J. E.

Even though my book isn't coming out until Spring 09, I'm doing my first radio interview this Friday.
Yowsa!! The woman is interviewing me over the phone. Weirdness.

It's a local radio station doing an eight week series on local writers. Hee. Is it wrong that I am very excited. A writer. I'm being interviewed as a writer. Most of the time I feel like I'm pretending and this is all a funny joke. I excel at insecurity. I hide it well to the real world, but writer insecurity. I have plenty and if anyone wants any, I even have extra.

Since my book isn't out yet, we're going to talk about writing and publishing. I've never been interviewed before so I'm already nervous in my belly. Well. When I was in college we did practice interviews and recorded them but that was about....almost (GASP) 18 years ago.

Okay. Now I feel old. But interviewed for a radio series kind of old. And that's kind of cool.

Yay. I got tagged.


1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing ten years ago?

Ten years ago I was getting ready for my wedding in August. I started a new job, bought my first house (with hub of course) and got married all in the same month.



What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

1. Get a business/fax/toll free number set up in my home office
2. Go for a run
3. Volunteer at Superson's school
4. Take Superson to swim class and then to Nana and Papa's for dinner
5. Write 500 words on WIP

What are some snacks you enjoy?

Popcorn
Chocolate
Ice Cream
Rice Cakes and Cheese strings
Diet Coke

What would you do if you were a billionaire?

Buy Hubby a shiny new truck
Buy a house and a cottage
Help out my family
Do something charitable
Get lots of plastic surgury (kidding, mostly)

What are three of your bad habits?

Procrastination
Messiness
Diet coke

What are five places where you have lived?

Edmonton Alberta
Regina Saskatchewan
Markham Ontario
Winnipeg Manitoba
Calgary Alberta

What are five jobs you have had?

DJ
Copywriter
Sales Rep and Account Manager
Mystery Shopper
Writer



What six people do you want to tag?
I don't know how to post people's user id's.
I will try and figure this out and paste them in after I go for my run.

Well. I now have a house that is 3/4 clean. Is that because I have guests coming, you may be wondering? Why yes. Yes it is. J.E. does not excel at housework.

I actually like when guests come because I have a good cleaning session with my house. It was very much needed. Trust. I have to finish the rest tomorrow and Thursday morning.

I have a start date on my job. I am starting on May 26. Full time. Gah! I haven't worked full time in over five years. But, it's a job with flexibility and I get to wear steel toe boots sometimes. Ha. How cool is that! I have worked so many years in sales and marketing that it is a refreshing change to me to not be a peddler anymore. I am working in the insurance biz as a hired contractor for insurance companies. They hire our company to help with claims. I go in and list all the unsalvageable items in a fire or "disaster" and then I do the replacement searching for the items at my home office. Yippee. Not rocket science my new boss told me. Not so stressful.

I found a great after school care program for Superson. He will have 3 Grade One school buddies with him, and it will only be for one and a half hours.

I am making good progress on my new YA which is now tentatively called UNTOUCHED. It's a girl POV, paranormal and very different from my other stories. So. It's coolio.

I ran my Mother's Day 5km at 32:40, which was a personal best for me. I am proud, though I was passed by several small children, senior citizens and even one dog. I was also lapped by people running 10km. But. It's all about personal best here, now isn't it? Why yes, yes it is.

Happy Tuesday.

J

How can it be May 7 already.
That is what I ask...

