Never Surrender

I'm a pretty lucky gal. I'm participating in Elana Johnson's SURRENDER Blogfest that entails writing about a time that you never surrendered. Click HERE to get the deets and see who else is participating (and there is still time to participate, too! Win great prizes, get some Surrender swag, and Elana is awesome so give that lovely author a shout out!).

I thought back on times that I never surrendered, and I first thought, "Dang. I'm pretty lucky. I haven't really been through terribly difficult times. I've had a pretty great life." As I said, I'm a lucky girl. But then I did some more thinking. Yeah, I guess I have had some hard times, but.... I stayed positive. I moved on. I fought on.

Even as a youth, I tried to make good choices. I worked hard in school and sports. I didn't do drugs. I was competitive in everything I did. I do believe that many times luck is the result of hard work plus good timing. But you can't control everything.
As an adult I realize I was faced with hard times (but thankfully more good times) as many of you did. My parents divorced. But I did see that it was best for them and moved on and got over it. I married young and have been with the same man for twenty years - through good times and bad. But we are still together. I've witnessed my child lose a kidney, have multiple convulsions from epilepsy, and  watched our children cry and laugh over small and big losses and gains. But I became my children's advocate, researched medical problems, talked with their teachers, stayed ever present in their education and their lives. In these awful economic times, my hubby and my careers have been compromised, we almost moved to another state, lived apart due to a job, but yet we are still hanging on. Times are tough for everyone. But you can't dwell, you just do what you gotta do.

My point in all of this ramble? Stay positive. Don't give up.

When life gives you lemons, throw that lemon in a tall glass of ice water. Honey, you are going to need it, because sometimes you have to work that much harder. Make some pink lemonade cupcakes to celebrate life's little joys. Mix some lemonade with a splash of vodka to deal with a bump in the road. Heck, make an Arnold Palmer, because it tastes so darn good!
Do stay positive. Don't give up. Smile more. Frown less.

Congrats to Elana on her second novel, SURRENDER.
And since I love me some tunes. Listen to some Corey Hart. And never surrender.

Gay Parents in YA

Kris Asselin is hosting "Where Are the Gay Parents in YA?" this week on her blog, and I'm happy to be part of it! Please visit Kris's blog for her posts this week and links to other blogs (including to my buddy Jon Arntson's) that are participating this week.

I usually don't "review" books, because I just don't think I do them justice as a reviewer. Yes, I am a writer, but for some reason, I cannot eloquently write a review well. Go figure. So here is my take on a book.  Not necessarily a review (though it was excellent in my opinion), but my thoughts on it.

Last week I read PEARL by Jo Knowles as I knew it featured a gay parent. As I started reading the story, I was so into the story that I forgot the reason why I chose this book in the first place: because I wanted to participate in this week's "Where Are the Gay Parents?" Okay, I had also heard it was a great book. But as I was reading the story, the mom has a close friend, and because I was so immersed in the storyline, I didn't realize that the "close friend" was more than that until further into the book (but before the main character realizes it). Jo Knowles wrote this book in first person from teenager, Pearl's (nickname, Bean) point of view. Since Bean didn't realize who this close friend of her mother's really was, neither did I as the reader, because I was inside Bean's head. (The realization that Bean's mother is gay may be considered a spoiler alert, but due to the topic of the blog post, it does need to be addressed here.)

What is the story about? It's about two families: Bean's family and her best friend Henry's family. Both families have secrets of their own. Both families are a bit dysfunctional but in different ways. Bean and her mother don't get along, but not because of her mom's choice of lifestyle. Bean has no idea about that until further into the book, and I really like the way how Bean handles that.

Three reasons I love this book:
1. Love the friendship between Henry and Bean. They are saviors for each other. Plus they are just regular kids. Not a hot vampire. Not the star of the swim team. Just two regular kids.

2. I do like the way the homosexuality is addressed in this book. Even though it is a plot twist, it isn't sensational. The female couple just seem like two people who love and care about each other. Best friends who are lovers, too. Very straight forward.

