Reading, Writing and Chocolate

As 2011 ends...

2011-12-29T12:58:00.001-05:00

Looking back on my year I kinda epically failed on the blogging part of my resolution as well as my reading and writing goals. Also my vlogging failed in the most epic way possible. That didn’t last long. I actually tired to make a vlog several times and I was going to post all of the bloopers up on YouTube this break, but my laptop crashed and I lost almost all of my files. However this year wasn’t entirely an epic fail on my part. I READ THE HUNGERS GAMES.

I READ THE HUNGER GAMES.

It was peer pressure mostly. I was working on a show and the dressing room chatter was all about the Hungers Games. I hate spoilers so started again and finished within days. I’m still on Catching Fire so no spoilers. It took me a long time to get into it. But after I got through with part one I could not stop reading. (This was a problem because it was midnight and I had class at nine the next morning.) All I could say now is I’m hooked. Peer pressure is bad.

In writing I have epically failed upon epic failure. I’ve dabbled with a few story ideas but they never fell through. Since my laptop crashed I’ve had more time to sit down at my desk at home and write. And the creative juice kept flowing. Maybe the main problem was that I could not just sit on my bed and try to write with my laptop because it’s too distracting. I’ve written more this past week without my laptop than I written this year. I defiantly have to take this into consideration when I go back to school.

This year had its ups and downs, but I think through all of this chaos I’ve found clarity. I learned from my mistakes and when next year rolls along I could better myself as a reader, writer, and person.

Happy Reading!

Nano, Memoirs and Cookies

2011-10-12T12:00:00.001-04:00

Three things:

1. I will not be doing Nanowrimo this year. I know, I was determined to finishthis year, but things came up. It's pretty much the reason why my posts are soirregular. College, extracurricular, procrastination. I also want tofocus on my current WIP and it’s going really slow. I half outlined and wroteout some in my notebooks during class. It’s pretty messy. It’s seriously theonly way to keep me from not working on it at all. If any of my twitterfollowers want to start a word war I’m totally up for it. Especially for youwho are doing Nano.

2. I started getting into Memoirs, well mainly by comdeians. I’m reading Chelsea Handler's "Areyou there Vodka, It’s me Chelsea?” and it is hilarious. I’m defiantly lookingforward to reading more of her work. I also bought Tina Fey’s memoir thissummer and I haven’t started it yet but I will soon. Do any of you know anyhilarious memoirs I could check out?

3. What is your favorite kind of cookie? My favorite is tied betweenChocolate Chocolate Chip and M&M’s. It know this is random but I have cookies on the brain.

Happy Reading!

Sweet Venom 2 Title Hunt

2011-08-30T08:25:00.000-04:00

Are you excited for Tera Lynn Childs' newest novel Sweet Venom? I know I am. If you didn't know, right now Tera is hosting a title hunt for Sweet Venom 2! Guess what blogger has a letter?

ME!!!

Tera is giving away five signed copies of Sweet Venom and the grand prize is a $50 bookstore gift card

The tittle hunt is open internationally.

Without further ado here is my letter

E

You can check out more bloggers with letters and the rules of the hunt at http://teralynnchilds.blogspot.com

Happy Hunting!

Um Hi

2011-08-28T22:46:00.000-04:00

Hey...

*Hides under bed*

What's going on...

*head pops out*

So have been back at school for a while now. So I've been super busy. Classes start soon. I'm currently working on a writing/blogging/vlogging schedule to work with my classes and extra activities. I will get through this year on top. Stay tooned though.

*Goes back under bed until angry followers cool off*

Happy reading!

YA Rebels audition tape

2011-08-09T18:12:00.000-04:00

So I audition to be the a part of the YA Rebels. Yeah, there's chocolate involved. Bet.

MIA

2011-07-17T23:34:00.000-04:00

So I've been MIA for a while and I will be going under the radar for a while. I'm doing a show right now and we are in tech week. I'll be back to blogging more regularly next month. In the mean time, Cary Cheyenne has not claimed her prize yet. If you arr out there please tweet me or leave a message in the comments so you can get your prize.

Happy Reading!

Contest Winner

2011-07-10T21:36:00.000-04:00

The winner of these awesome prizes is

Cary Cheyenne

Sorry it took so long. Please leave your email in the comments please use [AT] and [DOT]com when writing it out to avoid spambots.

Thanks to all who entered.

Happy Reading!

Extension

2011-07-06T00:26:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the delay. Holiday weekends are a pain. Thing are crazy right now so I'm extending the giveaway until Friday and announce the winner of the prize pack on Saturday. There has also been a little problem. Some of the participants who commented and followed me on twitter no longer following me for some reason. I don't know if twitter screwed it up or you just hate what I tweet about, but as of right now that point will not be counted. But you have until Friday.

Happy Reading!

Happy Release Day

2011-06-28T07:50:00.001-04:00

Happy release day Tera Lynn Childs!

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human deal once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form, when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

To celebrate the release here are some links to some awesome contests and giveaways.

Check out nymfaux's awesome swag giveaway! http://nymfaux.blogspot.com/2011/06/fintastic-fins-are-forever-tlc-swag.html

Tera is also giving away two copys of her book http://teralynnchilds.blogspot.com/2011/06/monday-giveaway-fins-are-forever.html

also check out her sweet cupcake contest http://teralynnchilds.blogspot.com/2011/06/calling-all-cupcakes.html

and finally a gift giveaway on my blog. http://readingwritingandchocolate.blogspot.com/2011/06/fins-are-forever-gift-giveaway.html

Happy Reading!

Fins Are Forever Gift Giveaway!

2011-06-23T23:11:00.003-04:00

As most of you know, I am a member of the Splash Team. It’s my job to spread the word about Fins Are Forever, the sequel to Tera Lynn Child’s novel Forgive My Fins.

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human deal once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form, when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?
The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

To celebrate the release of Fins Are Forever on Tuesday I’m going to have a small giveaway. Last year I gave away a copy of the bookbecause I just happened to have two. This year I don’t and I plan not to have that happen again, but I do have goodies for you. This year I have cool treats. I tried to keep them as mermaid themed as possible.

Lip gloss, blue and green nail polish, blue earrings, a book mark and some mermaid tattoos.

I know it’s small, but I give what I can. This contest is for US only. Sorry International friends, not this year. Here are the guidelines

Comment on this post +1
Follow this blog +1 (old followers +2)
Follow me on twitter +1 (old followers +2)
Follow Tera Lynn Childs on Twitter +1
“Like” Tera Lynn Childs on Facebook +1
The Contest closes Next Friday July 1, 2011 at noon. Winners will be picked the following day.

Happy Reading!

