Abby Stevens - The Tabby Catt

Just popping in [a little inspiration]

2011-10-19T17:24:00.000-04:00

Just popping in to share something I found on Pinterest, which, if you aren't familiar with this site, you should seriously check out it. Sorry I haven't been around much, but I'm working on something top secret (and not at all writing-related). If you'd like to know, feel free to email me and I'm willing to divulge... ;)

Available here on Etsy (where else, right?)

Hope all is well in the blogging world!

10 years passed

2011-09-10T19:19:00.000-04:00

I was 16. A junior in high school when our country changed forever.

Before 9/11, I didn't know where or what the World Trade Center was. I was unfamiliar with terms like 'ground zero,' 'al Queda,' and 'jihad.' Had no idea what anthrax was. Didn't know the lyrics to God Bless America.

I knew Afghanistan was somewhere over there by the other "-istan" countries, but I couldn't tell you the capital or what kind of government it had. Iraq was that place we kicked the pants out of during the Gulf War when I was 5 years old.

I didn't personally know anyone who died on 9/11. For that I am forever thankful. But my brother has served in 2 wars that began in its aftermath, and since, I have grieved honorable men and women I will never have the privilege of knowing. Walked with a ghostly, unshakable fear for 26 collective months as my flesh and blood toiled in a war zone. Like many Americans, I continue to bear the emotional scars of a day that will haunt me the whole of my lifetime.

Below is a journal entry I wrote in the months following 9/11. I can't remember the exact date; I think it may have been written in October '01. I've typed it up exactly as it was written:

I will never forget the day. I really don't remember the condition of the day before about 9:00.

It's September 11, 2001. Pretty normal day. It was the second week of school and I was in second block, AP US History. My teacher, Mr. Wilson*, was explaining something, though I can't recall what, when one of the librarians, Ms. Melton, appeared in the doorway and beckoned Mr. Wilson over. He trotted to the door and Ms. Melton and he had a quick, frantic whispered discussion. Ms. Melton disappeared from the door and Mr. Wilson looked at our class rather gravely.

"You guys, the World Trade Center in New York's been hit by a plane. It's probably a terrorist attack. Y'all, if this is true," he shook his head, "then this is a whole new era in history."

I'm not sure those were his precise words, but that was the idea of what he said.

The entire class sat shocked in our seats. We began discussing the situation frantically (I remember hearing the name Osama what's his name a few times - really, who could pronounce bin Laden's entire name before September 11th?). Suddenly, Ms. Melton reappeared.

"They've hit the Pentagon!" she called, running down the hall to tell another teacher. All I can remember thinking at this point is scenes from Independence Day and Armageddon popped into my head.

"Turn the TV on!" someone cried. We turned it on to find that, oh great, the tv is not working. Mr. Wilson fiddled with the TV a few seconds then, to our great relief, a teacher came to our door, saying, "My classroom's empty and my television works!"

Without even so much as uttering a word or even looking to Mr. Wilson for permission, all 20-something of us gathered our belongings and hurried to the empty classroom. Someone flicked the tv on and BAM -- !

Oh my gosh, it's not a joke. It's true. A minute later we watch in utter shock as the World Trade Center began to pancake down, falling over a hundred stories. My classmates and I watched in panic.

Several girls began to sob and I wiped a tear away as I realized THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN THERE. All I could say was, "This is America. This. is. AMERICA! How could this happen?" There was no way it was real. I mean, c'mon, Hollywood, this is a pretty cruel joke.

But, of course, as we all know, it certainly was real. We watched CNN's coverage until the bell rang and then I was off to my 3rd block, Spanish. My AP History class being one of only about 10 or 15 classes in the entire school that was told the attack on America was taking place as it actually happened, my Spanish teacher knew nothing of it. Myself and one or two other students who knew about the attack told him it was happening. He laughed, not believing us. Finally, he turned the tv on, saw it was true, and flicked it back off. The class bellowed at once and nearly in unison, "We can't watch it?"

"No, no. It's time for Spanish."

Being a good student, I usually get along with teachers quite well, but at the moment, I truly wanted to slap that idiot of a teacher. Who cares about Spanish when I just saw my country violated on live television?

As my Spanish class wore on, I got more and more agitated, and when the bell rang for lunch I stomped out of the classroom and to the cafeteria. My friends Jenna and Janet had been allowed to watch the coverage during 3rd block so they filled me in on what the latest developments were - including the airplane that crashed in Shanksville, PA.

The bell for 4th block rang and I hurried off, breathing a sigh of relief when I arrive to class and found my Global Affairs teacher glued to the television. Our class watched sadly and attentively all class. I was so glad when I got home and I could watch with my family undisturbed.

September 11th was a horrible, tragic, fearful, historical, hurtful, and defining day. I shall always remember my utter disbelief, my utter sadness, my true despair, my REAL anger, my FAITH in God - I will always remember.

September 11, 2001 changed me in ways big and small, some which I cannot properly articulate even now. I think I'm a more compassionate, aware person, but I'm more fearful, too. I'm always trying to figure out how to live my life, not 'let the terrorists win,' while confronting fears that, had 9/11 never happened, wouldn't be even a seed in my mind.

September 2001 was a fearful time to be a teenager, but maybe now is even worse. Sixteen-year-olds now have lived nothing but terrorist threat levels, troops at war, an unbalanced economy, a country still struggling to balance the ideals of security and freedom.

On the eve of 9/11, I hope you will remember it not just as a jumble of horrific images and tragic sound bites. I hope you will pay remembrance to the human cost, both immediate and long-reaching, and recall not just where you were when you found out, but the manner in which the American people gave the very best of themselves. Let's try to hold onto a piece of the goodness, the pride, the dedication to our fellow man we felt in the days and months following that awful day. If we do that, the terrorists can never win.

*Names changed to protect privacy

A week on, DEATHLY HALLOWS

2011-07-22T13:22:00.001-04:00

[SPOILERS BELOW]

Now that I've had a week of perspective, some thoughts on the end of HARRY POTTER and DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART II:

First, I was struck by how well-made the film is. The attention to detail is outstanding, the acting never better, the use of music and color (or lack thereof) and even humor nearly perfect in nearly every moment. Steve Kloves found the oddest, coolest places to insert humor, and of all the films, I think he's written some of the best non-canon dialogue in this one.

Of course, anytime the film diverged from the book, I kind of wanted to twitch. I felt like most of the changes were necessary and understandable (for instance, Voldemort getting weaker each time Harry destroys a Horcrux), but a few dug at me (as Sarah Enni pointed out, McGonagall telling the Slytherins to get out is at odds with JKR's point of allowing the Slytherins a chance at redemption; and why, why did Snape's memories need to come out in tears? By now, we all know the Pensieve uses pearly memory strands). However, with just one exception, all of the scenes I longed to see were brought to life beautifully.

Strange to say, but I loved the savagery. One of the problems I have with BREAKING DAWN is that the stakes are almost non-existent. You never really feel Bella, or anyone except the bad guys, are in true danger. Here, the danger, the brutality, the desperation and awfulness and fear, are very real. The dragon in Gringotts was so battered and bruised and bloody, my heart hurt for him. Voldemort's mass goblin-cide, complete with bloody feet as he steps calmly through pools of fresh blood, displayed both his utter cruelty and his growing desperation. And Voldemort's completely casual order of execution for Snape, followed by Nagini's vicious, visceral attack? If I was 8, I'd probably have nightmares about that snake.

The one exception to my satisfaction was the fact Fred died off camera. I know quite a few people were disappointed we didn't get to see Tonks and Lupin die on camera, either, but I was okay with that. In the book, we do not experience them dying, but Fred? It was a memorable, gut-wrenching scene, one of the first deaths in the Battle of Hogwarts that made me think, truly, all's fair in love and war. I mean, if she's killing a Weasley twin, who could possibly be safe? I felt like I needed to see Fred's death, and was sad the filmmakers chose not to show it.

The epilogue has always been a source of discord among HP fans. Some love it, some hate it, and the same holds true for the film version, it seems. I've always loved the epilogue, and though I was worried how it would translate to screen, I think the film epilogue was well-acted and poignant, the perfect imperfect ending, capturing a lovely mundaneness I'm sure the main characters craved after such a turbulent youth. As the screen faded to black, I could almost hear Jo Rowling saying, "The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well."

I'd been wiping away tears here and there throughout the whole movie, but when finally did fade, a lump formed in my throat and I honestly wanted to cry in earnest. I just kept thinking, "How disappointing. It's really over." In my head, HARRY POTTER had been around too long to be over. Even though I knew it was coming, somehow the fact this was the last film for the last book didn't connect until the credits started rolling.

To me, it was a lovely and moving end to the most beloved book and film series of a generation. The fact tears of disappointment bubbled to the surface at it's end, for me and for thousands of others, only underscores the beauty and worth of it all.

GULP-worthy mistakes

2011-07-13T12:09:00.002-04:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

What's the biggest writing/querying/publishing mistake you've made?

Writing: Early on in my 'serious writing,' (i.e., after I quit my day job), I wrote a scene (from a now defunct novel) describing my main character by letting her look in a mirror and notice things about herself. I know, I know. Textbook rookie mistake. I've noticed mirror scenes in a number of published books since then, and they always kind of bug me.

Publishing: The only author I've met as an adult also happens to be one of my top 3 favorites: Jennifer Weiner. Last July, I attended one of her signings, and when I finally made it up to her table, I told her I was a YA writer and handed her my card. She accepted it, said she'd check out my blog (which she did!), and asked me what my favorite YA book was. I drew a complete blank, so I just mumbled THE HUNGER GAMES, even though I hadn't (and still haven't) read it! Yikes! Sorry, Jen! I also walked away without getting a picture, panicked, then ran back and asked for one.

What's the biggest writing/querying/publishing mistake you've made? Tell me in the comments or join the fun over at YA Highway!

The horror, the horror!

2011-07-11T18:17:00.001-04:00

Remember when there was a big storm and my electric went out and I slept with the window open and a SLUG got in my bedroom?

Well.

I never could find the shiny 'slug trail' from the creepy thing's point of entry. As far as Bear and I could tell, the trail started on the carpet right next to the wall near our bedroom door.

WELL.

Yesterday Bear was laying on the bed and he discovered a SLUG TRAIL ON OUR CEILING.

The errant slug had not entered our bedroom from the window furthest from our bed—it had entered the window ABOVE OUR BED—a foot from my head, no less—crawled (or whatever slugs do) all the way up the wall, across the ceiling (DIRECTLY ABOVE MY BED), down the other wall, and then across the carpet until we found him the next morning a foot or so from the bedroom door.

I don't know where he thought he was going, but he ended up flushed down the toilet.

Also, I had closed the window above our bed sometime around 1AM and discovered the slug around 7AM, so apparently, slugs really do crawl (or whatever) veeery slow.

SHUDDER SHIVER YUCK ICK EWWW!

Just thought I'd update y'all on that.

What qualifies as having "been" somewhere?

2011-06-27T13:18:00.003-04:00

What, exactly, qualifies as saying you've "been" somewhere? And by "been," I mean experienced. Because let's face it, when someone says, "Oh, I've been to Ohio/Ottawa/Outer space," the assumption is they've actually had a meaningful experience in the place, explored, learned something firsthand while they were there. But increasingly, I hear people touting long lists of places they've "been," that in reality are places they passed through, "experienced" as layovers, or were connect-the-dots on a road trip to somewhere else.

Example: when Bear and I were in England last year, we took a day trip to Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor. There was a pretentious Australian couple on the trip with us, going on and on about what all they'd been doing, and I heard the girl say, "Oh yeah, we did London one day last week."

Um... what? You "did" London—one of the coolest, oldest, most culturally rich cities in the world—in a day? I always wonder what exactly they "did," though I have a feeling it was something like this: take famous red double decker bus tour, see major sites from bus, get dinner, go back to hotel, leave the next morning.

I mean, really. On the way to and from England, Bear and I spent 5 hours in Helsinki International Airport, but is it realistic to say I've "been" to Finland? Sure I have technically, and sure I learned a few things (such as: Bear must have Scandinavian blood in him—every single airport worker in Helsinki looked like him—over 6 feet, blond, blue-eyed, even the same type of nose. It was freaky. I'm sure this isn't representative of the whole country, but those were the people working in the airport, no lie.), but c'mon.

So again, what qualifies as having "been" somewhere? It's a hard thing to define. To illustrate, let's go back to my day trip: I would say I've "been" to Stonehenge. There's not a whole lot to do there, and I spent 45 minutes walking the perimeter of it pondering the huge stones, who put them there, how they relate to the stars, etc. And I'd say I've "been" to Windsor, because I saw basically everything a tourist could see at Windsor (though I would love to go back someday and see it all much. more. slowly. Seriously, you're talking to someone who spent an entire hour in ONE room at the British Museum studying medieval artifacts).

But Bath? We spent a little over an hour there. All we got to do was walk around and pop into a couple shops. Beautiful, beautiful Bath. Would I say I've "been" there? Well, obviously I've technically been there. But have I truly experienced it? No. If you asked me about Bath, I would tell you something along the lines of: I only got to spend an hour or so there but I really liked what I saw and I'd like to go back one day. I would not say, "Oh yeah, I've been to Bath it's so wonderful you really must go some day blah blah blah."

I'm not trying to be all lawyer-y. Obviously, if you've been somewhere, you've been somewhere. But when you present an experience as something it's not to garner impressed looks or to achieve a higher opinion from others, it boils down to is misrepresentation, which is annoying.

I'm not saying you need to bold-italics-underline experience every single place you go, or that you can't learn things by passing through. I mean, I've never done more than stop in Connecticut a few times, but I can tell you it's the land of CVS and Dunkin' Donuts, not 7-11 and Krispy Kreme country like here in the South.

All I'm saying is, people look kinda silly ticking off this long list of cool and exotic places they've "been," only to eventually reveal that the majority of said places were experienced via gas station, airport terminal, or car. It was fun to play, 'How many states have you been to?' in 4th grade and count up all the places you'd driven through on the way to Aunt Sally or Grandma Jones' house.

But as an adult? Just be honest. No one cares one way or the other how much you've traveled. And if you frame it truthfully, people will be interested in hearing your story, whether it's a weird cashier at a gas fill-up in middle of nowhere Arizona or a grand adventure in a distant land.

So what do you think? Have you noticed people doing this? Does it bother you? Or am I just crazy and splitting hairs? ;)

PS - the winner of my YA prize pack is Meredith! Congrats, Meredith! I will be emailing you!

Changing philosophies on blogging, reading, and writing

2011-06-09T18:19:00.006-04:00

This is a bit of a long (okay, long) post. I hope you'll read it all, but if not, I've broken it down a little so you can read what you want to read.

Writing blogs

Like everything in life, there's a progression to blogging. I used to have so much to say, but as this blog has gotten older, I've covered so many topics, to the point I feel I have less to say, and thus, am doing a disservice to my followers by trying to maintain a semblance of a 'blogging schedule.'

I'm tired of feeling guilty because I don't post 3-5 times a week on this blog like clockwork. Which isn't to say I don't absolutely love those type of blogs, because I do. But I don't love them because they post 3-5 times a week like clockwork—I love them because they have something interesting to say 3-5 times a week like clockwork. Good examples of this type of blog are Kiersten White's and Natalie Whipple's. Both of them, I'm sure, would also tell you how hard they work to be as interesting as they are as often as they are.

Because let's face it: no one's life is always interesting. I'm pretty sure even the president has days where he sits in boring meetings and signs boring paperwork and reads boring briefs. And maybe it's important work, but it's boring.

The rules, the experts, say set a schedule and stick to it. And in an ideal world, I would post interesting, funny, thought-provoking posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, like I used to (I hope the posts were interesting, anyway).

But. Where I am now in life, blogging—or trying to blog, anyway—when I have nothing interesting to say is draining me, taking vital time and creative energy away from my writing. When I try to force it, my blog ends up resembling one of those cheap Easter baskets you get at Wal-Mart: there's a few cool things in the basket, but the majority of it is candy nobody eats and toys that break within 5 seconds of being opened.

Filler, in other words. I don't want my blog to be a few great posts strewn amongst bloggity filler.

So where does that leave me? Hopefully somewhere close to StephaniePerkinsland.

You see, Stephanie Perkins, awesome author of ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, does not blog regularly. Sometimes no blog for a month. Sometimes a couple in one week. But every time I open my blog feed and see a post from Stephanie, I get excited. Her posts are always interesting, informative, entertaining, poignant, funny, silly, cool, and sometimes all of the above. So regardless of whether I 'hear from' her for a month or a week, I stay subscribed to her blog, stay interested in her, because she blogs when she can be interesting.

So from now on, THE TABBY CATT is scheduleless. I worry about this a little. But I also know it's what is best. You might hear from me a couple times a week and then not at all for a few weeks. The only rule I'm giving myself is not to let 2 weeks go by without blogging because... well, I'm afraid I'm probably not as interesting as Stephanie Perkins, so maybe her rule-breaking awesomeness won't apply quite as well to me. However, what I can promise you is you'll be getting interesting Abby, not Abby scrambling to find something interesting to say. And no filler.

Reading and commenting

You have to be careful that in blogging, you don't lose yourself in the contests, the cliques, the memes, the following just to follow, the reading just to read, the commenting just to comment. When I comment on someone's blog, I want to be thoughtful. Occasionally I get comments on my blog that I know are perfunctory—the well, I haven't commented on that blog in a while, better do it or they'll stop commenting on mine type comments. I know I'm guilty of this sometimes, too. Those types of comments, though, we all know them when we see them. And they don't put a smile on your face, or offer insight, or do anything really except add a +1 to the number of comments at the bottom or the top of your blog post.

I don't need those, and I don't want to write them. So last week I went through and pared my blog feed down to my favorite 50 or so blogs. That's a lot to keep up on, but I also got rid of a lot—a lot of blogs that are good, quality, interesting blogs. But you just can't read them all. When I open my Blogger feed, I want to be excited about what's there, not overwhelmed! I don't want to go... oh, gosh, I took a few days off and now I have to slog through 37 blog posts. After reading 20 or 30 blogs, none of the posts are going to interest you.

Reading diversely

I came into the YA game less than 2 years ago, so I've spent the better part of the last 2 years 'catching up' on the multitude of YA out there. In fact, 35 of the 62 books I've read since 2009 were YA, and since January, 11 of the 15 books I've read are YA. I just finished FLY AWAY HOME by Jennifer Weiner. That book came out almost a year ago, but I just got around to reading it because I'd been trying to stay up on YA. I shouldn't be putting one of my top 3 favorite authors to the side to read ARCs that I probably wouldn't have picked up in a store, except for the fact they are YA and I feel like I have to read every YA book I can get my hands on in order to stay up on the market.

We talk a lot in the YA community about diversity. I think that should extend to the books we read, too. Not just one genre, not just one market, not just one age group. I read adult books long before I was an adult, so why should I only read teen books now that I'm an adult? I want to read Tony Blair's autobiography and Jeanette Walls' "non-fiction novel," and EAT PRAY LOVE and AN AMERICAN WIFE.

So I'm going to. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do the 'right' thing, and it doesn't help that there's a lot of experts out there telling us what we must do—many qualified, but plenty not. But you know what? From now on, I'm going to do what works best for me. I'm going to treat YA books like any other type of book—if it looks interesting to me, I'll read it. I'm not going to allow myself to get caught up in the 'oh-this-is-the-next-big-thing-you-must-read-it' buzz. If it doesn't interest me, I'm sure someone else will love it, but I've got shelf after shelf of books that I hand-picked waiting to be read.

