Author of first kisses, second chances and things that scare the crap out me…
Author: Elodie
Author of heartwarming, hilarious and hot romcoms with grumpy book boyfriends that make me laugh out loud and heart-pounding, haunting romantic suspense novels that scare the crap out of me. All of them hard to put down... I will never lose my French accent.
You can email me at: authorelodienowodazkij@gmail.com
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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This month (well until my honeymoon :D), I will be participating in Blogme MAYbe. This wonderful idea is the brainchild of SaraMcClung and is a weekly blog format with an easy schedule to follow. For more information and join the fun (you can at any time!), simply click on the banner created by the super-duper-talented Tracey…and today is May I tell you something about me?
On Wednesday, hubby aka The Chemical Engineer and I are going on a three-weeks honeymoon (we got married in August). We are flying into NYC, renting one of those babies (well if the renting company actually does have one):
We´re going to visit dear friends of ours and spend quality time together…we´re also going to discover new places along the road, we’re going to create new memories…We will be travelling from NYC – Maryland – Texas – Detroit – Cape Cod – NYC…
He doesn´t believe I will not be blogging while on the road but I most probably won´t (I may pop up on Twitter from times to times though but pshhhh…)..so:
See you soon! A bientôt! Bis Bald!
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Today I am combining Blogme MAYbe (brainchild of SaraMcClung) with the First Loves Blogfest organized by Alex J. Cavanaugh.
Here are the first loves of Natalja…Natalja had a promising career as a ballet dancer until her knee decided to give up on her. Now, she´s back in New Jersey with a broken dream, a broken mother and with no idea who she is without her pointes.
Her first movie crush: She remembers a night of watching dance movies with her friends from the ballet school, laughing so hard her stomach hurt but the very first movie she loved was at a pajama party with Beverley when she was 6 years old: Cinderella from Walt Disney – Since then she has always wanted to dance the part.
Loving music: Chopin. Anything by the man. That´s what her parents used to play on the piano. That´s what she first learned with them when they let her touch the keyboard. She can remember her dad playing this particular piece with her mother waiting for him, all dressed up before a date. A broad smile, the kind she no longer has and he was looking directly at her…Lost times.
A book is more than words on paper: Again, funny how happy memories can resurface so easily if you let them…Her mother reading to her at night, reassuring her that Baba Yaga would not come after her and that Vasilisa the Beautiful was safe.
Falling in love for the first time: Natalja gave ballet her heart, her body and her soul...She wonders if she will love someone the same way, with all that passion. She’ll have to wait and see.
Yay! It´s time again for Happy Friday! and it works well with the BlogMe MAYbe prompt for Fridays: May I share something funny? I am very much looking forward to know what made you laugh or smile this week.
A lot of things made me laugh this week, lines from books I do not want to spoil for you, my hubby (but I doubt he’d like me to share his silliness…) My Tweet feed also cracked me up this week because let’s face it those people are awesome! Here are just three from the past two days…
Reading: I read some wonderful books this week and just finished IN HONOR by Jessi Kirby. This book….Honor, Rusty, Finn, the road, the stars, the sea…Sad, funny, emotional, adorable, hopeful…If you do not have it on your TBR yet and you enjoy YA contemporary that may kick you in the gut but help to put back the pieces, then you definitely should add it. I added MOONGLASS to mine after reading this novel to dive again into Jessi’s writing.
Writing & Revising: I had to tackle some revisions concerning the part of my story which takes place in 16th century France. I am not 100% done but it’s getting there. When it comes to my YA contemporary romance, I am making slow but steady progress (I have reached 6000 words this week :D) and I’m loving it…Talking about loving, reading Jaime’s work totally rocks…If you do not have a CP yet, really go grab one!
Yummy food: You know how much I love food, really, food is good! 😀 Well this week I got spoiled in that area. Not only did my hubby take me to a very nice restaurant last Saturday, he also cooked one of my favorite dishes on Monday. Yes, he is wonderful!
Hmmm chocolateHmm Hubby can cook
Honeymoon update: I am very excited because not only are we going to go see EVITA in NYC, we also got some tickets to see THE DAILY SHOW! Yay!
Wow, that’s a long Happy Friday post but before I ask you my usual Friday question, I’d like to share something else which made me smile and that is The Kindness Project, you should totally check it out 😀
Now, please tell me what made you smile or laugh this week?
Found this post interesting? Don't hesitate to share it.
This month (well until my honeymoon :D), I will be participating in Blogme MAYbe. This wonderful idea is the brainchild of SaraMcClung and is a weekly blog format with an easy schedule to follow. For more information and join the fun (you can at any time!), simply click on the banner created by the super-duper-talented Tracey
On Wednesdays, the prompt is: May I ask something about you?
