2. We are having a regular heat wave here in Montana. When Geek Husband and I went shopping two nights ago, the temperature reading in our car said 40 degrees! 40 degrees in February in Montana is unreal. And then it rained. Rain. In February. That might not be amazing to y’all, but it is to me. February is COLD. Too cold for rain…often too cold for snow even. Of course, it has dropped back down to 25 degrees with snow today, but even that seems warm for February. It is weirding me out.

3. I made the mistake of pulling up Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on Netflix. I love that show. I first saw it when I was in college. I went to my friend Brian’s apartment to pick him up for something or another, but he was watching SVU. “Let’s just finish this episode, then we’ll go,” he said. We never did leave the apartment that night, watching a marathon of SVU instead. So, needless to say, I probably shouldn’t have opened that floodgate again. Netflix has 11 seasons available. I am in season 2. That is a lot of SVU to be watched and a lot of time to be wasted if I don’t monitor myself.

4. So, Baby Caveman looks exactly like Geek Husband. He’s like a mini-me version. In fact, we joked when we were struggling to find a name (it only took 3 days after he was born) that we should just call him Little Geek Husband (not Geek Husband Junior, mind you). Seriously, if you didn’t know I gave birth to him, you wouldn’t know the kid is mine. That is how much he looks like his dad and how little he looks like me. Geek Husband has told me not to worry though because (I later read this in Brain Rules) the genes that come into play for brain development come from the X chromosome, so while his looks all came from Dad, his brain development will come mostly from me. Apparently this is supposed to be reassuring…I dunno.

5. Oh. My. Stars. The cover for Supernaturally is just as good…maybe even better (I LOVE this dress) than Paranormalcy. Kiersten is one lucky girl when it comes to covers.

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And, on a completely unrelated note: if you are an aspiring author and haven’t read Kiersten White’s blog post today, do so. It is awesome. My favorite line:

Don’t be so anxious to be an author that you never learn how to be a writer.

This is exactly what I was looking for last week when I talked about trying to find the pure joy in writing again. Great timing.

But this is really cool. And you all need to check it out. Four YA-writers-slash-movie-junkies (Kiersten White, Stephanie Perkins, Natalie Whipple, and Molly Brewer) got together recently and started YAcinema. Basically the idea is this: every so often we (we being…uh…anyone) will all watch a movie together. From the comfort of our own homes. Scattered all throughout the country. Yeah, it’s that cool.

During the movies, we will chat on the #YAcinema hashtag on Twitter – just posting our thoughts, reactions, and what-have-yous about the movie. Fun times.

The first movie night is set for this Friday (the 13th) at 9PM Eastern Time. We will be watching Penelope (which, really, if you haven’t seen it, you need to). I am thrilled! I will watch Penelope at 7PM (yep…it’s earlier over here in the mountains), and still have time to force Bubba to watch whatever cheesy horror movie I pick out in honor of Friday the 13th. Sounds like a good night to me.

Pass the popcorn.

1. The fabulous Kiersten White has a cover for her book! It is beautiful–totally my kind of cover.

2. Kate Hart, the wonderful blogger behind Two For Tuesday, gave me an Aweseomesauce Award! What’s that, you ask? Well:

Rules if You Get Sauced: Basically: define awesome, and then name 8 people you think fit that definition. You don’t have to pass the award on if you don’t want to. This is really just for my own amusement.

Awesomesauce: the quality of being awesome with ease, ie: just as spaghetti sauce flows easily from the jar, so does the awesome flow easily from them.

My definition of AWESOME is:

Anyone who makes me laugh, supports me, understands my bizarre humor, and is just generally, er…awesome!

My 8 people are:

1. Lilah Pierce – ’cause she is one of my oldest friends, the first person to read my new writing, and a real natural blonde! Her blog is still just a wee baby, but it is fun.

2. Abby Stevens – ’cause I thoroughly enjoy reading her blog, I am jealous that she gets to live in the South and write full-time, and because she is a fellow Britney Spears fan.

3. Kate Hart – ’cause she gave me the idea for Two For Tuesday, then gave me this award so I had a topic for today, and because I love, love, love reading her super fun blog.

