Authors, Authors Everywhere. . .

So, I'm freaking out just a little.  But in a good way.


First, let me say that I've only had the blog up and running for about five days, and already everything is starting to snowball.  Maybe it's because I am throwing myself out there and interacting on everyone else's fabulous blogs.  Maybe it's because I know that school is looming on the horizon, and I am desperately trying to squeeze in as much "me time" as I can before I start goose-stepping to the man.  (That was harsh, it was a bit harsh wasn't it? Sorry, I'm as bad on the kids when it comes to summer vacation).  


Anyways...  BIG NEWS!  

1. I have already lined up a speaker for TEACH IN this year for my classes.  The fabulous Tim Anderson of Bloody Disgusting fame and producer of the award winning horror short 2:22.  (And yes, I knew him when we were just super cool drama club kids in high school together.  Ahh memories)


2. THE illustrious Holly Black retweeted my White Cat book review and now all is right in the world.  *fangirl giggles*


3. CHECK OUT The Coldwater High eZine. It is a newsblog of the Hush Hush fansite Fallenarchangel.com.  Sarah Rees Brennan (who wrote Demon's Lexicon- the book I am currently reading) is this week's featured author. They opened the interview for a Q&A panel, I hopped on the comment section, asked the good authoress some questions, AND SHE ANSWERED ME!!!!!  Long story short- she does SKYPE INTERVIEWS- so there's another author I'm going to try to line up for my creative writing classes this year.  It's a great interview; read all her answers, but my questions (which pertain to publishing and such) are all the way at the bottom of the post.  


Oh blogging world- now I know why people can get sucked into you.  You are so fun, so seductive.  You lure us in with your clicky links and scrolling widgets.  I can see now that I will definitely have to give myself "regular blogging hours" or I will never get my manuscript finished and ready for queries.  Which reminds me. . . I need to write a post about time management, and how my novel is going, that's on my list. . .  AAGGHHH! 

WHITE CAT by Holly Black: A Book Review

can't wait to get it signed by the author!

What happens when a New York Times Best Selling Author leaves behind the dangers of the Unseelie Court and instead turns to a life of crime? Another best seller is born. 


The first in Holly Black's latest Curse Worker trilogy, White Cat is not your average magician-with-wands-and-spells story.  But then again, Black is not your average  author.  


"Cassel comes from a family of curse workers- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all criminals.  Many become mobsters and con artists.  But not Cassel.  He hasn't got magic, so he's an outsider; the straight kid in a crooked family.  You just have to ignore one small detail-- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago."


Black breathes life into her characters and soul into their actions.  I plowed through White Cat. Cassel is such a compelling protagonist, he gets under your skin-- in the best kind of way.  More than once, I stopped reading and asked myself, "how does she know SO much about con-artists and mob bosses?"  But I already knew the answer: Black had done her research, and it shows. Trust me you will not be disappointed! 


So if you like your magic a bit more on the dark side, keep it in the family and check out Holly Black's White Cat.

Cassandra Clare, me, Holly Black

I'm Published!

No, it's not my writing- yet, but my photography is featured in the September issue of Romantic Homes Magazine! 

Let's start at the beginning... ARE YOU READING?

Image via Wikipedia

Okay, so pretty much every author out there will tell you that reading is key.  It's like the mother-lode.  It's the magic pill that everyone is trying to find. The one that, if taken on a daily basis, promises a life rich in knowledge and all that other warm fuzzy goodness AND it makes you a better writer.  I'm here to say it's true. 

"No one but a reader ever became a writer.  We write by the light of every book we ever read or had read to us."  Richard Peck 

I stand by this quote one million percent, because it is one million percent true.  Newbies, if you are not reading something right now- FOR FUN, FOR YOURSELF- then stop right now, go out and find something to read.

Welcome all Newbies!

Newbie: (noun) a newcomer or novice


For ten months out of the year, I wake up before the sun, drive twenty minutes on toll roads, and then spend the day convincing one hundred and fifty teenagers that being literate is still a valuable skill in today's society.  But at night, I turn into THE NEWBIE NOVELIST; an occupational transformation that extends well into the summer months.  This year, I began working on my first novel, and (at the constant begging of my students), decided to blog about the experience.


At first, the blog was only going to be about my writing process.  But then some colleagues wanted me to post different writing prompts that I used in class for novel writing/plotting, and I got to thinking about all the different YA authors I personally liked and used in the classroom, so here's the deal. . .

What will The Newbie Novelist offer?