Edit: I forgot to add links to the pages.
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/laboyden
Tera's Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/teralynnchilds
Tera's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/authortlc

Summer Lovin'

2011-06-14T15:34:00.000-04:00

GAH!!! How is everything going? I've missed you. So my copy of The Hunger Games has migrated to my bookshelf this past week, and it remains untouched!!! I'm so bad at this.
As you knowI’ve stated may times on my blog/twitter about how hesitant I am to read the Hunger Games trilogy. So far I heard nothing but good things about them. I want to read them. I’m going to read them. I just haven’t yet. Right now I’m under a lot of pressure because of the movie coming out next year. Spoilers suck. So I have to read fast.
When it first came out the Hunger Games didn’t really appeal to me. Violence and bloodshed is not really my thing. Ever since the movie was announced it’s been all I hear about on twitter and Yahoo news. I feel kind of out of the loop. Plus, Josh Hutcherson is in it. He's one of my many celebrity crushes. He's not as well known as he should be, but once that movie comes out all the fan girls are going to be all like "OMG I love Josh Hutcherson. Go Team Peeta." I haven't started the books, but I'm pretty sure he's a big deal. So I just want everyone to know that I liked him before he go big.
It's summer time. It's hot. Since this is a blog about chocolate I should inform you that milkshakes are an awesome summer treat that will cool you off on a hot summer day. It's like summer's answer to hot chocolate.I have a question. What is cold hot chocolate? Is it just chocolate milk? I saw a commercial advertising iced hot chocolate. That's weird right?
Happy Reading!
PS Fins Are Forever gift giveaway is coming soon. Be sure to follow the blog or me on twitter.

Coming Soon

2011-06-08T22:44:00.001-04:00

So to celebrate the release of Tera Lynn Childs Fins Are Forever I will be giving away some small treats to one lucky follower. There will be more details later. Hopefully I'll reach 100 followers in the next week or two prior to the book's release. If not then I'll still have the giveawayt, but US only please. This is just a heads up. I'll set up the contest soon.
Happy Reading!

Subtle Changes

2011-05-31T12:40:00.000-04:00

I made some subtle changes to the page. I added two tabs. About Me and What I’m Working On. Check them out. I also added some widgets and gadgets to the sidebar. Take the poll. It only takes two seconds. Thank you very much.

Happy Reading!!

Summertime

2011-05-30T12:28:00.000-04:00

It’s summertime and you know that that means. School’s out!!! I’ve actually been out of school for a while, but for all you high school students yay for summer!!! Congratulation class of 2011, you made it!!!

I’m going to try to perfect my blogging skills too. I feel as if my lack of blogging might have to do with my lack of followers page views. So this summer I’m going to try to blog once or twice a week. Whether it’s about reading, writing, chocolate or whatever I feel like writing about. Once I get into a grove maybe things will pick up.

What’s new for me? Well I’m working on some new projects. Hopefully I’ll be done with one of them this summer. Right now I’m debating if I should continue the revisions on my current manuscript. I’ve been working on it for years, but I feel like it’s not going anywhere. To be honest I wrote it when I was fifteen. I’m nineteen and much smarter now and a better writer. We’ll see. Nothing’s set in stone. I might come back to it some other time. I just don’t know.

I will also be trying to get through The Hunger Games this summer. I started the first one last August, but stopped at page forty. I’ll restart it, but I just never had the time to just sit down and read it. I have avoided all spoilers for years and right now I’m afraid that since the movie is coming out I might stumble upon some spoilers. So my summer goal is to finish all three books. I’m pretty sure I’ll like them, it’s not hard to make me not like a book. And this one had so many good reviews. So we’ll see.

Okay so there are also a lot of summer 2011 releases I would like to obtain this summer. I noticed that most of them a sequels. Anyway here’s my list of books I’m looking forward too.

Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

Trial By Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barns

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter

Passion by Lauren Kate (a third book)

Supernaturally By Kiersten White

Twisted by Gena Showalter (another third book)

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard (not a sequel)

I’m super excited for these books. There are also a few that just came out that I’m excited for. This summer’s going to be awesome!!! If there are any more summer 2011 releases that I didn’t mention post a comment and I’ll check it out.

And in chocolate news I’m looking for a recipe for brownies for my little brother. He’s allergic to eggs and nuts. If anybody can post a link to a website with the best eggless brownies I will shower you with emoticon kisses :* :* okay those need a little work. Please and thank you.

Happy Reading!

Procrastination vs. Writer’s Block

2011-04-25T16:01:00.000-04:00

I am procrastinating. Right now I should be doing something, but I’m choosing to write this post instead. Honestly I started this post two weeks ago. I just never got around to finishing it. Procrastinators UNITE…tomorrow.

A lot of people confuse procrastination with writer’s block. Procrastination is just pure laziness. You know you are procrastinating when you say to yourself multiple “I have time.” Reality is you don’t. The more you say it the less time you have. Aspiring writers, like me, don’t have the pressure of a deadline. Without the pressure the saying “I have more time” is more frequent. All you need is that big push to finish that manuscript or those tedious revisions. Sometimes we blame writer’s block, when it’s really just procrastination. Writer’s block is when you are stuck and have no idea what to write or what comes next in your story. That’s it.
Here are some tips to help with writer’s block

1. Go outside. You’ve been inside at the computer all day, get some air. Go for a walk or drive. Get some ice cream, chocolate ice cream. While you’re out clear your head. You never know where inspiration will hit. Taking a small break will take away some of the stress.

2. If it’s late, turn off the computer and go to sleep.

3. Start writing a completely different scene. After you are done with that think about how you want to get there from where you left off.

4. Try a change of scenery. Take your notebook and write freehand someplace different. Like I said earlier getting writers need some air. If it’s nice outside write at the park or in your backyard. If it’s cold try going a nice quite spot away from your house. (I personally think it’s funny whenever I see writers with their laptops at Starbucks)

5. Beware of social media sites. Yeah it’s okay to check your Facebook and tweet once and a while writing. But if you spend more than ten minutes on the internet then your writer’s block might turn into procrastination.

Sometimes when I have writer’s block I tend to go back and read what I have written in the previous scene. Try not to read the whole thing over again or else your inner editor might take over and you’ll end up procrastinating. I don’t believe in outlines but I do believe in knowing how you want your story to end. I like write the ending or scenes out of order and then piece them together. When you write scenes out of order you can piece it together later where you want those scenes to go. Then just fill in the holes. Who knows, you might get a few ideas for the scene you were working on.

When it comes to writer’s block sometimes you just have to suck it up and get to work. It’s very easy to turn writer’s block into procrastination.

On a fun note I don’t know why, but I just discovered this video via Facebook and thought it was hilarious

Me=the Worst Blogger in the World

2011-04-10T02:02:00.000-04:00

I am the worst blogger in the world. Ugh. It's college. I haven't had time to read or write. I have eaten chocolate though, lots of chocolate. The challenge thing didn't really work. I'm just going to try to blog about whatever whenever I can. Sorry for being a bad blogger.

Happy Reading!

Sweet Venom Cover Reveal

2011-02-15T13:19:00.001-05:00

Sorry it's so late in the day. But here it is, the cover for Tera Lynn Childs' October 2011 novel Sweet Venom:

Three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in a world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Isn't it pretty?
If you want to learn more check out Tera Lynn Child's website at http://teralynnchilds.com/books/sv.htm
You can "like" Sweet Venom on Facebook here http://www.facebook.com/sweetvenombooks
Also add it on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7670741-sweet-venom

Happy Reading!

PS: other blogs are giving away signed Sweet Venom bookmarks. I wish I could but I'm a broke college student. Head on over to Tera's blog see what other blogs are participating and giving away bookmarks. http://teralynnchilds.blogspot.com/2011/02/sweet-venom-cover-reveal.html

New Year, New Challenges. Are You Up For It?

