic ability--though granted more than Lilliana since I've been a professional dancer (and dancers ARE athletes). But for a month now I've been going to the gym (for the first time in my life), lifting weights, meeting with a personal trainer and actually keeping track of my progress.

And the amazing thing is, I'm getting stronger...just like Lilliana does.

Now this could be pure coincidence, or it's possible she's influencing me. She also has a penchant for vintage looking Victorian styled jewelry, and I've been finding myself more drawn to those necklaces and wanting to buy them because I know Lilliana would like them--I'm more of a chunky jewelry kind of gal--big turquoise and coral stones are my heaven.

So I'm curious, have you noticed that you've started taking on traits particular to your MC. How many of your own traits did you give to yours? And which of theirs have you walked away with?

I think I may be coming away with more than just a penchant for the gym, but I don't want to give too much away:-)

So Here's How I Wrote STOLEN

Thanks for all of the input yesterday you guys on the different ways you wrote your books, or the ways in which writing your various books have differed. I thought I'd share my own way of writing that I alluded to in the last post.


So for the record, I'm a plotter. A MAJOR plotter, to the point where I'm almost anal about it. I also can only write things in order.

This is funny because in real life (or rather outside my writing life) I'm a very go with the flow kind of person.

*Side Note* I've noticed that how organized a writer is in real life seems to be completely inverse to how organized their writing is. Melissa Marr revealed when I met her that she has to have everything on a schedule, and gets really annoyed if something doesn't arrive the minute its supposed to, but she's a pantser and writes scenes out of order and sometimes writes things without understanding why. I'm pretty cool with things happening when they happen (to an extent) but I must write in order and I don't write ANYTHING without there being a major reason for it.

Anyway, back to plotting.

So I always start off with two big images in my head. An image of my character at the beginning of the novel and an image of her at the end, so I know exactly where she starts and how she's changed by the end.

I also get ideas for a bunch of scenes that I will write in pretty loose skeletal form, knowing exactly where they fit into my plot.

Then with my beginning and ending in place and smattering of random scenes, I plot the rest of the story and then organize my plot into chapter summaries.

Here's where I fudge with my plot a bit. I don't usually steer off the course of my plot, but my chapter summaries often shift around a bit.

As I write (IN ORDER) I get a feel for if the plot is working. If I feel like something is off, then I'll stop there and rework the plot until it feels right. This usally means going back to the beginning. I always go back to the beginning (like Inigo in The Princess Bride) until I fix the problem.

I know some people can work problems out in their head and chart scenes in their mind and know what will work and what won't.

I'm not one of those people.

I'm a trial and error girl. So I will write a scene and then rewrite in a totally different way over and over until I stumble on the one that works.

Anyway then with my plot fully there, my chapter summaries (which do leave a bit of wiggle room for surprises and organic shifting) and any problematic scenes or plotlines worked out, I write a really rough draft. The way I think of my first draft is word vomit.

I know that's so gross, but it's what works for me. I have to literally vomit every word and idea onto the page before I clean it up and mold it into something nice.

So that is what I did for STOLEN, which then took 6 weeks to write (granted this was after 2 years of trying to write it with different plotlines and even in the beginning as a middle grade novel).

Now revision was a WHOLE other story.

But basically, that was how I did it. A lot of organizing, a lot of roughing it, a lot of trial and error.

So tell me, what do you think about the whole organized writer with a disorganized life? Are you organized as a writer and chill in life, or chill as writer and pantsing it, but super organized in life?

And I'd love to hear more about how you all plot and write.

Changing Your Style

First of all...

Wheee! I got a happy email from Agent Laura concerning my revision which means that I can stop holding my breath (and let me tell you, you store up a LOT of oxygen holding your breath for a week)!!!

So now I'm just tampering with some last minute details which means I'm moving toward the next step in this whole publishing process and that makes me SO BEYOND excited I don't know what to do with myself.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!


