My First Time!

(No worries, this is writing related.)

I am doing NaNoWriMo this year! It's my first time and I am seriously so excited.

I am currently working on revisions for ADRENALINE, but if I'm not done by November 1st, I'm gonna burn it. Fact.

Since I'm working through my revisions like a crazy obsessed person right now, I haven't had anytime to do much planning for NaNo, which kinda makes me all twitchy and itchy. I'm def a planner. But I have another problem. I have two different ideas and I'm not sure which to do.

Idea one is one I've been thinking about for like a year now and I have actually done tons of note taking for this one because it's gonna be harder to write than anything I've ever written. It may be bigger than me, and I may not be able to give it justice, which freaks me just enough not to want to do it for NaNo.

Idea two is like my first two books because when I think about it I get antsy fingers to start typing and can tell it will flow fast with less knots to comb out. Really excited about this one!

So, I think I know which one I'm leaning towards, but I thought I'd see what you guys thought. The idea I've been dying to work on for months and months or the new idea that will be easier to write?

Also, what tips do you have for me since this is my first time? And are you doing NaNo? I'd love to know what your plans are.

YA Highway celebrates 3 years!

I seriously don't know where I'd be without awesome blogs. I've learned a lot from reading them. I've received agent feedback/critique due to awesome blog contests, and I have more than one awesome book on my shelf won from a blog giveaway.

That's why I'm sharing how awesome I think it is that YA Highway is celebrating 3 years! And they have some awesome stuff their giving away to celebrate! Check it out!

And I hope everyone is having a great summer!

My AGENT news!!!!

(Let's all pretend it's January and this post isn't at all late. Come on. Pretending is fun.)

I'm sure most of you know by now that I have an agent. Yes, I have an AGENT!! It's been a couple months now, but it's still exciting! In fact, it's even more exciting now that things have calmed down.

Even though it's late I have to share my story. If your wondering how I can be so late to to post something that is such BIG NEWS, I blame it on a crazy month of revisions and having surgery. But I really should have just snuck in here and posted something. So, really, you should actually just blame me. 

Here goes...

THE MANUSCRIPT

was titled ADRENALINE JUNKIES while I queried but is now simply ADRENALINE. I didn't share info about this manuscript much on here or anywhere, although I did post my first chapter awhile back, and I entered two contests with it, which I got first in one (Ebyss's blog) and third in the other (Brenda's blog). The one I got first in was a romantic scene type contest. I'd entered one of these kinds of contests once before with a different ms (Gabriela's blog) and also received first place in that one. So I was feeling pretty confident I had my romance ducks in a row. Or something. (Which is good because that's my favorite part, anyway.)

If you're curious, here is my query: (which kept a steady request rate of about 60%)

***

No drinking. No drugs. No hooking up. Clean body. Clear head.

That’s what Ali hears at her first Adrenaline Junkie meeting. On top of that, good grades, too. Say what? Ali and the other recruits don’t think that sounds like much fun.

But they’re wrong. The fun is just beginning.          

Adrenaline Junkies, properly named The Liberty Ring, is an elite, secret society that meets in a hidden cavern under the locker rooms, and only the strongest are invited to join during their sophomore year. With Ali’s tendencies to stress over straightened refrigerator magnets and alphabetized bathroom creams, it’s no jaw-drop she barely makes it in after punching head cheerleader, snob extraordinaire, in the nose during their last halftime show. Which she so deserved, btw.

Ali should be looking for the fastest escape, which just happens to be a human-sized drain in the wall leading toward the Columbia River. She definitely shouldn’t be crazy-head enough to wanna stay.

But she does.

There are three sectors, and Ali wants the highest. When the Assessment period begins, she repeatedly puts herself in danger while pushing her strength, survival skills, and determination to their limits. Not to mention, adrenaline is totally addicting. Almost as much as the Lead, Treston. But she’s a fool because Treston is rude, unforgiving, and most likely wishing she’d never been invited to join.

Ali's got until Spring Break to release the grips of her social “Placement” and a parasitic jock so she can prove herself worthy, get her rank up, and grow stronger—mind and body. But Adrenaline Junkies is so much bigger than she first realized, and once you’re in, you’re in. She’s got the brand burned under her collarbone to prove it.

