Music & Maurice

ROCK N ROLL
I finally got my concert fix Friday night (it's been 3+ months, people). My friend Sue and I ventured out to see Candyland favorite New Medicine with American Idol rocker, James Durbin. I've seen New Meds before, and yes, Candace is right, they do indeed rock. And yes, Brady is a sigh-worthy bassist. The girl don't lie! And he's as sweet as can be; he had just returned from Ghana a few days before the concert.

Here's James Durbin.


A couple of rock chicks


LITERARY LAUGHS
Okay, if you are one of the few who didn't see the Colbert Report with author Maurice Sendak, you must watch. It is flippin' hilarious! Love his candor. He even sings! And Stephen Colbert makes me laugh pretty easily anyway. Check it out here. Definitely worth your time.

OTHER DANG GOOD STUFF
Thank you again to Nutschell! I won a signed Ellen Degeneres book at her blog! Yes, I'm one lucky girl!

A poem of mine was accepted for a summer issue of Stories for Children magazine. I've switched gears for the last month (and next month) and have been concentrating on poetry and picture book writing instead of middle grade. I think it's good for my creativity to mix it up a bit!

Please check out Book Recs of the Rock & Famous at http://www.bookrecsthatrock.blogspot.com today. I have one of my favorite actors ever chatting books with me. He played my best loved literary character in a movie. Any guesses?? (Again, I'm one lucky girl!)

Have a fabulous week, you! Thank you for stopping by!

Top 7 of 2011

Happy freaking new year. No, really, I hope it's a great one! :)

Today is a post of reflections on the past year. What did I read, watch, and listen to in 2011? Tell me your faves of 2011 in the comments!

Why Top 7 and not 11? Because I care about you and your time. I'm a giver, people.

Top 7 Songs of 2011

7. "Walk" by Foo Fighters

6. "The Sound of Winter" by Bush

5. "Buried Alive" by Avenged Sevenfold

4. "Race You to the Bottom" by New Medicine

3. "Planetary (Go!)" by My Chemical Romance

2. "Burn" by Papa Roach

1. "This is Gonna Hurt" by Sixx: A.M.

Bonus fave pop song "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO

Top 11 Books Read in 2011

(in no particular order, I couldn't stop at seven)

I was so happy to read many books by fellow bloggers/tweeters this year. And the best part? I loved them! Here are my top eleven faves in alphabetical order by author's last name.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger, Untraceable by Shelli Johannes, Possession by Elana Johnson, On Writing by Stephen King, A Scary Good Book by Anita Laydon Miller, The Liar Society by Lisa & Laura Roecker, The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan, The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander, Forever by Maggie Steifvator, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, Nightshade City by Hilary Wagner.

Top 7 Movies watched in 2011

Breaking Dawn Part One (I didn't love Eclipse movie, but this was better, especially ending)

Bridesmaids

The Change Up

Christmas Vacation with my kids for the first time

Elf for the umpteenth time

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 (sniff...)

Horrible Bosses

Can you tell I love comedies or book adaptations?!

Also, thank you to Sherrie Peterson for the A Great and Terrible Beauty book I won at her blog. Plus I won Wildefire at Literary Rambles from Natalie and Casey! Thanks, ladies! What a wonderful way to start the year.

What are your faves of 2011?

Here's one of my fave songs of 2011 by MCR (I've already posted my first two faves on the blog at some point). "If my velocity starts to make you sweat, then just don't let go..."

Ho, Ho, Ho, Gotta Go!

Gotta prepare for the holidays, you know!

This will be my last post of 2011 since I will be busy with Christmas and family festivities for the remainder of the year. I want to thank you all for coming by the ole blog to say hi. Thank you to followers new and old for your wonderful support! I'll still be popping by blogland to say HEY this year, but just not posting here.

I will be posting a few more times at my other blog, Book Recs of the Rock & Famous this year. Find out what a witty TV host is reading today! Please stop on by!

