Yay, it´s time for Happy Friday 😀 Looking forward to know what made you smile this week!
This was my first week at work after more than 3 weeks away, after our wonderful honeymoon and while I was happy to be back and to see my colleagues, I am tired 😀
Looking back at the past 7 days, quite a lot made me smile, so here is a little recap:
Reading: I almost read all the books which were on my Spring Reading List (I´ll do a recap soon). This week, I read two wonderful stories: IF I STAY and WHERE SHE WENT (both by Gayle Forman). The way they were written inspired me to work even harder on my WiP. I read the second one in the train and yep, trying to fight the tears. Again. If you haven’t read them, you should!
Writing: On Monday, I reread my YA Contemporary romance WiP and I surprised by myself: I really like it 😀 but then I froze: where is the story going? That’s when I decided that I needed to get my creativity going before sitting my butt in the train and powering through on it. Enters Christa and her fantastic idea to compile flash fiction with the theme “This one time at band camp” stories. And I wrote it in two days. And I loved it. But then I froze again: what if I got everything wrong (grammar, feelings…) and I turned to Jaime for help. Have I said before that Jaime is amazing? And that if you get a CP like her you’re one lucky writer? 😀 So yep, I am ready to send it off to Christa…
Jogging: I decided to take up jogging again. I need a way to burn stress…I started this week and while I can’t run that far yet, the feeling after I was done was one of calmness and happiness…All those happy hormones, you know 😀 Plus I get to jog by the Rhine so it’s pretty cool (and with my hubby if he’s patient enough to let me run with him)
Last but not least…the view from the train as I was coming back from work yesterday. I was tired, the train was late which made me a bit cranky (I know if hubby is reading this, he is rolling his eyes: yes, I was only a bit cranky :D) but as always, looking outside of the train window while getting closer to where I live, made me smile and feel more serene (for a little while at least :D)
So, tell me what made you smile this week?
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I am trying to go through the pictures of my honeymoon and organize them so that I can share them (I don´t think anybody would really go through 1600 pictures). Today, I mesh it with Road Trip Wednesday (Blog carnival from YA Highway) as they asked what would be the place of our writing retreat and the people we would bring with us (yay for Colin who asked on Twitter what the topic for this week would be :D)
Cape Cod and Isaiah Jones B&B would be a great writing retreat. I´d bring my hubby along and all of you. We could rent out the B&B and have writing sessions, talk about books, have a drink or two, or simply enjoy our surroundings. Anybody in for poker too? or scrabble? And the breakfasts would just help us power through anything!
If you have a significant other, you should bring him/her too. They could hang out altogether while we do the writing thing. And everybody can also spend some alone time in their quiet, cozy room or walk on the beach. Maybe one day?
I´ve gushed about this Bed and Breakfast before. This is where Chemical Engineer and I stayed for a night in 2007 and where we decided to come back to in order to spend a few relaxing days in Cape Cod after driving around for so long.
We were not disappointed at all. Not by Sandwich, not by Cape Cod and definitely not by this wonderful Bed and Breakfast. Donnie and Katherine are not only warm and friendly, they have plenty of tips to discover the area. And the breakfasts are delicious!
Some of my favorite pictures from Cape Cod
Our favorite restaurant in Sandwich, MA
And the lovely details of Isaiah Jones Homestead Bed and Breakfast (you can click below to see a slideshow of some of the pictures I took of this charming place)
Is there one place you really love going on vacation to?
Or have you already gone on any writing retreats?
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You know when emotions run wild while you´re reading and you´re feeling ALL the feelings?
That was me on Saturday night at 2am. I was supposed to be sleeping. Really, I was supposed to try to beat jetlag but that was impossible to do once I got into that story. I even thought of hiding under the covers with a flashlight or in another room if hubby happened to wake up to tell me I really should sleep because of that jetlag thing. Hubby just doesn´t understand when I cannot put a book down…
Summary from Goodreads:Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains. Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve. As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.
I really really enjoyed Morgan´s debut (yes she doesn´t know we´re on first name basis :D) AMY AND ROGER´s EPIC DETOUR but I loved this one.