Now staying alive? That will be a whole other feat.

***

I started getting ideas for this story based on the incredible UGLIES series. The characters in those books got to do so many cool things. Things I, myself, would never do. N.E.V.E.R. Yes, it's true. I am so not an adrenaline junkie. But that doesn't mean I can't be one inside my head, late at night make my MC one. 

As soon as I decided to hunker down and actually start to write my ideas into a first draft I knew I had a winner because the ideas would come faster than I could type it. First draft spilled out in a month. Yes, spilled. It was as messy as orange soda spilled between the cracks of my hardwood floors on a hot summer's day. Of course, the revisions took much longer. I sent some queries right before the holidays, and I was surprised to see I had request after request rolling in. But before they'd started arriving in my happy little inbox I'd started making more revisions (of course) and with the holidays approaching, I decided to continue to work through the holidays and send the requests in afterward.

So I did. Right before New Year's could hit, I sent them off, hoping it was good enough. I also sent more queries throughout the long New Year's weekend. One of the first ones I sent off on Friday got an immediate response from an amazing agent asking for an exclusive full. After hearing I couldn't grant exclusivity she still wanted it, and after reading the query and first chapter, she said she knew an editor (at an awesome house) who would LOVE it.

I squealed and maybe even jumped up and down, banging the palms of my hands together like an idiot, but I tried not to get my hopes up.

Yeah, right.

So what do you do in that situation? Duh. Send more queries. Just in case, you need more good news when the bad rains down.

But that Monday I got...

THE CALL!!!

Double check that. Not a call. THEE CALL. But (of course) my phone was on silent when the call came in and I missed it. Gah! So it wasn't until later that I realized I had missed a call. From a strange area code. Could it be? Frantically checking voicemail. Yes! It is the very same amazing agent saying she wants to talk.

AAAAHHHH!!!!!

I called her back (my mind everywhere) and could barley believe she LOVED my manuscript. And I could barely believe how easy she was to talk to. It was simply awesome. AWESOME!

BUT I had to tell her I needed a week to notify other agents with my work. (Way hard to do that, btw) Remember, I had sent a few fulls recently and fresh queries had been going out throughout the weekend. I mean, by the end of the call I was already getting requests from those queries. So I started sending notifications to those with my query or manuscript.

I had a lot of interest but being the very beginning of January the timing was kind of crazy. Agents were just getting back to their offices with (I'm sure) very full inboxes. But I did send more manuscripts out. I had interest from another agent and we emailed back and forth a few times but I could tell it wasn't something I wanted to pursue, so we never did speak on the phone.

I spoke with offering agent again. Things were going great!

Then one of my dream agents (not just saying that) with my manuscript started tweeting about a manuscript that sounded like it could be mine. Saying that she was liking it more and more as she read, and that the romance was getting stronger, which was just her style. BUT she didn't like MC's name. Hmmmm....could that be my MC (formerly Simone) and my ms, or was I crazy? Of course dream agent had me waiting ALL WEEKEND to know for sure. *Insert more gaaahs! here*

Finally, we spoke on the phone. For like a long time. I could barely believe it. Thankfully, I didn't pass out, or apparently, come off as a "wingnut". But would she offer? Or would she decide it just wasn't right? We spoke mainly of the revisions she wanted to see, which were a great thing, not bad. Then she offered!!!! And I accepted. And super duper dream agent became...

MY AGENT!!

Laura Bradford!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so that probably felt anti-climactic to most of you since you probably already know that. But still. Laura Bradford! Yes, the very Laura Bradford that I hounded with questions whenever she did an #askagent on Twitter. Yes, the very Laura Bradford who was one of the very first agents I actually recognized as more than a name when I started researching. Yes, the very Laura Bradford who was the very first person I thought of to follow on Twitter.

I'm sure you all think of her as I do--The Queen Literary Agent of all literary agents, right? Well, not only that but she totally is the Queen Literary Agent that rocks romance the hardest, too!! Per-fect! 

We worked on revisions, which Laura is awesome to work with, and like I said this is one of the big reasons I wanted to work with her. I knew she'd push me and my adrenaline-crazy characters to be better. It took me about a month and now I'm all twitchy and fidgety waiting patiently while on submission.

Oh, and loving every minute!!!!

