Rock Star Crush

UPCOMING POST PREVIEW

During the month of February, I'm going to be talking about (you guessed it) romance, specifically teen romance. This Friday (the 3rd) for Friday Firsts, I'm doing first kisses, and I want to hear lots of "FIRST KISS" stories (writing research) so get ready to spill it. Then on Wednesday the 8th I'm doing Wednesday Worsts, and I want to hear your WORST KISS story. (Keep both stories PG please.) E-mail your stories to me at jennifershawwolf@gmail.com.

And...In honor of Valentines Day on the 14th, I'll be gifting you a romantic short story. I'll also have a couple of Teens Doing Great Things posts this month that don't have anything to do with romance, but everything to do with love.

Now onto...THE ROCK STAR CRUSH

You know what I'm talking about, that impossible crush, the one you had/have on a celebrity--a movie star, a rock star, a professional athlete--someone totally out of reach. This is probably the only crush that's okay to share with your best friend, a group of friends, or a millions of other screaming teens. Often a rock star crush is your first crush because it's a safe crush. No matter how hard you're crushing, deep down you know, your crush will never result in an actual relationship.

My inspiration for this post came from my thirteen-year-old daughter. Last night she made a giant card for Harry Styles, one of the singers from ONE DIRECTION the European boy band she just discovered. She listens to their songs all the time (you can check their song "What Makes You Beautiful" here) she has pictures of them on her phone, and she is working on a "wall of hotness" for her bedroom. To celebrate Harry Styles' 18th birthday, she and her friends held a birthday party during school lunch.

This all reminds me of my rockstar crush. It was the summer of 1990. My older sister, my friends and I, bought tickets to see a NELSON concert in Pocatello, Idaho (check the link if you don't know or don't remember NELSON). Even before the concert we were all INFATUATED with the long, blonde-haired, cute twin brothers. (I was also quite jealous of their hair, mine was never that long or that shinny).

We spent the night before the concert making t-shirts to wear. My older sister drove so we had the freedom of being 3 hours away from home and on our own. We got there early, (a huge accomplishment for five teenage girls) and the coolest thing happened... WE WERE THERE WHEN THE BUS ARRIVED SO WE GOT TO MEET THE BROTHERS IN PERSON!!! (Insert teen girl squees here). We actually got to talk to the brothers, they signed our t-shirts, they signed our arms, they signed our notebooks.

The concert was amazing and I knew I was IN LOVE. I was convinced that I would see Mathew (my favorite brother) again, and we would one day get married. I even wrote stories in my journal about how/where/when we would see each other again.

After that concert I wore a NELSON guitar pick on a heart-shaped necklace everyday for two years, (even after I had a real boyfriend). My friend Mitzi and I decorated our shared locker with NELSON pictures, and I kissed them every day before I went to class for most of that year. (Maybe even after I had a real boyfriend.)

As my daughter and her friends celebrate Harry Style's birthday with cupcakes, signing the giant and listening to ONE DIRECTION, I think I'll watch the music video for AFTER THE RAIN, and reminisce.

What about you? Who did you have (or do you have) a rockstar crush on and why?

Best Year EVER!!!

I’m back! And I can see!

If you go back to Decmber 21st, you will recall that my eye surgery had the unexpected side effect of leaving me pretty blind for two weeks. Luckily, I’m now back in my contacts and seeing quite well. Thanks to the surgery, I can actually see more! The world is brighter and I'm more grateful for my eyesight than ever. It's honestly amazing to me that I can see the tiny letters as I type on the screen.

Unfortunately, my eye issues messed up all my grand plans for my blog. I was working on another short story gift that I wasn’t able to finish in time for Christmas. I’ll put it up next year, I promise. Maybe I can come up with something for Valentine's Day.

For today I wanted to take a minute to revel in one thing…

IT'S 2012!!!

And that means, my debut novel BREAKING BEAUTIFUL comes out THIS YEAR. JUADSOL!!! (Jumping up and down, screaming out loud!)