So what?

Please don't take any of this as a judgment against anyone. If you want to read only YA, knock yourself out. It won't affect me, and I won't mind. Boiling it down, I basically have just been thinking a lot, have rewritten the philosophies that I've developed regarding writing blogs, reading blogs, and reading books over the past few years. I just thought I'd let you know... in case anyone else felt the same way. :)

The good part

As a reward for getting all the way to the bottom of this long, winding, and occasionally whiny post, I'd like to say thank you. I'm clearing out my bookshelves again (so many new books just keep coming!) and giving away a gently used set of YA (and one MG) books:

The usual rules apply: comment to enter, must be a follower, extra entries for tweeting/putting it on your sidebar. No links necessary, I trust you. ;) US & Canada only this time. (:()

Giveaway ends 6/23.

Thank you all for being such awesome followers. Blogging and being part of the YA writing community has had a very positive effect on my writing, my confidence in my abilities, and my life in general. Please know that.

A belated Memorial Day message, blogging + more

2011-06-08T17:52:00.003-04:00

MY BROTHER IS HOME!

He redeployed (which means, in non-Army-speak, returned home) from Afghanistan last Sunday, May 29. A very cool date, considering he redeployed from Iraq the day after Veteran's Day in 2008, and this time he redeployed the day before Memorial Day.

I cannot tell you the relief that flooded my body when the plane's tires touched down. It was like a giant weight lifted from my shoulders. I know it was even more intense and exciting for my mom and my sister-in-law!

Since I was traveling home on Memorial Day and didn't get a chance to write a blog, I thought I'd do it now. I wanted to say belated Happy (and I say this bittersweetly, because is a day set aside in remembrance of our fallen really happy?) Memorial Day to the US military, current and retired. I wish there was more I could do for our military, especially our combat veterans. They hold a special place in my heart. I keep a book of newspaper clippings—the kids who toted around a cardboard cutout of their dads for a whole year, the new mother whose husband never got to see his child, the Gold Star moms, the double-amputations of once able-bodied men, the soldier who deployed to Iraq with his bomb-tech wife and returned home a widower—to remind myself of the sacrifice those men and women make for us. I hope that all Americans, whether in favor of the war or not, keep this in mind all year round.

Me and my brother after the redeployment ceremony

I also wanted to mention a new non-profit I've started volunteering with called Operation Paperback, a group which allows volunteers to mail gently used books to service members overseas. Even if you don't have any books in your personal collection to donate (because let's be honest, as awesome as our military is, most of them probably don't prefer YA) , you could always pick up a few books from the thrift store to mail a soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine. War is basically working yourself to the bone interspersed with periods of hurry up and wait, so a few good books could make a big difference in someone's life.

I have a few announcements regarding blogging, but I think this post's long enough already, so keep an eye out for that blog later this afternoon or tomorrow.

At the airfield waiting for my brother's plane.
It was a loooong trip and a long wait, but so worth it.

The Great Wikipedia Blogfest

2011-06-03T15:54:00.001-04:00

Today is Rachel Bateman's Great Wikipedia Blogfest. If you'd like to join the fun, or would like to read all of the entries, click here.

The rules are:
1. Go to Wikipedia
2. In the left-hand sidebar, click the 'Random Article' link.
3. Read the article…or skim if it’s super long.
4. Write a scene or piece of flash fiction involving whatever the article is about.
5. On June 3rd, post your scene to your blog, making sure to link the Wikipedia article.

Then see what everyone else wrote!

Fun, easy, unique. My kind of blogfest. Thank you, Rachel!

Now, I bent the rules a little. My first attempt was Pembroke Pines Charter High School, but I'm not in the business of getting sued, so I skipped that once since it's a tad too specific. Then I got spiders of Australia, but that was a stub, not an article. Next was John of Jandun. I drew a complete blank on that one. And next?

Next I got something I could work with:

Virginia Brown Faire

Virginia's eyes drooped. Her mom, Terri, looked over, set the popcorn on the couch, and sighed. She pressed pause, the VCR tracking fuzzing over the still shot of a glowing, dark-lipped woman onscreen.

"C'mon, Ginny. It's only 9 o'clock."

Virginia's neck snapped up. She breathed deeply, almost snorting. "What?" She rubbed her head. "Sorry, Mom. I'm just..." Her eyes drifted closed again. She reopened them slowly, as if each eyelash weighed a pound. "Between work and school, I'm just not getting enough sleep."

Terri picked popcorn salt from beneath her neon blue acrylic nails. "I know you're busy, baby, but is it really so hard to give your old mom two teensy hours for a mother-daughter night? All you do is study study study."

Virginia scooted to the edge of the couch and stretched her legs. "Well, I have to study study study if I want to get into UCLA next year."

Virginia Brown Faire as Tinkerbell
Peter Pan, 1924
Source

Terri's face hardened. "You mean, next year when you abandon me?"

It was Virginia's turn to sigh. "I'm not abandoning you. I'm going to college. Living my dream? Like you always told me to do?" Virginia gestured to the screen.

Terri pulled a turquoise spaghetti strap further up her freckled, too-tan shoulder. "Well, I was wrong, wasn't I? That town chewed me up and spit me out. You see where my big Hollywood dream got me, don't you? Here in Nowhereville," she flapped her hand toward the ceiling, making her bracelets clang, "living in my mother's basement. Do you want to end up like that?"

Virginia repressed the urge to tell her she had already ended up like that, by simple default of being Terri O'Flynn, wannabe theatre actress's unplanned daughter. Instead, she scratched the back of her neck and made her way the short distance across the basement to her bed. "Mom, the SATs are tomorrow. I've got to beat my previous score or I won't have a chance." She yawned. "Deep down, I know you understand. Goodnight."

Terri huffed, turned back to the TV, and pressed play. Virginia shook her head at her mother's back, wishing there was a way to make things better.

Too bad the only way Terri'd be happy is if Virginia stayed in Centreville, waitressing at Applebee's until her carpal tunnel put her on disability somewhere around fifty, living in the windowless basement watching the silent film version of Peter Pan every night, oohing and aahing over Virginia Brown Faire, an obscure old-Hollywood actress who was the triple whammy of Tinkerbell, Terri's inspiration, and Virginia's namesake.

Virginia clicked the light off, trying to doze despite the equations and analogies running through her brain, despite the flicker of the old television set and Terri's crunching and sniffling.

Virginia loved her mom, really. But one more year was almost more than she could bear.

Misadventures of a day without power

2011-05-25T10:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday a thunderstorm blew through, bringing quarter-sized hail and 80+ mph wind gusts. While the storm wasn't serious compared to what's going on in Joplin, MO, Tuscaloosa, AL, and countless other towns ravaged by tornadoes recently—it mostly caused downed trees and power lines—190,000 homes in my metro area lost power last night.

I didn't sleep well. Besides the fact it was hot and still, I kept waking up thinking about the food in the fridge. Thankfully, our fridge is fairly empty since we're coming up on grocery day, but still... I kept adding up the cost of the things that might spoil. Chicken, turkey, salmon, round steak, bacon, frozen fruit, cheeses, vegetables, condiments... Two half-gallons of organic milk and chocolate milk were barely cool this morning—that's $8.00 down the drain right there.

Thankfully, my mom has power. This morning Bear and I loaded 6 or 7 Wal-Mart bags and took them to her house. The only casualties of the outage were our creamy dressings, like Ranch and mayo, a few yogurts, a freezer-burnt carton of vanilla ice cream, and a some popsicles. Not too bad, I say.

Twice now, our cats have torn out all the window screens (they're so sure they want to be outdoor kitties—I'm confident they'd feel differently if I actually let them spend a 95 degree day outside) and we haven't replaced the screens yet, so we couldn't open the windows all the way last night. Instead, we cracked the windows in our bedroom a few inches to let the breeze in. Sometime during the night, I got freaked out and closed the one directly above our bed.

This morning, I noticed one of the cats sniffing a couple-inch-long blackish thing on the floor. Having learned the hard way not to grab unknown things without my glasses on (I once mistook a thumbnail-sized spider for a piece of fuzz and nearly got myself bit), I put my glasses on and investigated. And what was this odd thing on my carpet?

A SLUG!

I am insanely afraid of slugs. Seriously, they terrify me. Even the cats were scared!

Bear went outside, and what did he find? About 35 slugs on the siding near our bedroom window. If I hadn't closed the window above our bed last night, one (or MORE!) slugs might've crawled in on me while I was sleeping.

And then I wouldn't have been able to write this blog because I would be in an insane asylum.

The power company estimates our electric will be back on between 5-11pm tomorrow night. Back in 2003, a hurricane knocked our power out for 2 weeks, so this isn't, by far, the longest I've gone without electric. However, it's a pain, so here's hoping the electric's back on sooner rather than later!

Credit

RTW: Rewarding yourself

2011-05-18T10:41:00.004-04:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

How do you reward yourself when you meet your writing goals?

For small goals, I don't really reward myself. I don't like counting my chickens before they hatch, so I feel like I'm not done until I'm done, you know?
For bigger goals, such as finishing a draft or a particularly difficult scene, I reward myself with time off from writing. I find that taking some time off allows me to return more appreciative and clear-headed.

After I sent MAGGIE out to betas last November, I took all of December and January off, and I loved it. It gave me time to enjoy the holidays, take care of some household projects that had been piling up, watch a little TV, and have fun with some of my hobbies (I paint, draw, scrapbook, bake, and do a few other creative things when the mood strikes me).

As far as rewards for if I get published... I've always wanted to get my teeth professionally whitened. Then again, the dentist says I don't need it, and I have very sensitive teeth, so it might not be good for my enamel, cold sensitivity, etc. Realistically, I probably wouldn't actually have it done. Maybe I'll just invest in the more expensive Crest White Strips. I've used the cheaper ones before, and they do work!

Another thing I'd do if I had the pleasure of receiving a publishing advance is to buy personalized Honor and Remember flags for the families of the men who died in action while serving with my brother. It's very important that our military families, especially those who've lost loved ones in service, know their sacrifices and their pain are not forgotten.

If I received a big fat advance, I'd love to take a monthlong backpacking tour across Europe with Bear. That, or take my whole family on vacation somewhere fun.

How do you reward your writing successes? How would you reward yourself if your book sold? Play along and tell us!

Help Write Now is back up (and a POSSESSION winner)

2011-05-16T14:18:00.002-04:00

Blogger Failapalooza has been (mostly) worked out, with blog posts and (some) comments restored, which means Help Write Now is back up and running. So if you intended to bid on mine and my friend and fellow author, Sarah Enni's auction, which includes a full YA manuscript critique from each of us, plus 3 ARCs from BEA/ALA, click here.

PLUS, Sarah will chat with the winner of our auction to find out which upcoming releases they are most excited about so she can try to secure those ARCs.

Sarah's feedback on PRODIGAL MAGGIE was detailed, thorough, and thoughtful, and she also made a point of telling me what she loved about Maggie's story. I like to think I am a very thorough beta reader (fast, too!), so between those prizes, and the fact the money supports the victims of the deadly storms that gripped the South last month, it's an auction worth bidding on!

Our auction now runs through Wednesday, May 18th at 10pm CST.

Alllllllso,

The winner of an ARC of Elana Johnson's debut YA novel, POSSESSION, is Valerie, who recommended I read CLOCKWORK PRINCE.

Valerie, I certainly will be! I devoured an ARC of CLOCKWORK ANGEL last year, and you can bet I'll be reading CLOCKWORK PRINCE and CLOCKWORK PRINCESS.

On another note, I know posts have been a little light lately. They will continue to be light for another week or two as I take care of MAGGIE stuff. :( but also :)

Happy Monday, don't forget to bid, and hope y'all have an awesome week!

Help Write Now - bid to win a full MS critique from me & Sarah Enni!

2011-05-13T17:14:00.001-04:00

This is my 200th (!!!) post, and what better way to celebrate #200 with THE TABBY CATT than to announce that, for the next 3 days, you can bid on a full YA manuscript critique (up to 90k words) from me and fellow YA author Sarah Enni on Help Write Now, a writing community auction to raise money for the victims of last month's record storms across the South.

To sweeten the deal, the highest bidder will also receive 3 ARCs from BEA/ALA (and we will even work with you to *try* to snag ARCs you are especially excited about!).

If you'd like to bid, HEAD ON OVER!

Bidding starts at $10, and all donations go to the Red Cross' disaster relief fund!

[EDIT: because of the Blogger fiasco, bids have been suspended until Monday morning. But if you didn't have a chance to bid, be sure to head on over on Monday!]

Go with your gut. Or not.

2011-05-03T15:46:00.001-04:00

Besides an overhaul of the last 3 chapters (my current ending is unsatisfying, but I was unsure how to fix it. Thanks to beta input and much thought, [I think] I do now.), pretty much the only thing standing in my way of finishing MAGGIE is about 20 items on my final polish checklist.

Unfortunately, I've left these things to the end because I can't make my mind up about them. They are beta suggestions I like, but don't necessarily like for this novel. I can't find fault with them, except... in my gut, I don't feel like they fit my vision of PRODIGAL MAGGIE.

I know I can only overanalyze for so long before it becomes ridiculous. I want to discard the last beta suggestions because I feel they don't fit my vision of the book, but I'm worried about doing so because... what if my gut is tricking me and I really just don't want to make the intricate changes the suggestions call for?

I don't think that's the case, but... I'm confused. And the more I think about it, the more I confuse myself.

Suggestions, bloggy friends? Writing wisdom says go with your gut, but how do you know if your gut is telling the truth?

Winner, lunch, & who wants an ARC of POSSESSION?!

2011-05-02T10:51:00.008-04:00

Happy Monday! Many great things are going on right now, so I'm excited to serve up several awesome items on the bloggy menu:

Numero uno

The winner of a signed copy of Christina Mandelski's THE SWEETEST THING is...

Kathryn Packer Roberts, who loves angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream.

(Me, too, Kathryn! Me, too!)

Numero dos

I had lunch (pizza, at that!) with fellow YA authors Pam Harris and Marquita Hockaday on Saturday, and wow are they awesome. So grateful they live nearby, and can't wait to get together with them again!

Numero tres

Who wants to win an ARC of Elana Johnson's POSSESSION?

From Amazon.com:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi to become one of them….starting by brainwashed Zenn. Vi can’t leave Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous: everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

To enter, follow this blog and leave a comment telling me the one book I MUST read in 2011. You may also tweet/post this contest on your sidebar for an additional entry. If you'd like to spread the word, here is a ready-made tweet for your convenience:

Dying to read @elanaj's POSSESSION? @thetabbycatt is sharing the love & giving away her ARC of POSSESSION: http://tinyurl.com/5r9jpdo

Contest ends Saturday, May 14th.

Favorite moments from the royal wedding

2011-04-29T10:52:00.001-04:00

As many of you know, I'm a total anglophile and a huge fan of the royal family, so I was up at 5am to watch the royal wedding. Throughout the coverage, I couldn't help thinking, "I've been there! I've been there!" So very cool to watch William and Kate walk in the very spot I stood back in August.

In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite moments from William and Kate's wedding:

1. William whispering to his soon-to-be father-in-law, Michael Middleton: "We were supposed to have just a small family affair."

2. The 20-foot trees in Westminster Abbey:

3. Kate's, "Oh wow!" upon seeing the crowds at Buckingham Palace.

4. Pippa Middleton's Alexander McQueen maid of honor dress:

5. Kate's Sarah Burton lace wedding gown:

6. Lord Bishop of London, Right Reverend Dr. Richard Chartres' speech:

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."

So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day this is. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.

Many people are fearful for the future of today’s world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its shores is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every continent are able to share in these celebrations because this is, as every wedding day should be, a day of hope.

In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future...

Video of full speech here.

7. British soldiers watching from Afghanistan:

British soldiers in Afghanistan watch the live broadcast
of the royal wedding at Camp Bastion in Helmand province.
- From USAtoday.com

8. The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior:

And I love even more that, keeping with tradition set by the Queen Mother (Queen Elizabeth II's mother), Kate will send her bouquet to the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior once the wedding pictures have been taken.

Kate with the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior above her.
The floor of Westminster Abbey is covered in graves and plaques,
but this is the only one that no one -- not even a king or queen -- may tread on.

 9. William placing the ring on Kate's finger:

10. William and Kate, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, exiting the Abbey:

Did you watch the royal wedding? Which were your favorite moments?

RTW: She is the prom queen, I'm in the marching band

2011-04-27T11:17:00.003-04:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

If your WIP or favorite book were music, what song(s) would it be?

What a perfect RTW question! In the beta version of PRODIGAL MAGGIE, the chorus of Girl Next Door by Saving Jane is included before the first chapter. If MAGGIE is ever published, I'd love to include it then, too, as it really captures Maggie's relationship with her sister.

You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift features a similar competitive relationship between two girls, however, it doesn't fit PRODIGAL MAGGIE because it is about a nerdy girl's love for a guy, while Maggie's story is about learning to accept herself - and her sister - for who they are.

Saving Jane - Girl Next Door

Small town homecoming queen

She's the star in this scene

There's no way to deny she's lovely

Perfect skin, perfect hair

Perfumed hearts everywhere

Tell myself that inside she's ugly

Maybe I'm just jealous

I can't help but hate her

Secretly I wonder if my boyfriend wants to date her

She is the prom queen I'm in the marching band

She is a cheerleader I'm sitting in the stands

She gets the top bunk I'm sleeping on the floor

She's Miss America and I'm just the girl next door

Senior class president

She must be heaven sent

She was never the last one standing

A petite debutante

Everything that you want

Never to harsh or too demanding

Maybe I'll admit it

I'm a little bitter

Everybody loves her but I just wanna hit her

She is the prom queen I'm in the marching band

She is a cheerleader I'm sitting in the stands

She gets the top bunk I'm sleeping on the floor

She's Miss America and I'm just the girl next door

Oh and I'm just the girl next door

I don't know why I'm feeling sorry for myself

I spend all my time wishing that I was someone else

She is the prom queen I'm in the marching band

She is a cheerleader I'm sitting in the stands

I get a little bit, she gets a little more

She's Miss America and... she's Miss America

I'm just the girl next door...

If your WIP or favorite book were music, what song would it be? Tell me in the comments or join us on the Road Trip!

Now Starring Blogfest

2011-04-25T13:20:00.007-04:00

Today Lindz and Alexis are hosting a Now Starring Blogfest.

Here are the rules:

Even though it’s frowned upon to push your WIP as the next big blockbuster film waiting to happen, admit it, you’ve thought about it. Imagine what it’d be like seeing your characters grace the silver screen. I bet you could imagine a couple actors or actresses to fill the shoes of your characters... Your story has just been adapted for the big screen, and you, humble author, get to cast it!

Check out the full list of participants here.

Here are my (just for fun) picks for my 4 main characters:

Maggie Bennett, 17
Maggie is difficult, but in my head she looks like a young, strawberry-blond, green-eyed Reese Witherspoon (with a tad more weight on her):

Mia Wasikowska, Emma Roberts, and Emma Watson (if we could get the fact SHE'S HERMIONE!!! out of our heads) would be great Maggies, too.

Ainne, early 20s
Long black braid, slight frame

Ainne has an angular face, an "Irish jawline," and a harsh personality — not unlike Emily Blunt's character in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.

