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The Next Big Thing
Last week I was tagged by both Amy Sonnichsen (my Hacky Sack Club Partner-in-crime) and Stina Lindenblatt (one of my favorite bloggers) for the latest tag game going around: The Next Big Thing! Like Stina, I’m going to hold off on my WIP, but I will share about one of my labors of love:
What is your working title of your book?
The Peanut Butter and Jelly Friendship
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Forever ago I wrote a terrible book about a girl whose best friend had to move. Terrible. It may or may not have come from personal experience. 😉 So when I pulled it out and reexamined the plot, foreclosures were ravaging the US, and a new story was born.
What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary Middle Grade.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I don’t watch TV and I’m horribly behind on watching movies, so all the kid actors I once knew of are now grown up, so I don’t know. Yeah, yeah, cop out answer, but honest!
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When selling her appendix on e-bay doesn’t work,
ten-year-old Annie Jenkins seeks other ways to save her best friend’s house from
foreclosure.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Hopefully represented by an agency. 😉
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?
If you count that horrible, awful version I mentioned above, I wrote the bulk of it in a month, though the first chapter had been written about 7 years prior to that.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I think it has similar themes to WHAT HAPPENED ON FOX STREET, but Annie is very much like RAMONA.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Egad. I’m a little embarrassed to admit (which I think you’d understand if you read the book), but much of what happens was inspired by my own childhood. However, the larger themes are very much influenced by the rocky economic situation the world is going through. I really wanted to explore how foreclosures were affecting the kids who are touched by them.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Well after that last answer, I better come up with something good before ya’ll fall asleep on me. So let’s just say that this book involves pirates and lost treasure, not to mention prune juice and turkey poop. What’s not to love?! 😉
And I am tagging (no pressure tags here):
Melissa Sarno
Old Kitty
Theresa Milstein
Vicki Rocho
Lenny Lee
***
Rules of The Next Big Thing:
*Use this format for your post
*Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)
*Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.
Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:
What is your working title of your book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
What genre does your book fall under?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.
Be sure to line up your five people in advance.
Speak up:
20 comments| TAGS:
Amy Sonnichsen, pirates, Stina Lindenblatt, The Peanut Butter and Jelly Friendship, turkey poopThis vs. That: Stay-up-late vs. Get-up-early
First, I want to thank everyone for their great reading suggestions from last week. In fact, I think you are inspiring me to add another page to my blog. Something along the lines of “Book Suggestions.” The idea is definitely swirling in my brain.
Now on to the subject at hand as a This vs. That post is LONG overdue. So, without further ado, I will jump to the numbers. As you recall, we were debating the finer points of staying up late vs. getting up early:
Total votes: 21
Stay up late: 10 votes; 47%
Get up early: 7 votes; 33%
Neither: 2 votes; 10%
Both: 2 votes; 10%
Clearly we have a couple of crazies with us. Both? Egad you two are gluttons for punishment. At the very least, I hope you sneak in a nap somewhere. OR, I guess if you have superpowers, that would work, too.
Ooh! Random thought: Next time someone asks, “If you could choose any superpower, what would it be?” I am totally choosing the superpower of not needing sleep. Wouldn’t that be awesome??? Think about how much you could accomplish!
Okay, okay, back to the subject . . . Other than those two bizarre votes, these results are as they should be (so hopefully you can guess where I voted). As one commenter said (and I’m paraphrasing), the glory of staying up late is that you have this huge supply of extra time you can take advantage of! And don’t we all need extra time? (*wink,wink*)
On the other hand, if you get up early, the day starts at the same time, just like every other morning and you get no extra time. Why not? Because you had to get up early to make up for the lost time of going to bed early. Seriously. Think about that.
But not for too long, because you have to make some decisions on the next debate:
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| Picture courtesy of Reb Sumner |
Speak up:
28 comments| TAGS:
bedtime, cats, dogs, superpowers, This vs. ThatWinner and a Question
Today I have winners for my giveaway of Leigh Moore’s The Truth about Faking.
And drumroll please . . . . .
Hurray and congratulations! Just let me know what format you would like (see that “Contact Me” page up top?) and I’ll have it off to you.
Now, next item on the agenda. So I have this 8-year-old who has recently turned into a voracious reader, and I mean VORACIOUS! I’m talking zombie-piranha here. He has ripped through pretty much every book in my personal library, and a good number from the library as well.
He’s gone through The Lightning Thief series (and its spin-offs), The Magic Tree House series, The Secrets of Droon series, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Prydain series, the Molly Moon series, gosh just more than I can name.
So I need suggestions. What books would you recommend for an 8-year-old boy?
Speak up:
16 comments| TAGS:
Amy Sonnichsen, Book recommendations, Of Muses and Meringues, Rick Riordan, The Green Bathtub, winnersThe Truth about Faking (and a Giveaway!)
So when she released The Truth about Faking last week (you can read the whole story >>here<<), I begged her to let me interview her and happily she agreed.