(You can also read my Success Story Interview over on Query Tracker here.)

AWESOME GIVEAWAY!

So you all need to go check out the awesome giveaways going on at the YA Highway blog! Tons of great stuff...

Can We Guess Your Character's Age?

**WINNER!! (3rd place!)

*SEMI-FINALIST!!! YAY!!!

So the lovely and fab Brenda Drake is hosting a really fun contest! It's all about guessing your MC's age after reading the first 250! Sounds fun, right? Of course, I had to participate! Check out her blog and contest info here.

She's also got Gabriela Lessa as a guest judge, which is awesome and special because one of Gabriela's contests was what got me starting this blog with my very first blog entry. Check out Gabriela's website, too!

Directions say to leave out any information like title and genre so I'm just posting the first 250...

...Enjoy and thanks for reading...

My knuckles slam into the head cheerleader’s perfect little nose. It feels great. Real great. Well, inside it does. My hand burns like hell.

It’s halftime, and the gym reeks of boy—sweat, bad breath, and cheap cologne. Silence drums in my ear so loud it hurts. There are hundreds of faces on the bleachers, and then there’s the basketball team. All staring. At me. Oh, God.

The fluorescent lights buzz, telling me to run, but I can’t. Not yet. Instead, I admire how the blood drips from her nostril, over her ivory skin, and soaks circles into her uniform. It looks great next to the matching red stripe crossing her chest. The white stripe matches her pale face. And the blue matches the developing bruise.

My fist aches like broken bones, and my heart pounds hard enough to bust ribs. But who cares? I may have ruined Cambelle’s face. Completely worth it.

The other cheerleaders freeze—something that doesn’t happen very often. Half of them awed, half angered. Probably fake anger, though. Even her clones have got to hate her, right?

“Eeak!” Cambelle shrieks, shaking everyone back to life. Now, there is noise, and it’s even louder than silence. With one last glare, I turn and bolt, my ponytail bouncing like my skirt and automatically making me appear one hundred percent peppy.

So not me.

I shake my tail better than I walk, but all this cheerleader crap really bugs. It’s shamefully lame, but here I am.

Ugh.

Thanks again for reading! All comments welcome!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to drop in and wish everyone a Happy Turkey Day! And also a great Black Friday if you are brave.

So, anyone outlining/writing/revising/editing/polishing today?

Me? Well, my hubby wouldn't be very happy if I did, BUT I may try to sneak in a bit of outlining for some revisions I want to make to my current MS.

How about you?

Writers LOVE their pets!

Writers love a lot of things. They love kissing scenes, chocolate, twitter, stalking literary agents on the internet, spending money on newly-released books, contests, the month of November, and adverbs...to name a few.

When I joined my fellow writers in the web-o-sphere, one of the first things I learned was that we love our pets, CATS specifically. On the Query Tracker forums you'll find many an avatar with a cat picture. And yes, I too, at one point had a cat picture. It was my kitty, the late Pepper Paws, using the potty. YES, indeed, he liked to tinkle in the potty, and NO I did not teach him to do that.

I've since changed my avatar to my own face.

Here is my kitty, Mr. Snuff. I've had him for almost seven years, and he was a great friend of Pepper Paws. He has been a loyal late night writing companion on several occasions. BTW, he doesn't know how to use the potty. Thank goodness.

He is, in fact, lying on my ironing board. Don't worry, I never use it. :)

So, in celebration of writers (and anyone else in publishing) and the pets they LOVE so dearly, here's a little video that just cracks me up every time.




Now, it's your turn to TELL ME about YOUR PET! I'd love for you to share in the comments section.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blog SWAP!

Follow me and I'll follow you back! Thanks!

Get it right!! (with funny video example)

Okay, so maybe you've seen this before, but it's definitely worth seeing again if you have. If you haven't, your in for a real hoot! BTW, these are really short.

This is a good example of how important it is to GET IT RIGHT as a writer. When do you need to get it right? How about when you hit that glaring send button before submitting your precious manuscript to that agent you've been web-stalking for the past year.

Just like this girl has been preparing and obsessing over THIS very important moment, so have you with your writing and querying and researching. Right?

Exactly.