But now onto the point of this post. Just to recap for anyone who doesn't know, it basically took me 5 years (of active writing) to figure out not only how to write a novel, but how I write a novel. And when I stumbled on what I believed to be the magic formula this summer--banging out (or rather word vomiting) STOLEN in 6 weeks, I thought YES! THIS is how I shall write every book I write from now on forever.

BUT, I'm having some serious issues recreating that formula.

So I've been considering WHY I can't replicate my book writing strategy:

A) I'm still working on book 1 and mentally have not been able to move onto book 2

B) I'm le scared

C) I've been abducted by aliens and had my brain reprogrammed to write my novels in a new way

D) I'm in denial that every book is different

E) All of the above

F) None of the above


Personally, I think it's a mix of A & B, but you never know. So for all of you seasoned novelists (those wise folks who have written *gasp* more than one book) what have you discovered?

Did you use the same technique every time?
Plotting?
Pantsing?
Loose outlines?
Tight as night outlines? (What is tight as night? I have no clue but it sounded good)

Or did your formula vary? I am very curious!

Friday Five: Personal Trainer Edition

1. Two words you should never ever say to your personal trainer: I can't.

2. Because if you make the mistake of saying "I can't" you will be punished.

3. And it might look like this...


Personal Trainer: Ok, Frankie, 10 push ups.

Frankie: Ummm, yeah about that... I can't do push ups.

Personal Trainer: Oh NO you didn't say I can't! *gets evil look in his eyes*

Frankie: I mean....I can do push ups, I'd love to do push ups, but the thing is...I just can't--

Personal Trainer: You! Wall! Now!

Frankie: *Squats against a wall*
        
              *Holding weights*

              *For 2 minutes*

Frankie's Legs: I-I-I-I-I-I  c-c-c-c--c-c-c-c-cant  s-s-s-s-s-s-s-stop  shakingggggggggg

Frankie: Shut up, legs, and hold it!

Frankie's Legs: This is all your fault, Arms! WTF! How have you never done a push up before?

Frankie's Arms: I work her fingers! She types all the time--she's a writer, she wrote a book.

Frankie's Legs: SO! Writers can do push ups!

Frankie: Guys, shut up!

Frankie's Legs: Writer my butt!

Frankie's Arms: You're legs, you don't even have a butt.

Frankie: I hate all of you.


4. Then it turns out....I can do push ups.


5. 20 in fact.


6. So like I said, you should never say "I can't" to your personal trainer.


7. Or probably ever in life.


8. Because you can probably do anything you put your mind to.


9. And now my Friday Five is inspirational...


10. Also it's the Friday 10.

Have a great weekend!!!

Letters to Juliet/Best Kisses

So in an absolute  fit of "I need to step away from the computer right now" my sister and I decided to see Letters to Juliet last night.

It was adorable, and predictable down to the tiniest detail--he's going to look away...now, she won't see him watching her, he's going to fall down, he will be angry at her. But I don't care. I loved it. It was a totally cute and fun guilty pleasure.

Except for one thing. The kiss!

Ugh.

When you're looking at romance, the first big kiss is one of the most crucial moments to the story--right? At least, I think it's crucial and as far as I'm concerned, it should be EPIC.

But after about an hour of sexual tension (simmering really at a very very low boil) Sophie (our heroine) and Charlie (our love interest) were laying in the grass looking at the stars and then just suddenly rolled over to each other and kissed. Just like that.

Which can happen in real life, but the minute they kissed, it was kind of over for me. I mean, for one thing, this kiss was forbidden--Sophie was enaged and they totally overlooked the complications that could follow. And for another, they'd spent the entire movie sort of hating each other and there was no passion. It was like Ok, time to kiss, because....well its in the script.

Of course this might come down to the simple fact that they lacked chemistry with each other. But it got me wondering about the perfect ingredients for an amazing first kiss in a YA novel.

So, what elements do you love to see/read/write about in a really amazing epic first kiss, and what are some of your fave kisses in YA lit?