Hunter Dowling, 18
Short, scrawny, "chicken-chested," red hair
Cocky, sarcastic, foul-mouthed

I was originally going to pick Emile Hirsch for Hunter, but upon talking to Bear, he half-jokingly pointed out that Hunter's description matches a red-headed Justin Bieber. I have no idea if the Biebs can act, but it was too hilarious not to "cast" him. So yeah, Hunter Dowling, at least in my mind = a less "pretty" version of Justin Bieber.

Winter Dowling, 18
Blond hair, ruddy cheeks, blue eyes
Thoughtful, calm, conflicted

I am at a loss for an appropriate actor for Winter, who is a co-POV character along with Maggie. The best I can come up with is a blond, way less swaggery Zac Efron, but I'm not satisfied with that pick at all. I'm looking for an actor who's not a pretty boy (a la Chace Crawford and Alex Pettyfer), but not a lumber jack, either. Suggestions?

Oh, and one more especially for Glenna, who really ought to be a casting agent:

Bronagh Gallagher as Crazy Aunt Patti

Author interview (and giveaway!): Christina Mandelski

2011-04-21T14:12:00.008-04:00

Today we are joined by YA author Christina Mandelski, whose debut novel, THE SWEETEST THING, comes out May 10.

Description from Amazon.com:

In the world of Sheridan Wells, life is perfect when she's decorating a cake. Unfortunately everything else is a complete mess: her mom ran off years ago, her dad is more interested in his restaurant, and the idea of a boyfriend is laughable.

But Sheridan is convinced finding her mom will solve all her problems - only her dad's about to get a cooking show in New York, which means her dream of a perfect family will be dashed.

(Click for my review of THE SWEETEST THING.)

Source

Summarize THE SWEETEST THING in 10 words or less:

(ok, now that's HARD!)

Cake decorating teen deals with family, friends and first love.

What have been the highest and lowest points on your path to publication?

Of course, the lowest point is when you start wondering if it will ever happen. I had those moments, but wouldn't allow myself to obsess over that possibility. It's easy to obsess yourself into giving up. For the most part, though, if I really looked I could see constant improvement. My rejection letters went from form letter, to one hand-written line on a form letter to a letter written just for me with some good feedback. Until one day the letter wasn't a rejection letter, it was a "please send more" letter. That was the highest point.

If THE SWEETEST THING were a movie, who would you cast as Sheridan? What about her best friend (and maybe more), Jack? Her dad? Nanny?

I love the actress Hailee Steinfeld (me, too!) who was nominated for an Oscar for True Grit. I can see her pulling off Sheridan's extreme confidence as well as her totally vulnerable underbelly. Her dad would be Jon Hamm, from Mad Men. Looove him. Nanny I always pictured as Kathy Bates, and Jack would probably be someone like a young Jake Gyllenhaal (love him too!).

Sheridan's grandmother, Nanny, is full of colorful, colloquial phrases. Being from the South, I recognized many of them. Did you make any of Nanny's crazy phrases up? Which is your favorite?

Ha! I really enjoyed writing those. Some I made up (jumpier than a frog on fire), some I researched. Busier than a moth in a mitten was one of my favorites. I didn't make that one up.

There is a plot thread about Sheridan's developing faith - something not often explored in YA. What were the challenges in writing about religion?

It was important to me to include some aspect of faith in this book, it's part of my background and a mainstay in my life. Many young adult books stay away from issues of faith. And I think that's okay, but I also think that young adulthood is when we start asking the big questions like Who is God and what does He want with me? So that's why Sheridan is questioning and searching in the book; I wanted to make her real.

What is your writing routine like? Any odd quirks?

During the school year I sit at the computer for the majority of the day, whether I'm writing, revising, or doing promotional things like this interview. It's my job and I treat it like one. Though, honestly I usually wear pretty non-professional clothes, and sometimes I forget to brush my hair, lol. My oddest quirk, which really isn't that odd, is that I go to Facebook for coffee breaks. When I worked in the real world, I loved to socialize with co-workers, but now I'm here by myself with the cat (though he is a good companion, if a bit lethargic). So when I'm ready for a break I run to Facebook for a little virtual social interaction.

Favorite YA book?

Ah, that's tough. Really, there are too many to mention. I just finished a book called Prisoners in the Palace, about the maid of young Princess Victoria (just before she becomes queen). I adore historical fiction! But I so admire writers who can capture my attention in a genre I don't usually read. Like Suzanne Collins and the Hunger Games. I'm not a big reader of dystopian, but I loved those books.

Favorite non-YA book?

My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. It's so timeless and beautifully written. More recently I really enjoyed The Help.

Can you tell us anything about upcoming/future projects?

I'm working on another contemporary YA novel with a slight paranormal twist. It's been lots of fun so far.

And finally, give us 5 fun, random facts about yourself:

1. I'm addicted to key lime pie.
2. I never miss an episode of Top Chef. Or if I do I get really cranky.
3. I played the flute for seven years though I have absolutely no ear for music.
4. I would love to be able to sing beautifully (see #3)
5. If I had a good book and a big umbrella, I could sit on the beach all day.

Thank you so much, Christina! (And PRISONERS IN THE PALACE is now on my TBR list!)

The giveaway

Christina has generously agreed to provide a signed copy of THE SWEETEST THING to one winner.

To enter, follow this blog and leave a comment telling me your favorite type of cake (or other treat, if you can't eat/don't like cake). You may also tweet or post this contest on your sidebar for an additional entry. Here is a ready-made tweet for your convenience:

Love contemp YA & cake? @thetabbycatt is giving away a signed copy of Christina Mandelski's THE SWEETEST THING! http://tinyurl.com/3bbbofv

Contest ends Saturday, April 30. US addresses only.
(Sorry int'l friends, we'll have another int'l contest soon!)

Query Letter Blogfest: PRODIGAL MAGGIE

2011-04-19T14:03:00.005-04:00

Erinn, Alicia, Pam, Quita, and Holly are hosting a Query Letter Blogfest today.

The rules are simple:

Post your query, then go to the original list and pick at least 5 other queries to offer feedback on.

Here is my query for PRODIGAL MAGGIE:

Dear Agent-name-spelled-correctly,

[Personal information tailored to the agent] which led me to believe you might enjoy my 82,000 word YA contemporary fantasy, PRODIGAL MAGGIE.

Seventeen-year-old Maggie loves her crazy Aunt Patti’s tales of the land of Eire. But when Maggie is attacked by a vicious carnivorous plant and rescued by brothers straight out of one of her aunt’s mythical stories, Maggie realizes there’s truth – and danger – to them.

Maggie's rescue comes at a steep price: the brothers have become outlaws by saving her, and due to an ancient accord, she's been absorbed into the Natural World, a pastoral society hidden amongst the modern Irish. Now Maggie's invisible to the Modern World, preventing her from ever returning to her family.

Maggie’s world is as off-kilter as a one-winged pixie: her family thinks she’s dead, the lack of indoor plumbing is killing her, and despite her family’s dysfunction, she kinda misses them after all. The only way to restore Maggie’s old life and return to the Modern World is with the help of the brothers – one unbalanced, the other enigmatic – and their spitfire sister. The siblings agree to help Maggie, but they all have very different reasons for doing so – some of which aren’t so good for Maggie’s health.

I believe PRODIGAL MAGGIE will appeal to fans of O.R. Melling's THE HUNTER'S MOON and Kiersten White's PARANORMALCY. I live in [my state] and am working full-time on my next YA novel.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Abby Stevens
[phone number]
[website]

Thanks! I look forward to your comments. And if you need any pointers on what kind of feedback everyone is looking for, check out Pam & Quita's blogfest entry.

Cover dreams

2011-04-18T10:58:00.003-04:00

If you're a writer, you've probably dreamed of what a book cover for your novel might look like...

I read recently that one art department asked an author what 'type' of covers she liked so they could take her taste into account while designing her cover (what considerate designers, by the way).

That got me thinking... what type of covers do I like?

Well, there's this:

And these:

And THESE:

Regardless of whether you love or hate TWILIGHT, the covers? GORGEOUS.

Should I ever get published, I want a cover that's evocative; a bright, limited color palette that pops against a solid-colored background; metaphorical images that make you yearn to read the jacket copy; something unique and unexpected.

As an author, you might have absolutely no say in your cover. But we can dream, right? And be grateful for (eventually) having a cover at all, of course!

What types of book covers do you like?

Pitch contest @ YAtopia

2011-04-14T17:53:00.001-04:00

YAtopia is hosting another pitch contest, this time judged by Natalie Fischer of Bradford Literary Agency.

The contest is open until they receive 150 entries or until April 21, whichever comes first.

To enter, go here.

I've finally got a good pitch down for MAGGIE, so wish me luck! And let me know if you decide to enter, too!

RTW: The scars remind me

2011-04-13T11:43:00.001-04:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

What is the story of your best scar?

While my favorite scar is not, in fact, the perfect map of the London Underground (and let me tell you, I didn't realize how handy a scar like this might actually be until I traveled on the London Underground!), it comes with a funny story:

Growing up, my brother and I fought a lot. Sometimes playfighting, sometimes bickering, sometimes kinda-play-fighting-but-not-really, sometimes full-on brawl mode.

Occasionally, I did something to make Bro mad enough to chase me. I knew he'd never actually hurt me, but just because he wouldn't hit me didn't mean he wouldn't find other ways to torture me if I was caught.

So I was 15, Bro was 12, and I did something to make him mad enough to chase me. We were having a cookout, it was toward the end of summer, and I ran and ran, laughing, bobbing, and weaving around the yard.

I jumped on a small plastic lawn table instead of jumping over it and BAM! It slipped out from under me. I hit the underside of the sharp plastic, renting a 6 inch gash across the right side of my left knee. For some reason it didn't occur to me that I was, hello, actually hurt, so I continue laughing as I army-crawled away, dragging my bleeding knee through the dirt and grass. Finally I realized my brother wasn't chasing me anymore. And oh yeah, oops — there was blood all over my knee.

You might not be able to tell in pictures, but anyone who has met me in person can attest that I am so pale I'm almost translucent, making scars very noticeable on my skin. But between owning feisty cats my whole life, being incredibly clumsy, and being comfortable with my paleness, scars don't really bother me.

This one, though? It looked horrible. It was bright red, wrapping from my knee cap to almost behind my knee. To make matters worse, I have a tendency to pick my wounds, meaning it took forever to heal and scarred awful. My knee looked like an amateur slasher got a hold of it.

Eleven years later, my best scar has faded to a 2 inch, slightly raised line, but the memory of that afternoon will stay with me far longer than the mark on my skin. In my mind, it has come to represent the 'fun' fights my brother and I had, the ones that were annoying but somehow ended with both of us grinning.

So, what's the story of your favorite scar? Tell me in the comments or join us on our Road Trip!

Readergirlz' Rock the Drop!

2011-04-12T11:15:00.000-04:00

Have you heard of this?

It sounds like a great idea. I might just do it.

What do you think about this event? Will you participate on Thursday?

200 Followers Contest Winner!

2011-04-09T11:44:00.002-04:00

Thank you again to each of my 200+ followers for reading THE TABBY CATT. I have some awesome plans for the next few months (including at least one ARC giveaway... eek!), so be sure to stick around!

The winner of my 200 Followers contest is...

Milena March, who requested BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott. Now, I did say novel, but since this is an instructional writing book, I'm going to make the exception! Milena, I will be emailing you for your address.

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Books inside of books

2011-04-05T16:14:00.001-04:00

Have you ever mentioned a book in your WIP?

What about ruined the ending?

In PRODIGAL MAGGIE, Maggie ruins the ending of an old (published in the 1930's) classic for another character. It's a book that's on pretty much every summer reading list in America.

Now, I'm not of the school that says, "Hey, it's been out xx number of years, it's free game." I've been known to hush people (politely) at HP film premieres so the surprise remains intact for those who only watch the movies.

Maggie ruining the book is not integral to the plot, and I could use another device to accomplish the purpose the scene currently serves.

None of my betas (except Bear) mentioned an issue with this either way (correct me if I'm wrong here, betas), so I'm wondering...

What is your opinion? Is this something I should leave for now, and if my theoretical future agent and/or editor takes umbrage, change it then? Are there legal issues with mentioning (and ruining) the end of a book in another book?

Also, have you entered my 200 followers contest yet? It's fun and easy to enter!

The curious case of the Cadbury cream egg

2011-04-04T12:27:00.002-04:00

Anyone else love these delectable little Easter confections?

They show up in stores a few weeks after Valentine's Day, tempting me with their milk chocolate, gooey fondant, and bright foil wrapper every time I enter a store.

I'm infamous for my love of Cadbury cream eggs (not to mention their awesome old-as-I-am clucking animals commercial).

On Sunday, my love for Cadbury cream eggs finally came back and bit me in the... coat.

Sunday I did some laundry. I washed my coat, dried it, transferred my next batch of clothes - permanent press - to the dryer. When those clothes were dry, I spread them out on my bed, hanging and folding. As I got to the bottom of the pile, I noticed a dried up, quarter-sized chocolate ball in bluish gold foil.

I called for Bear and turned it over in my hand, inspecting the odd little form.

"What could this be?" I breathed.

Bear shrugged. "Looks like chocolate. Did it get on any of your clothes?"

I shook my head. I hadn't seen any chocolate marks on my clothing. In fact, the chocolate seemed to be intact. What was missing was the... fondant.

But I didn't see any of that on my clothing either. I went about my day. A few hours later, I opened the closet to hang a hoodie. That's when my coat caught my eye (and I'm so wishing at this point that I'd taken pictures of it all).

There were streaks of white ALL. OVER. MY. BEST. WINTER. COAT.

I frantically Googled 'how to get fondant out of clothing,' but all I got were Cake Boss-esque tutorials on how to create clothing out of fondant.

Create clothing out of fondant?! I thought. I want to get the fondant out of my clothing!

And this, my friends, is what led to my very own Failbook-worthy* status:

*My Facebook is for personal use only

I really don't know how this could've happened, mostly because it's unlike me to forget about a Cadbury cream egg. I gobble them up for the 2 months they're on the shelves, stockpiling them as Easter nears.

And coming from the girl who accidentally allowed Olive Garden mints to melt in her good purse and accidentally left a pen in a jean pocket, which then burst in the dryer, covering nearly every pair of jeans Bear and I owned in red ink (most of it came out with a good dose [okay, a whole bottle] of Shout!), you'd think I'd know better.

Alas, this was not the case.

But you can bet I won't be putting chocolate in my pocket again anytime soon.

Now I gotta go check on my coat...

When I Actually Write A Book, You Will Be Acknowledged Blogfest

2011-03-30T11:53:00.000-04:00

Glenna Walsh, Blue-Lipstick-wearing, Samurai-sword-wielding extraordinaire, is hosting a
When I Actually Write A Book, You Will Be Acknowledged Blogfest.

To see the list of participants, click here.

The rules:
Write an acknowledgement blurb for 12 people, with 12 reasons. But not just ANY twelve people:

3 people you know IRL.
3 people you know online.
1 person who has died.
1 person you never met.
1 person you met once.
1 couple (so, 2 people).
1 author.

1. My husband: It's hard to put into words what this man means to me, except to say, he is home. Bear has worked hard in order for me to write full-time. He believes in me. He is the most selfless and patient person I know. Not only do I love him with all my heart, I deeply admire him.

My aunt, who is quick to compliment, true with criticism, and told me anything I wrote would be interesting.

My grandma, for whole-heartedly supporting my writing and keeping me stocked in BABYSITTER CLUB books as a kid.

And I'm going to cheat here and add my brother and sister. My brother for being the straight-up, real-life hero he is, and my sister for basically being the awesomest little sister ever created. Anyone who's read MAGGIE knows Maggie and her sister's relationship is extremely contentious - my relationship with my siblings is nothing like that, but they provide me with inspiration nonetheless, so thank you!

2. Three people? How about three groups? My YA Highway/Road Trip Wednesday friends, my Twitter buddies, and my favorite bloggy friends, who may or may not also cross over into the aforementioned groups: Sarah Enni, Pam Harris, Marquita Hockaday, Rachel Bateman, and a certain other someone mentioned below...

3. I've been blessed thus far to avoid the pain of personal loss, and I hope to continue that way for a long time. The military has been a defining force in my life, so I'd like to say the men and women who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. All gave some, but some gave all. As long as I'm alive, you will not be forgotten.

4. Ann M. Martin, for writing the prolific series that captured my interest and filled my shelves for many, many years. At one point in my childhood when my family moved to a different state and I knew no one, Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacy, Dawn, Mallory, Jessi, and Abby were my friends.

5. How about Miss Glenna Walsh herself? Technically, we've met a few times, but all over the period of a two week trip to Philly, so I think she counts. Glenna is... pretty much amazing. She is wise beyond her years, lightning witted, deeply compassionate, with the true heart of a writer. Glenna was also a semi-alpha reader for MAGGIE. It is her insistence that what I was writing was actually good that lit a fire under me to finish Maggie's story after languishing in writer's despair for far too long.

6. My mom and stepdad. I am blessed that when I announced I was quitting my job to write a book, my parents looked at me not like I was crazy, but with pride and excitement. They never once questioned me in the three years it took to write MAGGIE, when I barely had the confidence to talk about the project, much less show it to anyone. They are my friends, a source of great comfort, and having been married going on 15 years, loving one another through thick and thin, they are a beautiful example not only to Bear and I, but every married couple.

7. I don't write fanfic or dress as my favorite character for the premieres, but I'm about as big of a (non-crazy) HARRY POTTER fan you will find. Not only has JK Rowling created a beloved bookiverse filled with heartbreakingly beautiful characters and a world detailed enough to be real, she conducts herself in an upright, compassionate manner. And for that, Ms. Rowling, I say thank you.

Want to join in the fun? It's not too late!

Who would you include in your theoretical acknowledgements?

200 Followers Contest

2011-03-29T12:16:00.006-04:00

Since I've hit 200 followers, I thought I would say thank you with a contest. :)

To enter, go to BookDepository.com
Pick any novel you'd like to have (no box sets, coffee table books, etc.)
Paste the novel's Book Depository URL into a comment.
Voila! You're entered!

THE RULES:
☆ Must be a follower.
☆ Contest ends Friday, April 8th.
☆ Open international to any countries The Book Depository ships to.
☆ You may receive 1 additional entry by tweeting OR adding the contest to your sidebar. No links necessary, but do let me know you get an extra entry in your comment.
☆ Be sure to include your email address if it's not listed on your profile.
☆ If you would like to spread the word (I kindly thank you in advance!), below is a ready-made tweet:

To celebrate 200 followers @thetabbycatt is giving away a book of your choice! Open internationally! http://tinyurl.com/4o7f5s9

Thank you to all my wonderful followers, and good luck!

The smell of the Sistine Chapel

2011-03-28T15:13:00.009-04:00

"So if I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that ... I can't learn anything from you [that] I can't read in some f---in' book."

-GOOD WILL HUNTING (full scene here)

Bear and I just got back from 2 weeks in Massachusetts (ha! After 25 years, visiting the state finally forced me to learn to spell ~~Massachussetts~~ Massachusetts properly). I figured I'd come home with MAGGIE polished and ready to query, but I was lazy while we were gone and made very little progress. I'm now looking at a mid-April query start date.

Oh, well. I had a great time and watched enough cable television to remind me why we don't shell out $60 a month for it (click - Snookie drunkenly dancing - click - couple whining about having to downsize to $400k house - click - pundits yelling at each other about Charlie Sheen).