But guess what? You're on stage, and your only time to get it right, is right now! Of course, this is easier said than done, and we can only do our best. But don't query before you're ready. Take it slow. Get it right. Then send that finished, revised, edited, POLISHED manuscript to that agent who just might fall in love with it and you.

Okay, you get it. Now watch what happens when you don't GET IT RIGHT:



Yeah, I don't know what she's talking about either. Don't let that be YOU. Don't let an agent read your work and think, What the heck was that?

**For the record, I actually feel really bad for her and completely understand how nerves can really mess up a person! At least when we mess up it's not in front of the world, right? Thank goodness!**

The next one is worth watching too! It's a remake of the first one. It's great because it makes it look like she was PREPARED and thought she did GET IT RIGHT.



Thanks for stopping by! HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Can you leave us breathless? Blogfest Contest!

(If you are checking in to see who won King and Queen of literature, scroll below.)

Here is my entry for this super fun contest on Brenda Drake's blog!

This is from my newest YA novel, which is a romantic thriller. Any and all comments welcome. Thanks for taking a peak!

The lid closes. It’s just the spiders and me. I rest my forehead on my knees.

The small ones are fast and already run my arms and around my neck. My skin prickles, and tremors shoot through me. With my nostrils pinched shut, I barely part my lips and take shallow breaths whenever I don’t feel scurrying legs near my mouth. My hair moves as it fills with the nesting creatures, and a slow crawler with a furry belly sneaks onto my ankle and under my jeans.

My entire form shudders and shakes, wanting to hyperventilate.

Breathing slow is torture. I need to distract myself. I try to forget the constant movements and itching and think about Treston. He’s watching me. Has he decided I’m not worth his love? The thought sickens me more than the spiders, and my heart swirls down my chest, landing somewhere near a kidney.

The big spider scaling my chin brings me back. There must be hundreds crawling along my flesh now. On my arms, my neck, my face. Down my shirt. Ugh.

More shallow breaths—controlling my panic hurts.

I try to think about Emerson. His kiss, his feelings. The way we grew up together. But I can’t stop thinking about the haunting creatures.

I bang on the lid. Cool air rushes in, and I stand, keeping my eyes and mouth closed while I’m brushed off.

“I think you’re good. Just shake your legs before you step out,” says Luke. “Now go clean your clothes out in the private area. You’ll get your score later.”

In the curtained area, I undress to nude and shake everything out twenty times. When a spider falls, I grab my shoe and crunch it. Maybe that will help me sleep tonight. But I doubt it.

I’ll be feeling spiders for the next year.

Thanks for reading!

And the KING and QUEEN of literature are...

Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy!!!!

Congratulations to Claude Dancourt for nominating them as the most romantic couple in all of literature!

**Confetti, rose petals, and balloons fall**

A great couple indeed! One of my personal faves! They won by quite a margin, but all the couples were amazing!

I really want to thank EVERYONE who participated by nominating and voting, and extra appreciation for those who participated in each round! The competition wouldn't have been what it was without all of you! Thanks!

Gosh, I don't know what I'll do now it's over, but there is something I will take away from this that I hope all of you will too. I found out about some GREAT STORIES with some SWOON-WORTHY ROMANCE that I haven't read yet! So now I'm super excited to go get my hungry little fingers on them, so thanks for sharing your favorites with me!

How about you guys? Did you get the chance to learn about some new couples your curious about? Or did you re-fall in love with any old ones? Hope so!

Thanks again!

*Claude, contact me with your email address, and we'll get that prize going for ya! Congrats! (mbuttars83(at)aol(dot)com)

TOP TEN COUPLES!! *LoveVote Extravaganza - Round 2!

**IF YOU VOTE BEFORE I POST THE WINNER, I WILL COUNT IT**

TOP TEN COUPLES REVEALED for ROUND 2!

Time to vote for your KING and QUEEN...