In my mind, I saw a clear outline of her face. Long blond hair hung down as she leaned in front of me, blocking my view of the TV. She smiled. Her mouth looked shaky and her grin was too wide. Her eyes were hazy, unclear. She smelled funny. Like smoke, but different.
“Hey, Jesse,” she said. She’d finished putting Trey to bed with a story and then went outside for a minute. I’d shrugged and concentrated on my TV show.
I’d been pissed Mom insisted on a babysitter. At twelve years old I felt grown up enough to handle being alone with my brother for a few hours. Wasn’t like I couldn’t watch TV without a stupid girl to supervise it.
I’d looked up from the TV. She stared at me strangely asking what I was watching. And then she sat right beside me on the couch. Too close, her leg pressed right up against mine. I moved away, but she wiggled closer again. I felt her bare skin against the thin fabric of my pajamas and it surprised me.
“Is it a sexy show?” she’d asked in a husky strange voice and then she giggled and placed her hand over her mouth to cover her smile.
“It’s a cartoon,” I’d answered, puzzled.
“Oh, too bad.” She’d giggled again and reached down and placed her hand right on top of my thigh. I’d almost jumped off the couch and got an instant boner. I’d been horrified and blushed, trying to move her hand away. I didn’t want to make her mad. After all, she was eighteen and cool. I was a kid.
My stomach twisted with my embarrassment and I’d tried to focus on the TV show, but her hand burned my leg. She started rubbing, without looking at me and then she’d slowly leaned against me, pressing her boobs into my shoulder. Her boobs squished against me and I’d almost smiled for a minute, thinking about bragging to the guys at school. A real girl beside me had her boobs pressed into my arm.
But it didn’t stop.
“Do you like girls?” she’d whispered, and rubbed against me. I’d been too stunned and nervous to answer.
“Do you like this,” she’d whispered. She took my hand and lifted it up to her shirt, pressing my fingers right over her boob and she’d groaned a little. “Rub them,” she said and I’d been shocked that I’d just touched a boob.
She started breathing heavy and wiggled her hips. She’d leaned in and started kissing me, choking me, slobbering, her breath funny, smoky and foreign. I’d had a hard time breathing and tried to move my head but she straddled me and reached down and started stroking my penis and then she humped against me like I’d seen a black lab in the neighborhood do to a little poodle. The owner of the poodle had smacked it off with her purse. Leave, Baby alone, the poodle lady shrieked. Leave Baby alone.
I wanted to hit the babysitter. Linda. Her name was Linda. I wanted to tell her to get off, to stop touching me but she kept on, invading my body almost like I wasn’t even there.
“You’re so good at this Jesse.” She’d poked at me and pulled and talked with a dirty mouth and then she’d taken off my underwear.
I’d been shocked when I shot a load. It didn’t take long, probably a couple of seconds, but it scared the shit out of me. I was positive I’d made her pregnant on the spot.
Afterwards she’d pulled her panties and pants back on. She left to go to the bathroom and horrified, I pulled my pajamas bottoms back on.
The cartoon played on in the background. I stared at the TV. And then Linda came out of the bathroom. “It’s time for you to go to bed,” she told me.
I didn’t say a word. I got up and headed for my room. “Jesse,” she called out. “Don’t tell anyone what you just did to me. You’ll be in a lot of trouble. They’ll send you away.”
I’d believed her. I went to my room, climbed into bed and lay still with my eyes open. I heard Mom come home and give Linda money.

In writing news, I got to send my editor my Dedication and Acknowledgements today.
That was pretty cool.

April 30, 2008
Middle grade RADIO RESCUE author and illustrator Lynne Barasch's FIRST COME THE ZEBRA, a story about two boys from different tribes in Africa who find a common cause, to Louise May at Lee and Low, by Jean Naggar of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

April 29, 2008
Fantasy Lucasfilm's STAR WARS: The Clone Wars series, taking place between Episodes II and III of the Stars Wars saga, to Penguin Children's and DK Publishing, and Penguin UK.

April 28, 2008
Young Adult Maggie Steifvater's BALLAD, the sequel to Lament, in which a gifted teen at a music boarding school draws the attention of a dark faerie muse who strikes a Faustian bargain with her victims, and, when Halloween descends, he must choose between his long time friend/crush and the dark faerie herself, to Andrew Karre at Flux, by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (World).


April 28, 2008
Young Adult Author of Airball, Lisa Harkrader's AFTERLIFE, about a seventeen-year-old whose psychic flashes lead her to investigate a mystery that could destroy her dreams of a future as a crime scene investigator, to Nina Hess at Mirrorstone, in a nice deal, for publication in May 2009 (World English).