While in MA, we visited the Freedom Trail in Boston, which is a 2.5 mile self-guided tour weaving it's way through Boston's most historic landmarks. The site I found most special was the Memorial Garden at the Old North Church:

It looks like more like this during the summer:

Source

We didn't get a good shot of the sign, but this is what it says:

THE MEMORIAL GARDEN
This Memorial Garden is to honor the men and women in the Armed Forces and the civilians who have lost their lives in the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars.

We pray for all victims of war.
May their souls and the souls of
all the departed rest in peace.

I paused for a moment of reflection while Bear took some shots of the memorial. When the wind blew, something happened that took my breath away:

The sound and sight of thousands of dog tags clinking in the wind and glinting in the sun? The video doesn't begin to do it justice.

It sounded like bells, eerie and beautiful and poignant.

And no matter how much I read about the Memorial Garden, I would never have known about this most special and fitting detail had I not seen it myself. For me, that small detail elevated the memorial from something I was examining to something I was experiencing.

If you keep an eye out for it, I suspect you'll find many of these instances in your own life, too. Some of my most detail-rich memories include:

Standing before Stonehenge in a misty rain, realizing it's actually sorta small...
Laying on the couch as a kid with a BABYSITTER'S CLUB book, a glass of pink lemonade, and a bowl of buttered popcorn...
Looking out the window of a plane, watching the Northern Lights dance in the dark sky...
Sitting in the bleachers at Fenway Park, picking salt off a pretzel as Big Papi hit a homerun...
Throwing my heels aside on my wedding day, not caring my white dress was dragging the dusty floor...
Eating gelato with a little plastic spoon on the steps of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC...
Seeing my brother's plane land, hugging him and feeling the grit of 'moon dust' on his uniform...
Retreating into the cool, sun-dappled woods on a scorching day at Valley Forge...

All experiences that are undeniably unique, each made rich by the tiniest details that no amount of reading, hearing, or watching from afar could conjure. This is true of even the simplest of things: the sound of your dog snoring at the end of the bed, the excitement of seeing a hummingbird flash through the air, the smell of honeysuckle in the back yard...

Life is in the details.

Tell me about a time in your life when the little details made all the difference...

RTW: A cup of sugar, please?

2011-03-23T14:10:00.015-04:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

Which book character would you like most as a next door neighbor?

I want neighbors who will wave hello but not trap me for an hour-long conversation right when I pull in the driveway; neighbors who will keep an eye on my house, but aren't super nosy; neighbors like:

Neville Longbottom, HARRY POTTER

Neville is quiet and minds his own business, but he's also brave and virtuous. He won't let baddies — Muggle or wizard — sneak in my window. And as a Hogwarts professor, think of all the interesting dinner parties he'd have!

Anna Oliphant, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS

Anna is smart, funny, and loves to go to the movies! Plus, she already has a best friend and a boyfriend, so she'd be as busy as me and not complain if we couldn't hang out all the time.

Scarlett and Rosie March, SISTERS RED

These girls are not only kick-butt, they like baking and watching movies, too. And as president of the Neighborhood Watch, Scarlett would protect our 'hood from stray Fenris. Between her and Neville, I'm living in an evil-wizard-and-werewolf-free-zone, folks!

Which book character would you pick as your next door neighbor?

Also:

I'm 2 followers from 200, and 200 means a CONTEST — so if you've been meaning to hit follow but just haven't yet, now's the time!

Review: THE SWEETEST THING by Christina Mandelski

2011-03-18T15:53:00.005-04:00

THE SWEETEST THING by Christina Mandelski
Young Adult
EgmontUSA
Hardcover, 336 pages
May 10, 2011

From Goodreads:

In the world of Sheridan Wells, life is perfect when she's decorating a cake. Unfortunately everything else is a complete mess: her mom ran off years ago, her dad is more interested in his restaurant, and the idea of a boyfriend is laughable.

But Sheridan is convinced finding her mom will solve all her problems - only her dad's about to get a cooking show in New York, which means her dream of a perfect family will be dashed.

Using just the right amount of romance, family drama, and cute boys, The Sweetest Thing will entice fans with its perfect mixture of girl-friendly ingredients.

The cover: Multicolored sprinkles in the shape of a heart, the soft lilac at the top... this cover caught my eye not only because it made me crave sugar cookies (always a good thing), it is softer and sweeter (pun intended) than most YA covers I've seen recently.

The book: THE SWEETEST THING was as refreshing as a cold fountain Coke at the beach. Since I've begun reading YA, I feel like I've read incarnations of every paranormal or legendary creature there is, every adventure with world-wide consequences possible, every horrific rendering of our future imaginable. Granted, I've yet to read many of the great YA contemporary novels, but SWEETEST is a lovely change from the doom and gloom, dirt and dust, that is currently in vogue.

Sheridan (and I do love that name, especially since there is a reason her parents' picked it) is a normal girl with a very dysfunctional family, a best friend who might just be her perfect guy, and a reputation as "Cake Girl." She can whip up cakes in her grandmother's bakery with more skill than The Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes combined, but when it comes to dealing with her mother's abandonment, Sheridan just can't let go. I waivered in my opinion of Sheridan's mother, who is off the page for most of the book, wondering if she could possibly as good as Sheridan believes, or as awful as those surrounding her hint. Sheridan's father shielded her from the truth about her mother for many years, and when the truth finally does come out, I appreciated the complexity and skill with which Mandelski reconciles Sheridan's hopes to fact.

It was pure fun reading the descriptions of Sheridan's cakes. It made me ache to pick up my apron and a spoon and get in the kitchen to attempt some of Cake Girl's gum paste, modeling chocolate, and fondant confections.

There is a subplot about Sheridan's religious faith that I find lacking in many books (except for the many dytopians I've read recently that look back and laugh at their idiot ancestors' antiquated beliefs) and therefore enjoyed deeply. Sheridan's question of faith is handled with a light touch, and very subtely at that, but it was nice to see faith wrestled with in a YA novel.

If you are looking for a quiet, fun novel that proves worlds don't have to crumble to tell a good story, this one might be for you.

Recommended especially for: Lovers of sweet contemporary romance, fans of baking shows.

ARC courtesy of Star Book Tours.

RTW: A mixed palette

2011-03-16T00:17:00.004-04:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

Who (from real life) have you written into a book?

Like most writers, tidbits of people I know find their way into my writing.

One character in PRODIGAL MAGGIE is based very (very very very very) loosely on a mixture of my Mama and Molly Weasley.

Another character has an alligator mouth and a hummingbird butt like me, but she's just distressed enough to actually be scary, unlike me.

Another character shares a few traits with my brother.

As I said in a previous post (almost a year ago to the day), "I start with a real or fictional person as a jumping off point, then mutate, add, and subtract traits until the final product barely resembles the original inspiration."

Original here

Borrowing traits from ourselves or from observing others is all we can do. As good as we writers are, we cannot create human traits - only mix them in a palette to create the character of our choosing.

Of course, we only talk about the positive traits we borrow, and maybe not even then. Who wants to admit you borrowed X's raging temper or the mole on the end of Y's nose in creating your character? Not only could it cause hurt feelings, it could get you in trouble.

After all, Kathryn Stockett is being sued by a maid who feels one of Stockett's characters in THE HELP is too similar to her. And agent Jessica Faust posted recently about why writing real people into books may not be such a good idea, creatively or legally, if you'd like to check that out.

So, to answer this week's RTW: I've written a few pieces of non-fiction narrative about real people (which are intended for family and friends only) but I've never actually written a whole person into a fictional book.

What about you? Have you ever written a person into a book, or do you cherrypick traits like me?

Bucket List Blogfest: 5 Things

2011-03-11T11:11:00.003-05:00

Today is the Bucket List Blogfest, hosted by Mo at Swim - Write - Run.

The purpose is to list 5 things you'd like to achieve before you kick the bucket.

I met 2 of my biggest Bucket List goals in 2010 (finishing a novel and going to London), so I'm still kind of deciding on new long-term goals (hey, they're harder to come up with than you might think!). However, here are my 5 biggest goals:

Travel as much as possible.
Specifically, I want to spend a couple weeks in Paris, and I'd love to backpack across Europe. Also on my list are Hawaii, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Athens, Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, and somewhere with perfect turquoise water.

See games at all 30 Major League Baseball parks.
So far, I've seen games at Camden Yards, (the new) Yankee Stadium, Nationals Park, and (being a huge Red Sox fan) Fenway Park. One of my goals was to see a Yankees @ Red Sox game, and Bear and I did this in 2009. :)

Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau.
This sounds morbid, but I am a firm believer in the phrase, "Those who fail to remember history are condemned to repeat it." What occurred at Auschwitz is one of the greatest examples of evil the world has ever seen, and I feel by seeing it firsthand I would not only be enriching my understanding but paying tribute to those who lived and died within the camp. I felt the same way about visiting Ground Zero, which Bear and I visited in 2009.

YA Highwayer Kristin Halbrook visited Auschwitz-Birkenau last year and blogged about her experience. It is a post I highly recommend reading.

Give back.
Continue to support Wounded Warrior Project and other charities that aids veterans and their families, especially veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, whom will always hold a special place in my heart. ♥

Do my best, be kind, love.
Since 9/11, I've become keenly aware of the profound suffering in the United States and abroad. I want to live a life that hurts as few people as possible, attempting whenever I can to make others' lives better. I want to grow closer to God. I want to represent the Christian faith in a positive light. I want to represent myself and my family in a positive light. I want to do right by my parents, my siblings, and the rest of my family. I want to continue to be a loving wife, hopefully mastering my temper and other flaws as I grow older. Mostly, I want to spend my life surrounded by loved ones.

In the end, I want to try to live like this:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
-Mother Teresa

My prayers are with the people of Japan and all others affected by the devastation unfolding today.

RTW: Wannabe

2011-03-09T14:04:00.003-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

(In celebration of the release of YA Highwayer Kirsten Hubbard's debut novel LIKE MANDARIN)

There was never a particular person I wanted to be like in high school.

My mom drilling that phrase about the grass not always being greener into my head, coupled with my own extreme overanalysis, meant that for every reason I wanted to be someone else, I found three reasons I didn't want to be them.

Plus, I've always been one of the confident ones. Even in high school, I was pretty happy with who I was and what that meant. But trust me, even the confident ones struggle.

So it isn't a matter of who I wanted to be growing up, but what I wanted to be like:

I wanted to care less. Because, you see, I am neurotic.

It's silly I wanted to be like that, because it's so against my nature it's not even funny. But I cared to the point of ridiculousness about certain things. Specifically, school.

Back in high school, this was a typical week's worth of worry:

will I get an A in Spanish?; will I get an A in AP History?; will I be able to squeak by with a B in Trig?; will I get an A in Global Affairs?; will I get at least an 1100 on the SATS?; oh no I have to work tonight and we have a take home test in APUSH; is my boss going to schedule me to work this weekend even though I'm going to be in another city for Model UN?; will I lose my job over it if he does?; am I still #2 in our class?; is that other girl still pretending to be #2 in our class?; should I start applying for scholarships now?; have I studied enough for Academic Challenge practice tomorrow?; should I take 2 or 3 AP classes next year?; did I aggravate Mr. P in class today by asking that question?; oh no! I got a 92 on my progress report!; OhmygoshI'mnotgoingtobeabletobringituptoanAbeforetheendofthesemesterandthenIwon'tgetintothecollegeIwanttogoto!

Ahem.

And the worst part is, I did it all to myself. My parents are pretty chill people, and while they would've been concerned if I came home with straight C's, the pressure I felt was self-generated.

So yeah, I always wanted to be someone who could let things roll off their back. I wanted to be a ~~little~~ lot less Type A. I didn't want to be that person who worked herself into a tizzy over something and once it was all over with realized... huh, that really wasn't a big deal.

Even now, there's so many things I worry about, and I never really know where to draw the line. When I cleaned out my medicine cabinet, I carted a plastic bag full of expired prescription meds around in my trunk for months until I finally got the chance to drop them off at the pharmacy so they could be properly disposed of. I worry about the environment to the point I would wash and reuse plastic straws if Bear hadn't long ago put his foot down.

I'm not a chill person. I tend toward neurosis and anxiety and nail-biting. But I'm aware of this part of my personality, and it is a continuous work in progress.

And as I get older, I find it easier and easier to distinguish what's worth getting worked up over and what isn't.

What about you? Who (or what) did you want to be like in high school?

Questions? Answered!

2011-03-08T12:20:00.002-05:00

Emy Shin asked...
What's your favorite kind of hero?

In literature or film, my favorite kind of heroes are those with profound flaws that at times cause them to act as anti-heroes, but deep-down, are genuinely motivated to protect and care for those around them (see: Scarlett O'Hara, Iron Man*).

In real life, my favorite kind of hero wears combat boots:

My brother's boots the day he deployed to Afghanistan.

lotusgirl asked...
What got you into writing?

I've been a writer (and a reader) for basically as long as I can remember. My grandma tells a story about me being tiny — probably 3 or so — and looking at a book, so frustrated with myself because I couldn't read it yet. Growing up, writing was something I was praised for and encouraged to do, by everyone from my parents to teachers to friends. I discovered very early it was a passion of mine, and (almost) everything I wanted to be when I grew up involved writing in some way. I've always written poems, short stories, and narrative nonfiction, and as a teenager I even began (but never finished) a few novels.

Pam Harris asked...
When are you, me, and Quita going to meet up for coffee or something?

Soon! We've know each other, what, a year now in the blogosphere and haven't gotten together? We must rectify this, ladies! I will be emailing you. ;)

Miss Cole asked...
What intrigues you about YA?

YA intrigues me for a few reasons. First, I didn't even know it was a genre (or reading level, depending on who you ask) until a couple years ago. Second, it is seen by many as a second-class, last ditch, sell-out type of thing to write, but it's producing some of the most interesting, quality work out there. Third, YA allows for reflection and introspection upon one of the most tumultuous periods in the human lifespan.

Yahong asked...
How do you balance writing & life?

This is *slightly* less of an issue for me, because writing novels is my full-time job. That being said, balance is difficult for everyone. I can still only write or edit for 3-5 hours a day before I'm burnt out like a cheap light bulb. People are surprised to hear it, but I barely get everything done each day. There's blogging, reading blogs, reading ARCs, reading for research/to stay up on the market/for pleasure, critiquing, social networking, laundry, cleaning, dishes, paying bills, balancing the checkbook, making meal plans and grocery lists, staying up on current events, spending time with family, having a social life, giving the cats attention... and that's not to mention times like the holidays or special times of the year when you have a whole slew of other things to do, like plan parties, bake, create cards, etc.

I think the main difference for me is, since my husband and I were willing (and thankfully, able) to give up a two-income household, I don't have to give anything else up to write. Most people have to sacrifice time with their families or friends or the cleanliness of their house or even schoolwork to write, but I chose (and again, was able, because I know this is not the case for most) to sacrifice my income. It is not the right choice for many people, but it was for us, and I continue to be grateful to God and my husband for allowing me to live the way I do.

*Never thought I'd find a category to lump both of those characters into.

E-books and print books and Amanda Hocking

2011-03-07T12:06:00.003-05:00

On Friday a friend tweeted me a link titled, "This 26-Year-Old Is Making Millions Cutting Out Traditional Publishers With Amazon Kindle."

The article explained how Amanda Hocking has made millions by selling her novels through the Amazon Kindle store for between $0.99 and $2.99.

Of course, I was intrigued. Any author looking to be published would pause for at least a second upon hearing the money being made, the immediacy in getting your work out there, and the fact that Hocking's work is reaching something like 100,000 readers a month.

I moseyed over to Amanda Hocking's blog, where she kindly explains the phenomenon of her success from her perspective, as well as warns that, like JK Rowling or Stephanie Meyer, her success is not something that can be easily or intentionally replicated. Amanda's post about the internet picking up on her and essentially going viral in entrepreneurial/business/publishing circles is even-handed, fair, and very interesting. I recommend you check it out.

Nathan Bransford also blogged about Ms. Hocking and the 'Kindle millionaires' today, so please check out his informative, thorough breakdown of why self-publishing via e-books makes sense, and why it doesn't.

As for me, I think Amanda Hocking and other quality self-publishers are captains of industry, not robber barons. Hocking took a chance in self-publishing her novels. She could have sold only a handful of copies, made just a few dollars, and lost the time, energy, and emotional effort she put into writing each of her books. She took a chance, and as luck or fate or whatever else had it, she became a successful trailblazer. It's something she should be proud of, and no doubt something she is working extremely hard to maintain.

But in the end, her route is not my route, nor, as I take it from her very gracious blog, does she expect it to be.

If I can't get published via the traditional route, it's not worth it to me. Maybe that sounds harsh, but I don't have the time nor the expertise to handle copyediting, design, distribution, publicity, marketing, and all other countless yet incomparable perks of having a publisher.

Plus, publishing a book means something specific to me: drafting, critiquing, editing, querying, accepting representation, revisions, being on submission, getting a book deal, revisions, receiving your ARCs, (hopefully minor at this point) revisions, and finally... seeing your novel in print on a shelf at a brick and mortar store.

If I am ever published, it is important to me to have physical copies of my book. It's important to me to be able to run my hand across my cover, to hear the crack of the new spine as I open it, to smell the pages, to feel the texture of the paper, to see my name on something I can hold and jump around with and show to everyone who will look.

What can I say? I'm a traditionalist. But I am not afraid of the competition or companion business or whatever the e-book and self-publishing industries are or will become to traditional publishing. Amanda Hocking is offering something people want. It's her right to sell it, it's the people's right to buy it, and any time people are reading, I think that's a good thing.

What's your opinion of all this? Would you consider Amanda Hocking's route?

[also: I will be answering the questions left for me last week tomorrow!]

Ask!

2011-03-03T11:25:00.002-05:00

I haven't done one of these in a long while (actually, only once ever, I think) so here goes:

I'm open for questions.

Ask me any (appropriate) question in the comments and I'll answer next week.

Now I'm off to work on my new project and somehow attempt to polish 4 chapters by 5:00pm tomorrow.

Ciao!

RTW: A creature of your own imagining

2011-03-02T14:01:00.002-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

Invent your own mythological creature!

Okay, I've actually done this.

At least, I think I have. If I ever get PRODIGAL MAGGIE published, I'm sure someone somewhere will dig up a mythological chimera that matches my own.

Credit

But for now, various Google searches mark my creation as my own, which is featured in the last half of PRODIGAL MAGGIE and, as such, is

*stamping noise*

TOP SECRET.

It's funny... I used to think JK Rowling invented all the creatures in the HP series, but once I started researching mythology, I realized most (but not all) are borrowed from the legends of various cultures around the world.

Just as the Roman and Greek societies had basically the same gods and goddesses, only under different names, many of the same creatures pop up all over the world. Dragons, mermaids, and giants, for instance, are present in mythologies spanning the globe.

And that's not including all the minor/less well-known creatures (see here, here, and here for lists of mythological beasties).

Credit

So coming up with a truly unique (and in my case, frightening) creature that was also plausible within MAGGIE's constructs was a challenge. I basically Googled "half-[creature], half-[creature]" (since I was trying to come up with an original chimera, a creature composed of the parts or attributes of 2 or more animals) in multiple variations until I hit the jackpot.

Even more challenging was coming up with a name. I wanted something that sounded like it already existed - familiar enough that you accept it, but not so familiar as to be inappropriate for an original creation. To find a name (which is, alas, also TOP SECRET), I translated the names of the two animals I combined, as well as several adjectives that describe each, into about 10 languages, then melded words until I found one that sounded right.