The rules:

1. ONE vote each. (In comments section)

2. Again, you MUST leave your name (screen name) with your vote for it to count.

3. Voting closes this Thursday (20th)

4. WINNER announced Friday (21st)

5. Good luck deciding, and have fun!

BY POPULAR DEMAND, I ANNOUNCE THE TOP TEN ROMANTIC COUPLES IN LITERATURE:(In no particular order)

Allie and Noah -----<---{@ THE NOTEBOOK

Rhett and Scarlett -----<---{@ GONE WITH THE WIND

Bella and Edward -----<---{@ TWILIGHT

Romeo and Juliet -----<---{@ ROMEO AND JULIET

Westley and Buttercup -----<---{@ THE PRINCESS BRIDE

Jim and Della -----<---{@ THE GIFT OF MAGI

Charly and Sam -----<---{@ CHARLY

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy -----<---{@ PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Aragorn and Arwen -----<---{@ LORD OF THE RINGS

Annie and Finnick -----<---{@ THE HUNGER GAMES

WOW!! What an amazing group of couples! I'm sure this will be HARD.

*Scroll below to find more information on this competition, including the PRIZE, nomination round, and LoveVote Extravaganza round 1.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabtabulous week! Can't wait to meet our KING and QUEEN!

*LoveVote Extravaganza!* (Search for the King and Queen of Romance in Literature)

Ding! Ding! Ding! Time for ROUND 1 to start...

**Voting for Round 1 CLOSED. Check in on MONDAY for Round 2!**

First of all, thanks to all those who made nominations. They are all truly great, and voting will be hard.

ANYONE can vote! Not just those who made nominations. That said, I'm giving each person 3 votes each. And yes, you can vote for your own, but each vote must be for a different couple. You can't give all three votes to the same couple. (Vote in the COMMENTS on this post please!)

Also, this is VERY IMPORTANT, your vote will NOT count if you don't have some kind of name for yourself listed with your votes. That means YOU, anonymous voters. LEAVE. A. NAME. Or it won't count. Simple as that.

Let's try to keep this as honest as we can. Each person only gets to vote ONCE. But hey, you can tell your friends to vote too!

Spread the word. Let's get lots and lots of votes in here.

Voting will stay open until October 14th, midnight (EST). The TOP TEN move on to round two.

And here are our amazing couples:

Beren and Luthien -----<---{@ THE SILMARILLION

Melanie and Jared -----<---{@ THE HOST

Allie and Noah -----<---{@ THE NOTEBOOK

Romeo and Juliet -----<---{@ ROMEO AND JULIET

Rhett and Scarlett -----<---{@ GONE WITH THE WIND

Jim and Della -----<---{@ THE GIFT OF MAGI

Jane and Edward -----<---{@ JANE EYRE

Bonnie and Clyde -----<---{@ THE LIFE OF BONNIE AND CLYDE

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy -----<---{@ PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Michael and Faye -----<---{@ THE CAROUSEL

Azhrarn and Dunizel -----<---{@ DELUSION'S MASTER

Drogo and Daenerys -----<---{@ GAMES OF THRONES

Annie and Finnick -----<---{@ THE HUNGER GAMES

Anna and Etienne -----<---{@ ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS

Aragorn and Arwen -----<---{@ LORD OF THE RINGS

Betsy and Joe -----<---{@ BETSY'S WEDDING

Grace and Sam -----<---{@ SHIVER

Anne and Frederick -----<---{@ PERSUASION

Deryn and Alek -----<---{@ LEVIATHAN

Lucy and George -----<---{@ A ROOM WITH A VIEW

Tonks and Lupin -----<---{@ HARRY POTTER

Ella and Char -----<---{@ ELLA ENCHANTED

Haven and Iain -----<---{@ THE ETERNAL ONES

Meggie and Ralph -----<---{@ THE THORN BIRDS

Charly and Sam -----<---{@ CHARLY

Bella and Edward -----<---{@ TWILIGHT

Heathcliff and Catherine -----<---{@ WUTHERING HEIGHTS

Henry and Clare -----<---{@ THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE

Sydney and Lucie -----<---{@ A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Raoul and Christine -----<---{@ THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Aurora and Prince Phillip -----<---{@ SLEEPING BEAUTY

Charles and Caroline -----<---{@ LITTE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE

Tristran and Yvaine -----<---{@ STARDUST

Westley and Buttercup -----<---{@ THE PRINCESS BRIDE

Richard and Elise -----<---{@ SOMEWHERE IN TIME (BID TIME RETURN)

Cecilia and Robbie -----<---{@ ATONEMENT

Adam and Mia -----<---{@ IF I STAY, WHERE SHE WENT

Caire and Jaime -----<---{@ OUTLANDER

Margaret and Mr. Thornton -----<---{@ NORTH AND SOUTH

Molly and Arthur -----<---{@ HARRY POTTER

Anakin and Padme -----<---{@ STAR WARS

REMEMBER! Three votes each. And please, PLEASE go spread the word. Thanks!