April 25, 2008
Middle grade NYT bestselling author of The Sisters Grimm series Michael Buckley's N.E.R.D.S.: NATIONAL ESPIONAGE, RESCUE, AND DEFENSE SOCIETY, part James Bond, part The Goonies, a madcap adventure series about socially awkward secret agents who operate a spy network from within their elementary school, to Susan Van Metre at Amulet, in a significant deal, for publication in Fall 2009, by Alison Fargis at The Stonesong Press.

April 25, 2008
Middle grade Douglass' Women and Voodoo Dreams author Jewell Parker Rhodes's NINTH WARD, to Jennifer Hunt at Little, Brown Children's, in a pre-empt, by Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, on behalf of Jane Dystel, who handles the author's adult books (World).

April 24, 2008
Young Adult Tom Dolby's SECRET SOCIETY, a series about a group of Manhattan teens who are inducted into an elite secret society headquartered on the Upper East Side, to Brenda Bowen at Bowen Press, in a two-book deal, for publication in Summer 2009, by Kate Lee at ICM (NA).

April 24, 2008
Young Adult Angela Morrison's TAKEN BY STORM, about a devout Mormon girl and the orphaned diver boy who challenges her faith, to Lexa Hillyer at Razorbill.

April 24, 2008
Young Adult NYU creative writing MFA student Lauren Oliver's YA debut, IF I SHOULD FALL, about a girl who relives the day of her death seven times until she discovers that the life she needed to save was not her own, to Brenda Bowen at Bowen Press/Harper, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, for two books, by Stephen Barbara at the Donald Maass Literary Agency (NA).

April 23, 2008
Young Adult Kathi Baron's SEARCHING FOR THE VIOLIN GODDESS, in which a teenage Chicago Youth Orchestra violinist runs away when her violent father demolishes her violin, to Evelyn Fazio at Westside Books, for publication in Fall 2009 (World).

April 23, 2008
Young Adult C. Lee McKenzie's BAD ASS ATTITUDE, in which a high school teenage girl, a cutter abandoned by her mother, flees Vegas to find refuge at her unknown paternal grandmother's ranch in California, to Evelyn Fazio at Westside Books, for publication in Fall 2009 (World).

April 23, 2008
Young Adult Jennifer Hubbard's BLACK MOUNTAIN ROAD, after the girl he had been secretly seeing dies in a car crash, a teenaged boy reads the journal she left behind, searching for the truth about their intense relationship, to Catherine Frank at Viking Children's, by Nathan Bransford at Curtis Brown (NA).

April 23, 2008
Young Adult Micol Ostow's three books in the Bradford novels series, a new private-school series with innovative online content, to Jennifer Klonsky and Anica Rissi at Simon Pulse, in a good deal, for publication starting in Spring 2009, by Elizabeth Encarnacion and Andra Abramson at FlirtyGirl Productions (World).


ril 23, 2008
Young Adult MY LIFE AS A RHOMBUS author Varian Johnson's THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS, about a preacher's son who has to make some big decisions about who he is and who he wants to be when his childhood crush returns to town, all grown up into a gorgeous and troubled teen, to Stephanie Lane at Delacorte, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (NA).
sara@harveyklinger.com

April 22, 2008
Young Adult Carolyn MacCullough's ONCE A WITCH, about a teenage girl who feels alienated from her family of witches since she herself has no power, or so she thinks, until a handsome stranger, a dangerous love spell, and a treasure hunt through time prove otherwise, to Jennifer Wingertzahn at Clarion, in a very nice deal, in a two-book deal, for publication in Fall 2009, by Alyssa Eisner Henkin at Trident Media Group (NA).

April 22, 2008
Young Adult DOWN SAND MOUNTAIN author Steve Watkins's GOAT GIRL, about the adventures (or misadventures) of a 16-year-old girl whose world is turned upside-down after her father's death when she is forced to move in with relatives she's never met before, to Kaylan Adair at Candlewick, in a nice deal, for publication in Spring 2010, by Kelly Sonnack at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (world).

April 22, 2008
Young Adult "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus's book about growing up in Tennessee and then Los Angeles, and her parents' role in her success, to Jonathan Yaged for Hyperion Children's, in a major deal, for publication in spring 2009 to tie-in with her movie.