I don’t think I’ve anticipated a year this much since 1992 when I graduated from high school. (Yes, that was, gulp, twenty years ago.) I was so excited about 2012 that I wrote the date as 2012 several times last year. I was willing to skip 2011 altogether. BUT I’m glad I didn’t, during 2011 I joined the Apocalysises and the Class of 2k12, I met so many equally crazy authors, so many great books came out in 2011, so many great things happened, and frankly I wasn’t ready for my book to come out last year, but still I’m glad it’s finally here.

My book releases in April and there is still SO MUCH TO DO! I’m giddy with excitement alternating with waves of panic, but if my last-last-most-anticipated year twenty years ago is any indication of the future, this year is GOING TO ROCK!

Happy New Year to all of my friends in the Apocalypsies, and the Class of 2k12 and everyone else who will be experiencing the thrill of holding a book with your name on it for the first time this year. And to everyone else out there, I encourage you to follow your dreams and do what it takes to make 2012 the best year ever!

Cover Reveal--IF I LIE

Quick note to explain why I haven't been active in the blogsphere lately...

I had eye surgery last Friday to raise up my genetically droopy lids and for some reason it has made my vision wonky. I'm typing this on the big screen of our home computer and still having a hard time reading what I write. (Please excuse any typos.) In the meantime, my daughter just got her tonsils out, so the irony is (as my husband put it) I can't see and she can only communicate by writing it down or through hand gestures. We make a great pair.

The weird thing is that I can read a regular book if I hold it up to my eyes just right, so yesterday I gave up trying to do anything else and finished two books from my "to be read" pile. My eyes hurt and my head was screaming afterward, but it was worth it.

With that note, here's something to ADD to your to be read pile for next year. With all the blurry-vision fanfare I can muster (thought it deserves much better) I present the newly debuted cover for Corrine Jackson's IF I LIE:



Don't you just love it? I love the gray and the red and the couple and just everything about this cover. It says so much with so little. Here's a little about the book:

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.

Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

Fantastic plot, fantastic cover. I can't wait to read this one. Hopefully my eyes will be better by the time it comes out, AUGUST 28th 2012.

Teens Doing Great Things: Tessa the 9th Grade Book Blogger

I'm always amazed when I meet kids who are able to go above and beyond the regular craziness of teen life. I have two teens so I know how busy their lives are. I ran across From the Bookshelf of T. B. when I was sending e-mails out to bloggers about signing up for the Class of 2k12 Newsletter. I was already impressed with the reviews on her blog, then I found out she's a 9th grader! As soon as I read that, I knew I had to feature Tessa on my blog.

It was fun to turn the tables on a book blogger and interview Tessa. I found out that besides school and blogging, Tessa runs cross-country track and she got to run in the Cross Country National Championships in Florida her first year of running. Here are some other things I found out about Tessa:

1. What made you decide to start a book review blog?

My grandpa was actually the one who got me started blogging. I was with him one day and we were talking about how I wanted to get more serious about my writing. He suggested, why not start a blog? I could blog about whatever interested me and it would be a way for me to get to write more. I thought it was a fantastic idea, but I wasn’t too sure if my parents would be okay with it. They loved the idea of starting a blog as well! So, From The Bookshelf of T.B. was born, all thanks to my grandpa and my parents.

2. What's been your favorite part of doing a book blog?
The little notes of thanks I get from people. Every now and then I get a comment from someone telling me how much my reviews and suggestions have helped them, and how much they love reading now. Little things like that have made running my blog worth it.

3. What's been the hardest part of doing a book blog as a teen?
The most difficult thing by far has been the issue of time. Being a teen, school takes up most of my day, and I have cross country practice right after school which can go until late as well. By the time I get home, I usually just want to eat and go to bed. Then I’ve got homework I have to finish and try to catch up with some blog stuff. Ever since starting high school the work load has increased and teachers expect more of you. My blog has definitely suffered because of it, but school has to come first.

