The End Is Nigh: Three Things I Don't Want To Part With

Folks, I am sad. Three things I love are coming to an unfortunate end. *sobs*

Thing #1:

The INHERITANCE CYCLE by Christopher Paolini a.k.a. the only hardcore YA fantasy books I LOVE (besides Kristin Cashore's books).

End date: The fourth and final book comes out November 8th, 2011  

Thing #2:

Okay, okay... Veronica Mars already ended. In 2007. BUT I still haven't seen the last two episodes of Season 3. You know, the last season. Because the show was cancelled. And there are no more episodes after the last two that I'm stalling on because I AM SCARED. And IN DENIAL. *slumps shoulders*

End date: Sometime soon. Damn it...

Thing #3:

Smallville. A show I didn't watch from the beginning, but fell in love with five years later. And no, it wasn't just because of Tom Welling... *blinks* This show has lasted ten years. Let me say that again, TEN YEARS. In TV years, that's a hardcore senior citizen right there. Most shows are lucky to get past Season one. That should tell you something.

End date: (just typing this makes me sad) May 13th, 2011

Ugh.

So there you have it. I am sad. Saying goodbye is stupid. It should be illegal. 

Now tell me: is there anything that's coming to an end soon, but you don't want it to?

April Mystery Agent Contest Starts NOW!

HURRY OVER to the Operation Awesome blog and enter your one-line pitch in the Mystery Agent contest!! The M.A. will pick one winner, who'll get a FULL MANUSCRIPT REQUEST. 

And no, it's not an April Fool's joke. Pinky swear.

See you there! Best of luck to everyone!

And have a great weekend! :)

WIP Fire. Or... How To Get Your Groove Back

So. A while ago, I wrote a post on how to get back to your WIP after being away for, like, forever. Today, I'm sort of discussing the same thing, but not exactly.

*scratches head*

I'm currently working on the second draft of my WIP. I say second draft, but really, it's a HUGE rewrite. The task is much more daunting than I had expected, folks. 

But I love it.

Well, I love it when the words flow easily for me. Those other times? Not so much.

So here's an extra tip on how to get your groove back after a while of not writing a particular project:

4) Give yourself permission to brainstorm

I often stare at the screen for waaaay too much time, not knowing what the heck to write. But if I don't write something, I feel guilty and lazy. Here's the deal: if this happens to you, DON'T FEEL GUILTY AND LAZY. Brainstorming is work. You're thinking about improving your WIP. How to inject sense into the thing. These days, I spend more time brainstorming than I do writing. And when I do sit down to write, the pages fly by because I know where my story is going (keep in mind, this is a second draft. First drafts can be trickier). It takes me less than an hour to meet my word count goal of the day. All because I didn't force it out, and took my time to ponder first. 

Folks, embrace the pondering. It is awesome.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go ponder how to tackle my homework... *sobs*

Reminder: Don't miss Operation Awesome's next Mystery Agent contest! Be sure to check it out this Friday, Aprils 1st. And NO, it's not an April Fools joke :)

My 1st Blogoversary Book Giveaway WINNER!

At last, the random number generator has spoken!!!

The winner of my 1st Blogoversary Book Giveaway IS...


*drumroll*


*more drumroll*


*even MORE drumroll*


*evil grin*

Laura Diamond!!!

Congrats, Laura!! You get your preorder pick of Elana Johnson's Possession!! *fist pump*

Email me your mailing address to aortizzle (at) gmail (dot) com!!

A huge THANK YOU to all who participated!! Rest assured, this won't be my last contest, so make sure you stop by in the coming months!

Now tell me: which books are you reading right now?

If You Do One Thing Today, Read THIS:

So. I love Kody Keplinger. A lot.

Now? I love her even more.

Exhibit A: this amazeballs post, which touches on a subject I take very seriously. Yes, she discusses rape. But what I take even more seriously than the consequences of such an atrocious act is The Other People. 

You know, those who love to say, "she had it coming."

*takes deep breath*

Folks, go make my Friday and read that post. Pretty please.

And DON'T FORGET! My Blogoversary Book Giveaway ends on Monday the 28th, so hurry up and enter!!

Have a great weekend!

Genre Hopping: How Do You Cope?

So. I'm working on a manuscript that belongs to a genre (you know... as most manuscripts do...).

I have another WIP on standby. And it's in another genre.

I keep going back and forth between the two, brainstorming ideas for both plots.

All. The. Time.

Folks, I am going insane. 

To the point where I was actually humming a Justin Bieber song yesterday *facepalm*

That's why I wanted to ask ya'll a little question. You know, for the sake of my sanity. If you're a genre hopper like me, how do you cope with getting ideas for both at the same time? How do you choose which manuscript to set aside in order to work on the other? Or do you schedule time to work on both?

And more importantly: Is there a procedure, like some type of brain surgery, where doctors can remove the cells that cause humming Justin Bieber songs???

Any and all help will be VERY much appreciated. :)

Oh, and don't forget! You can still sign up for my Blogoversary Book Giveaway! 

I Would Have Given ANYTHING To Be Like...

The fabulous and uber-talented Kirsten Hubbard wrote a book. It's called Like Mandarin. It is on its way to me as we speak (hurry, FedEx!!!!). But I've read snippets on her blog, and oh. My. Lord.

As Michelle Hodkin said, "she is f*cking talented."

In honor of Like Mandarin, Elana Johnson and LiLa Roecker are throwing a non-blogfest. All you have to do is share a little secret:

So. I have two answers. One is the person I wished I was in high school. The other is the person I wished I were now (aside from Mrs. Jensen Ackles, of course...).

In high school, I would have given anything to be like...

Kurt Hummel from GLEE. 

Yes, he's a dude. Bear with me. He can sing. And dance. And has great hair. And great clothes. But the real reason why I wanted to be like him?

He knows who he is.

At seventeen, I didn't have a clue who I was. Other people knew waaaaay earlier than me. They'd encourage me to keep writing plays, acting in our school's theatre group, and reading books no one had heard about. But I didn't want to do that. I wanted to be pretty. Fun. Fearless. The girl boys couldn't stop looking at. 

I wanted to be like my friends. I convinced myself I was like my friends. 

Kurt is the total opposite of me, but his confidence blows me away. Of course he gets sad, but he doesn't regret being the way he is. He just regrets that very few others can see how happy he is with himself, and that he'll never change for anyone. 

He would've slapped me across the face if he'd met my seventeen-year-old self. But hey, she totally deserved it :)

Right now, I would give anything to be like...

Kirsten Hubbard. Duh.

At this point in my life, I know who I am. I'm a Literature grad student who finally owned up to loving books and theatre. I'm obsessed with movies and TV, especially with characters and premises. 

I'm a writer.

But I'm not nearly as good as Kirsten. 

I'm still learning, and she's one of my teachers. She doesn't know it, of course, but I hope I get the chance to tell her face-to-face how much her prose pushes me to be better. To not settle for 'okay'. To see  beauty where others see nothing special. 

Kurt and Kirsten, thank you :)