April 21, 2008
Young Adult Temple Matthews's THE NEW KID, the first title in The New Kid series, pitched as Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Supernatural, to Glenn Yeffeth at BenBella Books, for publication in January 2009, by Patrick Hughes at Hughes Capital Entertainment (World).

April 17, 2008
Young Adult Mother-Daughter team Shirley Jump and Amanda Jump, writing as AJ Whitten's THE WELL, a Shakespearean-based horror series, the first about a teen-aged boy who must find a way to survive as his mother repeatedly tries to kill him, to Julie Tibbett at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in a nice deal, in two-book deal, by Pamela Harty at The Knight Agency.


April 16, 2008
Young Adult Linda Gerber's CHARLATANS, the story of two sisters' journey as they discover their sideshow trance-writing act has deadly consequences, especially when the premonitions start to come true, to Angelle Pilkington at Puffin, in a nice deal, by Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency.


April 16, 2008
Young Adult Barbara Wersba's YOLANDE, to Steven Roxburgh at Front Street Press, by Edward Necarsulmer IV at McIntosh & Otis.

April 15, 2008
Young Adult Delia Cleveland writing as Dream Jordan's BAD BOY, a followup to the author's forthcoming HOT Girl, in which a girl rebounds after being bounced from
her latest foster home and a dangerously charming boy glides past her
guard, to Sara Goodman at St. Martin's Children's, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House.

April 15, 2008
Picture book Jennifer Sattler's SYLVIE, the story of a little pink flamingo who wants something new and exciting, but decides it's better to stay true to who and what she is...with a colorful flair, to Heidi Kilgras at Random House Children's, in a nice deal, for publication in Summer 2009, by Anna Olswanger at Liza Dawson Associates (World).

April 14, 2008
Middle grade Anna Hays's PORTIA'S EXCLUSIVE AND CONFIDENTIAL RULES ON TRUE FRIENDSHIP, the next Portia Avatar novel, in which Portia encounters a new friend with a mysteriously depressed bunny, to Liesa Abrams at Aladdin, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House (NA).

April 11, 2008
Middle grade Suzanne LaFleur's debut LOVE, AUBREY, to Wendy Lamb at Wendy Lamb Books, at auction, by Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown (NA).

April 11, 2008
Young Adult LIGHT YEARS author Tammar Stein's KINDRED, the story of an agnostic, irreligious college student and the visiting angel that overturns her life and divides her family, staying with Erin Clarke at Knopf, by Stephen Barbara of the Donald Maass Literary Agency (NA).


April 9, 2008
Picture book Dahlov Ipcar's CAT AT NIGHT, to Dean Lunt at Islandport Press, for publication in August 2008, by Edward Necarsulmer IV and Cate Martin of McIntosh & Otis (NA).

April 9, 2008
Young Adult Jennifer Brown's debut HERO, an emotionally charged story of alienation in the aftermath of a tragic school shooting, told from the point of view of the shooter's girlfriend, who is equal parts hero, victim and unwitting accomplice, to T.S. Ferguson at Little, Brown Children's, at auction, by Cori Deyoe at 3 Seas Literary Agency (world).

April 9, 2008
Middle grade Michelle Harrison's middle-grade debut novel THIRTEEN TREASURES unlocks the mystery of the fairy world, revealing a much darker side than previously imagined, to Nancy Conescu at Little, Brown Children's, in a two-book deal, by Madeleine Buston at Darley Anderson (NA).

April 9, 2008
Tie-in books to WGBH's "Martha Speaks" TV series, which begins airing on September 2008, itself based on Susan Meddaugh's children's books, to Mary Wilcox at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's, for publication beginning in late fall 2009, in formats including readers, chapter books and picture books.

April 8, 2008
Young Adult Rachel Vincent's MY SOUL TO TAKE, featuring cute boys, dead girls, and the urge to scream, as a high school junior is sure she's losing her mind until she discovers she's a perfectly sane teenage banshee, now she just has to figure out who's killing the girls, to Mary-Theresa Hussey at Mira, plus two sequels, in a good deal, for publication in late 2009, by Miriam Kriss at Irene Goodman Agency (world).