4. Do authors take you seriously as a book blogger and a teen?
I think that overall they do. Most of the time people don’t realize that I’m only a ninth grader, and are shocked when they find out. A lot of times the authors enjoy hearing what someone in their target audience thought of their book. A few authors have been very supportive!

5. I have a 15 year old son and a 13 year old daughter and their lives are crazy, how do you find time between homework, school and other commitments to do a book blog? How much time does your blog take up?
It’s tough. I try to catch up on reviews and blog-related things on the weekends, but even that has been hard lately. Sometimes I have cross country meets on the weekends and there just isn’t time to fit in writing reviews. Also, I tend to write reviews that are more on the longer side of the review spectrum, so it’s hard for me to just knock them out real fast and post every day. I don’t know exactly how much time my blog takes up, but it’s definitely a lot.

6. What kind of books do you enjoy reviewing?
I enjoy reading anything and everything. Books are books, whether they’re new or old, fantasy or realistic fiction, traditionally published or self-published. Each has their own story to tell. I especially enjoy reading and reviewing books that haven’t been done before, and have some “x factor” that sets them apart.

7. Do you think YA books do a good job of portraying teens today? What critiques would you give young adult authors?
I think young adult authors are capturing the essence of being a teen very well. There are some books that I’ll read and it feels as if it was written by a teen, because I can relate to the main character so well. Then again, at times it’s hard to place myself into the same situation that the main character is in. They could be in an entirely different world, or have a special power, and I might never know what it feels like to live with that. I constantly wonder if I would have made the same choices as some of these characters do if I was in their shoes. One thing that unites me and the characters within a book is the fact that despite our very different lives, we are both still teenagers trying to survive.

8. What kind of books would you like to read?
I’ve been told I have a very eclectic taste in books, but one of my favorite genres is dystopian, and lately I’ve noticed that I’ve been enjoying a lot of young adult books that are a bit edgy and take on issues that not every author would venture to write about. I tend to shy away from romance a bit more as well.

9. Anything else you'd like to say?
I’ve learned so much from blogging and have gotten to meet so many amazing people that are really passionate about what they do. The book blogging community is more supportive and accepting than I could have ever imagined. Who knew that a love of reading could set all of this in motion?

10. What is your wildest dream?

To get to have a job that I truly enjoy and not drag myself to every morning. My dream job would be a news anchor on Good Morning America and a young adult author.

10. Just for fun, pick any "bests" you’d like to share.

Best Ice Cream Flavors (According To Tessa) - Ice cream is one of the staple food groups of my diet. I could eat it all day, if only my parents would let me. These are the best ice cream flavors (according to me):

-Cookies ‘n’ Cream

-Ben and Jerry’s Stephen Colbert Americone Dream: Vanilla ice cream with fudge covered waffle cone pieces and a caramel swirl. Delicious.

-Ben and Jerry’s Jimmy Fallon Late Night Snack: Vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and fudge covered potato chip clusters. Don’t judge it before you’ve tasted it.

-Rainbow Sherbet

-Any ice cream with brownies

Thanks so much Tessa! You can read Tessa's fabulous reviews at From the Bookshelf of T.B. Congratulations on having a successful blog and best of luck for a future full of great things and ice cream!

Blog Contest Winner!!!

It's been a crazy day. I know you don't want to hear the details. Let's leave it at, four appointments with three different offices within a six hour period is completely insane, and apparently if you have any metal surgically implanted in your leg you have to be on antibiotics for twenty-four hours before you can have any dental work done. Information I could have used before I made three of the four appointments.

Also a fortune cookie that says you have a "penchant for perfection" isn't appreciated while eating Chinese food on the road between the first trip to the dentist and the second trip to my daughter's middle school. (Really, that's more of an observation than a fortune anyway right? I mean, it didn't say anything like "you will meet a tall, dark handsome stranger" or "your wildest dreams will come true." It's kind of a fortune without direction or expectation, although I may have gotten a future blog post out of it.)