I'm rather proud of my ~~possibly hopefully~~ original legendary creature, and even happier with its name. I even drew a picture of it, but that made my aunt laugh, so we'll leave that for an extras section of my website for when/if I get published.

If you could create a mythological creature, what would it be? Join us over at YA Highway to play along!

Last chance

2011-03-02T11:32:00.002-05:00

I am going over PRODIGAL MAGGIE once more with a fine-tooth comb.

My method is this:

I go through one chapter at a time, in order. For each chapter, I read through my beta-critiqued manuscripts, incorporating changes as necessary.

Next I read the chapter out loud. This is helpful in many ways, especially in picking up on clumsy sentence structure and inauthentic dialogue.

As I go, if I cannot quite make my mind up about a beta comment, or can't decide if one word or another works in a particular sentence, or there's anything else I need to mull over, I add it (the text in question, the problem I and/or my beta(s) have with it, and the page number) to a file, which also includes overarching changes (such as deciding to spell a last name differently), and words I notice I'm overusing. I will review this list once I've gone through the entire manuscript.

Once I get through all the chapters and review the above file, making decisions on those items, I will print the newly polished manuscript (in a different font, as the wise Holly Dodson advises), and read through one more time.

I'll fix whatever (hopefully) minor things I find, then it will be query time.

How does the final sweep of your work compare to mine? MAGGIE being my first novel, I've never done a final edit before querying, so I'd like to know how others go about it.

It feels like I could tinker forever, but I know I just have to get it out there.

The tortoise's goal

2011-02-24T10:48:00.004-05:00

For a few weeks now, I've been writing approximately 250 words every day, Monday - Friday. Right now, I have 4,927 words. That may not seem like a whole lot to a writer, but think back to when you were in school and a 1,200 word essay felt forever long.

Five-thousand words, while not a book, is still a lot of words. It's a 10th of a short YA novel. And a 10th plus a 10th plus a 10th... you get my picture... equals a novel.

I took a few months off after sending MAGGIE out to betas, and while it was fun and creatively necessary to take a break, I found myself itching to write again about a month ago. I wasn't ready to begin work on MAGGIE since I didn't have all my critiques back, so I started something new that had been swilling around in my head, an apocalyptic YA survival story.

I'm averaging 250 words in 15-30 minutes, depending on how distracted I am and how easily what I'm writing flows that day. If I could keep that pace up over many pages, I'd have a first draft in no time. But realistically, considering my temperament, environment, and attention span, it would be impossible (and undesirable) to align my expectations to that pace.

I'm going to keep writing 250 words a day as I polish PRODIGAL MAGGIE. Once I start querying, I'll up my daily goal to 1,000 words. For a 60k book, it would take me about 12 weeks to finish a first draft. That's significantly less time than it took me to pound out MAGGIE's first draft.

Maybe I'll find 1,000 words a day to be a breeze. Maybe some days I'll get on a roll and write double my goal. Maybe I'll realize 4 pages is just not realistic. I'll adjust as necessary.

Regardless, I've found that a goal, a systematic goal, no matter how large or small, provides me the best chance of finishing.

Do you have a concrete writing goal?

RTW: Lend me your ears... I mean, opinions!

2011-02-23T11:01:00.008-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

Interactive Q&A: post a question on your blog then travel the highway answering others' questions!

My question:

I am only 2 years into exploring the rich world of YA, but so far, I haven't found many books that fit one of my favorite reading niches:

contemporary or historical fiction (non-fantasy, non-sci-fi) about other cultures and countries, particularly those that involve:

War or times of extreme political/social upheaval (particularly the Holocaust and WWII)
Less-written-about places such as China, Japan, the Middle East, Russia, even Hawaii (i.e., SEA by Heidi R. Kling or SOLD by Patricia McCormick)
Immigrants or first-generation Americans (especially of Asian or Hispanic/Latino descent) (i.e., Bettina Restrepo's upcoming ILLEGAL)
Travel (i.e., 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES by Maureen Johnson or Kirsten Hubbard's upcoming WANDERLOVE)

I know they're out there, I just haven't discovered them yet (and if not, maybe one of us RTWers needs to write them), so... know any good books (YA or not) that fit these descriptions? I'd love to consider them for my bounteous to-read list!

Award season is upon us!

2011-02-22T11:09:00.002-05:00

Thank you to Pam & Quita, Glenna, and Rachel for the Stylish Blogger Award!

The rules of the award are:

Thank and link back to the bloggers who awarded you.
List 7 things about yourself.
Pass the award onto 7 more fabulously stylish bloggers.

7 Things About Me:

In 2009, Bear and I came down with swine flu at the same time. It was the sickest I've ever been in my life. Almost a week laying on a pallet by the bathroom door floating in and out of consciousness. Yeah.
I have never been very interested in driving. I finally got my license at 17 (a good year after everyone else), and only then because I needed a license to work, make money, and not depend on others for rides. To this day I hate driving. My brother, on the other hand, sees driving as a fun hobby.
Growing up, I wasn't interested in learning to cook. When Bear and I got married I could barely cook something simple like spaghetti. Five years later, I am now an excellent cook and an even better baker.
I am an extremely (extremely) picky eater, and most of what I cook I don't eat. Whenever I make something I don't like for dinner, Bear usually fixes me a big salad to go along with his meal.
My favorite snack is air-popped popcorn with fresh-grated parmesan cheese, salt, and melted margarine.
I have done so much traveling in the last 2 years (DC, NYC, Boston, Philly, Tennessee, Philly, London, NYC, New York — and I'm sure I'm forgetting something) that I am now slightly travel burnt-out.
When we went to Universal Studios in 2008, Bear had to practically drag me away from the Dino Lab in Islands of Adventure. I <3 dinosaurs!

7 Stylish Bloggers:

*Had they not already awarded me this award, I would be awarding it to them, so they are honorary awardees! (That was a lot of 'award's in one sentence!)

Review: LILY OF THE NILE by Stephanie Dray

2011-02-17T13:15:00.007-05:00

From Amazon.com:

With her parents dead, the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is left at the mercy of her Roman captors. Heir to one empire and prisoner of another, Princess Selene must save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers...

In the aftermath of Alexandria's tragic fall, Princess Selene is taken from Egypt, the only home she's ever known. Along with her two surviving brothers, she's put on display as a war trophy in Rome. Selene's captors mock her royalty and drag her through the streets in chains, but on the brink of death, the children are spared as a favor to the emperor's sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable embassy of royal orphans...

Trapped in a Roman court of intrigue that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her flesh. Nor can she stop the emperor from using her for his own political ends. Faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined to honor her mother's lost legacy. The magic of Egypt and Isis remain within her. Can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win or die?

The cover: The lilies, the cool reflecting pool, and Selene's gorgeous white toga drew me to the book. Though I never quite got to the point of imaging Selene this old, the model is lovely and does her justice beautifully.

The book: I love historical fiction, so when I came across a book about Roman and Egyptian history, I couldn't resist. Dray's debut, which is the first in a trilogy about Cleopatra's daughter, did not disappoint. Halfway through, I realized the book didn't feel like MG or YA. I'm not sure what reading level it is categorized. This was confusing, because I read the book courtesy of an ARC tour website that typically focuses on YA. However, it made no difference in my enjoyment of the book.

LILY OF THE NILE is narrated by Selene, daughter of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, looking back on the events of her late childhood and early teen years. Selene's narration is mature and engaging; so engaging, in fact, that I was confused and sad and angry right along with Selene as she struggled to find a place in her new home, a collection of Augustus Caesar's biological children, nieces and nephews, and the orphans of his great enemies, Marc Antony and Cleopatra.

Dray painted Augustus Caesar, Selene's twisted father figure and de-facto captor, realistically complex. I couldn't decide if he was good or bad; the true answer, I think, at least in respect to Selene's story (my background in this area of history isn't good enough to comment on the actual man) was that he was neither, making choices that were sometimes cruel and sometimes fair.

My favorite thing about LILY, though, was the setting. Dray did a marvelous job describing ancient Rome in beautiful detail, from flowers to architecture to fashion, in a vivid but not over-the-top way. Selene's fierce intelligence and relatable characterization certainly didn't hurt, either.

Recommended especially for: lovers of historical fiction, ancient societies, and MCs who are clever but unsure of themselves

Book courtesy of Star Book Tours.

Crit partners as royal marriages

2011-02-16T13:45:00.004-05:00

Critique partners are like royal marriages.

For centuries, it was customary for royals to marry only those of their social class, both to maintain 'pure blood' (hmmm, sound familiar?) and to strengthen diplomatic ties with other nations. As a result, nearly all European royal families are related. A king is far more willing to broker peace rather than declare war if his child or grandchild, cousin, niece or nephew sits on the throne of his 'enemy.'

King George and Czar Nicholas -
Note the family resemblance.

(Though war against family isn't always unavoidable - most famously during World War I, when King George V of Great Britain was forced to declare war on his cousins Czar Nicholas II of Russia and Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany.**)

Wars and cousins aside, critique partners are like royal marriages in that they further relationships and create bonds between aspiring authors, as well as forge interwoven networks of people with similar passions.

Carefully chosen critique partners are a great diplomatic tool in that, assuming these writing partnerships stem from or result in friendship, should a crit partner achieve success, you have not only a great ally in writing, but one with an audience and influence.

It's the accepted notion that if a writing buddy achieves success before you, you will be jealous — but a critique partner getting published, gaining a popular following, hitting the NYT bestseller list — that can only help you.

(See: the joint awesomeness of Stephanie Perkins and Kiersten White. Stephanie and Kiersten write completely different genres, but both blog and tweet about one another's work, widening their exposure for no reason other than they believe in one another and want to see each other do well.)

That's not to say you should choose your critique partners solely for social and diplomatic advantage. Not only is that not nice, but it might rule out potential critique partners that could do your writing a world of good. Maybe you know someone who isn't interested in publication, or maybe isn't a writer at all, but is uncanny at rooting out plot holes and making you dig deeper. That sounds like a pretty good crit partner to me.

My thought simply is, think carefully about your critique partners. Choose ones who are of your 'class,'* talent and commitment-wise. Choose ones who are kind and generous and will be there for a blurb or a guest post or a contest when they hit the big-time.

And if you are blessed enough to hit the big-time yourself, be willing to do the same for your critique partners.

*But let's forget about the pure blood thing. We <3 Mudbloods in writer-world, right?
**In doing research for this post, I came across this extremely interesting book which I will now be buying. I think I could read biography and memoir all day long and not get sick of it.

Blogosphere Lovefest Day: Lara Ehrlich

2011-02-14T11:28:00.003-05:00

Today, YA writers all over the blogosphere are joining together in a love blogfest. Each of us were assigned a bloggy Valentine. Head over to Kate Hart's blog to find the full list of who's matched with whom.

My bloggy Valentine is:

I've never met Lara, online or otherwise. Luckily, she has a great blog that allowed me to glean some information about her. So, those of you who know Lara, here's a refresher on why she's wonderful! Those who are meeting her for the first time, enjoy getting to know a little about one of our lovely fellow YAers!

Things I learned (and love!) about Lara:

Her last name is German, and I'm sure regularly butchered, but since she is extremely talented (check out the query for her novel THE HERO), and snagged uber-agent Michelle Andelman, I think we'll all know her name very soon (and know exactly how to spell it). Just think, Lara — once upon a time, people had trouble with Maggie Stiefvater's name, too.
Lara loves (or, her 14-year-old self loved) Leonardo DiCaprio. Lara, meet Pam and Quita. Pam and Quita, meet Lara.
She lives in a lovely, picturesque (possibly haunted?) farmhouse in Massachusetts.
Lara filled over 30 journals between the ages of 12 and 16, and she shares bits of her journals in her regular feature, Friday Angst — and her 14-and-15-year-old writing skills are as insightful and engaging as anything I've read by grown writers!
She has the most beautiful Twitter background I've ever seen.
Lara has an adorable kitty named Pickle who likes to invade her lap while she's typing (reminds me of one of my kitties...).

Check Lara out online:
Website/Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Flickr

Thank you to Kate Hart, Kristin Halbrook (formerly Miller), Tahereh Mafi, and Sarah Enni for organizing this awesome blogfest!

Happy Valentine's Day! Bear and I celebrated this weekend, but we're planning to make a very nice dinner tonight and then curl up to watch our favorite show, CASTLE. This is our 10th Valentine's Day together, and I'm so blessed to have him (as well as my family!) in my life.

Who are you grateful for this Valentine's Day?

Winner winner chicken dinner

2011-02-12T14:21:00.003-05:00

Ah, a Saturday post. These don't happen very often, but I have a full schedule already planned next week, so...

I'm learning that the more laidback the contest, the more fun I (and you!) have with it, so expect more of my upcoming contests to be in this vein (though I am toying with the idea of a writing contest in the near future, too.)

Without further adieu (and I completely had to look up how to spell that)!

The winner of the box of books is

Lisa R/alterlisa

The author swag winners are

Miranda @ My Eclectic Bookshelf

Congratulations all!

Winners, email your mailing address to abby@abbystevens.com by Wednesday, 2/16 or I will be forced to pick a new winner (sad face).

Thank you to everyone who tweeted, posted links on your sidebar, and otherwise spread the word. It is deeply appreciated!

Also, what kind of prize do you think would be worth the work involved in a writing contest (a short piece, under 1,000 words)?

RTW: Lovely literary love

2011-02-09T14:33:00.006-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

Who are your favorite literary couples? You know — the ones you like by themselves, but LOVE together!

Ron and Hermione are the obvious Weasley choice, but I'm going with a couple of Weasley couples who get far less credit for their loving, functional relationships:

Arthur and Molly Weasley, HARRY POTTER

Mrs. Weasley: Arthur, is that you?

Mr. Weasley: Yes. But I would say that even if I were a Death Eater, dear. Ask the question!

Mrs. Weasley: Oh, honestly...

Mr. Weasley: Molly!

Mrs. Weasley: All right, all right... What is your dearest ambition?

Mr. Weasley: To find out how aeroplanes stay up.

[Mrs. Weasley goes to open the door]

Mr. Weasley: Molly! I've got to ask you your question first!

Mrs. Weasley: Arthur, really, this is just silly...

Mr. Weasley: What do you like me to call you when we're alone together?

Mrs. Weasley: [whisper] Mollywobbles.

Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, HARRY POTTER

Mrs. Weasley: Of course, it doesn't matter how he looks...It's not r-really important... but he was a very handsome little b-boy... always very handsome... and he was g-going to be married!

Fleur: And what do you mean by zat? What do you mean, 'e was going to be married?

Mrs. Weasley: Well — only that —

Fleur: You theenk Bill vill not wish to marry me anymore? You theenk, because of zees bites, he vill not love me?

Mrs. Weasley: No, that's not what I —

Fleur: Because 'e vill! It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!

Edward Ferrars and Elinor Dashwood, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY*

*Having not read the book, but thoroughly loved the movie, I base this pick on the assumption that the love between Edward and Elinor is as mature and level-headed in the book as in the 1995 film.

Edward: Your friendship has been the most important of my life.

Elinor: You will always have it.

Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara, GONE WITH THE WIND

[Scarlett realizes Rhett has witnessed her arguing with, and slapping, Ashley Wilkes.]

Scarlett: Sir, you... you should have made your presence known.

Rhett: In the middle of that beautiful love scene? That wouldn't be very tactful, would it? But don't worry, your secret is safe with me.

Scarlett: Sir, you are no gentleman.

Rhett: And you, miss, are no lady... Don't think that I hold that against you. Ladies have never held any charm for me.

Honorable Mention: Jacob Black and Bella Swan, TWILIGHT

Sure, they didn't end up together, but I think Jake and Bella made the better couple. And not because I didn't like the Cullens. I thought Edward was a thoughtful character (anyone who's read what exists of MIDNIGHT SUN can atest to that), but not right for Bella. We are told throughout the series that Bella is more mature than her peers, but really, what would a vampire with 90-something years life experience, multiple degrees, and the ability to have anyone see in her? Besides the fact he couldn't read her thoughts, I'm coming up empty. And despite any and all reasoning, I like Bella and Jacob better together.

Who are your favorite literary couples? Won't you join us over on the Highway and answer this week's literary love prompt?

Rewrite That! Blogfest: 10 Things I Hate About Humans

2011-02-08T14:28:00.003-05:00

Today's the day!

My first blogfest turned out to be just me and the colored-lipstick-wearing samurai herself, Glenna Walsh, but it was so much fun writing this and reading Glenna's scene! I've never written anything remotely paranormal, so I had a great time with it. And please check out Glenna's entry, which may or may not involve a certain Mean Girl and zombies.

EDIT: Rachel Bateman was able to participate, too! Check out her entry here.

10 Things I Hate About Humans

Screeeeeeeeech.

A microphone too close to its receiver made Kat and her teammates clamp their hands and paws and fins to their ears.

Idiots, Kat thought, eyeing the press box at the top of the stadium with disdain. She returned to her task, weaving a soccer ball expertly between orange cones.

"It's just too good to be true... can't keep my eyes off of you..."

Kat's head snapped up. The checkered ball outran her, exhausting its energy four or five feet away. She knew that voice.

Noooooo.

It was outlandish. It was crazy. It was something one of her sister Bianca's wannabe boyfriends would do to catch her fickle attention.

He wouldn't, he wouldn't, he wouldn't.

And yet there he was, microphone in hand, meandering down the bleachers as if singing an old love song in front of a hundred paranormals was normal as night.

Patrick winked somewhere over Kat's head. The drum major's whistle sounded.

The marching band chimed in, a grand accompaniment to his ridiculous croon. Kat couldn't help smiling at the werewolves clanging cymbals, the vamps puffing into clarinets, the ghouls banging on the timpanis, even Yeti Jim on his tuba, marching in formation across the astroturf, instruments swinging side to side.

Patrick ran back and forth across the bleachers, free hand in the air, waving it around in a poor imitation of Fred Astaire. Samantha Starlock grinned and flicked Kat with her green tail. Teammates pointed, smiled, and held their hands to their brows in mock swoons.

Kat was going to kill him.

At least, that's what she told herself. The laugh escaping her lips, the tension flowing from her shoulders, spoke otherwise.

"I love you, baby, and if it's quite alright, I need you, baby, to warm the lonely nights..."

Bystanders clapped along from the stands. Kat registered Luella Winchester, resident poltergeist, ogling Patrick's dark brown curls. She never had liked that girl. Too transparent.

Instinctively, Kat uncrossed her arms and edged toward the bleachers.

"I love you, baby, trust in me when I say... oh pretty baby, don't bring me down I pray."

Movement in Kat's periphery distracted her. Patrick followed her eyes to the green, bobble-headed security guards scaling the steps. He grinned even bigger. "Oh pretty baby, now that I found you, stay."

He plopped down in section 110 and waved cheekily to the guards. "And let me love yoooooou, oh baby, let me love you."

He balanced his chin in his hand and looked to Kat, batting his lashes comically.

Kat reached into her duffel bag, grasping for her wand as the goons approached. Patrick was only human, after all. She had to protect him from the aliens' harsh grip.

Patrick held his wrists up, surrendering to their suction-cup fingers. Kat groaned and pointed her wand, bracing for the consequences.

Just as the security guard reached to grab him, Patrick jumped up and dodged left. The crowd cheered, the hoarse werewolves' howls mingling with the vamps' cultured accents and the mer cheerleaders' high squeals as they leaned over the edge of their practice tank.