Lastly, I am down to number 19 in the Meegenius Author Challenge. Not too bad considering there are almost 400 entries, but I'd love to get into the top 15! Thank you for all of your support voting and sharing my link on your facebook page or retweeting it! If by chance you haven't voted, here's the link! Thanks for your help! :)

Enjoy the holidays with your family and friends!

I have an eclectic Christmas carol playlist, but this one is my fave. Peace and love to you!

Gift for Teacher!

Here's a rerun of a post I did a few years ago, but it is relevant every year!

It's that time of year again. Time for gifts for everyone, including your child's teacher. Most teachers seriously do not expect a holiday gift from their students, but it is a nice gesture. Your child's teacher spends the majority of the week with your child. What are some good ways to thank them for this?

One: Thank them! Yes, especially if money is tight this year, write a sincere thank you note to your child's teacher. Mention specific things on how he/she helped your child or lessons you or your child enjoyed. Your child can also make his/her own thank you or holiday card as well.


Two: Gift Card. Let them splurge a little or be practical. I know from experience that most teachers use their own money for some supplies in the classroom. They can spend the gift card on themselves or use it towards the classroom. Better yet, have a parent collect $5-10 from each student to buy one gift card or certificate from the class. If a class of 20 each gives $5, that's a nice $100 gift certificate for the teacher and a small price to pay for the students' families as well.


Three: You and your child can create something for your teacher. Every year when my children and I hang ornaments on our tree, I put up homemade ones from former students and tell my children about that student who made me the ornament. A parent also once made me a beautiful ceramic Christmas tree that adorns my house each year.

Four: Supplies for the classroom. Ask ahead of time if the teacher needs anything specific from extra pencils or paper to manipulatives or books (most likely he/she will have needs these days). Books are always a great gift for anyone!

I'm a former full time teacher, current teacher's aide who now buys gifts for my children's teachers. I usually give a gift card with a book or two for the classroom as a thank you.

So if you do decide to give a gift for your child's teacher, give it some thought, write a sincere sentiment to go along with it, and your child's teacher will appreciate it! Do you have any other good ideas for teacher gifts?


Here's a holiday tune from the Killers: A Great Big Sled. This tune was a charity single from 2006 aiding the (RED) campaign.

NanoUhOh! PBPick ME!

Hello, friends! I've come up for a breath to say HEY and ask HOW THE HEY ARE YA?

NANO
For you crazy NaNoWriMo peeps, how was your month? (One more day!) I started out strong, but fizzled out as work and family obligations increased. Jon and I didn't finish our story, but I did get more writing than I would have if I didn't challenge myself with Nano. I think I'm like the turtle in the race. Slow and steady. I'm just not a fast and furious writer. My projects get done, but it may take a little while longer! (Unless I have a true deadline, then I can do it! Go figure.)

How did you do? I noticed that some of you made your 50,000 words, so big congrats to Jemi, Elana, and Lola! If you finished, tell me in the comments so I can congratulate you! (Tina, I know you were almost there!) That is a HUGE accomplishment!

To those of you not doing Nano, how was your month?

MEEGENIUS AUTHOR CHALLENGE

I am participating in the Meegenius Author Challenge. I'm very excited about my manuscript titled, "The First Time I Saw My Baby." I do need your help though. I need lots of LIKES on my entry to be considered a finalist. I would love my book to be published into a Meegenius picture book app.
Would you kindly follow the link to my page and press LIKE (only if you like it, of course)? THANK YOU! I very much appreciate it! I can't do it without you! Voting ends mid December.

CLICK HERE to vote for my story. :)


Lastly, I have the beautiful Angie Harmon at Book Recs of the Rock & Famous today. She tells me her fave books and what her three girls are reading!

Have a fabulous week!

Untraceable tour: The Beats of Writing

Today is the second stop in the Untraceable blog tour! I am thrilled to be one of the first to read the YA thriller by Shelli Johannes-Wells. As you probably know, Shelli is the master marketer at the popular blog "Market My Words."

