Ready Set Write, revising, writing

Let´s sign up for Ready. Set. Write! *happy dance*

Elodie

It´s finally time to sign up for Ready. Set. Write! The wonderful idea of the lovely and talented Alison Miller 🙂

Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, Erin Funk, Jaime Morrow, and I are hosting this summer writing intensive Ready. Set. WRITE! and we’d LOVE for you to join us!

  • You can join us now or later…
  • You can decide to write 100 pages a week or simply revise one sentence.
  • Whatever will help YOU achieve your goals and whatever YOU feel comfortable with.

We even have a button!  (created by Erin).

ready set write button

So what is this exactly?

Purpose: for drafting/revising/writing novels, flash fiction or short stories—whatever! As long as we’re writing!

Timeline: We’re kicking things off today, but the REAL goal-setting starts tomorrow! Please join us for What’s Up Wednesday and tell us what you plan to be working on (in the What I’m Writing section). Don’t know about What’s Up Wednesday? Check it out here and here. And here.

We’ll keep the awesomeness going every Wednesday until August 28 and we’d love for you to participate as many weeks as you can. Like Alison, I love reading snippets, so don´t hesitate to share away!

Some Other Really Cool Stuff…

Twitter parties! We’re going to try (operative word = TRY) to host a weekly twitter writing/revising party in which we basically choose a start time to write and then pop back in on twitter several hours later recapping our progress. Sounds fun, right?!

Our Twitter hashtag…cue music….#ReadySetWrite

BUT to do that we kind of have to be twitter-connected. Below, you´ll see our Twitter handles, and we’d love for you to leave your twitter handle in the comments so we can make sure we’re following you too!

Our twitter handles:

Giveaway! The five of us LOVE giveaways so we’re including one as extra motivation.

Mid-way through (mid-July), one lucky writer will win a Writer´s Care package…it´s going to be a package full of fun surprises…

Something you simply do not want to miss.

Keep track of your progress and be prepared to update on the rafflecopter post in July.

SO, are you ready for Ready. Set. WRITE?! Commit to a summer of writing by signing up on the linky below! And don’t forget to post tomorrow—share your goals and tell us what you’ll be writing/revising!

In the meantime, write a little. Or a lot. Grab the button and spread the word! And get ready to Ready. Set. WRITE!

Sign up here:

writing

Spend some time with GUILTY, my YA romantic suspense novel…

Elodie

The lovely Juliana tagged me in a fun writing game (and you should check out the snippet of her NA contemporary romance she shared).

Here are the rules: “Search the words “moment,” “forever,” “time,” or the like in your writing, pick your favorite chunk, post on your blog, and tag others!”

Here´s an excerpt of GUILTY, my not-yet-revised-so-please-bear-it-in-mind-as-you-read-this novel 🙂

(and don´t forget on Tuesday, you´ll be able to sign up for Ready. Set. Write!)

“Funny, I thought you argued with me you would never ever participate in this beauty contest.”  Malik falls on the chair next to mine. His camera is around his neck and as always he holds a notepad.

“And I thought you said you´d never ever cover this event for the newspaper.”

His hand covers his heart and he grimaces. “Touché. María was supposed to but she´s out sick. I had to sacrifice myself.” He glances around and smiles. “Not that I´m complaining about being backstage with all of you girls.” His dimple shows. And my stomach runs down to my ankles as my eyes lock on his lips. The only time we kissed, they tasted like beer and Cheetos.

My cell vibrates and Malik turns his attention back to me. “You´re not going to get that?”

My heart pounds. “Stupid Twitter and Facebook notifications,” I mutter as my fingers dig into my tiny purse. Without reading the  news alert, I click my cell phone back to sleep. My face flames up and I cross my fingers he can´t tell I´m lying to his face.

Did I mention this is still a draft? *glances around nervously*.

I´m tagging a few friends…Kip, Sara, Alex and Jessica S. But you´re all invited to join the fun, if you decide to share a snippet, just come back and let me know in the comments 🙂

What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday?