Maybe it was because of the family dynamics which were much more present into this book or because Taylor is trying to deal with the illness of her father without really knowing how to or because I came to love the secondary characters so much I wanted to hug them through the pages.
The book includes flashbacks into past summers. Getting a glimpse into Taylor´s life as she was younger such as how her first kiss unfolded was so adorable, cute and at the same time so sad and so hopeful.
The relationship of Taylor and her dad felt real to me, just like the relationship she had with her mother and her siblings. I could hear them and see them. Taylor and her dad made me laugh and made my heart squeeze. So many times in that book, I tried to detach myself but couldn´t because the raw emotions running through me were too real. The gestures Taylor and her dad have for each other, their struggle to find a balance, his reminders to her throughout the book about how much he loves her, the hints she gives him are very powerful.
Taylor and her mom appear to not be as close but she recognizes it is also a result of all the walls she built around herself. I choked up at one thing Taylor says because it just felt so real. Taylor and her siblings pretty much discover each other during the summer and there are parts of this discovery that had me laughing (not too loud because of the sleeping hubby). But at the same time, you wonder just like Taylor if it´s ok to laugh in these moments. And then, there are Henry and Lucy….yes you should dicover yourself about Henry and Lucy. I think we all have a friend like Lucy, the childhood friend who knows you inside and out. And Henry, well…You´ll have to see for yourself.
This book is indeed about family, love, loss, friendship, growing up and about love. After all just like Taylor´s dad explains:
“And I’ve realized that the Beatles got it wrong. Love isn’t all we need—love is all there is.”
So tell me what is the latest book which made you feel ALL the feelings?
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I have a confession to make. Psssh….come closer, I don´t want everybody to hear…
I have not written a word since the plane ride to the US in May. I have not read a novel while being away either (I just read SECOND CHANCE SUMMER on Saturday though, more on this tomorrow :D) I did attend Teen Author Carnival which was truly inspiring but didn´t write.
No writing and no reading. It feels weird. My fingers want to get onto my story but it somehow seems like a mountain to climb when you have not done any exercise or have not walked in forever.
So many things to do in the next month for work and scratching my head trying to figure out how I was doing it before my holidays or how others manage 😀
But…I am looking forward to take little steps towards my goals. I read on a blog recently (I need to take notes when I do) that small goals and rewards are good when we´re writing and I tend to agree. We sometimes forget to celebrate the milestones, take into account the small steps it took us to achieve something.
So here are some of my writing goals for June:
Incorporate/reflect Jaime´s comments & suggestions into my WiP
Send one chapter to Jaime for her feedback (thanks again, I really appreciate it!)
Write at least two chapters of WiP above
Re-read PLAYING WITH FIRE (again) and set up the last schedule of revisions (I need to send this baby off to my beta readers :D)
Right before heading to NYC, I realized that the Teen Author Carnival would be taking place while we were in the city.
See, all these amazing names? I was torn because I was on my honeymoon telling my hubby how much I wanted to go there but of course knew that he would not really enjoy it…Plus we had tickets for the Daily Show right before so I knew I wouldn´t be able to listen to both sessions…And see I love The Daily Show, I´ve got the biggest crush on Jon Stewart…but the conflict, oh the conflict…I wanted to have it all and my hubby (the greatest hubby) enabled me to indeed have my cake and eat it too!
One happy hubby
Right after attending the taping of The Daily Show, we hailed a cab and went on our way to the Jefferson Market Library. There, I stood outside for the end of the “You don´t know you´re beautiful (keeping it realistic)”. And listened, laughed while taking in the crowd, the enthusiasm and the fact that I was just a few feet away from authors I admire.
Crowded room
Then, I turned to my hubby and told him that if he wanted to go have a drink while I was going to the next panel, he could. I mean I did feel bad about dragging him along…so on his way he went.
And I attended the next panel entitled “Where have you been all my life? (let´s talk boys)?”….
