Book Thoughts: Before I Die

I decided I wanted to share a book that I love. A book with a personal story behind it.

I'd been editing my MS for about a month. No one knew. No one had read it (other than me)because I was scared out of my mind.

Then I read this:

The book is about a teenage girl called Tessa with a few months to live. Tessa writes a list. A To Do list. Full of things to do before she dies. You know, the usual stuff: have sex, go to a club, visit certain places. And she sets off on a journey of self discovery, love and life.

There is an awkward first time sex experience, an estranged mother, and a love interest who isn't a gorgeous sparkly God. Add in a best friend who can be a bit of a bitch and who....nah, I promised no spoilers.

Tessa captured my attention from the first page. Her voice is sometimes biting, bitter, hopeful and raw but always honest. A teenager experiencing life while her body fails her.

I love books that grab hold of me and won't let go. I've read very few books that I can't stop thinking about once I've read them. Even fewer that make me cry. * By this I mean blub in epic proportions *

This book made me a tiny bit braver.

It helped me decide to push forward with my writing. To do the things I wanted rather than just dreaming about them. I joined Query Tracker and I started my blog. I thank Tessa for giving me the courage to start my journey. Not just dream about it.

At least that's one of the things ticked off my list. :)

"This is an affecting and brave novel...a reminder to value the people that matter, seize the moment, wish with courage, adventure with relish, even if it's just a trip to the swimming pool, drinking hot chocolate or driving down a duel carriageway in the rain." The Guardian

WriteOnCon.

I'm sure a lot of you know about this by now but I still wanted to share.

Are you tired of never being able to go to a conference?
Do you write Kidlit? (Edit: Thanks Stina)
Do you want to get in on the action and talk to real life agents and everything?

You do. * Phew*

The awesomeness of Elana Johnson, Casey McCormick, Lisa & Laura Roecker, Shannon Messenger and Jamie Harrington have an announcement for you.





As an International bunny who never gets to conferences (and really, really wants to go) I've already marked the dates in my diary.

WriteOnCon.com August 10th-12th 2010

Edit: This piece of info has beeb posted on the WriteOnCon website.

What WriteOnCon isn’t:

"WriteOnCon is also not exclusive to kidlit writers. In order to stay organized, the curriculum has been focused on picture book, middle grade, and young adult writers. However, much of the information provided will apply to all writers, and since the conference is free, any interested writer is encouraged to attend. "

So anyone can take part. Feel free to pop over and check it out. :)

Penmanship Meme.

The awesome Sandy Shin tagged me for the Penmanship Meme on Friday. The rule is to do the meme on paper and scan it (or take a picture if you don't have a scanner). Here are the items:

1. Name/Blog Name.
2. Right handed, left handed or both?
3. Favorite letters to write?
4. Least favorite letters to write?
5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
6. Write in caps:
CRAB
HUMOUR
KALEIDOSCOPE
PAJAMAS
GAZILLION
7. Favorite song lyrics?
8. Tag 7 people.
9. Any special note or drawing?

After an epic battle with my scanner here is the hand-written version.

All I can say is that my writing seems to have gotten worse the older I get. Like Sandy I blame the frantic scribbling lecture notes at University.

If you can't see the names of the people in the list I've tagged they are:

Tahereh, Renae, Bethany Elizabeth, Stina, Amparo, Shannon McMahon and Justine Dell.

Hope you have fun doing this too. :)

Weekend of urgh...

First an apology.

Sorry that I haven't been around to visit your blogs this weekend.

I spent most of Saturday trying to look interested while my dad put a new alternator on my car.
I love my car. It's blue and called TARDIS (because it's bigger on the inside) but the occasional not starting has been a pain.

I can now turn the key without crossing my fingers and praying the battery has enough charge in it to start. Every time I went anywhere I had to be prepared to call my dad to get the jump leads ready for a rescue attempt. Really put my independent modern woman status on a downer. haha.

The rest of my weekend was taken up by tiredness.

I had two algebra exams to start and end my week. One thing you may need to know about me, I'm a huge worrier when it comes to exams. Hate them. So sleep has been an elusive bedfellow for me. Until Saturday night when it returned with a vengeance...

But now I am back. :)

I was tagged by the awesome Sandy Shin to do the penmanship meme on Friday. I shall have an epic battle with my scanner later to get this posted for tomorrow.
I also took all your comments on Friday's book thoughts into account and will be doing a book thought post this week.

I hope you'll like it.

So how was your weekend?

A Question.

As you know I have no regular feature on my blog.

I'm pretty much a panster within all forms of writing. :)

But after my Bree Tanner post, I realised I enjoyed sharing the book with you and your thoughts on it. So I wondered if I should post my book thoughts more often?

I promise I won't spoil plots or ruin endings (cause I hate that myself. lol). I won't turn into a book reviewing blog because there are lots of awesome ones out there.