However, in the midst of the craziness I did manage to chose the winner for my critique group contest. (YAY!) I used the most scientific and unbiased method at my disposal. The highly technical selection process involved a basket, a bunch of slips of paper with the entrants' names printed on them, and a seven-year-old boy who was eating Oreos and watching TV while doing his homework. (Did I mention it's been a crazy day?)

Anyway... without further ado my blog contest winner is:

Bonnie Harris!

Yay! Congratulations! *throws confetti*

I'll be in touch with you to set up your critique with my fabulous critique group for next month.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

I'm so excited, this Friday I get to share my interview with Tessa, a ninth grade blogger who has a fabulous book blog, From the Bookshelf of T.B. Check out Tessa's actual teen reviews of actual Young Adult books and then come back here on Friday to find out about her secret life or how she manages to blog and handle high school.

Stay tuned...

Celebrating the Moment and Being Grateful for What You Have

Three weeks ago my daughter had knee surgery to repair the ACL she tore skiing last January. (We had to wait a year to do the surgery so she would mostly be done growing.) Today was her first day of physical therapy. I watched the physical therapist help my daughter bend and straighten her leg as much as possible. She's doing well, but she's a long way from full range of motion and her usual activities like skiing, soccer, basketball, and volleyball.

After she was finished I dropped her off at school and went to a weight training class at the gym. (I won't tell you how long it's been since I did that.) We did lunges and squats and calf raises, all the things that you would normally do at a weight training class, but for me it was different. Each of those exercises represented something that my daughter can't do right now. It made me think about how grateful I am for basic mobility. It also made me think about how grateful I am that she has a good doctor and good physical therapists, and that she'll regain the full use of her knee within a year.

It reminded me of another lifetime, in another gym, when I was getting three small children ready to go to the swimming pool. While I struggled to get them to hold still long enough to get their swimsuits on and to keep them from running out into the world naked, I was aware of two older ladies. They were slowly getting themselves dressed after a water aerobics class. I remember thinking, "How sad to get old and have to struggle with simple things like bending over to tie your shoes."

Then I overheard their conversation, it went something like this: "Do you see that poor woman over there?" "Do you remember those days?" "Do you remember how hard that was?" Laughter. "Aren't you glad to be past all of that?"

I realized they were feeling sorry for me because I had three small children besides myself to get dressed. They were grateful that they weren't in my position.

This all ties back in to another experience I had a couple of weeks ago as I was finishing up my "first pass pages," one of the last steps before my book is published. At first I was freaked out as I went through the pages. I realized this might be the last opportunity I had to make changes before my story went out into the world. I suddenly wanted to change everything! Fortunately, I'd been warned by my editor that I could only make small changes, like correcting typos. I had to force myself to just read.

As I read the last few pages, something strange happened, I started to cry. Not because the story was that sad, or that good (although it is :)) or because there were so many things I wanted to change. My tears were tears of gratitude. I was overwhelmed with the thought that I had actually reached this point; that somebody (actually a lot of somebodies) believed in my work enough to sell it, buy it, edit it, and ultimately publish it.

It struck me that I've had many opportunities to celebrate during this process; signing with an agent, getting a book deal, getting my edit letters, seeing my cover and my ARC for the first time. As I look back I realize, I never let myself fully enjoy or appreciate any of them. I rationalized with, "Well this is another step, there's still so much to come."

Using that logic you can rationalize the joy out of everything from raising kids; "I'll be happy when my kids can feed, dress, drive, support themselves," to writing a book; "I'll be happy when this book is finished, sells, is made into a movie, makes a million bucks, lands me a spot on Oprah's." (I know, she quit before she got the opportunity to interview me, how sad.) Anyway, my point is you can't base your happiness on the "what ifs" in life, it has to be on the NOW.

Through this whole journey I should have been celebrating every step. The way I celebrated all of my kids' first steps, the way I celebrated my daughter's first steps after her surgery, the way I celebrated the completion of the three novels I wrote that so far no one wants.