* *and now, the end of links* *

4. Cathie – for being a non-evil stepmother, even when I was kinda an evil stepchild. For teaching me the joys of Southern cuisine. And for getting us a great deal on a fabulous new car.

5. Mi Madre – for believing in me, answering all my tax questions (and, well, doing my taxes for free), for passing on her love of books. Also, for giving birth to me.

6. Dad – for always pushing me to be better and making me work harder. And for having a great (though weird, and kinda gross) sense of humor.

7. Rani – for being a cool older sister, even though she made me take the blame for everything when we were kids. For feeding me all those times I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain and the house was still a mess.

8. Bubba – For being the most loving, supportive, wonderful husband a girl can have. And for putting up with me. I know it can’t be easy.

Um, SQUEE!

I am getting this book whether I win it or not, but getting a book you want for free is always a great thing.

Other fabulous prizes include blog interviews, a second free book (of the winner’s choosing), and partial manuscript critiques (or something else for those non-writers out there).

This is a great contest, guys. Head over and enter now.

Today’s question comes from Jessie Sin, who asks: Who are your most read and awaited authors and why?

Here’s the deal: I don’t really have any authors whose books I eagerly anticipate. That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of wonderful, talented writers whose books I love; I just tend to do things on a more book-by-book basis.

For instance: I am a big Nicholas Sparks fan. I have read, um, six or seven of his books. But I haven’t read any of his most recent ones. I will eventually, but I don’t have that author-draw that compels me to buy everything he puts out right away. Similarly, I read all 7 Harry Potter books, but when The Tales of Beetle the Bard was released, my reaction was more meh than anything else.

I guess I am just not great with the whole author loyalty thing. Sorry author friends.

But, I do have a list of books I am incredibly (like, holy sporks, can this book come out already, ’cause I have to read it…can’t live without it, give it to me now) excited for. So, in lieu of a list of most awaited authors, I give you:

Books I am SO excited for

Book three in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

Why? Well, books one and two (The Hunger Games and Catching Fire) are sitting patiently on my bookshelf waiting to be read. I am trying my hardest to not read them until just before the third comes out, because I seen how people get with these books. I think the anticipation will be even worse if I read the first ones now. But still, they have all the way until August to tempt me; I don’t know if I will be able to hold out.

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Why? Four reasons: 1. Jackson is awesome, and hilarious, and adorable. 2. I really enjoy Jackson’s writing (have I mentioned my love of As You Wish yet?). 3. The story sounds great–modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, complete with the bond of sisterhood and, oh yeah, werewolf hunting. Heck yes. 4. THE COVER!

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Why? The story of a teenage girl who works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency is intriguing; the narrator’s voice is great; Kiersten’s blog is so fun that I just can’t help but to want her book too.

Spells by Aprilynne Pike

Why? I loved Wings. The story is fairly simple, but completely captivating. I love the characters. And Aprilynne’s writing is crisp and beautiful. I can’t wait to read more about Laurel.

Wow. That is all I can think of off the top of my head. I have a list a mile long (no, seriously, it is that long) of books that I want to read–some on shelves now, some not yet–but these four are the ones I am most looking forward to this year.

I especially love buying and reading new books by debut authors. With each debut comes another chance at a fresh voice I will love. With each debut I buy, I support a writer who, not long ago, was at the same place as I am now. I know how hard the author worked and I want to reward them for that. So, when I am buying books, my purchases tend to skew towards debuts more and more often.

The Story Siren is hosting the 2010 Debut Author Challenge. They have challenged anyone who wants to sign up to read a set number of young adult and middle grade novels from debut authors during 2010 (they are challenging everyone to read at least 12). I am so in! How could I not jump at this challenge? I think it is great. So…

I promise to read at least 24 books by debut YA/MG authors in 2010. That’s 2 a month and totally do-able. And while I don’t normally review books on the blah-g, I will post my thoughts on each debut after I read it.

My list is nowhere near complete, but I figure I can get it started now and add more as they come up.