April 7, 2008
Young Adult Sherwood Smith's A STRANGER TO COMMAND, the exciting prequel to her popular CROWN DUEL, dealing with the early king-making adventures of the young Marquis of Shevraeth when he is sent to a military academy in a faraway warrior land, to Vera Nazarian at Norilana Books Children's, for publication in August 2008.

April 4, 2008
Young Adult Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance's debut THE GEEK GIRL'S GUIDE TO CHEERLEADING, the story of a self-confessed debating dork whose practical joke lands her a spot on the varsity cheerleading squad, where she realizes that if there's one thing worse than blending into the lockers, it's getting noticed!, to Jennifer Klonsky at Simon Pulse, by Mollie Glick at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

April 4, 2008
Young Adult Jennifer Echols's THE EX-GAMES, about a snowboarder who challenges her ex-boyfriend to a battle of the sexes on the slopes, to Michael Del Rosario at Simon Pulse, for publication in Fall 2009, by Caren Johnson at Caren Johnson Literary Agency (World).

April 3, 2008
Young Adult Kate Brian's books 11-14 in the bestselling Private series, to Emily Meehan at Simon & Schuster Children's, in a major deal, by Josh Bank at Alloy Entertainment.

April 2, 2008
Children's Tonya Bolden's THE 12 DAYS OF NEW YORK CITY, in which a group of school children visit the sights of all five boroughs, as inspired by the carol The 12 Days of Christmas, to Howard Reeves at Abrams Children's, for publication in Spring 2010, by Jennifer Lyons at the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency (world).

April 1, 2008
NYT bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Rick Riordan's new, original fantasy series, for publication beginning in 2010, and a second project, again to Jennifer Besser for Hyperion Children's, by Nancy Gallt.


Children's:
Young Adult Daily News columnist Mike Lupica's two YA novels in his sports series, to Michael Green at Philomel, in a major deal, for publication in 2009 and 2010, by Esther Newberg at ICM.

I have a list of LJ books I haven't read yet for one reason or another. None of them acceptable. But I feel a book reading binge coming on. These 4 are on my to- read list:


Lessons From A Dead Girl - Jo Knowles
The Adoration of Jenna Fox- Mary E. Pearson
Before, After and Somebody In Between- Jeannie Garsee
Total Constant Order- Crissa-Jean Chappell

My newest WIP is humming along nicely and I'm digging it. How cool is that. Answer- very cool.

Spring decided to show it's sunny side this weekend and what a difference that made to our spirits. Outside! Bike riding! Feeling the spring love. Yippeeeeeee.

Now I get to go shopping for a skirt to match my brown boots. I'm going backwards with my outfit building and shopping out of season, but so what? I'm an adult. I can do it if I wannnnnna....

Yes. It is Thursday and Yes I am Thankful.

1. I'm so thankful for my son and my husband and especially all of our good health. We really are a lucky group of Gurtlers.

2. I'm thankful that I have a book that will be published, even though the date has been pushed back!

3. I'm thankful that I have friends and family who love and support me.

4. I'll be thankful when my son's play date with his two friends is over at 5:30pm today. Actually I'm thankful he's social and has friends and seems to be doing well in his little life so far.

5.I'm thankful that my hub has accepted my little nose stud, even though he was against the whole idea of it and doesn't understand in any way why I would possibly want someone to poke a hole in my nose and shove something in it.

6. I'm thankful that somehow I was lucky enough to stumble across LJ and hook up with so many writing people who understand the highs and the lows of the publishing process

Well. Maybe I'm not a loon, but I can do a mean loon call. Top that John Green. Hee hee. He has a new book coming out I saw somewhere recently. Of course I will read it. I love to feel bad about myself.

Btw- I have no idea what my subject of this post means. It came out of me so I went with it. Whatevs. It's late. I've been popping tylenol all day.

I went to a WRITERS meeting tonight. It was so great to sit with a group of people who write. Lots of gals at different stages in writing. It's kind of interesting. Writers finishing their first book. Frusterated writers who don't really write anymore. Published authors working with new editors, the list goes on. I just loved breathing in the writer vibe and talking about writing. Such fun.

