Gone But not Forgotten Blogfest

I'm taking a TV break today. On my blog.





Erinn, over at Something Else To Distract Me (isn't that a great blog name?) and some of her friends are hosting. We're to share our top five TV shows no longer making new episodes.

I picked all these before I saw the pattern...Comedy and Chick Lit/Flick...TV must have formed my reading/writing preferences early on.

First off, one of my first TV loves, The Carol Burnnett Show

  Okay, so I was young enough that most of it flew right over my head, but I still smile at the image of Tim Conway shuffling across the floor as an old man. And every time I misplace a pen, I think of Carol Burnnett falling through a laundromat dryer onto a pile of socks in the Land of Lost Things.


Next, still from my youth, M*A*S*H.

Comedy with depth.

It was a dramedy before that word existed.

And I still enjoy the reruns.

Now, for the root of my love for YA: My So-called Life

Never, before or since, has teen angst been done so well.

My last two choices are ones I was truly sad to see go.

 And        Wonderful characters, amazing dialogue...
Chick Lit/Flick at its best

What about you? Which TV shows do you miss the most?

My February "Reads"

It was an amazing listening month for me. I got in twelve books and would pretty much highly recommend reading any of the eight YA:



BEFORE I FALL and JELLICOE ROAD lived up to all the hype I'd heard, and WILDWOOD DANCING is a great pick for anyone who loved (and misses) Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series.

My favorite nonfiction research book this month was:

This book explains the anthropological reasons why/how certain kinds of civilizations have dominated over others throughout human history. It's thick with details and some of the linguistic stuff lost me even though I took two linguistics classes in college. Still, it's well worth reading (or, better yet, listening to), especially for Dystopian, Sci-Fi or High Fantasy writers.

Another book of his:
is an even better resource for Dystopian and Sci-Fi writers. It concentrates on internal societal struggles to survive, and cultural resistance to change. 

What about you? Which of my February YA would you recommend the most?

February Giveaway Winners

I said I'd announce winners on Friday, and I'm just making it (by one hour).

Winner of Marie Rearden


Winner of  Abby Stevens


As for the query critiques, I've decided that this month, at least, I'll crit everyone who asked for one, including book winners. Also, if you commented and didn't ask for a page one or query crit, but you want one then comment on this post and I'll get to yours too.

I'll be contacting folks tomorrow about queries and addresses. If you don't have an email available through your profile then please leave a comment here or email me.

Thanks, and happy February everyone! Wow, this month went faster than the shortest month usually goes for me. How about you?

Road Trip Wednesday

This week on YA Highway's Road Trip, we're doing an interactive Q & A.  So far, I've seen some tough ones and some fun ones (I can't wait to go answer them all). I'm going for something in the middle:

What element/part of writing comes easiest and/or is most fun for you and why?

Is it: Outlining?
             Character preplanning?
             Research?
             Backstory?
             World-Building?
             Plot?
             Settings?
             Narration?
             Action?
             Dialogue?
             Character development?
             Metaphors and Similes?
             Pacing?
             Flow? 
             Revising?
             Editing?
             or anything else I might have missed...

For me, it's dialogue. Sometimes, when my characters start talking in my head, I just write it down...no actions, setting or dialogue tags...I'll put them in later...it's so much fun to just let them talk and see where it leads them or what it will reveal.

What about you? What part of writing flows best for you?

Oh, and check out my books/crit giveaway below! Open until Friday!

V-Month Giveaway-Free Books and First Page or Query Crit

In honor of Valentines month, I'm giving away a signed hardback of FORGET-HER-NOTS, where Laurel finds out she has secret flower powers.
 

I also have a hardback of SPIRIT BOUND, the fifth Vampire Academy book.


Finally, for any writers out there, I'm offering a page one or query critique...if anyone's interested in getting my two cents for free :)

To enter, leave a comment about which item or items you want. I'll announce winners on Friday.

Happy Monday, Everyone!