Debuts I know I will read in 2010

1. THE SECRET YEAR Jennifer R. Hubbard (7 January 2010)
2. DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS Cynthia James Omololu (2 February 2010)
3. THE LINE Teri Hall (4 March 2010)
4. WHISPER Phoebe Kitanidis (27 April 2010)
5. THE RED UMBRELLA Christina Diaz Gonzales (11 May 2010)
6. EVERLASTING Angie Frazier (1 June 2010)
7. SHADOW HILLS Anastasia Hopcus (13 July 2010)
8. PARANORMALCY Kiersten White (21 September 2010)
9. ANNA AND THE BOY MASTERPIECE Stephanie Perkins (September 2010)
10. THE DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Kody Keplinger (Fall 2010)

I think 10 is a decent number to start off with. I will add to this list as I find other YA/MG debuts to read throughout 2010. I am excited to read all of these and let y’all know what I think about them!

Carrie Harris is getting published! The world needs more Zombies, and No Pain, No Brain sounds awesome. Head on over to Carrie’s blog and congratulate her.

Also, Kiersten White has a great post on her blog today about the harm caused by hurtful words. Words like Lashes reminds us all to not be so thoughtless about the words we use. Words matter.

Speaking of words mattering…if you know me at all, you know that I am silently correcting your grammar when you talk to me. I correct your grammar when you email me, update your Facebook or Twitter status, text message me–really anytime words are used, I will be silently correcting your grammar. I don’t judge you for bad grammar, I just can’t help but to correct it. Now, I am not telling you this to make you self-conscious. I am merely letting everyone know I am a grammar freak. BUT, I am not a grammar traditionalist. The rules that carry over from Latin? Not all of them need apply to English anymore. The 3000 Messages Blog has a great post on this today: Three grammar rules that are okay to break.

And now, moving on…

Personality Toolkit: Sacrifice

Writing a novel is really hard work. It takes time. It drains your energy–physically, mentally, and emotionally. With so many other options out there, it is a lot easier to not write a novel.

Distractions are everywhere. For many writers, there is the dreaded “real job”. New books to read are coming out weekly. Season 3 of DEXTER sits on top of the DVD player, begging to be watched. Dinners out. Nights at the theatre. Precious, precious sleep.

Things have to be sacrificed for writing–no writing would ever get done if this were not the case. If one is not willing to give up things that take one’s time away from writing a book, the book will never be written. It is not easy to sacrifice things we love, but in the end, it is worth it.

In my mind, there are certain things that are able to be sacrificed and things that should never be put aside for the sake of writing. And they are:

Things I am happy(ish) to sacrifice for my writing

• Time watching movies and TV (who am I kidding, Bubba and I don’t even have TV service)
• Sleep
• Some time with Bubba.
• Time baking, card making, and doing other hobbies
• My sanity

Things I will not sacrifice for my writing

• My marriage
• My health (hello, treadmill desk!)
• Sleep (contradictory? Yeah, well, I have to get some.)
• My values

Notice both lists are short. There are few things I will not sacrifice for my writing (but I will not budge on those points). The list of things I will sacrifice may seem super short as well. It is not because I will only let go of those five things; it is because everything else falls away to my writing so easily I don’t even notice the loss.

And for the record: I would love to sacrifice the “real” job (no matter how much I like it–which is a lot) to write full time. Sadly, I have to pay off my shiny new shoulder first.

Also, this is a must read post. I have been asked many times why I write young adult (and even a couple times when  I was going to write a “real book”). Someday I will address why I personally write YA. Until then, I am going to just say “what she said” to Mary Pearson’s thoughts on writing YA.

Now, finally, my intended post:

I have been reading a lot lately about the publishing industry facing impending doom (haven’t they been facing impending doom for, I don’t know, forever?). Well, if you have been paying attention to the movie business (and I will forgive you if you haven’t-it is not everyone’s job to stay on top of it), you know movies are still doing well. Movies just had their biggest summer of all time.

What do movies have that books don’t? They are both escapist, so that isn’t it. Movies do have the beautiful stars, but with a book you can imagine anyone you want in the roll. Books may be more expensive (if you don’t live in a big city), but they also last much longer. So maybe it isn’t a matter of what movies have that books don’t as much as it is a matter of what books have that movies don’t.