2011-01-01T21:50:00.001-05:00

     2010 is over. Rather than dwelling on the past, we shall start anew. Hello, I’m Leslie and this is Reading, Writing, and Chocolate. Before, Reading Writing and Chocolate was just me blabbing about what I read, what I write and the chocolate I regretted eating. Well not anymore. From now on Reading, Writing and Chocolate is going to be about US.
     Like a mentioned a few post ago, this will a challenge blog. Each month I will give out reading and writing challenges for you and I to fulfill. Before I unveil the first challenge I have two things. First who’s actually reading this? Seriously I want to know if you are up to the challenge. So just leave a comment at the end of this post saying you read the post and you want in. Sweet.
     Second, in 2009 my New Year’s resolution was to read 100 books by the end of the year. I did it and I was so proud of myself. The next year I wanted to do it again…I failed. So this year it will be a year-long challenge 100 book before New Year’s Day 2012. Are you up for it? If you can’t do 100 than pick a reasonable number and try to reach your goal. At the end of each month I will attach a list what books I read that month to the end of my challenge round up post. You could say what you read in the comments of that post as well to keep me updated on your progress. Included in the 100 books, I plan to read:

The Hunger Games Series

3 Sarah Dessen novels
All seven Harry Potter Books before the last movie

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Eyre

     That is my personal challenge in because I’ve been avoided these books for too long (except for Harry Potter that’s for fun.)
     I will also be taking my hand in book reviews. That is where you come in, I will pick one suggested book from you guys each month and do a review on it. YA only and it has to be fairly new. Twelve months, twelve book reviews. Yep I have my work cut out for me. Leave your suggestions in the comments.
     Finally January’s challenge! Forget what I said about dwelling in the past. The past is the inspiration for our first challenge. Pick a book from your past and read it. Simple really. It could be a classic, an old novel you haven’t picked up in a long time or even a childhood favorite (no picture books.) This challenge is more of a commitment challenge can we take the time out of our busy lives and read something from our past. Take the time to think why you liked the book, where you got it and fond memories. That is my challenge to you. Are you up to it?

Happy Reading!

Christmas Time is here.

2010-12-25T14:14:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

New Ideas

2010-12-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

This December has been crazy with finals and stuff a so I wanted to take a quick second to tell you that I’m back and next year there might be some changes. I’ve realized the blog has been all about me lately and that’s not very nice. I had the realization a long time ago that I wasn’t a book blogger and that I’m not qualified to give writing advice. So I’m thinking this could be a challenge blog. I’m still working out the kinks but I’m thinking each month or two I’ll challenge you and myself to read or write something with a theme in mind and at the end of the month we’ll report back to my blog (or yours if you want) to see how we did. I don’t know, what do you think? Tell me your suggestions in the comments.

Happy Reading!

PS: There will still be chocolate in the blog. Don’t worry.

C.A. Marshall's Free edit contest

2010-12-01T12:17:00.000-05:00

Hey guys
Agent intern and Freelance Editor C.A. Marshall is giving away a free manuscript edit. Check it out here. http://networkedblogs.com/bg3CK

Happy Reading!

Nanowrimo Teaser Tuesday #3

2010-11-16T16:40:00.001-05:00

Daddy Please Don't

"Joey what do you want for dinner?” I heard a voice call. It was mom. I was staring at the ribbon so long I didn’t noticed Mom come in. I shot up from my bed and opened the curtain. Mom was in her first job’s uniform. She worked at Stake ‘n Shake during the day and a bar at night. She should be exhausted when she gets home, but she keeps a smile on her face. I appreciated her for that. “What’s that?” She pointed to the ribbon in my hand.
“Nothing,” I stuffed it in my pocket.
“Joey we don’t lie in this house.”
“I’m not lying,” I started. “I’m just choosing not to say what it is.” Mom crossed her arm over her chest and walked up to me. She then reached in my pocket and pulled the ribbon out. “Can’t I get some privacy?”
“Not in this house,” mom examined the ribbon. “Whose ribbon is this?”
“This girl’s,” I grabbed the ribbon out of her hand. “We just met?”
“And she’s giving you her hair accessories ooh this is getting good. What’s her name?”
“Mom…”
“Joey…” she gave me the dreaded “mom stare.”
“Julie.” I gave in.
“What’s she like?”
“I really don’t want to talk about this now.”
My mother always wanted to know what was going on in my life. I couldn’t blame her she got pregnant when she was seventeen. Now her seventeen year old son was carrying a girl’s ribbon. It was a big deal.
“All right,” she sighed. “But if things start to get serious, I want to know okay.”
“Fine.” I agreed.
“So what do you want for dinner?” She seemed cool to change to subject. Not typical mom. She wasn’t going to let this go.
“Hot dogs?”
“Okay,” she turned away. “Clean up. I’ll start cooking.”
She was doing it again. Acting like she didn’t care until I gave her what she wanted. She was good at it too. She opened the freezer and pulled out the hot dogs. Threw them against the counter to break them apart. She puffed and started boiling a pot of water. Ignoring me. I stared at her. She didn’t look. After a few moments of silence I gave in.
“She’s the Senator’s daughter.”
Mom stopped what she was doing and looked at me. Mom’s passion was politics. If she had gone to college she would have studied political science and public affairs like she wanted. Fate had a different plan for her and she became an avid supporter for the Democratic Party. Senator Anderson was a Republican and the bane of my mother’s existence. He was not a supporter of the welfare and health care programs. The last election mom was nearly arrested for taking down the Senator’s campaign posters.
“That’s why I didn’t want to tell you.” I finally said.
“Well,” she threw more frozen hot dogs against the counter. “If things ever get serious we’ll have to meet her and her family. Have them over for dinner.”
“Mom, no” I warned her. “I don’t want you scaring her father away.”
“What? Me? No?”

So right now I'm Falling really behind. I probably won't make it but at least I surpassed last year's word count. For another excerpt and a brief synopsis you can go here. Don't forget to check out the other teasers and leave comments.

Happy Reading!

Nanowrimo Teaser Tuesday #2

2010-11-09T15:38:00.002-05:00

Daddy Please Don't

I kissed her. I don’t know why. Maybe to cut her off, maybe it was to taste her sweet lip gloss. It was an impulse. A wild impulse. I didn’t attack her face. It was more of a peck than anything. I pulled back and licked my lips. Watermelon. Sweet.
“What was that for?”
“I don’t know, something just—” She kissed me. I dropped my books. The kiss was stronger this time. More passionate. The tasted her watermelon lip gloss invaded my mouth. I didn’t care. There was a fire inside me and her kisses put it out. Julie wrapped her arms around my neck and backed me against the lockers. The sound of my body hitting cool metal lockers pulled me back into reality. I peeled her off of me.
“I’m sorry,” I ran my fingers through my hair. “We have to get to class.” I licked my lips again. Watermelon. Delicious. She was all kinds of sweet. Vanilla skin and watermelon lips. I was in heaven.
“It’s okay,” she bent over and picked up my books. “I’m not a PDA person either. I just wanted to do that since I first saw you.”
“So you agree with me,” I took my books from her. “We do have a connection.”
“This is crazy, right?” She ran her fingers through her ponytail.
“The connection or us?”
“Both,” she got on her tippy toes and kissed my cheek. “It’ll never work.”
“We’ll make it work.”