Patrick held his hands out questioningly, eyes connecting with Kat's in a moment that would've been followed by some kind of earth-shattering sound effect if her life were a movie.

Kat jerked her chin slightly. Her grip loosened on her wand.

Yes.

From the spring in his dancing strides as Portland Paranormal High School security chased him across the bleachers, Kat knew he'd understood perfectly.

In case you haven't seen it, this is the original that inspired my blogfest entry. My version isn't nearly as good as the movie, but it was fun all the same!

Close to the heart

2011-02-07T13:32:00.003-05:00

Some of you may have noticed the black logo on my sidebar. It's been there since my blog's first month.

I'm not one for public soapbox displays, but I'll be a soldier's sister 'til the day I die, and one of the things I feel most strongly about is ensuring our physically and psychologically wounded service members receive the utmost care and maintenance of dignity upon return from war.

Blogging is about sharing a little of who you are, right? Well, this is a cause I care about to the core of my being. So you don't have to agree with the organization's aims (though I ardently hope you do), but to understand this is to understand one of my strongest passions. And if in the process, this post informs a person about WWP who might otherwise not have known about it, all the better.

Below is a video illustrating a small slice of what makes Wounded Warrior Project a worthy organization. If you're inspired to give, great. But I'm not asking for your money.

Prayers, thoughts, and support make all the difference in the world.

Bittersweet technology

2011-02-02T15:01:00.002-05:00

Technology is a funny thing.

Digital photography has revolutionized the act of taking a picture. It's made professional photography a calling for the masses. Allowed us to take as many pictures as we'd like, experiment without the expense of developing film, let us know instantly whether a photo is what we envisioned.

It's also taken some of the specialness out of snapping a picture.

For those of you in your 20s and older, do you remember how cool it was having your picture taken by a Polaroid camera? It was like... whoa... me... picture... developed... instantly.

The affordability of digital cameras has afforded us an arrogance that's leeched meaning from both the process and the product.

For example: sometimes I think I try too hard to capture every moment, and maybe along the way, I'm missing a little of the magic.

This was illustrated to me by (I believe) two Dutch men back in August. Ash and I booked tickets to ride The London Eye at sunset while we were in England, and there we were, snap-snap-snapping pictures, trading cameras with the other people in our pod so we could all have pictures of ourselves against the dazzling backdrop of the budding London night. I asked one of the Dutch men if he would take a picture of Bear and I, which he did gladly. Then I asked if he'd like me to take a picture of him and his friend. He politely declined.

"We got a few photos," he said. "Now we're just soaking it in."

That made me think. I've had a digital camera since 2003, and at least half the time I leave the house to go to dinner or the park or the beach, my camera is in my purse. In some ways, having the camera is fun. It gives you something to do when your food takes too long to arrive, or when the sun's rays are just too hot and you have to retreat to the shade for a bit.

At some point, though, the camera takes over the experience, and you are no longer capturing moments, you're manufacturing photo-ops.

This makes me sound like all I do is sit behind a camera and click — that's not true. I'm mindful of the moment. But I can do a better job of taking a few great pictures and then retiring the camera for the night.

Not only would that free me to actually enjoy the company of those I would otherwise be click-click-clicking, it would limit my options when it comes time to transfer the pictures to my computer. Because, um... raise your hand if you have too many pictures on your hard drive. Now raise your other hand if you can't remember the last time you actually had pictures developed.

Yeah.

It's overwhelming: going through folder after folder, wading through fuzzy shots and poor lighting and series of pictures that are all basically the same and trying to figure out which of the 100-and-something shots of that night at Red Lobster is worth paying 25 cents per picture for...

I have an album of mine and Bear's first year together. After that, I got a digital camera and, save our wedding photos, pretty much stopped getting pictures developed.

It's high time I change that. I'm pledging now to be more mindful of the photos I take, and how long I take them. I don't need 10 shots of the same flower. I don't need 200 pictures from our annual Christmas party. What I want is meaningful shots. An album of them. Dedicated to preserving mine and Bear's life experiences, so that once the bright memories of today fade, I'll have tangible reminders of life back when the second millenium was new.

I think my future self will thank me.

I have too many books! (CONTEST)

2011-02-01T10:44:00.004-05:00

Like most readers, I have a finite amount of space to dedicate to books.

Like most writers, I have waaaaay too many books.

Therefore, I've decided to purge all the doubles I've won in contests, books I enjoyed but probably won't read again (which isn't a knock at any of these books. I have so much to read, I only reread my very favorites), etc. Some books are going to my local VA, some I'm giving to family, and some are going to YOU, my readers!

That's right, one lucky follower will win an entire BOX of (lightly loved) books!

TITHE by Holly Black
DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver (ARC)
FALLEN by Lauren Kate
EVERMORE by Alyson Noel
THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
SEA by Heidi R. Kling
CRANK by Ellen Hopkins
GLASS by Ellen Hopkins

EDIT: Since I've hit 150 followers, I'll also throw in some signed author swag I've been saving! (The winner of the books will get one signed item from Leah Clifford and Bree Despain, and the rest will go to other winners.)

THE RULES:
☆ To enter, leave me a comment.
☆ Must be a follower.
☆ Contest ends Friday, February 11th.
☆ Box of books US only. International entries welcome for author swag.
☆ You may receive 1 additional entry by tweeting OR adding the contest to your sidebar. No links necessary, but do let me know you get an extra entry in your comment.
☆ If you would like to spread the word, below is a ready-made tweet for you:

To make room on her shelves, @thetabbycatt is giving away a whole box of YA books (plus signed swag)! http://tinyurl.com/6yhspz9

ALSO, I am hosting a blogfest on February 8th. Check it out and sign up if you're interested in participating (and participants, feel free to grab this button for your blog)!

Give and take

2011-01-27T09:08:00.004-05:00

We can apply this lesson to nearly anything — work and play, spend and save, want and need. One of the greatest issues people struggle with, especially in a culture where the "We Can Have It All" anthem is blared on metaphorical repeat from the time we are children, is finding balance. So far, one of the most rewarding aspects of getting older is finding balance in my life, one teensy bit at a time.

One of the areas I've struggled most to achieve balance in is saying no and not letting myself be taken advantage of. You know those people who are kind to a fault? Yeah. That's me.

I used to offer my time freely. I was a very helpful person. I was that person you could always count on. It made me feel good. I'd go totally out of my way for someone, bend over backwards, every other helpful cliche you could think of. That was me.

And I got burned.

It got to the point where I had unwittingly surrounded myself with chronic takers. Maybe they didn't mean to, maybe they did. Either way, my life was full of people who had no problem asking for more but gave little or nothing back. It was particularly bad around the time I quit my job to write. So many people felt I had nothing better to do than help them with their junk work.

Eventually, I got burned out. I felt used up, taken for granted. It affected my self-esteem. I couldn't grasp why, when I was being so kind, I kept getting selfishness back. And it wasn't like I was recording everything I'd ever done for anybody and was upset the friendship wasn't reciprocated quid pro quo. It was that I was there, there, there, but when I needed something, even simple things... crickets chirped.

I stopped giving. I stopped doing anything for anyone. Need help? Oh, sorry. I can't. I'm not becoming that person again. It was hard — I hate saying no, and I hate disappointing people, but after a while I began to feel better.

Slowly, I became someone completely against my nature, completely against my beliefs. I was snuffing out one of the best aspects of my personality.

After talking it over with my family and praying, I realized that I needn't change who I was. I needn't fret over the selfish nature of others. What I needed to do was change my reaction. I realized I didn't owe anyone anything, no matter how or how many times they asked. Especially if it wasn't convenient for me.

I've learned to say, "Sorry, that doesn't work for me," and, "I appreciate you thinking of me, but that isn't possible right now," and a couple other stock phrases that help me say no. It sounds cheesy, but when you're grasping for the right words and your nature so wants to blurt out, "Sure!" even though you know you can't/shouldn't, it helps.

I still struggle with saying no. I want so badly to be nice and help out. But I know from experience that if I don't respect my time and talent, others won't either.

Don't let people use you. But don't stopper your kindness, either.

Rewrite That! Blogfest: Teen Movies With a Twist

2011-01-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

One of my New Year's resolutions was to be more involved in the blogosphere through group activities, so let me introduce my debut blogfest series, Rewrite That!

February's topic is:

Teen Movies with a Twist

Rewrite a scene from your favorite teen movie. To make it interesting, you must include at least one paranormal or mythological creature. 1,000 word maximum.

Here's how it works:

1. Sign up using the form below.
2. On February 8th, post your entry on your blog.
3. Come back here to view everyone’s entries!
4. One random participant will win a book (title TBA).

Not the usual Twitter tips

2011-01-24T13:12:00.002-05:00

Last week, Nathan Bransford posted some excellent tips for using Twitter. I thought about skipping the post simply because it seems like, well, everyone has written a Twitter tips post. I'm glad I checked it out though, because he breaks down the Twitter process and provides a couple tips I'd never heard in regard to picking a Twitter handle (the shorter the better!) and @ replies (hint: there are strategic ways to ensure that more or less people see what you're saying).

Of course, I have my own 2¢ ideas about Twitter:

Be yourself.

This can be more difficult than you'd think. For instance, I come off super serious to people who don't know me well, but I actually have a quite silly (think singing and dancing and talking in accents and sometimes even singing in an accent while dancing) sense of humor. That doesn't really come across in my Twitter feed or on my blog.

It's easy to meld into the general snarkability that permeates Twitter (maybe it's the character limit that does it), but I'm not a particularly sarcastic, sardonic, or snarky person, so sometimes I struggle to find ways to be part of the conversation without defaulting to that. However, it is important to be your authentic self, so try, try, try to find a way to show your unique brand of humor, insight, and helpfulness.

Don't follow too many people.

This means don't feel you have to follow every person who follows you. This is probably the most arguable of my tips, but my thought is that, yes, you might gain followers more quickly if you go out and follow a whole bunch of people (and this applies to blog followers, too), but you'll be gaining followers you aren't really interested in following (and vice versa). I'd rather have 100 followers who are honestly interested in what I have to say than have an additional hundred who only followed me because I followed them, or added me because of bloggy politic. Plus, it clogs your Twitter feed with people you don't have a genuine interest in.

Use Tweetdeck*.

*There are lots of third-party Twitter programs, some more useful and legitimate than others. I know Tweetdeck works, which is why I recommend it. This doesn't mean others aren't great, too.

I try to stay away from blogging and tweeting on the weekends, so back when I used Twitter.com to view my account, I'd have to scroll all the way through my feed on Mondays to catch up on what happened while I was offline. Way too time-consuming, and suddenly, Twitter wasn't fun anymore. With Tweetdeck, I'm able to create columns of what I want to see. I have columns for:

Everyone I follow
People whose tweets I don't want to miss (the member list is private, so there's no politics or hurt feelings)
Mentions (anytime someone @'s me, it shows up in this column)
Direct messages
And a search for my Twitter handle, which picks up when someone mentions 'thetabbycatt' but forgets to @ it. (This happens more often than you might think)

The mention column is the most useful because I can step away from Twitter for the weekend, come back, and know I haven't missed/accidentally ignored anyone talking to me directly. And although the columns are similar to lists on Twitter, having everything laid out across the screen together makes it so much easier to keep up.

And that's not to mention the ease with which you can edit a retweet, upload a picture to your choice of image website, or the fact that Tweetdeck will automatically shorten a long URL to your choice of address-condenser.

Nothing is perfect, and I have noticed occasionally (a few times a week) when I tweet it doesn't go through, especially with direct messages or RTs. However, the benefits significantly outweigh the drawbacks, and using Tweetdeck has greatly enriched and simplified my Twitter experience.

Do you have any great Twitter tips? Tell me in the comments!

Questions about social media

2011-01-20T12:24:00.003-05:00

I won one of the prizes in Kathleen Ortiz's TCUHBIP contest and will be Skype-ing (Skyping?) with lit assistant Meredith Barnes and agent KOrtizzle about social media platforms and online marketing soon.

I have a list of questions, but I would love additional suggestions for questions/topics.

I really want to get the most out of this chat! :)

What would YOU ask if you were chatting with Kathleen and Mer?

RTW: Blurbs & betas

2011-01-19T13:12:00.005-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

Blurb it! Write a blurb for your favorite book or your own work.

Now, 'blurb' can be taken two ways: a short, smart recommendation debut authors beg established authors for (or in a general sense, a short, smart recommendation one author makes for another author's book), OR the short description that appears on the back/inside flap of a book.

I'm a lot more comfortable creating the second kind of blurb for my own novel, but I'm also terribly paranoid about publishing information about MAGGIE online (because yes, technically anything a person posts online, except in private forums, is "published"), so I'm going to go with the first definition (the broader one, anyway) and blurb two great beta reads I had the privilege of critiquing last year:

RELIANCE by Sarah Enni

"A tender story of two teens in sleepy Reliance, Texas, as newcomer Poppy and born-and-bred Rey are pushed to the limit by absent parents, family secrets, and the pressures of small-town life. You'll see the sun rising over the dusty highway. You'll hear the warbling country songs on Rey's old truck radio. And you'll want to run away with Poppy and Rey again and again."

EIGHTEEN MONTHS OF OCTAVIA HEATH (screenplay) by Glenna Walsh

Credit

"A snappy, insightful character study of a one-woman recipe for dysfunction: Vee is a helping of tragedy, a dash of hair dye, a smattering of sarcasm, and a full portion of a man who might just teach her how to stop running. If Juno was a damaged, 20-something European, this would be her story."

If you blurbed any book, be it your WIP, a favorite book, or a beta's WIP, what would it be and what would you say?

Review: WITHER by Lauren DeStefano

2011-01-18T15:40:00.005-05:00

WITHER by Lauren DeStefano
Young Adult
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Hardcover, 368 pages
March 22, 2011

From Goodreads.com:

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

The cover: Am I the only one who thinks the cover model looks like Lauren Conrad? I was drawn to the cover because — Hey! Is that Lauren Conrad? — but the geometric designs, which continue throughout the book, and the juxtaposition of soft, flowing dress versus wild, frizzy hair piqued my interest. The cover is more symbolic than literal, but it does a lovely job in conveying DeStefano's dark, lush setting, as well as main character Rhine's deep inner conflict.

The book: I love the name Rhine, and I was relieved that her twin was not called Rhone.

As the narrator, Rhine is very aware of herself, even as she tries to define her own intense, contentious emotions and the motivations of those around her. WITHER is a harrowing but captivating read. Each time I set it down, I itched to pick it back up, wondering what the next page would bring.

Rhine and her sister wives are vividly painted. I was pleased that Ms. DeStefano did not take the very done route of jealous wives fighting over their shared husband. WITHER is deeper than that, and while the relationship between Rhine and her sister wives is complicated, and at times tinged with jealousy, it is not the defining factor in their interactions. The details of Rhine's life within her captor/husband's mansion, as well as her longing to be free, even at the cost of security, are richly depicted, though I would have liked a clearer physical description of Linden and his menacing father, Housemaster Vaughn.

The way in which the world, post-apocalypse, actually functioned left me confused. Sometimes the world seemed desolate and desperate, and sometimes it seemed as if nothing but the addition of new technologies and the shortening of human lives had changed. Maybe this is Ms. DeStefano's intention, to underscore the fact that society had digressed into one of extreme haves and have-nots, where some live like rats and others like kings?

The Chemical Garden Trilogy, of which WITHER is the first book, has me intrigued. After finishing WITHER, I ran to the computer to see if any information was available about the second book, but so far, no luck. I wonder how the rest of the trilogy will proceed. Will we pick up Rhine's story? Other characters from Linden and Vaughn's world? Rhine's brother, Rowan? Or will it go in a direction like Susan Beth Pfeffer's LIFE AS WE KNEW IT books, in which a new set of characters within the same world are introduced? Ms. DeStefano offers a few clues, but I look forward to finding out for sure when a description of the second book comes out.

Recommended especially for: Lovers of dystopian, strong female characters, and stories about longing for freedom.

ARC courtesy of Holly Dodson.

RTW: A MAGGIE tidbit

2011-01-12T10:44:00.006-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which YA Highwayers discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

What's your favorite line of your WIP (or of a recently read book, if you're not writing anything)?

In PRODIGAL MAGGIE, some of my best lines come from bickering brothers Winter and Hunter. This is an argument between them. The first speaker is Hunter:

"I know everything about her – she's fascinating, she's beautiful – what's not to like?"

"You know what she's told me. That's not the same as knowing everything about her. She's boring. And timid. And too damn polite."

"How can you be too polite?"

"Trust me. You can be and she is. The girl's like warm cardboard."

Hunter bristled. "Stop insulting me girl or I'll kick your arse."

And here's a line about Ainne, Winter and Hunter's older sister:

Ainne stiffened mid-stride. She turned slowly, unsheathed a dagger with a turquoise hilt from her belt, and rubbed the blade lovingly. "Do you know how easy it would be to shove this through your temple?" She tapped her own temple lightly and smiled.

So tell me! What are your favorite lines, either from your own work or someone else's?

Sneak peeks & excerpts

2011-01-11T15:54:00.001-05:00

I read the first 111 pages of Beth Revis' ACROSS THE UNIVERSE today online (legally, of course).

I cannot wait to read the rest.

When PARANORMALCY came out, HarperTeen teased with the first 70-something (I think) pages. I gobbled them up, then bought the book and finished it.

If a book's good and you get me hooked (as Revis' and White's novels did), I'm going to find a way to finish it (legally, of course!).

Which one would think might help sales. Just a tad, you know?

PARANORMALCY was a New York Times Bestseller, so HarperTeen did something right. With the buzz surrounding UNIVERSE, I can't help but think it will be equally as successful.

Do you think releasing the first several chapters (or, in the case of UNIVERSE, a sizeable chunk of the book) boosts a book's sales?

The first 111 pages of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE can be found online from 11:11am-11:11pm EST today. If you weren't sure about this book before, I think you will be after reading this extended excerpt!

Vlog vlooooog VEE-log(?!)

2011-01-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about vlogging (boy, that's a weird word).

But I'm slightly frightened. Because, you know, it's a vlog.

So a question, fair readers:

What are your favorite kinds of vlogs? What would you like to see me talk about in a vlog? And how on earth do you actually pronounce it? 'Vee-log' or 'vlog?'*

Also, anyone interested in participating in a vlog roundup - sort of a mini-version of YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday but with video responses instead of blog posts? Let me know in the comments or email me at abby@abbystevens.com for more info!

*I imagine it should be 'vlog' because we don't say 'bee-log,' but doesn't 'vlog' just sound awkward to you?

36 in 365 2011

2011-01-07T10:37:00.012-05:00

2011 marks the third year I've made the resolution to read 3 books per month. I haven't hit my goal either year, but here's to trying!

2009 list
2010 list

2011

January
1. ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins
2. VICTORIA VICTORIOUS by Jean Plaidy
3. WITHER by Lauren DeStefano (ARC)
4. LILY OF THE NILE by Stephanie Dray

February
5. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis
6. XVI by Julia Karr

March
7. THE SWEETEST THING by Christina Mandelski (ARC)

April
8. THE ORCHID AFFAIR by Lauren Willig
9. POSSESSION by Elana Johnson (ARC)
10. ILLEGAL by Bettina Restrepo
11. BUMPED by Megan McCafferty

May
12. SPOILED by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
13. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sarah Gruen

June
14. FLY AWAY HOME by Jennifer Weiner
15. DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

New year, new goals

2011-01-04T12:59:00.002-05:00

Of course, resolution time! Let's see how I did with my 2010 resolutions*:

1. Continue to write blogs regularly (my aim is twice a week, Monday and Thursday) ✓ X ?

I took a long hiatus this summer to finish edits on MAGGIE. Besides that 2.5ish month stretch, though, I blogged regularly, often more than twice a week.

