The Friday Run-Down 2/22/13

Friday, February 22, 2013

This week I decided to completely rewrite a huge chunk of my New Adult novel--because I'm impulsive and ridiculous.

This is the problem with NOT outlining books before I write them. I don't always know where I'm going, which leads to word casualties. It's not very efficient. But then again, neither am I.


This isn't me, but it may as well be.
Last week I went skiing, which reminded me that I am a snowboarder, NOT a skier. They are very different sports, and I suck at the one involving two long sticks and a pair of sharp poles.

From now on, I'm sticking to my snowboard. The less crap I have to strap to my body and keep track of down the mountain, the better. For like everyone. (I apologize to any and all small children who were pegged by my flying poles and rogue skis.)


My dreams this week:

* I want to learn how to sing and play drums at the same time. Have you ever tried to do it? It's crazy hard.
* I want to see Muse in concert.
* I want a pet pig. Seriously.



My favorite quote this week:

"Mom! I need my skates to show off my talents!" -Chris, from the movie Just Friends


There you have it, my Friday Rundown. 
What are your dreams this week? Your favorite quotes? 

Have a great weekend! :) 

Pressure

Thursday, February 21, 2013
Pressure motivates me, drives me, encourages me...but sometimes it also crushes me. Weird how that works.

It's strange to think I can benefit from something just as often as I am wounded by it. But maybe that's just life.

This isn't a cry for help or anything. :) I was just sitting here, overwhelming myself with expectations and fears, when I realized that the very thing I'm fighting against--the pressure to be more--is the very reason I've accomplished anything worthwhile in my life.

So to pressure, I say, "Bring it on."

Meet singer/songwriter Justin Breit

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

A few weeks ago, this popped up on my Twitter feed and my jaw dropped:

 
I was like, "No way! Sophie & Carter inspired a SONG???"

So of course I immediately hunted Justin down and mauled him with smiley faces and then I went and YouTubed him like a stalker.

And HOLY CRAP he is amazing. 

Just watch this:

WIP Excerpt - New Adult Title (2)

Monday, February 11, 2013
Every once in a while, I post an excerpt from my current Work In Progress--just to give you guys a little insight into my upcoming projects. This week's excerpt is from my New Adult title.

***

He’s so distracting. His arms are all raised, and his shoulders are all broad, and he’s fixing crap, and it’s just...just...annoying.
I pry my eyes off his back and force my feet to the stove where I throw vegetables into a pan, grab a wooden spoon, and ignore his close proximity.
My body hums.
I ignore that too.
He’s unscrewing the cover of the fire alarm and his arm moves with the motion. Why does he have so many muscles in his forearm? That can’t be healthy.
I drop my eyes to the pan and focus on bell peppers. Because bell peppers are interesting and they don’t have forearm muscles or backs the size of Alaska.
The forearm muscles that I’m not thinking about brush against my shoulder and we both freeze.
Awk-ward.
I casually turn down the heat on the stove like that’s the reason I’m suddenly sweating and go back to stirring. Levi goes back to screwing.
Bell peppers.
I’m thinking about bell peppers.
Then his arm brushes against me again, but this time it’s not my shoulder that feels the friction, it’s my breast. My body goes wild like I’m some love-starved teenager and the stove gets hotter and now I’m having trouble breathing and suddenly even the bell peppers look sexy.
I see his Adam’s apple bob with a nervous swallow, which can only mean one thing. The boob brush was an accident.
Well crap.
If he had been trying to cop a feel with his hulkish forearm, I could have responded with some kind of snarky “you’re a pervert” comment. But it wasn’t on purpose and somehow that makes it sexier and now my body’s all awake and why the HELL is this stove so hot?
He lowers his arms for a moment, his eyes still on the alarm, and stretches his neck.
Ah, the neck stretch. Then universal sign of stress. Well at least I’m not alone in my misery. My hot, distracting, pants-are-so-inconvenient misery.
He keeps stretching his neck and now I can’t look away because he has muscles in his NECK, dammit, and they’re looking at me with all their muscle-like hotness and I’m looking back and—screw the veggies.
I toss the wooden spoon to the side, move back to the ingredients list, and stare at it with great interest like I don’t know what goes into a spinach and cheese omelet. 
I'm never going to survive the summer.

***


Thanks for reading, guys. :)  Have a great week!

The Friday Run-Down 2/8/13

Friday, February 8, 2013



This week was primarily dedicated to working on my New Adult novel. I wrote a ridiculous scene about making out with Captain Hook. It probably won't make the final cut, but the scene I wrote about Tinkerbell might. ;) So...yeah. Stay tuned for some college-aged drama with Peter Pan references. 