NOTE: If you nominated more than one couple I chose the first. The last couple is added because the nominator said they tried repeatedly to get it in during nominations, but could not make it work, so I'm adding it for them.

If you see an error in the couples please notify me, and I will make corrections.

Have FUN and get voting...

Nominations Closed - THANK YOU

Nominations are officially closed!

Thanks to everyone who participated. I'm blown away by the amount of entries and everyone's enthusiasm. I loved reading through the entries as they rolled in and hope you guys did too.

The LOVEVOTE EXTRAVAGANZA will open Monday so stay posted for that insane amount of funness.

A little FYI:

The voting will happen in two rounds.

During the first round you will get three votes.

The second round will consist of the top ten couples from round one.

Anyone can vote, and I hope all those who made nominations vote.

More to come Monday...

If you have any questions, please comment below, and I will make sure it gets resolved by Monday.

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Post Nominations for King and Queen of Romance in Literature HERE!!!

**NEW UPDATE: I have decided to keep the nominations open until Friday (30th) at midnight (EST) The voting will begin Monday morning. Post on voting rules coming soon!**

Okay, now is the time!

POST YOUR NOMINATIONS ON THIS POST!!! AND THIS POST ONLY!!! (comments section)

Earlier posts on this competition here and here.

Please follow these guidelines:

1. Anyone can participate. If you must comment under anonymous please PLEASE leave your name and a way for me to contact you (email, FB, Twitter...) in case there is a problem or you win.

2. Post the NAMES of your couple and the TITLE of the work they're from. In CAPS please. Make it easy to spot. After that, feel free to say any comments you'd like about why or whatev.

3. Couples must be from literature. No movies or TV couples. But remember some of these are based on literature. Also remember the possibility of operas, plays... I don't care if the couple is hundreds or thousands of years old or from a novel that was released last week. It's up to you.

4. Remember a couple can only be nominated ONCE. And you can only nominate once. **More on who can be nominated below, for those who missed Tuesday's post.

5. Nominations will stay open for at least a week (depending on traffic) or until there are at least 25 couples. So please, SPREAD THE WORD. (Blog, Twitter, Facebook, anything) The more we have the more fun the voting and accurate (I use that term loosely) the outcome will be.

6. LoveVote Extravaganza will NOT start until nominations are closed! (More on that then.)

REMEMBER:

The prize for the person who's couple is nominated as King and Queen will win a book of their choice from Amazon. ($20 limit). I will order and send it to this person.

Being a "FOLLOWER" of this blog is not required but much appreciated. :)

**Any couple can be nominated. Even if one of the members of your couple has already been nominated with someone else (love triangles and such). It doesn't have to be the couple that ends up together in the end. AND your couple doesn't have to be the main couple of the story.

Okay, I think that handles it. NOW GET NOMINATING! Fast, before someone steals your favorite couple.

Oh, and THANKS for participating. :)

(No worries. The blog will revert back to its much less cheesy look after the competition is over.)

Housekeeping Info for King and Queen Nominations

No nominations until THURSDAY please. :)

Okay, if you don't know what I'm talking about click here and read about the contest coming up.

There are a few things I want to straighten out before Thursday comes...

First, the TIME. I will open the post accepting nominations on Thursday (Sept. 22nd) at noon, 12pm EST (9am PST). I hope that works for most.

A few other things to make note of...

A couple can only be nominated once BUT you can nominate one of the members of the couple with someone else. Like if there is a love triangle or something. Also feel free to nominate any couple, it DOESN'T have to be the main couple in the story

Also, while you can't nominate couples from TV or movies, REMEMBER that many movies are based on literature. Also, keep in mind the possibility of operas, plays...

I'm not closing nominations for at least a week and will not close before there are at least 25 couples, so SPREAD THE WORD! Blog it, Facebook it, Twitter it. Heck, get on a landline phone and call your BFF if you like. :)

EVERYONE and ANYONE can nominate and vote. Following the blog isn't required but much appreciated.