2. Create a more professional look for the blog ✓ X ?

The overall look of my blog hasn't changed since I first moved from a Blogger ready-made layout to the one I created in November 2009. However, I have tweaked small things that I hope gives my blog an air of professionalism. In early December, I redesigned my blog and actually put the new layout up for about a hour, but I missed the old layout and put it back up. I'm not sure when I'll update my layout, but I continue to work on making visiting my blog an easy, stream-lined experience.

3. Get http://www.abbystevens.com/ working properly (I still have to tweak several settings) ✓

I did this in January, and got my abby@abbystevens.com working properly in April. Got a PO Box and ordered business cards, too.

4. Gain readers (I want to set a number for this but have no idea what is reasonable... may update this after some thought) ✓

I had 100 in mind when I wrote this but didn't put an exact number out of fear, though I was at 143 on 12/31/10, so I did reach my goal.

5. Establish connections with other writer bloggers ✓✓✓✓✓

This is the resolution that I have met over and over, and the one that made the biggest impact on my writing. I've made so many amazing bloggy friends, especially through YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesdays.

Thank you Glenna, Rachel (hers and Kiersten White's were the very first YA writing blogs I discovered once I realized what I was writing was YA, and that it was a whole huge market I hadn't been aware of), Sarah, Pam & Quita, and all my other beta, bloggy, and Twitter friends-of-awesome. Thank you, as the Golden Girls would say, for being a friend!

This time last year, I looked at the friendship between Kiersten White, Stephanie Perkins, and Natalie Whipple and wondered if I'd ever make connections like that. Now I know it just takes being yourself, time, and patience. :)

My 2011 writing resolutions:

Finish the final round of edits on PRODIGAL MAGGIE.
Query.
Find an agent.**
Get a publishing deal.**
Begin work on a new project once MAGGIE's off to queryland.

My 2011 blogging resolutions:

Reach 300 followers.
Be more prompt in responding to comments.
Write flash fiction posts.
Participate in blogging 'community' activities and special events (if you're thinking of doing something, such as a contest, workshop, short story round robin, etc., let me know!)

And now readers, I beg your opinion to help me gauge the direction of this blog over the next year: What do you like on this blog? What do you dislike? What would you like to see more or less of? Do you have any suggestions for new content or features? And finally, how was your Christmas break? (I was very busy the first half and did, gloriously, very little except hang out with Bear during the second half, which made it perfect.)

*I will talk about my 36 in 365 challenge results on Thursday.
**I consider these half-resolutions because if you've done your research and done your best, the publishing process beyond the querying stage is largely out of your hands. One of my personal resolutions is to not stress about things I can't control. ;)

Each day's a gift and not a given right.

2010-12-22T12:25:00.004-05:00

Each day's a gift and not a given right - Nickelback

I was going to do YA Highway, but then I read this post by Sarah Enni.

Please go read it. I'll wait while you do.

...
...
...

Thank you.

Sarah's post is a reminder for so many things.

As Christmas approaches, please remember to enjoy it.

Live each day so that if you never get tomorrow, you'll have as few regrets as possible.

Tell the people you love that you love them, every time they walk out the door and every time you get off the phone.

Take a deep breath before arguing. Decide if it's really worth it (this one I especially can work on).

Avoid fighting unless you really have to, but don't let anyone run you over either.

Be deliberate in your actions. Think before you speak.

As Sarah said, follow your dreams.

Choose to be happy. It's okay to be sad, to grieve, to be down, but getting back up is vital.

And always be kind, especially to the ones who really need it.

I'm closing shop for the holidays to spend time with my family. I wish each and every one of you a safe, loving Christmas. It's looking like it might be a White Christmas for us, which would be a first in my life, so I'm very excited for that possibility.

See y'all in 2011!

Mistakes in blog posts

2010-12-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday when Bear read my blog, he noticed 2 mistakes; one was a word left out, the other a word spelled wrong.

*Slaps forehead*

It made me cringe because less than a month ago, I spelled a word in a post's title wrong. Granted, mistakes happen. Before posting, I copy and paste my blog preview into Word and spell check it. But spell check doesn't catch missing words, and for whatever reason, it didn't flag the word I misspelled in yesterday's post (I suspect it's a case of my being too quick to 'Add to Dictionary' at some point in the past). The mistake in my blog title happened because I didn't copy and paste the title over to Word that particular day.

*Slaps forehead again*

If you ever notice a mistake on my blog, whether it be a typo, a missing word, a factual error, a broken link, whatever, please feel free to tell me. I'd much rather a reader tell me 2 hours after I post than my husband have to point it out 8 hours later.

Obviously, it is not my readers' responsibility to edit my blog posts for me; it is my responsibility to post blogs as error-free as I possibly can. But pointing a mistake out by emailing the blog owner (as opposed to putting it in the comments — although I would still rather someone point it out in the comments than not at all) is a kind thing to do.

There is a published author whose blog is consistently riddled with spelling errors and typos. This turns me off to their work, and makes me feel they are careless at best, disrespectful of their readers' intelligence at worst. I don't ever want to turn anyone — whether it be an agent, an editor, or a single reader — off from my work because of a mistake on my blog. Because I'm certainly not careless. In fact, I care very much. But I'm not perfect, either.

What do you do when you notice mistakes on other blogs? Do you prefer people tell you if they spot mistakes on your own blog?

Beta reactions

2010-12-20T14:07:00.002-05:00

(For the purpose of this blog, the terms beta and critique are used interchangeably.)

PRODIGAL MAGGIE is my first novel, so I'm still new to the critique process, both as a critiquer and the critiquee. Heck, I didn't even know what a beta was until about a year ago.

And let me tell you, I had so many fears:

I worried my betas would think MAGGIE was total garbage, or they'd say it was good while secretly detesting it. I worried they wouldn't get my book. I worried they would tear it to shreds (deservedly or not) and I would be left devastated and discouraged.

But I have awesome betas, and my fears were completely unfounded.

I've received preliminary (good) feedback from several betas already, but today I received my first full critique in the mail. I read the summary sheet Sarah so kindly included, flipped through my manuscript, page by page, taking in her thoughts, and then set it aside to let the information stew (I'm waiting to tackle my next set of edits until after the New Year).

First, I am so impressed and appreciative of Sarah's thoughtful and thorough critique. MAGGIE will be a better book because of her feedback.

Second, I was pleasantly surprised. According to Sarah's critique (and this may change as other betas' feedback trickles in — though I hope it doesn't), I have a lot less to fix than I thought. It seems most of the problems are fairly minor. They will require hard work to fix, but there's no ohmygoodness I hate this entire subplot or, your main character is unrelatable or, worst of all, this book is boring.

The majority of the issues she raised, I either sorta knew it was an issue but was hoping it really wasn't, or I didn't realize it was an issue but completely agree it needs fixing now that I'm aware of it. I finished writing the end of MAGGIE in the middle of the night and was incredibly uncertain as to the effectiveness of it. But, there didn't seem to be much of an issue with the ending, which makes me go whew!

Sarah also allayed my fear that MAGGIE was not strong as a stand-alone novel. I've got a basic plot for a sequel drawn up in my head, but I think I'd rather explore other ideas before jumping back into Maggie's world. And assuming I do ever get published, I'm not sure if I'd rather go the Kiersten White/Andrea Cremer route and debut with a series, one book published directly after the other, or the Jackson Pearce route, in which she writes one stand-alone at a time.

And, on a slightly different note, you know how you sometimes read something you wrote and are happily surprised by how good it is?

Well, since Bear's been reading MAGGIE, every once in a while he'll burst out laughing and point out a phrase or sentence that is completely bizarre. As in, if I read the phrase in someone else's manuscript, I would think they were on something. I can't recall examples at the moment, but next time he happens across one, I'll try to remember to share it.

It's funny because with some sections of my book, I recall very specifically where I was and what I was doing when I wrote it, and with others, the words feel alien and apart from me. And these bizarre little phrases feel very alien to me. Not because they're bad — heck, I know I'm capable of bad writing — but because they're just that darn strange.

What about you? How have your recent beta experiences (as the author or the beta) gone? Do you ever find phrases in your own writing that surprise you?

RTW: On a serious note, Santa...

2010-12-15T16:51:00.001-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which contributors discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

You spot Santa at the mall, climb onto his lap, and whisper that you've been a good boy or girl in his ear. What do you want Santa to bring you this year? Go wild! Have fun! After all, you earned it!

I don't mean to spoil the fun spirit of this week's RTW (which is an awesome topic), but really, if I could have anything...

My brother, Iraq, Christmas 2007

I'd want my brother home safe in the States.

If Santa could fit the other 100,000 troops in Afghanistan and 50,000 troops in Iraq in his sleigh, that'd pretty much make not just my day or my Christmas, it'd make my universe.

As we celebrate Christmas, keep in mind how many empty chairs and heavy hearts there are around the country, spouses and parents and children and siblings missing their Soldier or Sailor or Marine or Airman with all their might.

My brother's unit has lost so many men this deployment. One is far too many, but the number of men they've lost is... I can't imagine a strong enough word, but let's just say it's devastating. As Christmas approaches, I think about and pray for my brother's safety and well-being, and I also think of the names and faces of the men we've lost, imagine what this Christmas must be like for their loved ones...

It breaks my heart. It makes me appreciate what I have.

If you come across a service member or their family this Christmas, please thank them. It will mean more than you know.

Lazy Monday

2010-12-13T08:37:00.001-05:00

(To the tune of 'Lazy Sunday'): Lazy Monday, wake up in the early morning to see snow. Too tired to think straight, so take this meme post.

Just kidding.

Obviously, I'm no Andy Samberg. Or Chris Parnell.

Seriously, though. It's snowing (we hardly ever get snow this early) and for some reason that puts me in a very lazy mood, even though I have plenty to do. So enjoy this meme, stolen from Sarah Enni, who stole it from Kate Hart, who stole it from Courtney Summers.

Five books I’ve read recently:

RELIANCE by Sarah Enni
THE FALSE PRINCESS by Eilis O'Neal
THE HUNTER'S MOON by O.R. Melling
THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger
PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White

Five books I’m planning to read (in the near future):

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins
VICTORIA VICTORIOUS by Jean Plaidy
XVI by Julia Karr
ILLEGAL by Bettina Restrepo
HARRY POTTER FILM WIZARDRY

Five of my favorite books:

GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell
HARRY POTTER by JK Rowling
WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks
BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY by Helen Fielding
IN HER SHOES by Jennifer Weiner

Five of my least favorite books:

GREAT EXPECTATIONS, Charles Dickens
BLACK by Ted Dekker
LOVE YOU FOREVER by Robert Munsch (because I literally cannot read this book without ending up on the floor sobbing)

Five of my favorite book-to-movie adaptations:

HARRY POTTER
LORD OF THE RINGS
THE NOTEBOOK
JURASSIC PARK
GONE WITH THE WIND

Review: THE FALSE PRINCESS by Eilis O'Neal

2010-12-09T11:27:00.003-05:00

THE FALSE PRINCESS by Eilis O'Neal
Young Adult Fantasy
Egmont USA
Hardcover, 336 pages
Releases January 25, 2011

From Amazon.com:

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.

The ARC cover

The cover: I was drawn to the original ARC cover (see right) because of the unique coloring of Sinda's dress, as well as the strange look on her face, which made me want to know why she stared off the cover in that peculiar way. However, I like the final cover better. I find books with partial faces (especially those that hide the eyes) very mysterious. These type of covers nearly always get a second glance out of me. Also, there's something about the set of Sinda's lips and chin in the final cover that portrays her inner-strength far better than the original.

The book: At first I was hesitant to read THE FALSE PRINCESS because of the kingdom's name - Thorvaldor. I put that name together with the genre and expected the book to be full of unpronounceable, multi-vowels-in-a-row fantasy names. You know the type: Eaoymmx. Thomaldanorfius. Something crazy like that. And while there were unique names, they weren't of the crazy, totally-made-up, subscribes-to-no-language's-rules kind. They were original, creative names.

PRINCESS drew me in from the first chapter. I enjoyed the magical system within the book, which was structured while remaining dangerous and slightly wild. The book had a subtle fairy-tale vibe to it, and I loved the way Ms. O'Neal does not hesitate to make her darlings suffer.

The one thing that bothered me was minor: the book dated itself. I no longer have it in front of me to reference, but I believe it took place in the 1100s. I would've preferred it remain a vaguely medieval, vaguely European story; dating it made historical facts and anachronisms run through my brain, blurring a bit of the make-believe fun.

I enjoyed following Sinda's journey as she learned her true identity, fell a few times, and picked herself up, building a new, better life in the process. The romantic aspect of the book was believable and well-earned. The mystery kept me guessing until the end, and the ending was satisfying without being too "neat." I'd love to read a sequel or a companion novel set in Sinda's world.

Especially recommended for: Fantasy-lovers; those who love novels about princesses (or royalty in general), mistaken identity, and overcoming seemingly impossible odds.

ARC courtesy of Star Book Tours.

RTW: One life, 6 words

2010-12-08T11:38:00.000-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which contributors discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

Write your six-word memoir (inspired by I Can't Keep My Own Secrets)

My memoir:

Love from family equals unlimited possibility.

There is no me without my family. My husband, my parents, my siblings, my grandma, my aunt... We rely on each other, do for each other, care for each other. When someone is down, we rally around them. When someone gets messed with... well, you don't mess with someone in my family without riling up the whole pack. And we are a pack with teeth, trust me.

Some grow up feeling held down or limited by their family's expectations. I thank God that's not the case for me. My family has always encouraged my dreams, gone out of their way to help me achieve them. Being loved fiercely and unconditionally gives me an incomparable safety net in life: I can follow my dreams without fear because I know if I fall, they are there to catch me.

DING DING DING

2010-12-06T12:48:00.003-05:00

Before I announce the winners, I'd like to say thank you to everyone who entered! It's hard to believe it's been over a year since I started this blog. Blogging has brought me much joy, as well as allowed me to flex my writing muscles for some purpose other than my novel. I've met amazing, like-minded people and gained knowledge of the publishing industry that I never would've been exposed to otherwise. Thank you all!

*NOW*

Announcing the winners of my Blogoversary/100 Followers contest
(chosen via random.org):

The Jackson:
HOLLY DODSON!

The Maggie:
WHERESMYPENCIL!

The Jen:
RACHEL BATEMAN!

The Japanese Pens:
SARAH ENNI!

Winners, email me at abby@abbystevens.com with your address and I will get those prize packs out to you!

Also, check out Jessica Byam's blog for a Q&A with me as part of her Before They Were Published interview series.

2011 Debut Author Challenge

2010-12-02T14:28:00.012-05:00

Every year The Story Siren hosts a Debut Author Challenge. This year I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Here are (at least) 12 books by debut YA authors I aim to read in 2011:

LILY OF THE NILE by Stephanie Dray (1/4) - Review
XVI by Julia Karr (1/6)
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis (1/11)
LIKE MANDARIN by Kirsten Hubbard (3/8)
ILLEGAL by Bettina Restrepo (3/8)
WITHER by Lauren DeStefano (3/22) - Review
DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth (5/3)
THE SWEETEST THING by Christina Mandelski (5/10) - Review
RUBY RED by Kerstin Gier (5/10)
SPOILED by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (6/1)
POSSESSION by Elana Johnson (6/7)
THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab (8/2)
THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin

Bold = read.

Are you participating in the Challenge this year? What 2011 (and beyond) debuts are you looking forward to?

RTW: Movies first

2010-12-01T12:41:00.006-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which contributors discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

What movie do you wish had been a book first? (And who should have written it?)

If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion...
love actually is all around.

There are so many books that have been adapted into amazing (and not-so-amazing) films. The film versions of GONE WITH THE WIND and the HARRY POTTER series are among my favorite films. Brad Pitt's Plan B Productions has acquired the rights to WORLD WAR Z, and I'm hoping it'll be another ~~terrifying~~ awesome addition to my favorites list.

People across the blogosphere and beyond are breathlessly awaiting the big screen adaptation of THE HUNGER GAMES. There's the LOTR series. THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. All books before they were movies.

But the movie I most wish was a book (though I don't necessarily care if it was a book first) is LOVE, ACTUALLY*.

It's got all the makings of an intricate, un-put-downable book, plot threads weaving in and out among a group of loosely (and not-so-loosely) connected individuals. There's comedy, action, romance, mystery, a cranky old man who learns the true meaning of Christmas... Oh, yeah, did I mention it's a Christmas movie? Beloved characters and beloved moments abound.

Even minus all the awesome stars (Hugh Grant! Liam Neeson! Laura Linney! Emma Thompson! Colin Firth! Snape himself, Alan Rickman! Mr. Bean!), it's such a gush-inducing awe-fest, I'd snap it up in a second. The novelization of the movie would allow for more in-depth portraits of each character, allowing greater exploration of their motivations and glimpses into their pasts - or maybe even futures - that the film format simply can't explore.

It would be the kind of novel you'd read curled up in your favorite chair on a cold night sometime in the weeks leading up to Christmas, a cup of hot chocolate in your hand and a kitty (or dog, as the case may be) at your feet. Heart-warming, funny, and good for the spirit.

As for the author, it'd have to be somebody with heart, someone who could maintain the British-ness of it (otherwise, it'd basically be a novelization of VALENTINE'S DAY, which is a cute movie, but not in the same realm as LOVE, ACTUALLY), as well as providing keen observation without being cynical.

Ahem.

Is it cheating if I say JK Rowling?

(While we're at it, I'd like to request JKR write the novelization of LOVE, ACTUALLY, as well as a loose adaptation set in the Wizarding World.)

Care to join us on our Road Trip? What movie do you wish had been a book first?

*The film is awesome, but has quite a bit of nudity, so if you are offended by nudity, it's probably not for you.

My very first interview!

2010-11-30T11:49:00.000-05:00

So my break is officially over.

I had a great time doing nothing (actually, I had a lot to do, but it wasn't writing-related), but now I'm back at it. I have an ARC to finish by tomorrow, and a crit partner's manuscript to dive into, plus another crit partner's manuscript will be ready for beta-ing soon, and... well, a Catt's work is never done! ;)

In other news, Katelyn at The Bookshelf Sophisticate has my very first blog interview up. If you do check it out, take a look around Katelyn's lovely blog while you're there!

I've extended the Blogoversary/100 Followers Contest through Saturday, December 4, so if you haven't entered, be sure to do so! All it takes to enter is being my follower and commenting on the contest's post.

Stephanie Perkins' debut novel, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, seems to be popping up in stores early. I've been following Steph's blog for over a year now, and I'm so excited to get my hands on this book. It's a contemporary love story set in Paris, not the Harlequin romance the title might suggest, and it's getting phenomenal reviews. If you've read it already, let me know what you thought (but no spoilers, please!).

Memories, sweet POTTER memories

2010-11-19T10:51:00.005-05:00

WARNING: HARRY POTTER book spoilers below

Since everyone else is reminiscing about The Chosen One and his cadre, I figured I'd talk a little about my own "Harry Potter history."