What did you think? It was an old teaser. I'm really behind right now, I haven't written in days because of stress and school. If you have any advice for me put them in the comments.

Happy Reading!

Nanowrimo Teaser Tuesday

2010-11-02T18:11:00.001-04:00

Daddy Please Don't

     I spotted an open seat in the back of the class. Julie was in the desk next to it, staring at me. Her hair was pulled back again. I kept my eyes on her as I walked to the back. She smiled. My heartbeat sped up. My lips formed a slight smirk as I took my seat. Julie leaned over and mouthed: “You live.”
     I nodded and averted my attention to the teacher. It was so hard paying attention to the teacher. I didn’t care. It was just the basic first day of class lecture. The only thing I was aware of was how unbelievably close she was to me. I managed to jot down a few notes on the syllabus, glancing ever so often at Julie writing in her notebook. She ripped out the sheet of paper she was writing on and folded it. Sneakily, she placed the paper on my desk. I looked up at her, she cocked an eyebrow, insisting me to read it. I opened the note. The first thing I notice was that she was the kind of girl who used colored gel pens to feminize her elegant script. It was scented. Watermelon. I wondered if that’s the same scent she uses for her lip gloss. Sweet, sweet watermelon. I scanned the note and smiled.
     We still on for lunch?
     Without thinking, I scribbled down yes and tossed the note back to her. So what if Mr. Ian Woon didn’t want us to be together. Fuck him. So what if her father is a senator. So what. So what. So what. In life we are given a small opportunity to do something crazy. Live a little. This was my moment. So what? I only got one life to live. Better make the most of it.

If you want to read another excerpt or the synopsis go here. Tell me what you think in the comments.
Happy reading!

Break

2010-10-28T10:10:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't been present for a while and I'm sorry. I still need to adjust to college life. With that I will be taking a break from all of my social sites. I might still do a teaser Tuesday fro nanowrimo but there will be no initial though put into the post just the teaser. I'm really sorry to all my readers. I just need to relax and focus on school.
Happy Reading!

What's New?

2010-10-08T16:53:00.000-04:00

What's new?
Well Nanowrimo is approaching and I am pumped. Last year I started out strong, but ended up not finishing due to my high school's production of Pippin. So this year I am determined to win. For those of you who don't know what Nanowrimo is, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. That's right, a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. Sweet.
I'll keep you posted on my progress. I'll even do a teaser Tuesday. Wouldn't that be nice?
In chocolate news, I have rediscovered my love of chocolate milk. Mmmm. I know it's bad but what kind of sweet treat is your guilty pleasure?
Happy Reading!
PS: if you are interested in finding out more about Nanowrimo click here

Banned Books

2010-10-05T22:13:00.000-04:00

Ugh so college life is totally getting in the way of my blogging/writing stuff. But I promised a banned book post and you’re going to get it.

I was thirteen when I first heard of the musical Wicked. I was obsessed with it but I never saw the show. I told my mom about it and she said she’ll buy tickets for Christmas. I don’t remember every detail, but I remember buying the book. I read about fifty pages and decided to I start flipping through the pages and looked at the pictures before each section. All of a sudden I see a naked shadow and I started freaking out. So I turned to the next couple of pages and saw a SEX SCENE. I was freaking out. I was thirteen and I didn’t know what sex really was, but I knew it was in that book and I was too young to read the book. So I went to my basement and put the book in a box. I still wanted to see the show so I didn’t tell my mother.

Weeks later my mom and I were carpooling with my teammate and her mom to a volleyball game. We were talking about musicals or something in the car and mom brought up Wicked. She told her I was reading the book and how I wanted to see the show. My teammate’s mother went crazy. She told my mother how she couldn’t finish it because it was like pornography. Once again I was thirteen and didn’t know what to say but the truth. I told her that I knew about the sex scenes and how I put the book away until I was old enough to read it. Needless to say I didn't get to see the musical.

When it comes to censorship I believe that the reader’s maturity it the only obstacle. I think it’s up to the reader to decide if the content of the novel is too extreme for them. I PUT DOWN THE BOOK. It was my decision to stop reading, not my mothers, not my librarian, ME. I don’t think people should tell kids that they are too immature to read books with racy content. And if someone told me that I couldn’t read something because I’m too young I would read it anyway.

When Harry Potter got popular my parents told me and my brother we weren’t allowed to read it because of the witchcraft. I understood, I lived in a strong Christian household and Harry Potter was not very Christian. One Christmas my Aunt bought the first four books for my brother. My parents were worried but they told us we could read them. So after my brother read them I got had my turn to read them and let me tell you I LOVED THEM. However not once did I question my Christian faith because of what I read. I actually fell in love with reading after reading them.

That’s my little rant on banned books. I wrote an article for my high school newspaper earlier this year about book banning. My editor and adviser were worried that I would be bias in my article, so obviously I proved them wrong and won Best Feature Article at the end of the year. My article took on both sides of book banning and I interviewed some pretty powerful people in the school corporation. You can find it here.

I know Banned Books Week is over, but I felt like I needed to add my two-sense.

Happy reading!

Cover Party

2010-09-24T08:04:00.000-04:00

Tera Lynn Child fans. Get ready for the cover unveiling of the century. For those of you who read Forgive my Fins know about Tera Lynn Child’s summer 2011 sequel Fins are Forever. As a member of the splash team, we have opportunities to spread the word about Forgive my Fins. Well, without further ado here is the cover for Fins are Forever.

WARNING: CONTAINS FORGIVE MY FINS SPOILER ALERT

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mer girl, true, but
signing the renunciation paperwork will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer-bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form, when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up. Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her dreams?

So I was thinking out loud what kind of chocolate is great for the beach and my roommate said chocolate covered strawberries. Yum. It would be perfect for a romantic picnic on the beach for Lily and Quince.

I hope you all like the cover. Check out some of the other splashers blogs to see how they shared the cover.

Happy Reading!

I'm back!

2010-09-23T11:04:00.000-04:00

I’ve been taking two lit courses this semester. One is Introduction to Literary Fiction and the other is a Comparative Lit class called Major Characters in Western Literature. I have been assigned quite a bit of reading since I started these courses and it has been a handful. My limits have been pushed in these classes and I had an epiphany Reading and writing from an academic view point is hard.

I love to read but it’s hard to read a novel and just study it and say what I think the author is trying to say (if anyone has E.M. Forster on speed dial from the dead let me know.) on the other hand I do like discussing literature with my well educated colleges students, but writing it on paper has without sounding like I don’t know what I’m talking about? Yeah a little difficult.

College life has been good for me though. I’m never late for my classes; I get my homework done and have an adequate social life. My problem is that I don’t have time to read or write. I barely get through my required reading for class and whenever I say “I’m going to have a writing day” I get tired or remember I have to do something for class. I just need to get into the grove of things.

Next week is banned books week and hopefully I’ll get to talk about my favorite banned books. Last year I wrote an article on Banned books for my school newspaper. I posted it a while back after Ellen Hopkins' uninvitation to the Teen Lit Festival last month. You can check it out here
What are your favorite banned books?

Happy Reading!

