Thrilling News!

Most, if not all, of you know that I am an author of the QueryTracker Blog. I'm very excited about what we have going on this month.

Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of Nancy Coffee Literary will be judging our very first agent-invloved contest! Though I am not at liberty to spill about the nature of the prizes, I can tell you this: THEY ARE AWESOME! Be sure subscribe to the blog so you can get the latest details.

P.S. I must share with you all my current obsession:

APOCALYPTICA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXEpP21soXY





















Tell me what you're up to this weekend. I'll be installing shelving in four closets. (I love my nail gun!)

The Book Thief - What's All the Fuss About???

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My review

It has taken me two months to get 3/4 of the way through this book - and not for the reason you'd think! I am literally savoring every word.


View all my reviews.

I remember a decade ago when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out. There was a lot of hooplah, and I was determined not to "be a sheep" and join the masses reading it. On a whim, I caved and listened to the book on tape. And fell in love!

I'd heard about The Book Thief from many of my writing friends, some of whom share the same agent with Markus Zusak. They raved about it. It was a huge bestseller! Again, I was determined not to join the masses. When The Book Thief was reviewed by my local book club (and not very well liked, I might add) I had to know what all the fuss was about.

I borrowed the book and began to read it. The way I read books changed forever.

I savored every sentence. Seriously. Markus Zusak is a literary genius; I have no doubt this book will go down in time as a classic, and I feel honored to have read it in its infancy.

When will I finish it? No idea! I have to return the borrowed copy tonight, which means I will have to buy a copy.

There is no other book I would rather own.

What books have changed you forever?

In Like a Lion

Has anyone besides me been living for days with crazy windstorms? We've been dealing with 70 MPH gusts that come roaring down our little canyon. (To see where we live, click on the photo above. The red arrow is pointing to our house.) Finally, this evening, the winds seem to have calmed.

Just now my teenage son (who snapped the photo) came to me. "Close your eyes. Tip your head back. And smell!" He opened the deck door behind me. My favorite scent rolled in, cold and crisp and fresh. Rain. The first rain of spring.

Of course, now that the rain has turned to sleet, I have no doubt that winter is not yet through with us. Which is okay. Because March has most definitely come roaring in like a lion. It will be nice to watch it leave like a lamb.

What about you? What is your favorite type of weather?

Before and After - My Work in Progress

These are photos of the project my family and I have been working on for the last three years.

BEFORE:
AFTER:


The inside is nearly complete. (We are doing much of the work ourselves.) When it's done we'll be able to spread out into the new rooms. Hooray!

My friend Jessica Verday's novel will be published this fall by Simon Pulse. From Amazon:

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is deadâ?¦and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. It only makes things worse that everyone now treats Abbey like either a freak show or a charity case. Thank goodness for Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

I 'm counting down the minutes until this book arrives on my doorstep!

I'm letting you in on a little secret...

Tomorrow on the Query Tracker Blog an editor from Mindflights Magazine will be spilling her secrets on what makes a manuscript sparkle and how to submit to her magazine. She'll even be answering reader's questions via comments in the post!

I had a lot of fun interviewing Angie Lofthouse so be sure to drop in!

This one's for you, Jacoby

A good friend of mine has let it be known (through the grapevine) that I don't post in this blog often enough. He's right, of course. I am nearing the completion of an addition on our home that will nearly double our living space. I would have sooooo loved to be able to write today, but spent my time learning how to router baseboards, which comes with its own sense of accomplishment.

The good news is, while I have no time to read books, I've had plenty of time to listen to them. I'm a new fan of Jodi Piccoult.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
A hard read emotionally, but oh so worth it! The ending was a surprise within a surprise!


View all my reviews.