I started blogging less than a year ago (in September)…I wanted to connect somehow and I wanted to practice writing in another setting. However, I wasn´t quite sure at the time what my blog posts would be about. I started thinking I´ll write funny stories about my commuting and I ended up changing along the way, focusing more on my writing/reading and on the little/big events of life. So while I am still “commutinggirl”, I don´t talk a lot about my actual commute. It only pops up from times to times.
….but sometimes we don´t know any better….I am more precisely talking about height.
This month (well until my honeymoon :D), I will be participating in Blogme MAYbe. This wonderful idea is the brainchild of SaraMcClung and is a weekly blog format with an easy schedule to follow. For more information and join the fun (you can at any time!), simply click on the banner created by the super-duper-talented Tracey. On Tuesdays, I am happy to tell you a bit about me…
Sweet memory from Junior High
There was this guy in Junior High who was very popular within our grade. He was funny and nice and cute. We were very good friends and laughed a lot. He pretty much “dated” two of my best friends before “rediscovering” me. Nobody said the guy was a total winner. Plus, like a lot of teenagers/people (maybe even dogs?), self-esteem issues are part of the deal with me. My best friend broke up with him because he tried on a new hairdo (remember Zach from Saved By the Bell?). So anyways…
He did the cutest thing when he tried to woo me over: he rode his bike all the way from where he lived to where I lived just to say “hi” and chat for a few minutes. He lived about 5 kilometers away (about 3 miles).
Well it didn´t happen.
Because I got super scared. Because see, he was short and I was tall. I had a nightmare where my giant hand was 5 times as big as his and that everybody would look at us and laugh. Self-conscious a little? He wasn´t but I was terrified.
So nope, nothing happened. I think I had one of my friends tell him…He moved on quite fast.
No matter what the end of that story was though, this memory always makes me smile because even if there were hardships in the romantic department afterwards (and it wasn´t an easy ride), I still had a guy coming all the way on his bike just to see me 😀
So tell me, have you ever let the fear of embarrassment prevent you from doing things?
Found this post interesting? Don't hesitate to share it.
This month (well until my honeymoon :D), I will be participating in Blogme MAYbe. This wonderful idea is the brainchild of SaraMcClung and is a weekly blog format with an easy schedule to follow. For more information and join the fun (you can at any time!), simply click on the banner created by the super-duper-talented Tracey. On Mondays, I am happy to tell you a bit about my writing….
PLAYING WITH FIRE is a long time in the making. I have changed the story many times along the way, stretching myself as I improved it. I am learning a lot throughout this process. I am currently going through a last round of revisions before editing and then it´s off to my beta readers. My goal is to finish this before flying off to my honeymoon.
I had a little fun with my text and here are the words I use the most often 😀 (I am really going to have to check how to reduce the number of times I used “look”)
If you want to do the same, I used the website Tagxedo…
What words do you know you use a lot while writing?
Or which words do you believe authors just love to add to their texts?
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Yay! It´s time again for Happy Friday! and it works well with the BlogMe MAYbe prompt for Fridays: May I share something funny?
I would love to know what made YOU smile this week 😀
Lost in translation or A little story to make you laugh (at my expense): About two weeks ago, hubby and I stood at the counter of a car rental place. My French papers do not all have my married name yet on them but I had booked the car under it. So when the very nice lady asks me about it, I tried to explain the situation. However, when I wanted to tell her: “Oh this is my maiden name”, I suddenly translated literary from French to German “Nom de jeune fille” which in English could be translated as “Young girl” and in German as “Jungfrau”….Well a “Jungfrau” is a virgin. So yep I totally told that lady: “This is my virgin name”. My hubby shook his head in disbelief and acted pretty much like when his Russian mother says something wrong in German. I was embarrassed but laughed it off.
Now onto things which made me smile this week:
Reading: INSURGENT…is the only word I will put there so not to spoil anything. It didn’t disappoint and I loved it.
Writing: I incorporated Jaime‘s suggestions in my first two chapters and tried to work on what she mentioned this morning. A critique partner really does make a difference 😀
Blogging: The response to my hubby’s post made me really happy and the fact that he took the time to write it. He does want to let you know though that he breaks all these rules on a very regular basis
Honeymoon preparations: We are going to spend one night at the Niagara Falls on our way from Detroit to Cape Cod! 😀 We’re so excited about this! and we bought a new camera…Can’t believe that we’re flying away in less than 2 weeks!!!
So tell me what made YOU smile this week?
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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.
A lot of things made me laugh this week, lines from books I do not want to spoil for you, my hubby (but I doubt he’d like me to share his silliness…) 
Elodie Nowodazkij 