College

2010-08-27T20:13:00.002-04:00

Sorry for my lack of blogging. So as many of you know I started college this week. Once I get settled in I'll start to blog more. I'm taking two different Literature classes so that might be interesting to talk about. I promise I'll be back soon.
Happy Reading!

What are you reading?

2010-08-21T14:11:00.003-04:00

As some of you know, YA author Ellen Hopkins was uninvited to the Teen Lit Festival in Humble, TX after a librarian and some parents went to the superintendent and asked for her to be removed from the program. In the aftermath, authors Melissa de la Cruz, Pete Hautman, Tera Lynn Childs and Matt de la Pena withdrew from the festival to protest the censorship.
After hearing of this problem I thought back to an article I wrote last year for my school newspaper. We were doing an issue with all controversial topics for our final exam. It didn’t take me long to choose my topic because it was around the time Lauran Myracle’s book Luv Ya Bunches caused a problem at the Scholastic Book Fair. After two months of research, emails and awkward interviews, my story was published. The only thing was I couldn’t be bias. So this article explores both sides. (PS: It’s also my first draft. The edited copy is on the school computer.)

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

In this day and age, the media is constantly changing. The internet is at its high point, and newspapers and television are rapidly trying to keep up with it. Despite all of the technology the twenty-first century has brought us, books, have not changed. Books will always have that familiar smell, and there will always be somebody offended by its content.

For years, there has been controversy about what kinds of books go into schools. Many books have been pulled out of school library shelves and taken off high school reading lists. English teacher Mrs. Cynthia Brosnan voiced her opinion on book banning. “The main reason was that they [book banners] considered the material obscene or showed people in a bad light,” she stated. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was banned because it showed the stereotypes of racism in the 1800s. It made white people look really bad because they held slaves and used the N-word. There were con men, hucksters and vigilantes all portrayed by white people. The only noble person in the book was Jim.”

Today, the book controversy grows on. The Kite Runner, a book on the senior’s required reading list, became one of the most challenged books in 2008 for its language and sexual content.

“Most of the books that we taught at Clay High School at one point or another were banned,” Mrs. Brosnan continued. “Catcher in the Rye was banned because of its language. The F-bomb was dropped many times.”

Other than the classrooms, school libraries are another key place where books are taken off the shelves due to explicit materials. “As a school librarian, I feel that some books’ content is not appropriate for a certain age of students,” Mrs. Angie Bitner-Westen, the librarian, stated. “I am not ‘censoring’ to a point where the book is not viewed by anyone, but rather viewed but a more mature audience. I believe that if the book deals with an issue that might affect teens—example teen pregnancy, drugs, parent with relationship abuse—that is okay. However, if it is an explicit romance novel, that is something else.”

Mr. Al Large, the Director of Instructional Technology and Library Services for the South Bend Community School Corporation, had faced controversial book issues many times for different reasons. “There have been instances when a parent has objected to a book,” he said. “For example, one parent objected to the cover of the book, Monsters You Have Never Heard Of by Daniel Cohen. The parent thought that the cover resembled a beast representing the devil, which offended her religious convictions. Another parent objected to Scary Stories 3 -- More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz because of some of the illustrations and a belief that the book promoted violence. Another parent objected to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor, a Newbery Award book, because of the offensive language. The story shows the racial tension in America during 1933.”

“Each parent thought that she/he was representing the best interest of her/his child,” Mr. Large stated. “The reality is that each one of us could probably walk into any library (school, public, or academic) and find books that are objectionable from our individual perspectives.”

In loco parentis is Latin for ‘in place of the parent.” This means while the student is in school, the corporation is responsible for them. “Public libraries are not bound by it [in loco parentis],” Ms. Marianne Kruppa, a librarian at the Francis Branch said. “When it comes to public libraries it falls on the parent to monitor what the child reads. It is not our responsibility to say you can and cannot read that.”

If a parent objects to a book in the public library, the librarian cannot just remove it from the shelves permanently. The patron is asked to fill out a “Patron Request for Reconsideration of Library Material Form.” The purpose of the form is a request to move the book to a section that is more appropriate for that age group. The form asks questions about the book and why the parent found it offensive. The first and most important question on the form that Ms. Kruppa pointed out was “Have you read the entire book?” If the patron has not read the book in its entirety, they may miss relevant information and misinterpret the context. After they fill out the form, the librarians will review it and decided whether or not it should stay in its designated section.

In an interview with momlogic.com back in November, Lauren Myracle, author of the bestselling Young Adult series The Internet Girls (one of the most challenged books for 2008 and 2009,) explained her dilemma with Scholastic Book Club and Book Fair about her Middle Grade novel Luv Ya Bunches. They had a problem with some of the content in the book. “They mentioned wanting us to address the fact that one of the characters, Mila, has two moms,” Mrs. Myracle explained. “I said we’d do the other stuff, but not that. The whole point was to have a cast of main characters that reflect the diversity of today’s elementary schools. The moms’ lesbianism is incidental. It's not a plot point or the source of some big lesson in the book. Just like there's a half Asian girl, an African-American girl who lives just with her dad, and a Muslim girl who wears a headscarf, there's a girl with two moms.”

Eventually, the Book Club accepted Luv Ya Bunches after some of the slightly crude language was changed, but the Book Fair would not take it if the sex of one of the parents was not changed.

“This isn't censorship, per se,” Mrs. Myracle stated. “This is a private company deciding what can and can't be included among the products they decide to sell.”

Throughout the halls, students carry books of all genres from class to class, ranging from Teen Vampire Romances such as Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight to spiritual books like The Shack by William P. Young. Is there a book in the mix that someone finds too inappropriate or controversial? Junior Betsy Cook gave her thoughts on what she would do if she started reading one. “I would probably just stop reading it,” she said. “But sometimes it depends on how inappropriate it is. I don’t think it is a good idea to let your child read a book like that if it’s against the parent’s morals.”

Kaitlyn Miner, a junior, explained her experience with books and its mature content. “In the sixth grade I read Empress of the World. It’s a book about a girl who goes to summer camp, sees a pretty girl and becomes a lesbian,” Kaitlyn said. “In the sixth grade of course I thought that was controversial. But when I re-read it in eighth grade I was MUCH more accepting.”

“I feel like books can’t corrupt people,” Kaitlyn continued. “Books are meant to make you feel, so if Harry Potter makes you want to become a Wiccan, so be it!”

Whether you object to certain content in book or the author that wrote it, everyone has the First Amendment-right of freedom of speech.

This article was published in The Colonial in January 2010.

Revising, Writing and Chocolate

2010-08-13T14:11:00.001-04:00

Yeah I’m procrastinating. Right now I should be finishing up putting in my final revisions for my manuscript on the computer before I requery.

This little bugger needs another 4k

What I’m really doing is staring at the document on my computer thinking “why am I doing this?” I should have given up earlier this year when the rejections were coming in by the truck load. The reason I haven’t is simple. I truly believe everything happens for a reason.

Back in high school I was an active member of the drama club. When I auditioned for one of the plays at the end of the year, I didn’t get in. I was crushed. I worked so hard at my audition and to top it all of it was my senior year. Devastated, I stared doubting myself and wondered if I was cut out for show business. A few weeks later my friend told me about a play the local theatre was having auditions for. She explained that the role I should audition for would be good fit for me. So a few weeks later I auditioned and got the lead role.