3. This book was a quick read, and there were many well written relationships within the book: Bean's close relationship with her grandfather, Bean's tumultous relationship with her mother, Bean's friendship with Henry, Bean's relationship with Henry's mom, and of course, Bean's mom and her partner. Each relationship was unique and interesting and added a twist to the story and interesting facets to the plotline.

Do I recommend this book? Yes, very much! Don't forget to stop by Kris's blog for more posts!

Five Easy Questions

with me today at Jill Kemerer's blog! Please stop on by HERE and say "HEY!" :) Thanks for having me, Jill!

Also, rocker Josh Todd tells us his current read at Book Recs of the Rock and Famous today!
Who is Josh Todd you ask? He's the sexay lead singer of Buckcherry. And that man can dance. He also has "Stay Gold" tattooed on his knuckles. And speaking of, The Outsiders and That Was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton ebooks were released yesterday! Greasers go digital!

Okay, now check out JT and his bad boy moves.

Random Act of Kindness BLITZ

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community. 

Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked.

So many people take the time to make us feel special, don't they? They comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums, make us laugh and spit on our keyboard, and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.

Kindness ROCKS!

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too!

**I am randomly picking SHARON MAYHEW, who is so generous and kind to others, and she one of my fab critiquers. Sharon, for my RAOK gift, I'm offering to buy you coffee (or drink) when I finally meet up with you in Iowa one of these days and of course, a critique whenever you need one, Sharon! 

I really appreciate Sharon, who blogs  at Random Thoughts. She is so sweet and is a cheerleader for her writer friends. If you have a minute, please stop in and tell her how awesome she is!**

Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round. :)

Also a big thank you to Shannon O'Donnell! I won a Mirror, Mirror book and a Fandango gift card on her blog last month! Another thank you also to Carrie Harris! I won a critique and signed book at her blog recently, too. You ladies rock!!!

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up. Congrats, Becca & Angela on your book release!!

Have you ever participated in or been the recipient of a Random Act Of Kindness?  Let me know in the comments!

Seven

No, this isn't about the movie Seven (the only Gwyneth Paltrow movie that I like), but a fun Meme award bouncing around the blogs. Thank you to Lori Degman, Kris Asselin, Susan Fields, Rena Jones, and one other lovely, kind person who tagged me (and I forgot to write down, I'm so sorry! Let me know if it's you and I'll add you to this post! :)

The Lucky 7 Meme award is for writers, and it's a chance to showcase your latest manuscript.

Here are the rules ...

1. Go to page 77 of your current manuscript.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy the next 7 sentences exactly how they're written. No cheating!
4. Tag 7 other writers to pass this meme on to.

Here is an excerpt from page 77 of my completed middle grade manuscript, Rock 'n' Roll Princesses Wear Black.


“Ewww, Dad,” I said handing him a cloth napkin. “Could you please keep the food in your mouth?”

He wiped his mouth and threw the napkin at me.

I started to yell at him, but he put his finger to his lips. Oh, yeah. I probably shouldn’t wake Gerard and Mom.

“Gotta get movin’ so I can be home in time for band practice tonight,” he said as he crammed
 his dish in the last available space of the dishwasher.

“Gabi’s sleeping over,” I reminded him. Then I wondered if she could still come after Gerard’s episode last night. “Do you think it’s okay if she still comes?”


There's my sneak peek! This Lucky 7 Meme has been passed around like Lindsay Lohan lately so if you want to share your excerpt from page 77, consider yourself tagged!

Also, today I have Ashley Judd at my other site BOOK RECS OF THE ROCK AND FAMOUS today! Check out her current reads! Come follow me over there! I actually post more often at that site lately. Thanks, all! Have a fabulous day!

This Warms My Heart

to give away Samuel Park's novel THIS BURNS MY HEART today (care of Sam and his publisher). I used random.org to pick the lucky winner.

Congrats, LTM!

If you didn't win, believe me, you still want to read it. Buy it HERE!

Thanks again, Sam, for being my guest blogger this week!

Have an amazing weekend, everyone!

Samuel Park Talks Critique Partners (& a Giveaway!)