There are so many quotes about happiness being a journey and not a destination, but it's not a cliche, it's true. Today, (I know it's a week late for Thanksgiving) I'm grateful for my knees that bend. I'm grateful that all four of my kids can now dress themselves (and that I still don't have to struggle to tie my shoes). I'm grateful that I have a supportive family, that I have a book coming out next year, and that I have the time and ability to write.

I'm even grateful for the little trials and the moments that remind me how blessed I truly am.

Opportunity Knocks

If you aren't a writer (and maybe even if you are) this post is going to sound insane. I'm hoping that since you've overlooked the whole 'voices in my head' thing, you'll chalk this one up to my writerly eccentricities and let it go. If not, you'll probably want to skip this post.

It all started with me setting a thousand word a day goal for this manuscript I have that should have been done by now. I started writing it fast and furiously in early April. Then around June I was derailed with family vacations, my exchange students, then school started, then I got involved in other writing projects. But this one has always been there in the back of my brain.

While I'm waiting on some other things, I decided to finish it. The other manuscripts I've completed have all been finished in about ten weeks, so I didn't think it would take any time at all to throw the last 20 or 30k words on this puppy and get it out of my brain. Somehow I convinced myself (and this is a MYTH) that writing would be easy.

It's not.

I ran up against a HUGE brick wall with this. I couldn't get beyond a certain scene. I knew how I wanted the story to end, and I had other scenes in mind to move on to, but somehow nothing was coming. When people would ask how it was going, I would say, "Great," even though it wasn't great. (Sara if you're reading this, I was lying, I'm sorry.) It got so bad that I actually started cleaning my house instead of writing. It got so bad that I almost decided to shelve this one, unfinished.

But despite my brick wall, I still believed in the story so I made this goal, 1,000 words a day until it was finished. The first day I got around my roadblock by writing a previous scene that I decided needed to be inserted. The second day I tried to move on, but only got about 300 words written before I was stuck again.

After all my kids and my husband went to bed I went back to my computer with my goal in mind. I was tired so I tried to rationalize; I had written that day, just not anything on this story. But I had made a goal and I decided to stick to it.

The first thing I did was delete the scene that I couldn't move beyond. (Okay, delete is such a harsh word. Really I copied it into another document, a sort of writing graveyard I like to keep for my brilliant ideas that don't quite make the cut.) The second thing I did was start to free write.

A note on this particular manuscript. Up to this point I have pansted everything I've written, but I always end up spending a lot of time revising and restructuring the plot, so I outlined this one. After I deleted the brick wall scene I started another one that wasn't in my outline, even so, I thought I knew where it was going.

I was in the middle of an important moment between my main character and her mother when someone started pounding on the door. (In the story, not in real life.) I didn't plan for someone to disrupt the moment, but there it was. I continued to write, thinking I knew who was at the door and what he wanted. (Here comes the crazy part, feel free to stop reading at any time.)

I was wrong. And I was completely blown away by what this character had come to say.

This isn't the first time my characters have done something that surprised me, but usually I'm pretty in control of what they do. I've even (at least in my mind) criticized other authors who say, "But that's what my character wanted to do." Isn't it your story? Aren't you the one in charge?

In this case I wasn't in charge, and I'm glad. The person who showed up at the door removed the block and opened the floodgates. Today I've written 3650 words. The end to this story is so close that I can taste it.

If you've stayed with me, here's your reward; the moral to my story and my advice. There will come a time in every writing project when you want to give up, when another story looks better, and/or this one seems impossible. I like to call it transition, like transition in labor, (the really painful part just before delivery especially it seems if you're delivering a vampire, but that's another story). My two pieces of advice to get beyond your transition point in writing are:

1) Don't be afraid to delete (or cut and paste to another document if you're a wimp like me) a scene that isn't working.

2) Even if you have a 'set in stone' outline, allow yourself some freewriting time to see what your characters have in mind. Their ideas might even be better than yours.

Sometimes opportunity knocks.