In the end everything really did happen for a reason. If I would’ve made my school play I never would have auditioned for the other one and got the lead. The same thing goes for querying. Maybe all those rejections telling me the manuscript is “not the right fit” really means it’s not the right fit. Maybe one day I’ll find the right fit just like I did with the part. Who knows? The right fit could be my dream agent.

However, I did do a lot of research on the play before I auditioned. (Life Lesson) The same should go with querying. RESEARCH AND FOLLOW GUIDELINES!!! There was one time, ONE TIME, I did not follow guidelines. Boy did I feel like an idiot. That won’t happen again.

To the right you see my zombie cell phone. When it dies it comes back to life. Mug is not filled with coffee.

Now that it’s all out, what am I doing now? Well I’m defiantly surprised I used now twice in a sentence. Currently I’m staring at my hard copy thinking “I can do this…and this might not be my final revisions after all. Oh I hope I get this done before I leave for school. I’ll be too busy when I get there to finish this. I want some chocolate. There’s pudding in the fridge. Wait no it’s moose pudding. Did I use the right moose? I should check, there should be a u in it. Phone’s ringing, crap.” Okay that was long. Well I got my pudding mousse and spoon. Yum. Now it’s time to dig into this manuscript and GIT-R-DONE!

Happy reading!

Yummy Mousse Pudding.

Chocolate with Nuts

2010-08-05T13:38:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone. Sorry that I've been a bad blogger. This past month has been pretty busy. I had to balance work, writing, closing a play, preparing for college, and getting in some friend time before I leave. You forgive me right?
Not only have I been a bad blogger, but I've been a bad reader also. In all honesty I did not read more than two books last month. I'm still going to read the Sarah Dessen books like I promised, but it's been rough. I've started many books I just never had time to finish them. Maybe since I own most of the books I started, I don't need to rush to finish them before I needed to return them. I bought a book that a book club was reading at my local Barnes and Noble. I only got halfway through it by the end of the month. Needless to say I didn't go to the meeting. (I also forgot about it.)
On the other hand, I have been writing a little bit. My manuscript is on hold at the moment because my friend is reading the hard copy I printed out to edit. Lucky for me she promised to edit it and give me notes. So while the manuscript is away the writer will play. I have been playing with a lot of stories that I shoved behind while I was on my insane query quest. So with my new found freedom I've enjoyed working on other pieces for a change.
As for chocolate. My mom wanted me to talk about nuts. I hate all nuts other than peanuts and cashews. I hate it when my mom gets a can of mixed nuts instead of just peanuts. Then I end up eating all of the peanuts and cashews and that causes problems. Nuts in chocolate it a different story though. I can eat chocolate with almond pieces just fine.I like the crunch. However, if you give me a chocolate covered almond I will eat the chocolate and throw away a perfectly good almond. That's just me. Don't get me started on walnut brownies. The point is I'm not so nuts about nuts.
As you know it's still Reading, Writing and Chocolate's Summer Reading Edition and I'm suppose to give a challenge for the month. Well since I failed at all of my challenges and my life is a little hectic, I'm not going to give a challenge. Instead I say go out and read, write and eat chocolate. I'm going to try to blog once a week and read a lot more before I go to school. I'll continue to write while working on my manuscript. Also, I'll keep an eye out for new chocolate treats to share with you.
Happy Reading!

Summer Reading Edition: July 17

2010-07-17T00:28:00.000-04:00

This is my first (and only) post from my iPod touch. I bought the iPod today and can't put it down. But that's not what I'm bloging about. The challenge for this month was supposed to be reading a genre that you don't read as much. Mine was normal fiction. No magic, no ghost, no superpowers. So since I never read a book written by Sarah Dessen I was going to read three by the end of the month. Little did I know that her books are really long. So I will probably finnish only one due to the high demand for her books at my library and my lack of book money. I have Lock and Key at home and will crack into it ASAP. How are you doing? If you still want to join you can!

Happy Reading!

Summer Reading Edition July

2010-07-04T14:31:00.001-04:00

Last month was a lot of fun. Even though I didn’t reach my goal of reading five new releases in June, I did read a lot. Personally I blame my lack of money. It stopped me from purchasing my own copy of the books. Here are all the books I’ve read last month. The Bolded titles are the books that were released last month. The titles in purple are books I own.

1. Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguié

2. Forgive my Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

3. Insatiable by Meg Cabot

4. Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

5. Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barns

6. Ghost Huntress: Awakening by Marley Gibson

7. Ghost Huntress: Guidance by Marley Gibson

Looking back at what I read, I realize I really didn’t do well with my challenge. Five out of the seven books I read last month have been paranormal/fantasy and if I would have finished Dark Flame by Alyson Noel a day earlier my list would still be heavy on the paranormal/fantasy side. The truth of the matter is that I find it hard to read normal book about real life. Don’t get me wrong I still read the normal stuff, just not as much.

So I have a challenge for you readers. What kind of books have you not really given a chance? Does your list contain more mysteries that dramas. Have you had a hard time picking up a paranormal romance? So for July’s challenge for Reading Writing and Chocolate’s Summer Reading Edition, I challenge you to pick up three books you never thought you would read and read them by the end of the month.

Confession time. I’ve never read a Sarah Dessen book. There I said it. I have never read a book written by Sarah Dessen. Never. Not one. So my goal is to read three of her books this month. Any Suggestions?

With that said. Post below what kind of books you don’t read that much and by the end of the month tell me what you’ve read and if you liked them.

Happy Reading!

PS. What kind of chocolate confection are you munching on this Independence Day?

Mistakes I never thought I would make, but I did

2010-06-21T18:27:00.002-04:00

Earlier today I dropped my cell phone in a sink full of water. I always criticized people for being dumb enough to drop their phone in water. Well now it’s barely working and I hope it will work better after it’s dry.

That got me thinking about other things I thought I’d never do but I did anyway. Well back in the day so did I. I honestly thought that I would not make any silly mistake that I’ve read about in countless blogs. Boy was I wrong. So right now I’m going to take a break from Summer Reading Edition and tell you a few amateur mistakes I thought I would never make and I did.

1. Querying before you’re ready. This was one of my biggest mistakes. I thought after spending my entire junior year editing my manuscript would be enough. Boy was I wrong. After over thirty rejection letters I stopped my insane query quest and read my manuscript again. It was horrible. Like really bad. So I spent a lot of time rewriting it and trying to make it as polished as possible.

2. Not having a good query. All of the advice blogs I read say you have to have a near perfect query before you submit to agents I thought mine was perfect. Boy was I wrong. Well after the rewrite I took a look at my query. Not that good either. I rewrote it until I thought it was presentable.

3. School first writing second. My junior year I screw up. I was so concerned about editing my manuscript I let my grades slip. At first I was in denial. I thought I was in control of my grades. Boy was I wrong. When I saw that my grade was lower than I expected I had to pull off a high final score to get a decent grade. If I had spent less time with my manuscript and more time on Algebra 2 and Chemistry I would have graduated with a higher GPA.

In the end I hated myself for making such stupid mistakes.I honestly did not think I would be the one to make these mistakes. I’m just like everybody else. The point is we all make mistakes and my biggest mistake was not thinking I would make one.