I was with my old RWA club, and sadly no one else writes YA, but still. Writer Love. Sigh. I wish there was a local group like that for YA but I'll take what I can get.

I hated the pleading in my voice, but I needed her. She had to tell me what was going on.
She swiveled her whole body and glared at me. “I don’t want to talk to you,” she said and then ducked her head again so I couldn’t see her face. ”Go away, Jesse. Leave me alone.”
Alan grinned at me, like a demented clown. “You heard her. Shove off, Hardy.”
I didn’t move. I stared at Amy, willing her to look at me, see me, but she refused. She pretended I didn’t even exist. I hated feeling invisible. My eyesight went black as anger inflated like a balloon blowing up inside me. I blinked, unable to stop the fury.
I slammed my fist into a chair at the table closest to me. It tipped over, making a huge racket as it collapsed to the ground.
“What the fuck is going on?” I bellowed.
The giggles and talking stopped. The entire restaurant stopped moving. Everyone stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths.
“He is a wild card,” Alan mumbled to Amy, as if agreeing with something she’d just said.
I took a deep breath to keep myself from leaping across the booth and grabbing him by the throat and squeezing the sound of his voice right out of him.
I fought to keep control, to keep from losing it. I held my breath trying to suffocate the rage inside.
“Leave her alone,” Alan called. “It’s over, man. She’s dumping you. Deal with it. Take it like a man,” he continued. “Have some self respect and leave.”

Today is my hub's birthday. He is old. But still 6 months younger than me.
We went to the Keg for dinner and it was nice. My belly is still full from all the food. We are both crazy in love with Superson who came with us and entertained us with his drawings. He's very artistic and animated. He loves attention and is seriously trying to become the class clown. His teacher is not as enamoured of him. Understandably.

Tomorrow night I am going to my local RWA chapter meeting. I was in the group for two years and then dropped out when I started writing YA. Now I am feeling like I need to reconnect with local writers and I rejoined RWA just so I could hang out with the local gals.
I'm working on a spicy romance here and there, too just for fun. It's an old romance story I'm totally revising, but using some of the old setting etc.

La dee da, dee da. I'm doing a totally self serving post. I'm skipping along on my YA these past few days. Yay!

Over at my other blog I posted a character casting for Waiting to Score.

Someone mentioned they do this BEFORE they write the book. Which makes sense. So. I've decided to do it for Reborn...which is my WIP

Sidney


Matt


Amber



Kennedy



Joey



AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IN THE STARRING ROLE AS THE AUTHOR'S PERSONAL ASSISTANT
(MY BACK DOES GET SORE FROM ALL THIS TYPING. MASSAGES WOULD BE NICE)

Okay. My turn. I like this novel meme for me because I haven't thought about my beginner learning books for awhile. Romance to chick lit to YA.


_________________

1. A Perfect Fit- This had a million titles I think. It was a romance and I thought revising meant spell check. Ha ha ha. The first book I attempted to write and finished. It had no conflict.

2. Another romance, can't remember what I called it, but it was pretty dark. I thought it was pretty good, but it didn't get anywhere.

3. Searching for Mr. Dark Haired Man. Chick Lit. It won the Stilleto Chick Lit Classic category in 2005. (yes the year the contest got cancelled) But I have the email that said I won still!

4. The Serenity Prayer- dark dark chick lit. 1st and 3rd POV's tried. Neither worked apparently.

5. Waiting to Score- my first YA- first called EZ Like Sunday Morning. It comes out sometime this year. Not sure of the publication date yet.

6. Twisted Wishes or You Totally Wish- Girl POV- Paranormal. My 2nd YA that got me an agent. It didn't sell, but she did sell Waiting to Score.

7. Faded Genes- A girl POV about a multiracial girl whose Mom gets pregnant and then sick and she has to deal with both. Option book- no word back yet.

8. Losing It- Boy POV. Two brothers who deal with the younger brother's seduction by an older woman. It involves secrets, lost loves and dealing with life's tough blows.