Pretty Little Liars Recap At First Novels Club/Giveaway

Hey Guys,

Just so you know I posted a recap of the pilot for Pretty Little Liars over at The First Novels Club. Check it out. If you comment and follow both Frankie Writes and The First Novels Club, you can win a copy of the first book in the series.

All About Me

Hey Guys!

So since I finished my revisions for Agent Laura (and I'm trying to outline book 2) my brain is kind of mush. And I was trying to figure out what to blog about today and then I saw this fun questionnaire over at Storywings and thought...YEAH! That looks like fun, and maybe you guys will think so too, especially some of my newer followers who don't know me and my crazy antics as well. For the cool people who've been hanging out here with me for awhile, ummm, hope you enjoy the refresher. Don't worry, I promise to entertain.

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?


You know, I don't even think about this. As a kid, definitely closed! I used to be very freaked out by all things that went bump in the night...or under my bed. But unless I've just watched Paranormal Activity, I'm a big girl, and the closet can be closed or open. I care not.

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels?

No, I don't. And this has nothing to do with my liking of free stuff. I like free stuff as much as the next person. Actually I LOVE free stuff, particularly ARCs...if...ummmm anyone wants to send me some...*bats eyelashes*  But anyway, I'm super picky about what shampoos, conditioners and body washes I use (usually they involve things like "organic" and "no animal testing" and "smells like Britney Spears" on the label....j/k...sort of), and those are definitely not the ones in the hotels.

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

I think my intention is for them to be tucked in, but I move around a lot...

4. Would you rather be attacked by a bear or a swarm of bees?

EeEK! Neither? Ok...so this is a tricky question because location is key. So let's say you're being attacked right by a river. Then you could probably jump into the water and be safe from the bees. Yay! But not the bear. Crap! Then again, if you're near a cabin, you could easily escape inside the cabin and lock the door. But the bees might slip in when the door's open and then the bear could knock down the door. Soooo hmmmm. You probably have less of a chance of outrunning a swarm of bees than a bear....so if you're in a big open space with no mud around and no water....bear? Because bees are fast little buggers and I've seen My Girl!

5. Do you have freckles?

Yes I do as a matter of fact, but they don't show up in pictures or in my vlogs--there I just look pale. I have some freckles on my arms and shoulders too, but they're sparse.

6. What is your biggest pet peeve?

People who try to force their beliefs and opinions on you. UGH!


7. Have you ever peed in the woods?

Hehe, yeah! Who hasn't peed in the woods? Because if you say you didn't I think you might be lying.

8. Do you ever dance if there’s no music playing?

Oh Yeah! I almost always have a song in my head that I want to dance to or choreograph a dance to, and yeah...I can be that girl in the line that is doing stomach rolls and undulations while I wait. Maybe THAT'S WHY I always get stared at when I'm at Barnes and Noble....

9. Do you chew your pens and pencils?

No.

10. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?

Sure! But not neon pink. Neon pink is never ok for anyone to wear. Just saying...

11. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?

I don't....but I do dip Chik'n nuggets in honey or agave nectar.

12. What is your favorite food?

Mangoes!!!!!!!! I pine, I swoon, I live for mangoes.

13. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?

My all time favorite movie is In America, about the Irish family that moves to NY to recover after the death of their son. I don't know how many times I've watched it, but every single time, I laugh and cry and fall in love with it all over again. Best. Movie. Ever.

14. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?

No, my mom never sent me down that route. I was a belly dancer instead;)

15. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?

LOL. Actually, one of my secret goals in life (right after becoming a race car driver) is to be asked by PETA to star in one of their I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur Campaigns.

When I'm a super famous New York Times Best Selling Author, PETA, call me! We'll do mangoes.

Look, it's Alicia! One of my favorite vegans!

16. Can you change the oil on a car?

Yes! I drive right up to the oil change service man and ask for one. Wait...is that not the right answer...?

17. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?