I read Losing It by Cora Carmack this week. It was hilarious and wonderful and made me wish my hubby had a British accent. I also read Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi and freaking loved it. I have a Perry crush.

Also, I bought a harp. -------->
BOOM. That just happened.


My dreams this week:

* I want to learn how to play the theme song from Pirates of the Caribbean on the harp.
* I want to see the Northern Lights.



My favorite quote this week:

"Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life." -Omar Khayyam


There you have it, my Friday Rundown. 
What are your dreams this week? Your favorite quotes? 

Have a great weekend! :) 

WIP Excerpt - SOPHIE & CARTER Sequel

Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Every once in a while, I post an excerpt from my current Work In Progress--just to give you guys a little insight into my upcoming projects. This week's excerpt is from the sequel to Sophie & Carter.


***


“Why doesn’t Carter sleep by you?”
I open my eyes to find Chloe staring at me.
“What?” I blink.
“Why does Carter sleep on the couch every night and you sleep in here with me?”
I can’t exactly explain to a six year-old how Carter and I haven’t had sex—but we want to—but we can’t because there are five people living in this two-bedroom apartment made of paper walls which make sleeping arrangements less than ideal, so instead I smile.
“Because I like sleeping with you.” I kiss her nose.
“But isn’t Carter lonely by himself?”
Probably. I uprooted him from his whole life and now he’s working his butt off and trying to keep my spirits up as we try to run this broken home. And he’s out there sleeping on the uncomfortable couch. My heart drops.
“Don't worry about Carter. He’s a big, tough guy,” I say.
“Big people don’t get lonely?” Her little eyebrow quirks.
“Yes, baby. Everyone gets lonely sometimes. But Carter doesn’t want you to get lonely—so he sleeps out there so I can snuggle beside you.” I wiggle closer to her and poke my nose into her cheek a few times until she giggles.
“You’re silly.” She pushes my nose pack with a smile.
“I know. Now go to bed.” I kiss her forehead and close my eyes, but there’s no way I can sleep now because I’m thinking about Carter in the cold living room all by himself. I wait until Chloe’s breathing becomes even before sneaking out of bed and padding my way down the hall.
The boys’ bedroom door is open and Michael is passed out on his sheets, looking too old and big to be the little Michael I knew yesterday. Abram is asleep with his mouth hanging open. He looks older too.
Do I look older? 
I frown. Eighteen probably looks like forty on me.
I silently close their door and move through the house. Carter is on the couch, asleep with his shoes still on as the TV murmurs in the corner. I turn off the TV and pull his shoes off before unfolding the blanket at the foot of the couch and setting it over him.
His hair’s a mess but his face is peaceful and my heart clenches as I stare at my best friend. I quietly pull back the blanket and climb onto the couch with him, wanting to feel him. Wanting to remind him that he’s not alone.
I lay my body beside his, trying not to crowd him too much. I just need to be here for two minutes. Two minutes, then I’ll go back to bed with Chloe.
“Soph?” his sleepy voice cracks. Streetlights outside the window cast an orange glow on his furrowed brow and groggy eyes.
“Sorry,” I whisper. “I wasn’t trying to wake you. I just wanted to be by you.”
He pulls me against his chest, wraps me under the blanket with him, and kisses my head. “I like you by me," he whispers back.
I’m not leaving in two minutes. I might never leave at all.
Because here in Carter's arms I feel like the safest thing in the world. 

***


Thanks for reading, guys. :)  Have a great week!




The Friday Run-Down 2/1/13

Friday, February 1, 2013

I spent most of this week working on Sophie & Carter's sequel. I had trouble with how to let the ending unfold so I put it away (eek!) and I won't get it back out again until the ending comes to me. *sigh* This poor sequel. I've really struggled with finishing it since the beginning and I'm not sure why. But my personal rule when writing is "if I don't FEEL it, then I don't write it" and I don't "feel" the ending yet. So yeah. When the ending comes to me, easy and beautiful, then I'll finish it.



In other news, I'm on my way to Florida today to visit some of my writer friends and I canNOT wait! I have been looking forward to this trip for months and I'm seriously ecstatic about it! I can't wait to hang out with some brilliant authors and pick their brains about life and love and writer's block and caffeine addiction. ;)


My dreams this week:

* I still want to learn to play harp.
* I want to see Elie Goulding in concert. (She's on tour right now.)
* And I want to make new friends at this writer's retreat this weekend. Friends are the best. :)



My favorite quote of the week:

"Just keep following the heartlines on your hand." -Florence + The Machine


There you have it, my Friday Rundown. 
What are your dreams this week? Your favorite quotes? 

Have a great weekend! :)