But I kind of like the idea of sharing books I enjoyed with you all.

And I have a lot of books.

So let me know what you think? Does it sound like a fun idea?

Happy Friday Everyone. :)

Bree Tanner

Last night, and into the early hours of this morning, I was reading.

I was reading a novella that, try as I might, I couldn't put down. I had to pick it up again to finish it. At 2:45am I closed The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer.

And my verdict?

I enjoyed it. I'm not going to give a plot breakdown or anything. I do have a few thoughts I wanted to share.

I found the whole events leading up to the battle in Eclipse absorbing. Why? Because of Bree and the way she drew me into her world. It made me feel connected to her in the same way I did for Bella when I first read Twilight. In other circumstances she could have been just like Bella.

I know she is supposed to be a 'bad' vampire, but she's also a young girl. Scared, alone, unsure of her true place in the world. She wants to be good. She wants to belong. To love. To live. She fights the nature that has been thrust upon her to quench someone else's revenge.

There's also some pretty cool Volturi info we didn't know about. It did make some stuff Edward alludes to clearer. But you have to read it first. All I will say is the Volturi are tricksy.

What made it sadder was I knew her fate. Still, I wanted a happy ending for her all the same. In some alternate universe Bree could have fitted in with the Cullen clan. Become one of the 'yellow eyes.' Yet, in the end, Bree became a victim of the Volturi message. A warning to other's to control their newborns.

If I do read Eclipse again -I'm sure I will -I'll see Bree with new eyes. As Meyer says in her Introduction:

"You know this: It doesn't end well for her. But at least you will know the whole story. And that no perspective is ever really trivial."

I hope I can remember this message when I'm writing/revising my own stories. No perspective is trivial. :)

25 Questions.

I saw this questionnaire on Storywings and it looked like fun. So sit back, relax and be prepared to enter my world.

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
I sleep with them closed. I hate the idea of them being open. Maybe it's a repressed fear of a monster attacking me. Who knows? :)

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels?
I'm a freak and have really sensitive skin so I tend to stick to the same stuff. My Mum does though. She's the human equivalent of a heat seeking missile of free things. :)

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?
They start tucked in but I wriggle. I do sometimes wonder what I do in my sleep because my covers end up wrapped around my legs, fall half-way off the bed...I think the bedroom pixies tug at them.

4. Would you rather be attacked by a bear or a swarm of bees?
Hmm, huge bear. I'd hate to be responsible for all those bees dying after they got off one good sting.

5. Do you have freckles?
Yup. A few faded on my nose and lots of, what my Mum calls 'beauty spots,' dotted at various points across my body.

6. What is your biggest pet peeve?
People spitting on the street. It makes me feel physically sick.

7. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Yes, I used to go camping and sometimes you just have to go. In my defence I was an impressionable child and my Mum told me to do it. *Blushes in shame*

8. Do you ever dance if there’s no music playing?
Yeah, sometimes.

9. Do you chew your pens and pencils?
No. I like them to stay pretty.

10. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
That depends on how pink we're talking. Neon pink = no. Subtle pink = yeah.

11. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
I've not had a chicken nugget for ages. But last time I did I dipped it in tomato sauce.

12. What is your favorite food?
It's a tie between yogurt and digestive biscuits. Or bread. Or pasta. Maybe grapes. Or bananas. Or just food in general. :)

13. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
Grease, Dirty Dancing, Splash, Disney movies...there are too many to list.

14. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
No. But I was in the St. John's Ambulance Brigade. We did first aid.

15. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
No, I'm way to shy. Plus it would ruin the saleability of the issue. :)

16. Can you change the oil on a car?
No, my dad changes it (like he does most of my car stuff). He's such a great Dad.

17. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
No. I'm a speed limit girl.

18. Ever ran out of gas?
I panic when it gets to half empty! I get laughed at a lot because of that.

19. Are you lazy?
I am known to have moments of sloth.

20. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?
I dressed up as Cat Woman for a Halloween party once when I was about eight. Other than that I wasn't really big on Halloween.
I did take my goddaughter out dressed up as a really cute witch last year though (it was her first Halloween so I had to help eat the stuff she wasn't allowed.).

21. How many languages can you speak?
I have enough trouble with English. I did learn French and Italian at school, but only enough to get by.

22. Who is better…Leno or Letterman?
Sorry, don't watch either over here.

23. Do you sing in the car?
Yes, all the time. At the moment it's Old MacDonald had a farm since my car has been commanded by a seventeen-month-old who demands it on. I forget to take out the CD all the time when my friend and the little one aren't with me!

24. Ever eat a pierogi?
Hang on. *Google.* Nope.

25. First concert?
Um, on my own it was the Red Hot Chili Peppers. As a child it was Disney on Ice. Is that even classed as a concert?