Hannah Moskowitz, Scott Tracey, Michelle Hodkin and Jennifer E. SmithJen Calonita and Kody KeplingerSarah Tregay (sitting next to Victoria Schwab) talking here about how she got herself red converse thanks to the cover of her book 😀
I even asked a question. Yes, I raised my hand, forgot how self-conscious I sometimes get about my French accent, tried to ignore the erratic beating of my heart…and did it 😀
I did mention before asking my question that I was French and on my honeymoon (also highlighting how cool my hubby was since he dropped me off there). I am glad I did because that´s how Rebecca recognized me (yay again!). I asked the authors about developing crushes on their own characters (not necessarily the love interest but those who suddenly become more important in their eyes and that they have issues letting go).
The answers made me laugh and made me nod and made me smile and made me wonder how lucky I was to have those wonderful writers look at me in the eyes as they were answering. Totally fan-girling the event 😀 Some pointed out how crazier you become the more books you write since you have all these voices in your head. When I mentioned this to dear Chemical Engineer, he shook his head and gave me the eyes (the ones meaning: wait, you can be even weirder? :D)
Here are some notes I jolted down while listening to the different sessions (I am not sure who said what…reminder: next time, be more careful about taking notes):
About cursing in YA novels:
“Always stay true to character…that is the most important. Teenagers can smell if someone is being fake and then it doesn´t work.”
“There is a different between ´I have a problem´ and `I have a fucking problem´”
About sex in YA novels:
“I always try to have sex scenes in my novels. But one time, it just didn´t work with the characters. I was all about having them do it and suddenly, one of them says she´s tired! So basically in my head, my story ends like this ´The End. and then they went to have sex´.”
“My editor did scrap some of the making out scenes I had…because, well, they didn´t make the plot advance, it wasn´t important for the story. I just had them making out for pages and pages. I loved writing those scenes but…”
Several authors also mention how they go about their research: Jen Calonita (Author ofBELLES) for example mentioned calling Debutantes to find out more about their experience and falling so deeply into her subject that she wanted to know ALL the details, others mentioned how they feel their research could put them on a WANTED poster. Kody Koplinger (Author of THE DUFF, SHUT OUT and MIDSUMMER´s NIGHTMARE) explained that she wrote about a character drinking a lot without having any experience herself on the matter. She thought she had it down until her editor made notes on how it really felt to be hangover…
Jennifer E. Smith (author of THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT) explained how she was happy the prologue was kept into her story though she had thought her editor would cut it. Plus, asked about writing secret love letters, she admitted she wrote at least one love letter but that it wasn´t so secret (because secret love letters are just not as efficient :D)
Jennifer E. Smith talking about her wonderful book!
So, this was one LONG post but as you can tell, it was such a great, wonderful, amazing moment to sit in the same room as those authors!
And who knows, maybe I will make it to SCBWI next Winter 😀 (really trying to make this happen…)
PS: For those of you wondering, hubby made it back to pick me up…he had quite a great time which included being hit on by two men (since he ended up in a gay bar for some reason) which totally boosted his self-esteem 😀 Oh, and he discovered a new reason to like those type of events (the ratio to girls against boys). Yes, I love my husband! 😀
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And we´re back :D, right on time for Happy Friday…I have so many things that made me smile these past weeks that I don´t know where to start.
We landed this morning in Germany and I am fighting against falling back asleep, trying to beat jetlag by Monday. I have about 1600 pictures and a lot of stories to share (including how I met the amazing Rebecca in New York City after gathering up the courage to ask a question at the Teen Author Carnival!)
Hubby and I created new memories together, we drove more than 4000 miles passing through the US and Canada, discovering many new States, cities, beautiful roads, delicious food, meeting some of our fabulous friends or just spending time together…
I will share some of the highlights of our trip (including some pictures) in the next weeks. A comeback is always a bit bittersweet, happy to be home, to be back in a routine soon (including writing, reading and blogging :D) and sad that those particular adventures are over but knowing that those new memories will become cherished ones. Plus, we might be back for a visit in the US next year.
On our way to meet friends…On the road…
And now, tell me, what made you smile this week?
Have a wonderful weekend!
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Yay, it´s time for Happy Friday 😀 Looking forward to know what made you smile this week!
Elodie Nowodazkij 