I started the books in 2000 at the age of 15. My aunt, who had been given the first couple books as a birthday gift from her grandma, insisted I read them. I knew of them vaguely, but wasn't interested because they were "kid's books." My aunt, who is 9 years older than me, convinced me that if she was willing to read them, I should give them a shot, too.

I devoured the first three as quickly as I could get my hands on them.

Walking in the grocery store and seeing GOBLET OF FIRE sitting in the little book/magazine section, I nearly had a fit. I didn't even know a fourth one had come out yet!

My grandma buying it for me at full sticker price? I was a very happy girl.

Getting to work super early (I worked at JC Penney) so I could run down to Waldenbooks to buy a copy of ORDER OF THE PHOENIX the morning after its release, taking way too many and way too long of breaks to read it. Sitting in the breakroom on my lunch hour, looking around, and realizing 4 other people were reading OoTP.

Going to the midnight release of HALF-BLOOD PRINCE at Barnes and Noble. Wondering just who this half-blooded royal was. I had a #30-something wristband. We went to IHOP after leaving Barnes and Noble. To torture me, Bear made me leave the book in the car. BEFORE I COULD EVEN BEGIN TO READ IT!

Dreading, and yet manically anticipating, the release of DEATHLY HALLOWS. Just what were these "deathly hallows," and what did they have to do with horcruxes?

Bear and I buying two copies of DH so we could both read it at the same time. Going on a media strike until I finished the book so no one could accidentally ruin the ending.

Crying and laughing and marveling at JK Rowling's astounding talent. Oohing and aahing at Bill and Fleur's wedding. Shivering when Kingsley's patronus announced the Ministry had fallen. Wanting to kick Scrimgeour in the face, then feeling guilty upon learning his last act was protecting Harry. Appreciating Hermione's wit, loyalty, and resourcefulness. Feeling the heavy burden on Harry's young shoulders. Cheering when Ron defeated the locket. Crying pretty much the entire last 50 pages. Finishing the book with a teary smile on my face.

Dobby's bravery. Luna's kind-hearted lunacy. Bellatrix's evil obsession. Voldemort's inhumanity. Dumbledore's well-intentioned mistakes. Trelawney's loopy wisdom.

Tonks. Lupin. Fred. Mad Eye. Hedwig.

SEVERUS SNAPE.

I don't think JK Rowling will ever truly know just how deeply her beloved characters have affected me and millions of others around the world.

Thank you, Jo!

If you saw DEATHLY HALLOWS last night, what did you think? (Please no spoilers, I'm seeing it tonight!)

I AM...

2010-11-18T00:53:00.002-05:00

FOUR PAGES FROM FINISHING MY BOOK.

Let me repeat that:

I AM FOUR PAGES FROM FINISHING MY BOOK.

These are the hardest four pages I've ever edited. I kinda don't want to finish because then people have to read, which means some people won't like it, which means...

I'm really tired.

And there's no possible way I can coherently finish these four pages tonight.

So I will finish them tomorrow.

And I will tell you when I finish.

And then you probably won't hear from me much until after next week, because while I love my bloggy friends, I am sick of the computer, and I can't reach my bloggy friends without said computer.

I am tired. Can you tell? But it's worth it because...

I AM FOUR PAGES FROM FINISHING MY BOOK.

PS - Don't forget to enter my Blogoversary/100 Followers Contest. I am giving away signed books by Maggie Stiefvater, Jennifer Weiner, and Jackson Pearce, along with more books and Japanese pens!

RTW: Whitewater adventures

2010-11-17T11:52:00.003-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which contributors discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

YA Highwayer Kirsten Hubbard's debut novel, LIKE MANDARIN, opens with, "The winds in Washokey make people go crazy."

Name a time you did something completely crazy.

I'm a really goofy person, but also very serious about life. I'm adventurous but not even remotely wild. So I don't have a whole lot of "crazy" stories.

The one thing that comes to mind, however, is a 2-week extreme sports trip I took with my college classmates a few weeks before freshman year. It was supposed to be an exercise in teambuilding for a leadership class. Our participation was being graded, and it would count as 20% of our semester grade.

It was also the craziest thing I've ever done.

I whitewater rafted. Without my glasses. And I'm here to tell you, whitewater rafting is no joke. Every time we approached a rapid, the guide instructed us which way to swim to avoid drowning or being crushed against the rocks should we fall out of the raft.

I fell out on a class III rapid. Tame, as rapids go.

I swam in a river (something I've always been scared of. I'm an ocean girl). A dead fish almost floated into me.

Video of "Surprise," the class III rapid I fell out of the raft on

New River, West Virginia

I jumped off a 30 foot cliff into the river. Blindfolded. With someone whom I'd only met that week directing me to the edge and telling me when to jump.

I completed an extreme mountain biking challenge. I hit the front brakes instead of the back and went over my handlebars. I fell over on a too-steep hill and my bike chain cut into my calf.

I rappelled down a 70 foot cliff. The instructor made me do it right-handed. I am left-handed.

Oh, did I mention I'm sorta afraid of heights?

I slept on a wooden bunk, 5 feet from a ceiling full of spiders. At night, I watched them scuttle along their webs, freaking out that they'd come down and bite me during the night. Fortunately, most nights I was too drained to care for very long.

But I did it all.

The only thing I wouldn't finish was the rock climbing exercise. I got 20 or 30 feet up and almost had a nervous breakdown. It was the end of the trip; I was banged up and mentally and physically exhausted. I didn't care if I had a belay line or not, it was too much for me.

When I hit the ground and unhooked my gear, I burst into tears, thinking I was going to get a failing grade because I didn't finish the exercise. Thinking that I'd done all those other scary things for nothing.

But you know what?

I earned an A. Because I tried.

I am a firm believer in the saying, "You aren't brave if you aren't scared." People who do dangerous or scary things and aren't the least bit scared aren't brave. They are stupid, or worse, reckless.

I was scared out of my mind, and I did it all anyway. There were a lot of people who refused to participate in any of the activities. In the end, it didn't really matter that grades were the thing motivating me.

I did it. I did it when others wouldn't. I was brave.

I would never whitewater raft or rappel again. I would never ever try to climb a mountain again unless I had some hardcore scary wildlife chasing me up it.

But I'm glad I did it all.

Blogoversary/100 Followers Giveaway!

2010-11-16T10:27:00.002-05:00

Today marks THE TABBY CATT's 1 year blogoversary, and I recently hit 100 followers, so you know what that means:

May-juh giveaway time! (Imagine that in Posh's voice.)

THE PRIZE PACKS (click the title to learn about each book)

→ The Maggie:
SHIVER (paperback)
and a signed copy of LINGER (hardback), both by Maggie Stiefvater.

→ The Jen:

IN HER SHOES (paperback)

and a signed copy of FLY AWAY HOME (hardback), both by Jennifer Weiner

→ The Jackson:

AS YOU WISH (paperback)

and an autographed copy of SISTERS RED (hardback), both by Jackson Pearce

PLUS JAPANESE PENS (to be drawn from someone who enters this giveaway AND follows me on Twitter)

→ Five (5) brand new, still-in-the-package, double-ended Zebra markers (one end fine point, the other marker tip) in dark blue, purple, orange, pink, and light blue, sent to me straight from Japan by my sister-in-law. Perfect for hand-edits!

TO ENTER
→ Be a follower of this blog
→ Leave a comment telling me which prize pack you'd prefer (you must pick!)
→ Follow me on Twitter @thetabbycatt for 1 extra entry. Leave your Twitter handle in your comment so I can say hello!

For simplicity's sake, tweeting, blogging, blog rolls, etc. will not gain you additional entries, but I will be very, very grateful for anyone willing to help me spread the word!

If you are willing to spread the word, here is a ready-made tweet, just copy and paste:

RT @thetabbycatt Win signed books by @mstiefvater, @jenniferweiner, and @jacksonpearce + more! http://tinyurl.com/3yr9xwl

THE FINE PRINT
→ Open to US residents only (Sorry!)
→ Contest ends December 1 at midnight EST
→ One winner will be picked for each prize pack and another for the Japanese pens (4 winners total)
→ Winners will be picked randomly and announced shortly after December 1

Harry Potter and 1 year!

2010-11-15T09:58:00.000-05:00

Exciting things are afoot this week.

Not only does HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART I premiere Friday (or, for most of us, 12:01am Thursday night/Friday morning), but tomorrow is THE TABBY CATT's 1 year blogoversary!

Tune in tomorrow to celebrate along with me, as well as to get the details for my (rather awesome) blogoversary giveaway!

Do you already have your tickets for HP7? When will you be seeing it? (I won't be able to see it until Friday evening!)

On Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T15:19:00.004-05:00

Some words fall short of capturing the true depth of the ideals behind them.

One of these words is love.

Another is honor.

Freedom. Commitment. Sacrifice.

These words describe our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Guardsmen, and yet they barely touch upon the truth of just how deeply our service men and women love their country, honor it with their lives, appreciate the hard-fought freedom, are committed to defending America, and sacrifice in the name of it all.

I was raised in a family that strongly values our military. One of my earliest memories is of attending a Support Our Troops rally during the Gulf War. The adults held up pieces of paper that, when viewed from above, created an American flag.

I never really knew what it meant to serve, though, until my teenage brother enlisted in the Army as an Infantry soldier in 2006. Since then, he has served 14 months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and he is currently halfway through a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Eduring Freedom. My brother has spent 3 of the last 4 Veteran's Days deployed.

To learn of the anguish of war firsthand from my brave younger brother, to witness his intense pain and pride, has been a defining facet of my life. I may never know what it is like to be the one who defends our country, but I know what it is like to comfort and care for the ones who do.

My brother returned home safely from Iraq, and I have faith he will return safely from Afghanistan, but many of his battle buddies have not.

I will never forget their names. I will never forget their faces. And I will never have the honor of meeting them.

I cannot tell you how this saddens me, nor could I ever express how these fine men swell my heart with pride. I can no longer hear the National Anthem without tears springing to my eyes. I see the Flag, and I see not fabric and stars, but strength, poignancy, and unwavering dedication.

So on Veteran's Day and every day, THANK YOU!

Thank you for honoring, protecting, and defending our country. Thank you for giving up your freedom for ours, your lives for ours, your bodies and minds for ours. Nothing we could say or do will ever be enough, and it is easy to believe you have been forgotten, but please know that your sacrifices will be carried in our hearts forever.

We mourn with you. We rejoice with you. And you will never be forgotten.

Please, thank a veteran today. And while you're at it, thank their family members, too. In our own way, we serve right along with them.

Adapted from a Facebook note I wrote Veteran's Day 2009.

RTW: Nothing new under the sun

2010-11-10T15:27:00.007-05:00

Each week, YA Highway hosts Road Trip Wednesday, a blog carnival in which contributors discuss a topic on their blogs and invite readers to do the same. This week's RTW topic is:

What are your favorite literary cliches?*

WEATHER

It gets a bad rap, but done right, weather can set the tone for a novel and even become a character in its own right. (see: LIFE AS WE KNEW IT)

A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MAIN CHARACTER AND HIS/HER LOVE INTEREST

While this doesn't necessarily equal a lasting, committed relationship in real life, it makes for conflict, which makes for one excellent read. (see: GONE WITH THE WIND)

MAGIC/MAGICAL CREATURES

It doesn't matter how many times I've seen it, if it contains magic or magical creatures and is well-written (heck, sometimes even if it isn't), I'm probably going to love it. (see: PARANORMALCY)

FAIRY TALE/MYTHOLOGICAL RETELLINGS

Shakespeare (or a modern English paraphrase of, anyway) once said, "There is nothing new under the sun but that which has been before." Our job as writers is to find fresh ways of telling tales as old as time, and I'll never tire of a well-done update. (see: SISTERS RED)

What are your favorite literary cliches?

*Did you spot the cliches in this post?**

**Inspired by Holly Dodson's RTW post and my accidental use of cliche in a post about cliches.

A beta request

2010-11-09T17:19:00.000-05:00

I've got more betas lined up than I can shake a stick at.

BUT

I am still lacking a beta who meets the following qualifications:

Native Irish or has spent a long period in Ireland (Northern or the Republic of, either is fine)
Comfortable critiquing my Irish characters' linguistic patterns: word choice, slang usage, sentence structure, etc. (for Irish English, not the Irish/Gaelic languages)
A writer, preferably of YA

I've researched quite a lot to ensure my Irish characters sound, well, Irish, but as a certain song goes, you don't know what you don't know. I'd love to have a beta who can point out any glaring mistakes or suggest improvements to make them sound as authentic as possible.

To my knowledge, none of my blog or Twitter followers fit this description. If you meet the ↑ above qualifications ↑ and would be willing to critique my manuscript (or know someone else who might), please contact me at abby@abbystevens.com.

Also — if you are willing, I would be very grateful if you could help me spread the word about this on your blogs, Twitter, etc!

On pet peeves and mistakes

2010-11-04T12:45:00.003-04:00

I am a good writer.

I know this to be true, and can say so without feeling like a jackwagon (my new favorite insult, thanks to that GEICO commercial), because nearly every teacher from elementary school up through college, an editor and an agent, and a regional newspaper editor have told me so. To me, this is the same as saying I'm white or I have green eyes. It's a fact.

Now, whether I am a good novel writer (in which storytelling is just as or even more important than the writing), or whether I'm a good writer compared to JK Rowling or Stephen King or Neil Gaiman, I don't know.

But I do know the difference between you're and your, their, there, and they're, its and it's, and all those other writer pet peeves (which are not necessarily my pet peeves).

I know, and yet I still catch myself messing up. My biggie is using it's instead of its. It's (ha) like my fingers just love typing that apostrophe.

I've forgotten how to spell 'all' (I was trying to spell it out like it sounded... a-w-l in my slightly-Southern-tinged pronunciation).

My comma usage is far from standard.

And somehow, even though the writing community is one of the most welcoming and least catty I've been a part of, I'm surprised by the amount of Ugh! I can't believe they don't know that [insert writing mistake - or maybe not - here] I see.

And if you're guilty of this, don't feel like I'm aiming this at you. I'm not writing this to call out or tear anyone down. I'm sure I've been guilty of it at some point, too.

People have a right to their pet peeves. I have them, trust me. But it's important to remember that just because someone spells definitely "defiantly" or "definately" or says "for all intensive purposes" instead of for all intents and purposes or uses impact as a verb doesn't mean ~~their~~ ~~there~~ they're a bad writer.

(The above is not a poorly-concealed list of my pet peeves, by the way, but several more biggies I've noticed batted around the blogosphere.)

Just because someone uses commas wrong doesn't mean they're a bad writer.

Just because someone does something that makes you crazy when you see it in print doesn't mean they're a bad writer.

Just because someone uses just way too many times in a blog post doesn't make them a bad writer.

Just something I've been thinking about.

;)

The Twilight Zone Chapter

2010-11-03T18:23:00.002-04:00

I almost accidentally titled this post "The Twilight Chapter."

Gah! Must think, Catt!

Every writer encounters a few problem chapters when writing a novel, right? The ones that just won't make sense, won't play nice, don't come easy, and contribute heftily to the 'hate' side of the delicate love-hate relationship between oneself and one's novel.

As my friend/beta Glenna so wisely said (and I hope she doesn't mind my quoting her), "Some chapters begin like mini-stories, some just flow."

And some totally, totally, totally don't.

Like my dreaded Chapter 13, which took months (MONTHS) to get to a point that I didn't want to cry out of sheer frustration every time I opened the Word document.

Or Chapter 37, which was Chapter 36, which was Chapter 35, which was...

Anyway.

Good ol' 3-7 is my Twilight Zone chapter.

It started out simply as a problem chapter, a la 13, but over the last few days it has morphed into something infinitely more bizzare:

I keep getting new pages out of it, splitting them off into another chapter, and still have pages upon pages of, as I so delicately refer to it, "garbage."

Twice this week, I've managed to expand a portion of Chapter 37's original text into enough of a scene that it justifies it's own chapter, somehow still leaving me with almost the same amount of original gar-bahj words.

I'm not sure how it keeps happening, or if I've even explained myself clearly, so forgive me for my Ramblin' Road Runner of a rant if it makes no sense to you.

Regardless, the story is getting better, so that's progress, yeah?

Harry Potter Halloween Party

2010-11-01T12:26:00.003-04:00

As some of you may know, Bear and I had a Harry Potter Halloween Party - or, as we called it:

The All (Deathly) Hallows Eve Bash

I thought my fellow Potter fans might appreciate the pictures. I wasn't going for canon, so not everything is authentic, but here are a few highlights from Saturday night (click to see them a little bigger):

The spread - not sure how a water bottle ended up in this pic?

Candy wands

Potions centerpiece

House Cupcakes

Me as Bellatrix

What did you do for Halloween?

(PS - Happy NaNoing to all of this year's participants!)

Abby Stevens - The Tabby Catt

Just popping in [a little inspiration]

10 years passed

A week on, DEATHLY HALLOWS

*GULP*-worthy mistakes

The horror, the horror!

What qualifies as having "been" somewhere?

Changing philosophies on blogging, reading, and writing

A belated Memorial Day message, blogging + more

The Great Wikipedia Blogfest

Misadventures of a day without power

RTW: Rewarding yourself

Help Write Now is back up (and a POSSESSION winner)

Help Write Now - bid to win a full MS critique from me & Sarah Enni!

Go with your gut. Or not.

Winner, lunch, & who wants an ARC of POSSESSION?!

Favorite moments from the royal wedding

RTW: She is the prom queen, I'm in the marching band

Now Starring Blogfest

Author interview (and giveaway!): Christina Mandelski

Query Letter Blogfest: PRODIGAL MAGGIE

Cover dreams

Pitch contest @ YAtopia

RTW: The scars remind me

Readergirlz' Rock the Drop!

200 Followers Contest Winner!

Books inside of books

The curious case of the Cadbury cream egg

When I Actually Write A Book, You Will Be Acknowledged Blogfest

200 Followers Contest

The smell of the Sistine Chapel

RTW: A cup of sugar, please?

Review: THE SWEETEST THING by Christina Mandelski

RTW: A mixed palette

Bucket List Blogfest: 5 Things

RTW: Wannabe

Questions? Answered!

E-books and print books and Amanda Hocking

Ask!

RTW: A creature of your own imagining

Last chance

The tortoise's goal

RTW: Lend me your ears... I mean, opinions!

Award season is upon us!

Review: LILY OF THE NILE by Stephanie Dray

Crit partners as royal marriages

Blogosphere Lovefest Day: Lara Ehrlich

Winner winner chicken dinner

RTW: Lovely literary love

Rewrite That! Blogfest: 10 Things I Hate About Humans

Close to the heart

Bittersweet technology

I have too many books! (CONTEST)

Give and take

Rewrite That! Blogfest: Teen Movies With a Twist

Not the usual Twitter tips

Questions about social media

RTW: Blurbs & betas

Review: WITHER by Lauren DeStefano

RTW: A MAGGIE tidbit

Sneak peeks & excerpts

Vlog vlooooog VEE-log(?!)

36 in 365 2011

New year, new goals

Each day's a gift and not a given right.

Mistakes in blog posts

Beta reactions

RTW: On a serious note, Santa...

Lazy Monday

Review: THE FALSE PRINCESS by Eilis O'Neal

RTW: One life, 6 words

DING DING DING

2011 Debut Author Challenge

RTW: Movies first

My very first interview!

Memories, sweet POTTER memories

I AM...

RTW: Whitewater adventures

Blogoversary/100 Followers Giveaway!

Harry Potter and 1 year!

GULP-worthy mistakes