9. Touch and See- My wip. A dark paranormal about a girl with psychic powers she doesn't want and people trying to keep her quiet.

10. My other WIP which is MG and is all over the place. So far it is called...New MG. No where close to finishing nor have I really figured it out. Working on #9 now.

There were lots of starts and stops on other novels since novel #1 was completed, but if I didn't get past chapter 3 I wouldn't keep going.

1. I have been having feelings of deja vu lately. I used to get these frequently and then not so much. But it's back. Anyone have any theories on deja vu???

2. I've been querying a few new agents about my new boy book. It seems to be controversial. One agent thought it would be a hard sell and said, "I hope you prove me wrong and find a huge audience for it." Me too. Me too.

3. I've been doubting #2. A lot. And it's hard to work on new stuff when in doubt mode. I'm jumping back and forth between two stories, but had a slight epiphany about my YA storyline. So that was good. Did I mention that I hate waiting?

4. I got a NOSE piercing done today. Yes I did so. I've been wanting to do it for a long time, but super conservative husband was VERY against it. We had a rational discussion about it (after the fight part was over -lol) and decided it was indeed my choice. I think he's going to really hate it at first, but I LOVE IT. It's just a tiny stud tucked into the side of my nose. I'm nervous about him seeing it, but he went away for the weekend, and I did it and told him and now he has time to digest it before he sees me. It's weird how happy it makes me. A statement to myself I suppose.

5. My son is in a cup speed stacking competition tomorrow. Who knew that cup stacking was a sport?

Happy weekend.

Look at who the publisher is......

April 8, 2008
Children's:
Young Adult Rachel Vincent's MY SOUL TO TAKE, featuring cute boys, dead girls, and the urge to scream, as a high school junior is sure she's losing her mind until she discovers she's a perfectly sane teenage banshee, now she just has to figure out who's killing the girls, to Mary-Theresa Hussey at Mira, plus two sequels, in a good deal, for publication in late 2009, by Miriam Kriss at Irene Goodman Agency (world).

I watched and considered grabbing her by the wrist and twisting it until she stopped smiling and flirting. I wanted to twist until it hurt. I wanted her to apologize.

I glanced around in a panic. Across from me, Shelly waved her hands over her head grooving to earsplitting tunes.

Rape. The word floated through my head, but I chased it out. Shame coursed through my blood, my stomach heaved, like I was close to throwing up.

I searched for Amy and staggered to her as she wiggled to music, thrusting her hips in a drunken dirty dog dance. She giggled when she spotted me, her anger already forgotten in her drunken state.

From my new MG I'm working on and am no where near finishing...




The material on my baseball uniform felt stiff and itchy, reminding me all too painfully of the stupid white cotton bra at home hidden in my dresser. I didn’t want to admit I might need to wear it soon, but the nippers were hurting.

Gah. I frowned, realizing I’d just thought the word nippers. My brother’s description. Nick was with me when Mom decided she’d buy me a training bra. Like I wanted my boobs to practice anything. Especially getting bigger.

Mom studied my chest over her Bean Burrito. “You’re getting boobs,” she’d announced loud enough for the entire food court to hear. “We need to get you a bra.”

Nick and his best friend Marty almost pee’d their pants they’d laughed so hard. Yup. She said it in front of them. Worse, she’d dragged them to the ladies department and made them wait outside while we went in to pick me out a bra. I’d refused to try one on, but the sales lady studied my chest and came up with some number, even though I’d crossed my arms in front of myself and refused to let go.

Nick and Marty were laughing so hard, I could hear them from the cash register. I glowered at my Mom who didn’t even seem to notice she was too busy chatting and laughing with the sales lady. Probably about something I’d done.

Disgusted with the memory, I squinted into the sun adjusting my ball cap trying to both ignore the pain and look athletic, chanting what I always chant in my head when I’m out in field. Please don’t come to me ball. Please don’t come to me.

Mom says I should hide them,
Now that I’m getting bigger
But the trouble with my toots
Is I never know when one will trigger

I toot when I’m laughing
I toot when I’m sad
I toot when I’m angry
But thankfully I don’t toot like Dad