Elodie

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin.  Here´s what Jaime said about it:

WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY
It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.
What I´m reading
I finished reading STOLEN last week and I need to write a review of this book. Between the setting, the characters, the plot, the way the sentences are structured, the voice and the emotions, I have a lot to say…And as Katy wrote yesterday, it´s really important to prop the books we love, especially those that may not have had tons of marketing behind them. She said it much more eloquently than me here.
Yesterday I started FAKING IT by Cora Carmack. And…I read the entire book. This was made possible by my wonderful husband who told me “You need to take it easy tonight”. Full review to come on that book too 🙂
What I’m Writing
I´m re-reading my first draft and leaving comments to myself (trying to be nice to First Draft Me) so I can be ready to revise as of next week.
In case you haven´t seen it, we have a fun Summer Writing Intensive planned (Alison has the best ideas :-))…All details by clicking on the lovely button created by Erin. You´ll be able to sign up next week. Yay!
ready set write button
What else I´ve been up to
Planning our next vacation. Going to visit family and we´re going to spend a week in Tuscany, by the beach…Exciting!
I´ve also had a small mole removed yesterday (that´s why hubby told me to rest, I do have a big bandade on my jaw :P). This isn´t my first one removed and it won´t be my last. So far, none came back as malignant, some were “active”. And this is my time to please remind you to go get your skin checked regularly. It´s important.

What inspires me right now

Christa wrote a wonderful and honest post (which let´s face it, she always does) on life as a writer: The Things They Don´t Tell You.  It´s another one of those posts that I´m bookmarking to come back to when I feel the need to remind myself I´m not alone.

This news! Nikki was part of my team during Pitch Wars and I´m so excited for her!

THE HIT LIST is on Goodreads! goodreads.com/book/show/1803…

And of course….This:

ready set write button

So, tell me what´s up?

Ready Set Write, writing

Do you want to draft/revise/edit this summer? Join us for Ready. Set. Write!

Elodie

Writing is a lonely process but it doesn’t always have to be…And if you’re looking for motivation and encouragement along the Summer breeze to type those words away (or in my case, delete words, think about words, type some words and try to find ways to raise the stake…), we have something for you!

Once upon time, a wonderful writer and friend named Alison (no really she’s great and the voice in her book is amazing, you don’t believe me check her first 250 words here!) sent an email out to a few of us asking if we’d be interested in co-hosting a  Summer Writing Intensive. The goals are individual, so no pressure because I know sometimes for me revising a sentence into something that makes me pause and go “wow did I write that?” can be as rewarding as drafting an entire chapter 🙂

And really, who doesn’t need some cheering along the way?

Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, Erin Funk, Jaime Morrow, and I are hosting the summer writing intensive Ready. Set. WRITE! and we’d LOVE for you to join us! We plan to kick off a summer of writing Tuesday June 11th and write, write, write for 2 months! We’ll update weekly on what we’ve been writing and our new goals for the week. Care to join us in our writing bliss?!

You can even grab this awesome button (created by Erin).

ready set write button

So what is this exactly?

Purpose: for drafting/revising/writing novels, flash fiction or short stories—whatever! As long as we’re writing!

What we’ll do:

  • set weekly goals (or monthly or overall goals). Again—whatever works!
  • update weekly on What’s Up Wednesday (in the What I’m Writing section). We’ll share what we’ve accomplished and set goals for the new week. We can also include a snippet or just gush about our stories. 🙂

Don’t know about What’s Up Wednesday? Check it out here and here. And here

We’ll also be hosting occasional drafting/revising parties on Twitter, providing lots of support for each other, and…AND sponsoring a giveaway!

Oh and if you don’t know where to find these amazing ladies on Twitter, here they are (simply click on their name – we really need to convince Erin to get on Twitter :P)

Ready. Set. WRITE! will kick off Tuesday June 11th with sign-ups  on our blogs. We’ll set our first goals on June 12th‘s edition of What’s Up Wednesday and update each other every Wednesday!

In the meantime, decide what you want to write/revise. Set your goals! Write a little. Or a lot.

Spread the word!

And be prepared to Ready. Set. WRITE!

Book Review

Summer Books Loving: Nantucket Blue and This is What Happy Looks Like…

Elodie

During the summer time, when the sun shines (or should be shining), I like to read books that are set at the beach, that take place during that season. Sometimes, I want something sweet and nice, I want to be swept off my feet. Other times, I´m ready for a surprise…But I need to feel the breeze and the sun and taste the ice cream.

I´ve been reading quite a few books that  fit the bill…So here´s my first Summer Books Loving post.

Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Publication Date: May 7th, 2013

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams. Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t.  When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer. But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on–most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits–that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality. A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue

Book review: Thank you NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the e-galley of this book. It´s another one of those summer books that in my view takes you a  bit by surprise. Cricket isn´t your usual type of narrator because she´s not the one the tragedy happens to. At least not directly. And I found that a change from what I read in the past. She´s the best friend. But that comes to show that tragedies affect people in different manners…Cricket can also be selfish and a bit infuriating. But in my view, that also made her a well-rounded character because I didn´t disconnect with her when that happened. And I think here lays the magic of a book, when you know you want to spend the highs and the lows with a character. The romance was sweet, not totally unexpected. I saw it coming but it still made my heart beat faster. I know I´ll be picking up the next book.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Publication Date: April 2nd, 2013

If fate sent you an email, would you answer? When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O’Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.  Then Graham finds out that Ellie’s Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media’s spotlight at all costs?

Book review: I absolutely adored The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight and wasn´t disappointed by This Is What Happy Looks Like. While reading, I found myself smiling and rooting for the main characters. That and I´ve been wanting to go to Maine ever since finishing this book.  It has everything I look for when dreaming about the summer: the water, the small town, characters I would love to be friends with, and a story that holds its own, that doesn´t compromise but is still full of sweets and butterflies. Sometimes, in those type of stories, the characters become simply another version of a well versed model. Graham and Ellie feel like people. Graham has a pet pig. Ellie has dreams and quirks and her relationship with her mother just felt “real.”  Everyone around them doesn´t feel “added” to the story but has part of it. Personally, Jennifer E. Smith is a must-buy author for me and one I know to turn to when I want to work on my craft.

Have you read a book that transported you to a new place recently?

What´s Up Wednesday

What´s Up Wednesday?

Elodie

What´s up Wednesday is the brainchild of Jaime and Erin.  Here´s what Jaime said about it:

WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY
It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you.
What I´m reading
I may have gone on a book binge while in the US and while contemplating which book I should read first, I remembered a review of STOLEN by Katy so I started it last night. It was hard to put down and I cannot wait to hop on the train to start it up again.
What I’m Writing
Not much.
I need to revise my story and find my groove again. I´m excited and scared at the same time.
What else I´ve been up to
I’m starting to work out again and I have a GREAT incentive. I just started watching VERONICA MARS and it’s going to be my workout companion…
Veronica Mars
Well…if my cat lets me workout.
My cat clearly didn't want me to do crunches.
My cat clearly didn’t want me to do crunches.

What inspires me right now

This.

And…If you haven’t checked out Rebecca’s post about doing what’s right for you, don’t miss out and click on the link below 🙂

So, tell me what´s up?

Observations, personal

Back from Maryland…

Elodie

*Waves*

The Chemical Engineer and I came back from 10 days in Maryland yesterday. As always when we go there, time flies and at the same time doesn´t move.

Maryland is one of those places we called home. We lived there for about 6/7 years and we built a life there during that time. We have people we consider family, and a lot of close friends. We have habits, places we like to go to and a lot of memories.

We´re lucky.

Yes, when leaving, I may always shed a tear. Leaving is tough, no matter if I leave France, the US or Germany. It´s never easy. But at the end of the day, we´re lucky to have so many wonderful people in our life…I can see my dear hubby rolling his eyes – but I know he feels the same. (stop rolling your eyes!)

So we had a great time…

We celebrated birthdays.

Someone turned 18.

We had issues with the P...:P
We had issues with the P…:P

Someone turned 50.

Happy 50

We met with wonderful friends.

We spent time with people we consider family.

We celebrated honorary degrees and graduations.

We cuddled with this cutie. Or I did. The Chemical Engineer won´t admit to it.

Friday

We had brunch.

Brunch

We ate a lot.

hmmm crab...
hmmm crab…

We laughed a lot.

We (I) spent a lot of time at Barnes & Noble.

Some of the books I bought...
Some of the books I bought…

We took trips down memory lane.

University of Maryland
Go Terps!

We created new memories…

Until next time.

Book Review, Books

Book review: DARE YOU TO (Katie McGarry) <3

Elodie

I read and really enjoyed PUSHING THE LIMITS by Katie McGarry so I was anxious to get my hands on DARE YOU TO. Thanks to Netgalley and HarlequinTeen, I was able to devour the book months before its release.

And let me tell you one little secret:

I loved it.

Even more than PUSHING THE LIMITS.