Only once, along with like 15 other people that day on that very road. The officer was on a roll and he wasn't interested in my cute girl act or the explanation I'd practiced.

18. Ever ran out of gas?

Like completely out? No, but I've gotten scarily close when I was driving on empty down the PA Turnpike and there were literally NO stops for miles and miles. I was freaking out that my car was going to die until we found an exit where there was NO gas station just a shady looking bathroom and ghost town that looked like the start of a horror movie. So then I was freaking out that I was going to die in a cliche horror movie way in a ghost town. But I didn't. And then I found gas. Yay!

19. Are you lazy?

Nope.

20. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?

What didn't I dress up as? I was everything. Strawberry Shortcake, Jem, a witch, a princess, a harem dancer...(I guess I was into the belly dancing thing before I knew it)

21. How many languages can you speak?

Sadly, one. I used to be fluent in Spanish in high school, to the point where I was dreaming in Spanish. But then Latin and Greek undid me at Cornell. Although I had this weird reaction to language my senior year in Hebrew. It was my first time in a language class where you could actually speak the language (unlike Greek and Latin which you cannot speak! Don't try). And so my teacher would ask me to translate something into Hebrew, and I guess this was like a classical conditioning, Pavlonian thing, but my brain would automatically translate whatever he said into Spanish, and then into Hebrew. It was so weird. Don't ask.

22. Who is better…Leno or Letterman?

Ummm, I don't know, I don't really watch either.

23. Do you sing in the car?

Yes, and everytime I do, I remember I need to sign up for singing lessons. Because I am that bad at it.

24. Ever eat a pierogi?

Yes, but not my fave. I was more of a blintze person....hmmmmm must find a recipe for vegan blintzes.

25. First concert?

The Beach Boys when I was 9. Now THAT was a good time:-)

Ok, I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to post these on your blog and answer the questions so I can know more about you too--and if you do post, leave a link for me to follow below:-)

500 Followers Contest Winner!!!!!!!!!!!

I've finally tallied up the results and with the extra points you all were earning, there were nearly 300 entries in the contest!

That's awesome!

That was also a lot of math!!

That part was not so awesome!!!

But it was worth it!

Ok, so without keeping you in any further suspense our winner is....

Tricia J. O'Brien

YAY! Congratulations!!!!

Send me an email with your address!

Thank you everyone for entering, tweeting and posting about the contest. You guys all rock. And in case you were wondering...Tricia was a superstar with 14 entries...so hanging out here and doing the little extra things really work:-)

Ok, I hope everyone is enjoying their Monday! :-)

Contest Winners/Reminders

The comments yesterday were so sweet and happy! Yay! Thanks everyone for telling me what makes you happy.

As promised, I've picked 3 random winners to receive SHIVER/LINGER bookmarks signed by Maggie Stiefvater!

Congratulations to:

Lena

Simon C. Larter

Mireyah Wolfe

Also...

500 followers contest ends tonight!

Don't miss your chance to win signed copies of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Looking for Alaska, and Gimme A Call. International bloggers welcome.

10 Things That Make Me Happy

Well the ever mischevious Mireyah Wolfe tagged me. And when Mireyah tags me with something, I tend to do it. So today's tag is...

10 Things That Make Me Happy

1. I finished my agent revisions and turned them in and I'm actually, kind of, sort of treating this weekend like a REAL weekend! Most people who know me, know I don't really *do* weekends, but...weekends are pretty nice!

2. Part of this weekend thing involved reading Rachel Vincent's 3rd Soul Screamers book My Soul To Keep (which was awesome) and reading Ann Brashares new novel My Name is Memory which I'm REALLY enjoying so far!

3. Wheatgrass shots! OH YES! For those who are not familiar, a wheatgrass shot consists of putting actual wheatgrass through a juicer and then jucing enough to fill a shot glass. I do these shots at the gym--followed by a chaser of OJ, because it's not the most delicious thing in the world...but...OMG, you feel it right away, like healthiness flowing through your veins. This is my kind of drug.