But since she’s told her publishing story elsewhere, I wanted to show you the heart and other sticky stuff that make Leigh and her writing just so loveable. *Warning: Silliness May Ensue*
Good Witch. Seriously. First, because I can sing that whole song
starting with “Come out, come out whereeeever you are…” But also
because when we were in college, my husband and I never dated–we were just
friends. But we both really loved Wild at Heart (David Lynch). It’s a
really awful movie, but we would laugh at all the silly dialogue,
including the part where Nicholas Cage is visited by the dead girl from
Twin Peaks as Glenda. “The good witch…!” That became me for whatever
reason.
Me: I shall see you differently forever after, Glenda! And I shall get you a wand for your birthday. 🙂
Me: Jolly Green Giant vs. Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man. Go.
Didn’t you see Ghostbusters? (heehee! love that movie!) #2-That Giant is hot. I’m just sayin. Have
you checked him out? And finally, #3-JGG kinda looks like “jiggy” to
me.
Me: How do you take your banana splits?
*madly Googles Bananas Foster . . .*
Me: What is your best party trick?
*face burns red as I turn to Google again . . . who *gasp* fails me!!!*
Me: Ahem. If you were planning the next Hacky Sack Club challenge, what would it be and why?
Me: Oh yes, I think you would. But now it’s like an expectation. Do it! Do it! Do it! 😉
Me: During your Fairy Relocation Housing Project, how many fairies did you provide housing for and how did you discover the need?
Well, I’m glad you asked about this, and I know it
was prompted because you are the Clean Up Fairy (eek! You outed me!). I have to credit my
youngest daughter for this outreach. She often walks around seeming to
ignore me and the world in general. I’ll say, “Laura, where are your
pants?” And she’ll walk into a wall. Then last spring, we discovered it
was in fact the fairies distracting her. They were telling her they
needed new homes. As for numbers, well, they don’t like us to share that
information. It was between a trifle and a bonanza.
Me: Please thank said daughter. The house is fabulous, darling, simply fabulous. Tell her I’ll leave a pot of fairy grease in the hollow log in the magic forest for those head bumps. Works wonders!
Me: Tell us one thing about you we probably don’t know (we promise not to tell anyone, bwahahah!).
I tell so much, is it possible to answer this
question? Umm… I uhh… well, let me see. I took classical piano
lessons for 12 years. That’s why I think I type so fast. (That’s not
very exciting is it? I also have a tattoo of Glenda the Good Witch on
my… just kidding! That’s a joke.)
Me: Sensing another Hacky Sack video in your future!
Me: Okay, you knew I had to ask this one . . . if your Main Characters had personalized plates, what would they be? What would yours be?
plates because he’s a car geek. It would be something classic like
muscle cars are great or something–except it would be cool b/c he’s
much cooler than me. Maybe it would be something with Harley’s name,
because he loves to tease her about it. As for me… Uhh… Writrgrl? Is
that dumb? Or 1 Moore? (That IS dumb! How many letters are in a
personalized plate again?)
Haahahah! . . . *cough, cough* . . . I mean, not dumb at all! Really. I think I’ve even seen WRTRGRL before. 🙂 (Oh, and 7 to 8 letters depending on what state you’re in. I think I even saw 9 once. #I’malicenseplategeek)
THANKS so much for having me, Janet! I really hope everyone gets a kick out of my book. My characters are funnier than me. [And she put a cute little heart here that my blog is rejecting. That doesn’t say anything about me, does it? ;)]
Jason just wants a date with Harley.
Harley just wants a date with Trent.
Trent’s still getting over Stephanie.
When
Harley and Jason decide to fake date, they uncover a school of
deceptions. Trent’s got a secret, but so does Jason. And the more time
Harley spends secretly kissing her fake boyfriend, the further she gets
from her dreams with Trent.
Worst of all, Harley’s mom is
getting cozy with her hot massage therapy student, and even Harley’s
Reverend Dad can’t fake not being bothered by it. But when the masks
finally come off, can everyone handle the real truth?
Speak up:
18 comments| TAGS:
Leigh Moore, That's Write Blog, The Truth about Faking, The Wizard of OzYour Fortune is Changing
Since it’s Labor Day here in the USA, I’ll be brief.
We had Chinese take-out on Saturday and my fortune was so good I wanted to share it with you all:
So what book do you go to for rest and escape?
Speak up:
13 comments| TAGS:
books, Chinese food, Fortune cookie, fortunesHacky Sack Club: Ethnic Musical Challenge
Back in May (when I was busy posting my hacky sack videos (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) as penance for my writing failures), my Hacky Sack Club partner, the amazing Amy Sonnichsen, wrote to me suggesting that we start hosting Hacky Sack Club challenges.
She told me she was thinking that Chinese opera could be fun. So I might have gone pale, and maybe trembled in my knees a little. (I love you Amy!)
Fortunately we came to a nice little compromise and settled on an Ethnic Music Challenge.*
Once that was decided, and she kindly agreed to wait till I returned from my blogging hiatus, the problem became this: How in the world do you compete with Chinese Opera?
After sitting in thoughtful silence on the matter with my husband, we humbly concluded that you don’t.