Returns. The publishing industry allows returns. This means if a bookstore WAY over-orders on a title, whatever they don’t sell to the public can be sent back to the publisher for a refund. I don’t know of any other industry that allows this. I think the publishing industry can learn a lot from the movie business.

***Disclaimer: I admit to knowing relatively little about the inner workings of publishing and returns. I don’t claim I can fix the system. These are just my rambling thoughts.***

What publishers can learn from movie studios

Let me break down for you how a movie is placed in a theatre (this is general-things are different in different situations, but this is basically it):

1. Theatre decides what film it wants to play.
2. Theatre orders the film from Studio.
3. Studio charges Theatre a guarantee-this money must be paid before the film is shipped to Theatre.
4. Studio presents the terms (percentage of Theatre’s revenue to be paid back to the studio).
5. Theatre grumbles about the terms being unfair.
6. Negotiations ensue.
7. Terms are finalized-generally they are exactly what Studio originally offered.
8. The film is shipped to Theatre. Theatre plays it for the adoring public and makes their money.
9. Theater sends Studio their percentage of the sales.
10. Everyone is happy.

So, let’s put this all in perspective:

Fabulous Cinemas in Fabulousville, Maine wants to play The Time Traveler’s Wife. Their booker calls up the Warner Brothers salesperson and says, “we need to date Time Traveler in Fabulousville for next Friday”.

“Great, I’ll put you in,” says the salesperson, “terms will be 51.5% with a $1500 guarantee.”

“Not a chance! That is not a 50% film.”

They argue. In the end, terms are finalized at 51.5% (this is a trend-Studio rarely budges).

The fabulous people at Fabulous Cinemas send Warner Brothers $1500, and in return Warner Brothers sends them the movie.

Fabulous Cinemas plays The Time Traveler’s Wife for all the fabulous citizens of Fabulousville. They rake in the dough.

At the end of the movie’s run, Fabulous Cinemas send 51.5% of all their profits to Warner Brothers. If they didn’t sell many tickets, well bummer, the studio is not going to cover that!

So, how does this apply to publishing?

Well, for all I know, it can’t. But, just for fun, let’s pretend it can. Here’s how that would look:

1. Awesome Bookstore in Awesometown, Illinois wants to sell Paranormalcy.
2. Awesome Bookstore orders their copies of Paranormalcy from HarperTeen.
3. HarperTeen charges Awesome Bookstore a guarantee-this is the cheapest level they can sell them to the store.
4. HarperTeen presents the terms (the percentage of each sale Awesome Bookstore has to give to HarperTeen)
5. Awesome Bookstore grumbles about the terms being unfair.
6. Negotiations ensue.
7. Terms are finalized-they are exactly what HarperTeen originally offered.
8. HarperTeen ships the copies of Paranormalcy to Awesome Bookstore. The citizens of Awesometown, Illinois rush to get their books and Awesome Bookstore makes their money.
9. Awesome Bookstore sends HarperTeen their percentage of the money.
10. Everyone is happy.

Notice how there is no #11 saying “Awesome Bookstore” sends any copies that didn’t sell back to HarperTeen. HarperTeen eats the cost of unsold copies.” That is because returning the books to the publisher is not an option! Awesome Bookstore is now held accountable for their rampant over-ordering.

Will this model work for publishing. Who knows? I certainly don’t.

And I have officially rambled for way to long. Anyone still reading this?

Bueller…Bueller…Bueller?

Oh how I wish I was writing this post about me, but I am not.

Oh well, I am super excited just the same!

It was announced yesterday that the wonderful and talented Kiersten White sold her debut novel! Not only did her wonderful agent, Michelle Wolfson, sell it–she sold it in the best possible way. Kiersten just landed a 3-book deal with HarperTeen. HarperTeen!!! No one tells it better than Kiersten herself, so head over to her blog to read the great news!

Now, as much as I would love for it to be me, I am so happy for Kiersten. It is great to see someone (especially someone as nice-and down right funny-as Kiersten) get a great payoff for all the hard work she has done. Also, this little bit of news has just motivated me to work that much harder on my own writing. I am off to do some edits now!

Look for Kiersten’s debut novel, Paranormalcy, in bookstores Fall 2010!