Happy Reading!

Summer Reading Edition: June: Day 17

2010-06-17T12:01:00.001-04:00

Hello Readers.
It’s the middle of June and the Summer Reading Edition of Reading, Writing and Chocolate is going smoothly. So far I’ve read two of my promised five new releases. My last read was Insatiable by Meg Cabot. While I wait for my next reading to come into the library, I would like to know what new releases this month you’ve read and would recommend?
Happy Reading!

Forgive My Fins Winner

2010-06-15T18:51:00.000-04:00

After cutting and folding countless amounts of paper, I finally have a winner.
and the winner is...

MARISKA!!!

Congratulations!!!!
Thank you all so much for participating. Now a contest like this will come once in a blue moon so just read the blog and keep your eyes peeled for more about reading, writing and chocolate.
Happy Reading

Forgive My Fins Giveaway

2010-06-08T10:14:00.006-04:00

Well my hunt is over. I bought a copy of Forgive my Fins and loved it. Well here’s the thing. I won a copy the day I bought mine. Lucky for you, readers, I will be giving away my copy. Here’s a quick synopsis of Forgive My Fins from Tera Lynn Childs website:

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life.

When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Do you want to win the fabulous novel? Here’s the 411. I’ll be picking a name randomly out of a hat. If you comment on this post you will automatically be entered into the drawing. To increase your chances you can follow this blog and/or me on Twitter. You can also tweet or blog about this giveaway for your name to be put in the hat more times.

There you have it. I will announce the winners on Tuesday June 15.

Happy Reading!

Edit: Make sure you mention me when you Tweet about the giveaway. It would be much easier for me.

Summer Reading Edition: June Day 1: The Hunt

2010-06-01T16:46:00.000-04:00

I'm on a hunt. I need to get my hands of Tera Lynn Childs' new book Forgive My Fins.
I've been waiting for this book to come out forever and it's finally here! Now, I have no money at the moment and no way to the bookstore. Here's the deal as part of Reading, Writing and Chocolate's first ever Summer Reading Edition I pledged to read five new releases this month. I will obtain the targets, read them and blog, all in the month of June.
Yep well that's it really. It's only the first Summer Reading Edition. Maybe it'll get better next year. I don't know. I'm still new the blog thing.

Happy Reading!

Quick Post About Brownies

2010-05-31T20:07:00.000-04:00

I must blog about Brownies

I LOVE BROWNIES!!!

Yesterday my friend gave me the best brownies EVER!!!
Well that's it.
Happy Reading!

Summer Reading Edition: June

2010-05-22T12:52:00.003-04:00

The school year is coming to an end. And that means only one thing: SUMMER VACATION. Summer vacation = more reading time. It’s simple math. To kick of the first ever summer reading edition of Reading, Writing and Chocolate I have a couple of my most anticipated books this June.

Forgive my Fins by Tera Lynn Childs- June 1, 2010

(A little side note I am officially a member of The Splash Team. If you want to learn more and get cool tattoo and bookmarks check it out here http://tinyurl.com/2vl4jp2)

(My super coool Splash Team kit!)

And finally the fourth installment to the Bestselling Immortals Series

Dark Flame by Alyson Noël- June 22, 2010

I have been following this series for a long time. The cliffhanger endings are nuts (but I LOVE IT!)

I can’t wait to read these. I will read them and give you feedback this June. What books are you looking forward to next month?

Happy Reading!

Raising the Dead

2010-05-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

I have raised the dead. Well just in my manuscript. I recently finished rewriting my manuscript and there were a lot of changes made to it. Before I started rewriting I wondered why no agent wanted it. So I stopped my insane query quest and took a look. When I reread it I noticed it was way too corny and a lot of parts were just bad. No wonder no one wanted it. So I stopped and looked the next thing I needed to do was listen. I had to listen to what my characters wanted to say and what they needed. So I made some big changes.

Things I changed

1. How the MC meets her love interest. When I read it I felt that the meeting was too forced and that the love interest’s character didn’t his first scene.

2. Added witty dialogue. It needed it. Badly

3. Dream sequence reboot. It was way too cheesy. Seriously it had to go.

4. Entire subplot change. It involved me raising the dead, ‘nuff said.

5. Toughened it up. It was too nice. It needed a real life reality check.

So in the end, even though I thought I wasn’t one of those newbie writers who make stupid mistakes, I made the biggest newbie mistake of them all. I queried before I was really ready.

Happy Reading!

Contest Blues

2010-05-12T20:53:00.001-04:00

I can honestly admit that I have never won a writing contest. I’ve been writing for years and I’ve won nothing. (I don’t count that poem I wrote in the third grade that got in like a children’s poetry book because I didn’t know what it was for.)

It’s very sad.

The worst part of the matter is that I never find out I didn’t win until I look up the contest winners on the website. There was this one contest that I entered every year since the eighth grade. This year I was determined to win. THEY CANCELED THE CONTEST. I was heartbroken, it was my senior year, I had a great story and my writing skill had improved tenfold. (See I used the word tenfold. I would have never used that word in the past)

My most recent loss was for a novel writing competition part of this big art and writing contest. There are pros and cons to this matter.

Pro- I don’t have to worry about the two year copyright if was recognized

Con- I wasn’t even recognized

Pro- I can finish writing it sooner

Con- I could have finished it with a chance of publication

It’s pretty much Even Steven. Well, I’m not really going work on finishing it much. I’m still rewriting of my finished novel. I have a lot of work to do.

Happy Reading!

Short Mother's Day Post

2010-05-09T17:00:00.001-04:00

Hey hey hey it's Mother's Day! (Sorry I did not mean to rhyme.) It's that time of year when you get to show your mother how much you love her more than usual. So for today's segment of Reading, Writing and Chocolate I would like to say thank you to all of the mothers out there for being awesome.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY EVERYONE!!!

Rewites

2010-04-24T13:01:00.003-04:00

If you haven’t noticed I kind of been failing a blogging lately. I’m just super busy and just don’t have time. My bad.

Anyway, I am here to talk about rewritings. I wrote a novel a few years ago and my attempts to get it published epically failed. So I did what every author/agent/anybody who wrote about publishing said in a blog. I stopped. I left the file untouched on my computer for months. I didn’t query, I didn’t read it and I didn’t even think about it. On Wednesday I went back and started rewriting it. I put new ideas in places where the plot dragged. I added witty dialogue and decided to give one of the subplots a facelift. When I’m done I’m going to comb through it, yet again for months. Maybe this time things will go better.

Oh and for chocolate. I’m selling chocolate for school. You’d think it would be easy. It’s not.

Happy Reading!

Reading while traveling

2010-04-12T20:34:00.000-04:00

I recently got back from a long trip to Disney World over spring break. I packed a book with me hoping to get some reading time while on the motor coach. Unfortunately I was distracted by all of my friends, and the movies and the stops every three hours. I can honestly tell you that I only read one page of that book. It’s sad to be an avid reader and not have time to read.

On the way back I was a little better. I bought a book. Yes I went to Disney World and bought a book. I wanted to buy The Kingdom Keepers Ridley Pearson, but Disney didn’t have the first one. (I placed a hold on it at the library today though).