Seriously, so anxious to see your entries and who people vote for. Will it be one of the all time favorites? Or a surprise couple that we all forgot we loved?

We shall see!

Romance is in the air...

Man it feels like February!

While thinking of your favorite couples hop on over to the Ebysswriter blog and read up on some great entries worthy of making your toes curl. (Mine are 4 and 14 BTW but PLEASE vote for your favorites. I believe anyone can vote and up to three times.)

Have a great week everyone and hope to catch you here on THURSDAY!

*photo courtesy acobox.

No, I can't do THAT!

Have you ever heard a tiny voice in your head say those words while working on your manuscript? I know I have. But guess what. Whenever I think that, I smile and then do just exactly THAT. Because, really, torturing my characters is what I do best.

Of course, my poor little helpless characters have no choice. That's the power of being the one at the keyboard. I decide what happens. And while I put my characters through all sorts of pain, I do feel bad. Like when I made my character eat an Oregon-sized slug (similar to picture but BIGGER), I was totally writhing in my seat. (Are ya feelin' the empathy yet?) :)

But guess what, I also give my characters some pretty rockin times too. Like the kiss between MC and the smokin' genius boy she secretly crushes on. Ya, that was me too. So, I like to think my characters forgive me.

So you tell me. What's the worst thing you've ever done to one of your characters? And do you ever question if you can go through with it? Do you hear the voice inside saying, "No, I can't do THAT!"

If you do, just ignore it, and GO. RIGHT. AHEAD. (They'll forgive you)

*Photo courtesy acobox*

**BTW more info on the King and Queen of Romance competition coming soon, so stay posted! If you haven't heard about it yet click that link because you're not gonna want to be left out in the rain, no matter how romantic rain can be.**

Search for the King and Queen of Romance in Literature (info post)

Do NOT post nominations on this post please!
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

What this post entails, in this order:
1. My weirdness
2. How the Search for the King and Queen of Romance in Literature will work
3. When to post your nominations
4. A bit on the voting
5. The prize

So, I'm laying awake in bed early this morning (okay, early for me is like 7:30, but hey, I stay up late, okay?) after putting baby bear cub #2 back to sleep. Of course, I can't get back to sleep, so I'm thinking about the characters in my WIP, as I usually do when I have nothing better to think about, which is often. Anyway, I decided to come up with something super fun to do on the blog, hence, here I am writing this while everyone else is asleep.

So, I tend to be a romantic at heart, hip, arm, foot...you get it. My family makes fun of me because once I told them how fun I thought it would be if all the wives put on corsets and fancy dresses while our husbands chased after us (in the rain, of course). They tease me about it to this day.

It still hasn't happened. Lame, I know.

But I'm sure all of you are exactly the same way, right? Definitely. So let's have some fun. Ready? Here we go...

Between now and when I open the nomination post next Thursday, be thinking of which couple in literature is your favorite. Yes, this couple needs to be from literature, not movies or TV please. This is a writing blog after all.

Once you've thought of your favorite couple, you will want to be quick when nominations open so you get it in before someone else does. Again, the post for nominations will open next Thursday (Sept. 22nd)! Only one person can nominate each couple. Once that couple is nominated they cannot be nominated again, and you can only nominate one couple.

The posting for nominations will be open at least a week.

Once the nomination period has ended, we will start the LOVEVOTE EXTRAVAGANZA! Here, everyone and anyone has one chance to vote for one of the nominated couples and over the span of a couple weeks (or so) we will get it narrowed down to one last WINNING couple, who will be deemed the King and Queen of romance in all of literature. (Per this blog, anyway. Which is pretty much all that matters, really.)

Now there's got to be a PRIZE right? If the couple you nominate wins, you get to choose any book of your choice from Amazon.com ($20 limit), and I will order and send it to you. Awesome right? Oh yeah!

So start thinking of your favorite romantic couple and be ready to put in your nomination before someone else can next Thursday (Sept. 22nd) when I open the post for entries!

Okay, lets have some fun! (Post questions, concerns below please)

Giveaways Galore

Just wanted to post this for ya...

Tons of cool giveaways at the YA Confidential Blog!
Go check it out!

Good luck!