But then the word “Bollywood” came up. We giggled.**
Then the idea of SOLO Bollywood came up. We giggled a little harder.
And then we started scouring the internet for the perfect song. 🙂
Just a couple of notes: 1) Yes, that is me singing. 2) No, I have not yet signed that million dollar recording contract (too many to choose from, heehee). 3) No, I haven’t accepted any movie offers recently, either (my acting is just that good).
So without further ado and for your viewing pleasure:
Speechless, aren’t you?
And you absolutely cannot miss Amy’s video. She is just . . . wow! SO talented!! This just in!!: Catherine Denton doing Broadway featuring her twin sister. And if you decide to join the fun, let either of us know and we’ll link to you! (Hacky Sacks are still available for new members! I know you want one.)
*Because ethnic music is awesome! (Definitely NOT intended as a put-down. Just to be clear.)
**At the idea of ME doing Bollywood. Not at Bollywood itself. Because Bollywood rocks!
Speak up:
14 comments| TAGS:
Amy, Bollywood, Chinese Opera, Hacky Sack Club, The Green BathtubLicense Plate Revealed & Hacky Sack News
So it has come to my attention that very few people got last week’s license plate.
My heart is saddened.
Dun, dun, dun, dun . . . dun, dun . . . dun, dun. CAN’T TOUCH THIS. Dun, dun, dun, dun . . . dun, dun . . . dun, dun. HAMMER TIME!
If you are not now singing in your head, then I’m afraid you must have missed the epicness that was MC Hammer. All my sympathy. 😉
And just because I love license plates, here’s another challenge for you: SHKITOF
Now, the announcement you would have all been waiting for had you known about it:
The Hacky Sack Club is back with a new (optional) challenge! And this one is even more embarrassing. Like, I’m already blushing, and the thing isn’t even MADE yet.
Amy Sonnichsen (gosh I love her) and I have committed ourselves to the Hacky Sack Club’s
Yes, you read that right. We’re taking this thing to new heights of embarrassment. We’ll be posting videos of ourselves doing something
ethnically musical on Monday, August 27th. And no, you really don’t want to miss this.
If you’d like to join us, let one of us know. Then when you post
your video, also let us know so we can let all our followers know (so
everyone can visit your blog and join in the mirth). I know you’re all dying to take part!
Just remember, we’re not laughing AT you, we’re laughing WITH you!
For the record, I’m an NOT doing this because I lost a bet (this time). We
at the Hacky Sack Club simply believe that life is too short to waste
being normal all the time.
We also believe that part of a fun community is breaking down barriers and being silly every once and awhile.
If you have already joined the Hacky Sack Club, you do not need to take part in this activity, but we’d love it if you did. And anyone else who is not already a member, we will still send you a hacky sack in the mail when you join. Yay!
That is all. No stress. No hacky sacking required. Visit our Hacky Sack Walls of Fame Shame (Amy’s and mine) for more details.
So if you were going to join us, what ethnic music would you feature?
Speak up:
12 comments| TAGS:
Amy Sonnichsen, Hacky Sack Club, MC Hammer, Music, personalized license platesChange
Life has a funny way of interfering with our best laid plans. I was all prepped to come back with gusto until Change showed up on my doorstep and took a sucker punch at my gut. Rather than give up blogging, I’ll only be posting Mondays for the next indefinite time frame or so.
I know. You are all HUGELY disappointed. But to make amends I offer a nostalgic license plate for you.
Do you get it? Isn’t that just awesome? Gosh I loved the 90’s (*subtle hint*).
And by the way, what are you doing here??? You should be at WriteOnCon!
Speak up:
12 comments| TAGS:
Change, personalized license plates, WriteOnConHallooo!
Hello, all my long lost bloggy friends! After nearly two months of absence, I’m back, though it may take me some time to regain my sea legs. So for today, I give you my list of what I accomplished while I was gone:
- Moved halfway across the country with a husband and 3 small children.
- No one killed each other in said move.
- Finished the first draft of my WIP (hurray!)
- Did not rip said draft into pieces. Yet.
- Bought a couch. In two hours. (I know! Perhaps my biggest accomplishment all summer.)
- Beat my sister in Words With Friends by nearly 200 points. (Heehee. Sorry Reb . . . I had to tell someone.)
Anywho, I won’t bore you with the rest of my minutiae. What did you accomplish this summer?
Speak up:
17 comments| TAGS:
moving, Reb's Photos, WIP, Words With FriendsYay for Leigh!
I’m not here yet (really), but I had to poke my head in to give a shout-out to my awesome friend Leigh Moore.
Here’s the blurb from PM:
Leigh Moore’s ROUGE, in which a New Orleans chanteuse must decide
between saving herself (and her young charge) from the brothels by
marrying her well-heeled suitor, or following her heart and marrying a
poor stagehand, to Abby Zidle at Pocket Star, by Kate McKean at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency.
Go Leigh! Congratulations!!! 😀 And yes, there will be celebration and giveaways here on release day. Now I’m off to do some more happy dance before I plunge back in to the mess that is unpacking.