I'm thrilled to share my blog today with author Samuel Park.
Samuel is the author of THIS BURNS MY HEART, which was chosen as one of Amazon’s Best Books of 2011, a People magazine “Great Reads in Fiction,” and one of the Today Show’s “Favorite Things.” I read this book late into the night this weekend to finish it. I seriously could not put it down. An incredible story and so beautifully written.

Amazing, right? His novel is also the Starbucks Bookish Reading Club selection for this week. This promotion allows Starbucks customers to read the book for free when signed into the Starbucks Digital Network at the stores. Nothing better than Starbucks AND a great book!

CRITIQUE PARTNERS
Sam is here to share some fun insight about critique partners!

Everyone knows how important a part of the process revision is—in some ways, that’s when the book actually comes together. And since it’s almost impossible to revise in the dark, everyone needs feedback from their writing teachers, writing group, or even their romantic partners. Here is my breakdown of the kinds of critics that writers often run into at this early stage:

LOVEY-DOVEY LAURA—this is the person in your writing circle who loves everything you write and usually offers very little to no feedback. It may be that she’s afraid of offending you, or values your friendship too much to risk being critical. Now, before you dismiss Lovey-dovey Laura and give her seat to someone else, I’d argue that she plays an essential purpose: she helps you rebuild your ego, keep faith in the manuscript, and she may be a valuable anti-dote to the next:

DESTROYER DEBBIE—Ah, this is a common one! Destroyer Debbie really doesn’t like your WIP. I mean, she really doesn’t. And she wants to make sure that you know that. And the better it is, the more threatened she feels and the more critical she becomes. The only manuscripts she likes are the really bad ones, so she can feel superior to them, and doesn’t have her own sense of self-importance destabilized. If you have a Destroyer Debbie in your writer’s group or your MFA class, better show up at the meetings with a shot of tequila in your purse. You may need it!

SCHOLARLY SUSAN—This is the one who was usually an English major back in the day and loves to find the themes and symbols in your work. One really helpful thing she’ll do is let you know what your story is about. That is actually very helpful, in the sense that it allows you to play that up (ideally, in an organic way) as you revise. Scholarly Susans, though, are tricky because they respond mostly intellectually, and you want an emotional response.

NARCISSISTIC NANCY—This is the partner who likes the parts of your manuscript that are the most like hers. She sees everything through the lens of her own work, and can’t really engage with your WIP on its own terms. If you make a choice that she disagrees with, however good that choice is, she won’t like it. But if you write the way she does, using similar style, or with similar characters, she will be your biggest fan!

EDITORIAL EDGAR—This is the partner who’s really more interested in being a copy-editor than a writer. He’s brilliant at correcting your usage mistakes, pointing out grammar errors, or checking your spelling. He is very useful in that way (free copy-editing, who doesn’t love that?), but just remember not to expect more substantial feedback, or you’ll be disappointed.

And now, this is the one partner you want:
CONSTRUCTIVE CAROL—This is the critique partner who spots the flaws in your manuscript, but addresses them in such a constructive, positive, kind way, that you don’t even notice it’s criticism. A lot of it is the tone in her voice (or in her notes), which shows that she really wants the best for you, and is rooting for you. (You can always tell when someone’s irritated in their notes, can’t you?) She’s not threatened, because usually her own writing is so darn good. So she doesn’t mind spreading the wealth. If you run into a Constructive Carol, hang on to her for dear life. Buy her cookies, give her a bottle of wine. They are rare! (And deep down, they know how lucky you are to have them in your life.) The best way to find a Constructive Carol, by the way, is to be one, and that will attract others like you.

Thanks, Sam! Critique partners are so vital to the ongoing process of perfecting your manuscript! Remember to use (or not use) your suggestions wisely depending on your type of critique!

BOOK GIVEAWAY!

THIS BURNS MY HEART is set in South Korea in the '60s, and is about a young woman trapped in an unhappy marriage who is given one last chance at happiness. I am giving away one copy on my blog compliments of Sam and the publisher (open to U.S. residents only)! All you need to do is be a follower of my blog and tell me you want this book in the comments (and believe me, you do!), and you are entered! Contest closes on Thursday at 10pm central.
You can find Sam at www.samuelpark.com and on Twitter.