Summary from Goodreads.com:

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk’s home life, they’d send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom’s freedom and her own happiness. That’s how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn’t want her and going to a school that doesn’t understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn’t get her, but does….
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can’t tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn’t be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won’t let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all…

Release Date: May 28th, 2013

Sometimes, you have books it´s hard to explain when exactly you fell into a story. For DARE YOU TO, I can tell you that the first scene got me hooked. Ryan is a total cocky jock in that scene but he seems real. And the chemistry with Beth was here from the beginning. After that first scene, I needed to know how those two would meet again.

From there on, here are a few things that kept me turning the pages:

  • Beth. She´s a complicated character with many layers, fears and insecurities. IPage after page, glimpses of her past, her relationship with her uncle, her allegiance to her mother despite everything show how tough she´s trying to balance, how some decisions can do ricochet and have an impact.
  • Ryan. Ryan has flaws, he has issues, dreams and he´s just this funny, charming guy you wished you could have met while in High school.
  • The chemistry/banter between Ryan and Beth. They definitely have INSTA-LUST but not being able to stand each other means they´re trying to fight their chemistry – that just makes for good reading 😛
  • Cast of secondary characters: The uncle, his wife, Ryan´s friends, Ryan´s brother, Beth´s best friend…the appearance of Noah and Isaiah…They all play a role in the story, they all leap through the pages…Katie McGarry can pick any of them to write another story and I´ll read it.

And because I like quotes, here are a few ones:

  • Ryan has this blank, way too innocent expression. “Don’t worry, Mr. Risk. I’d love to help Elisabeth.” He turns to me and smiles. This smile isn’t genuine or heartwarming, but cocky as hell. Bring it, jock boy. Your best won’t be good enough.
  • “I won’t let you go.” I blink. As if he could stop me. “You won’t let me go.” “No, I won’t let you go. You’re mine and I don’t lose.”
  • “There are times when you stand on the cusp of moments so huge, you know you’ll remember them forever. This is that moment for me and for Ryan.”

And for more information on DARE YOU TO, those posts are pretty great:

Happy Friday, personal, writing

Happy Friday #38 – The return of Happy Friday…

Elodie

I know I know it´s been FOREVER since my last Happy Friday post. My last Happy Friday post was on January 18th. WOW! But Happy Friday is back 😀 My goal is to have one Happy Friday per month at least because let´s face it, there´s always plenty to smile about on a Friday and it´s always nice to look for the good things that happened during a week.  Looking forward to know what made you smile this week! 

Over on YA Confidential: The Teen Spies of YA Confidential critique my first page of GUILTY and I´m very very grateful for their feedback! Not only are their comments SUPER helpful, it´s simply great to have the views of my target audience 🙂  (even though it´s also super duper nerve-wracking).

Vacation: I´m on on holidays since Wednesday evening and we landed safely in Washington DC yesterday. We´re now back in our Maryland home. It´s funny how being back feels normal. We have our marks, our spots, our friends and the ones we consider as close as family. We´re looking forward to catch up and just hang out. (and going to Target, yes I confess, I am a Target addict)

Reading: I finished beta reading a wonderful YA contemporary this week (by the lovely Katy Upperman). You guys, this is another manuscript that really touched me and got me by the heart. Plus, the male main character is a mix of Etienne St Clair and Jonah Griggs…and adds his own layers to the batter making him really a great character to know. The entire cast reminded me a bit of MY LIFE NEXT DOOR. Crossing my fingers it gets picked up soon so you get to read it too!

Movies: A long plane ride overseas means I get to watch plenty of movies. And I finally got to see LES MISERABLES! I´m officially in love with that movie. I don´t know how many times I had to wipe my tears…or how many times I was simply in awe of the way the emotions really came through both the acting and the singing. Loved it! And while watching, I couldn´t stop thinking about another MS I had the honor to beta read (the Star Wars/Les Miserables mashup by Alex Brown) 🙂

So, tell me what made you smile this week?

writing

First draft – Check….

Elodie

Big smile.

I just typed THE END to the first draft of my YA romantic suspense novel GUILTY…The word count is a bit on the low side (46k) but I already have in the text some spots telling me to “add texture”, “add scene from the pageant”, “up the tension and the stakes.”

So yes, of course my work isn´t done but I powered through and wrote a book (or the main bones of a book). It´s exciting. It´s thrilling. And I cannot wait to read it through and make it as good as I can before sending it to my wonderful CPs and beta 😀

But for now?

I´m just going to look at that picture a bit longer and pat myself on the back.

End of first draft

 

What do you do to celebrate a writing related achievement?