4. Pretty Little Liars the tv show starts this Tuesday! I am SO excited. I'm a huge fan of the series and got to meet Sara Shepard a few months ago--and she rocks. I think I'll be discussing the show every week at the First Novels Club...though not sure if I'll be giving it the same treatment as my Vampire Diaries Recaps yet. We shall see....

5. I finally have time to finish recapping the rest of the Vampire Diaries first season!! I know I've been behind and I appreciate everyone leaving comments on the recaps and asking to know when the rest would be up--the answer is soon...very soon! :-)

6. Deer! Ok, I know this is random, but I LOOOOOVE deer! I get like ridiculously excited when I see them in my neighborhood and all I want is to one day live on the edge of a forest so deer can play in my backyard everyday. Seriously! I even used deer as an inspiration when I named my MC's love interest in my novel, STOLEN. His name is Ryan Hart...Hart is an old word for stag...which was also used to refer to deer in the hunting context which just fits him so well--he's pretty good with weapons;)

7. Ummm THIS! Someone translated the Bible into LOLcat! I have to have that! Especially since when I'm procrastinating, FNC Donna and I translate my book into lolcat on g-chat! And it's hilarious as anything.

8. My FNC Chicas! I seriously smile whenever I think about them because a girl could not ask for a better critique group or a better group of friends!

9. The fact that you can now order your frappacinos with soy milk at Starbucks/BN. I haven't gotten one yet, because...well I'm scared I will like it too much, but I haven't had a frappacino in years and it's kind of tempting...but shall wait till I have a good reason to celebrate. In the meantime, I appreciate that the soy customers are being acknowledged.

10. You guys! You all make me so happy. I love reading all of your comments and love getting to know you guys. In fact, I like you so much and you make me so happy, that if you list 5 things that make you happy in the comments below I will pick 3 random commenters and send them a LINGER/SHIVER bookmark signed by Maggie Stiefvater. OH YEAH!!

Friday Five

1. Somehow I finished my revisions. AND I sent them back. Of course that was after deliberating over actually sending them  or revising again for another ten years. Sending the revisions seriously made me more nervous than when I'd started querying. EEEK!

2. Having five shots of espresso within a 12 hour period is never really a good idea. Just saying...

3. Not that I would know anything about that...or the suffering this can cause 24 hours later..

4. I got my first piece of fan mail yesterday. Bet you can't guess my response...ok, fine. I SQUEEED!

5. This is officially (I think) my first Friday Five where I actually stuck to five items! Yay!

What It's Like To Do Agent Revisions

Step 1: Get email from agent announcing--revisions are coming! Think, YAY! You love me, you really love me and want to make my book better.

Step 2: Get revisions from agent. Think, OMG, you do not love me! You hate me. You hate my book!

Step 3: Reread revisions from agent. Think, OOOOH I see what you did thar, you DO love me! Yay!

Step 4: Start revisions. Think, I'm so happy to have agent revisions. Lalala!

Step 5: Knock out some editorial comments. Think...I'm kicking revision butt. My book is awesomesauce with a cherry on top.

Step 6: Enter your middle chapter changes. Think...You know what revisions, I liked you better 3 chapters ago.

Step 7: Reach end of the middle chapters. Think....OMG I am the worst writer in the world. Ever! And I need a career change, stat!

Step 8: Become completely delusional about your life, your goals and your delusions of talent.

Step 9: Convince yourself that any moment, your agent is going to email you and say, "You know how I said I'd represent you? SYKE!"

Step 10: Tell your delusional self to take a hike. Nobody says "Syke" anymore.

Step 11: Watch epic battle begin between your logical self and your delusional self. Edit a chapter. Take a break from revisions all together.

Step 12: Grab some popcorn.

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In case you were wondering...I'm revising...but almost done:-)

And oh man! Logical self knocked delusional self out with a face punch!

Grabbing the vegan butter...this is getting good.