I give you unequivocal assurance that this book is a must read! My unbiased brief review is below.

Untraceable is unbelievably good. It's unbearable when the main character Grace's dad goes missing and totally unfair that the case might be closed. Grace's unadulterated love of nature is evident throughout the novel. The chemistry Grace has with another male character is undeniable. Yet, there's another boy who undoubtedly has her attention, too. There are plenty of unalienable characters that you will grow to despise them. The many twists and turns will keep you unhinged til the end. This book captured my undivided attention, and I read it in two days.

Untraceable comes out in 2 weeks!

Since you all know I love my tunes, I asked Shelli to share a little about her musical interests.

The Beats of Writing

1. What song can't you get out of your head this week?

I still have "Forget You" in my head. I don’t know why I still can't lose that song. It’s just fun to sing, and my kids love it.

2. What is your favorite band? (or bands)

Yikes. I love so many bands and songs. It really depends on my mood. This month, I love Coldplay, Adele, Rachel Yamagata, Jack Johnson.

3. What is the last concert you went to?

Oh gosh, I know the first. It was Dolly Parton's and Kenny Roger's Islands in the Stream tour. My mom took me with her. The last concert I went to was Black Eyes Peas and Pussycat Dolls. Or was it Rod Stewart? I did go to a KISS concert in an outdoor theatre - that was a fun experience. A little scary too.

4. Do you write to music? If so what types of songs do you listen to.

Once I plot out a story and know what is happening. Yes, I write to a scene. I have a different song for each chapter that puts me in the mood. For example, in Untraceable, the first scene is a chase scene in the woods. I listened to Muse’s "Time is Running Out." My character’s name is Grace so when I sit down to write I always play U2's "Grace." The lyrics are so perfect for my book.

5. If your life had a soundtrack, what would be your main song?

I actually posted about this along time ago, because my life is a soundtrack. (See post here.)
Right now? "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. No seriously – the songs that really touch me that I always go back to when I need to straighten out are "Live like We’re Dying" from Kris Allen, "Glitter in the Air" by Pink, or "Fix You" by Coldplay.

Great choices! Things are "Crazy" now I'm sure, and I hope you have some CRAZY awesome sales! Thank you, Shelli, for rockin' this interview!

Please visit Shelli at her blog or on Twitter. Also, check out her out at Goodreads!
You can sign up for Shelli's newsletter here. Anyone who is signed up for the newsletter will get a discount for the first 24 hours the books is released!
Untraceable will be available on November 29 in paperback and ebook at Amazon, B&N, iTunes, and other sellers.

Sssshhhhh. I'm Nanoing.

Yes. I'm diving into NanoWriMo for the very first time. (That's National Novel Writing Month for the non-writers.) I'm a little frightened, but a lot excited about it. Jon and I are bending the rules a little to fit our needs. But that's okay, because we are going to finish our novel this month. Yes, I said it. We are FINISHING it. I won't be writing 50,000 words this month, but I will be writing a whole heck of a lot and accomplish something more important to me. So there. I'm going to kick some Nano butt!

Are you doing Nanowrimo this year? WHO'S WITH ME??!

If so, here are a few links for some great tips for a successful Nano month of November.

Gearing Up for Nano (which I guess you should have done last month, but it's still helpful!)

Nano Prep Tips Lola Style (okay, so use these tips to prep you for week two and to help you carve time for Nano; it's good stuff!)

Planning Your Novel's Beginning (Because we are in the first week of Nano!)

Nano for the New and Insane Author Lazette Gifford's FREE ebook ! (Ha! Love the title!)

21 Tips for NanoWriMo Success or Any 30 Day Project

Due to the furious nature of Nano, I will not be posting much at this blog in November (though look for a cool post on Nov. 15). Please, please, please visit my other blog, Book Recs of the Rock & Famous instead of here this month. I'm trying to gain more followers there. And you might find a great book that a rocker or cool celebrity recommended!

Thank you, and good luck to us all!