What I did buy was Fairest of All: A tale of the Wicked Queen by Serena Valentino. The title explains it all really.

I read about forty pages on the way back. I could have read more but, I was in and out of sleep the whole time. Well that's traveling for you. So what do you do on a long trip? Post a comment below.

Bad Blogger/Spring Break

2010-04-04T21:54:00.000-04:00

Dear Blog/Blog Readers
I'm sorry I'm a bad blogger and I'm sorry I'm leaving of Spring Break.
After vacation things will be better between us, right?
I'm sorry :(
Love Leslie Ann
Happy Reading!

Not Having Time to Write Part 2 (what's left of it at least)

2010-04-02T19:53:00.001-04:00

I just deleted my blog post. Great. Three things.

No more Book Rec Friday

Script Frenzy is going slow

and...

SPRING BREAK!!!!

That's all.

Happy Reading

Finding Time to Write Part 1

2010-03-31T20:50:00.000-04:00

I don't.

Having time to read.

2010-03-29T22:42:00.000-04:00

I honestly have the hardest time trying to find time to read. I have school, play rehearsal, work and life. How can I possible have time to read? Take this weekend for example when I was trying to read Albatross by Josie Bloss (great book by the way). I started Saturday morning and I got really into it. Unfortunately I had to do chores. Then the power went out before I started. So I read more. Afterwards I had to go to work. By the time I got home the power was still out and it was too dark to read. Sunday I read some more, I was so close to being finished I had to lock myself in my room before work. I finished.

This morning I recorded the book on my list of books read in 2010. It was book #16!!! Really? By this time last year I was on book #30!!! The thing is I have not had much time to read this year. Why you may ask? I HAVE NO IDEA!!! It’s not work because I don’t work much and it’s not play rehearsal or school because I had that last year and that didn’t stop me from reading 100 books!!!

The point it I have to make time to read. I guess it’s the Senioritis. So what did the doctor prescribe? A good book and a chocolate bar. I hope that will cure me.

Happy Reading!

Leslie's Choice: Chocolate Ice Creams

2010-03-27T23:37:00.002-04:00

I LOVE ICE CREAM!!!
I have three favorite flavors.

3. Cookies and Cream: I love the little cookie peices they are soft and it's like they are pre-dunked in milk. But it's ice cream.

2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: It gives me a chance to eat cookie dough. Come on who doesn't love love to eat cookie dough?

1. Mint Chip: I use to hate it because it was green, but now I love it. It's all I ask for whenever we buy ice cream.

So those are my ice cream choices. What is your favorite ice cream?

Book Recommendations

2010-03-26T20:03:00.001-04:00

So I skipped yesterday and decided to make it officially book recommendation Friday. Since I’m still new at this my first book recommendation via blog will be kind of rough. I don’t want to write a long summary so I'll just give you the links to the author’s website. I will get better at this. One day.

Today I’ve recommend to you Heist Society by Ally Carter.

For more information go here! http://www.allycarter.com/books/heist-society/synopsis

Next one is Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors.

Go here for info! http://www.suzanneselfors.com/CoffeehouseAngel.html

Last but not least Give Up The Ghost by Megan Crewe.

Click the link!!! http://www.megancrewe.com/gutg/index.html

And yeah about the Script Frenzy ideas. I’m extending the deadline until Wednesday’s writing blog. I realized that I need to get more people actually read the blog to comment on the posts. So you can go back to my old post here to give me ideas on how to stay on task for Script Frenzy.

Happy Reading!

Blogging and Ranting and Script Frenzy. OH MY!

2010-03-24T18:46:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday fellow readers, writers and chocolate lovers. I know I haven’t blogged much since Author Appreciation Week, but that is going to change very shortly. I have mapped out a blogging so I can make sure I keep you in the loop. So here it is.
Mondays is reading day. (Where I rant on about reading and what not.)

Wednesday is writing day (Where I rant about writing and what not.)

Thursday is book recommendation day (do I really have to explain?)

And Saturday is CHOCOLATE!!!!! (Don’t worry I will mention chocolate in other post too)

The rest of the week I will probably won’t blog or just talk about stuff.

So it is Wednesday and I have a big announcement. This year I am going to participate in Script Frenzy!!! For those of you who don’t know, head over to this site for information http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/

Script Frenzy is NaNoWriMo’s sister. This time however, we have thirty days to write a one hundred paged script instead of a 50,000 word novel. I’ve dabbled in script writing a few times, but I never wrote more than twenty pages. This will be a challenge. But you know I’m just always up for a new challenge.

Unfortunately last year’s NaNoWriMo was an EPIC FAIL!!! I could not stay focused to even get 10,000 words out. So in the comments please give me ideas on how to stay on task and get my creative juices flowing. (Chocolate is always a good idea) The best three will be posted in Friday’s blog.

Happy Reading!

Author Appreciation Week: Make Up Days

2010-03-20T16:36:00.000-04:00

I apologize a thousand times for not blogging for TWO DAYS. Anyway to make up for the day days lost I will have my last two authors in the same post.

Day Four Make Up

Lauren Myracle has been a big inspiration and I appreciate her so much. She has had to deal will a lot of censorship and challenging a few years now. What really makes me appreciate her is her attitude towards every issue she faces. I love how she takes the high road and keeps moving on.

That’s why I have to say “Lauren Myracle I appreciate you and good luck.”

Day Five Make Up

I would have to say that Meg Cabot is my biggest influence. I have been reading her books since I was twelve and she is one of the reasons I want to be an author. I literally counted all of the books she has written from the inside of Being Nikki a while back. I was really impressed. Now it seems like she’s releasing about four books a year.

With that I say “Hey Meg Cabot, I appreciate you and keep up the good work.”

That concludes my authors for Author Appreciation Week. I'll be back to my regular routine next week.

Happy Reading

Author Appreciation Week: Day Three

2010-03-17T19:21:00.000-04:00

Today I’m going skip all of the fancy introduction stuff and get right into appreciating Maureen Johnson.

Maureen Johnson writes books. Good books. Good books for teens. She has written many, many good books for teens. I’m stalling, I know, but what can I say? I like to read.

Back in the day when I was a young and naïve, little girl (with was not that long ago) I read Girl at Sea with no idea of who Maureen Johnson was. Then the Battle of the Books competition I talked about during my last blog came and read Devilish and Bermudez Triangle. The next thing I knew I was preordering Suite Scarlett and anxiously awaiting the sequel (which I’m still waiting for my copy to come in from the library.)

So I say to you Maureen Johnson: Thank you for writing books. Good books. Good books for teens. Many, many good books for teens.

Author Appreciation Week: Day Two

2010-03-16T21:59:00.000-04:00

Day two of Author Appreciation Week was a tough one. There is only one word to describe this author.

AWESOME!

John Green is the author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherine, Paper Towns and co-wrote the upcoming novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson with David Levithan.

The first thing I ever read from John Green was the anthology Let it Snow. He was the only author of the three who I had not heard of. (I know I lived in a box!!!) Afterwards I read Looking for Alaska for a battle of books contest at my school. (Only 4 kids showed up so we all won) I laughed, I cried and I realized I should not read books in public. I was hooked.

So here’s to you John Green for being awesome and making me look like a fool in class!!!

Happy Reading!

Author Appreciation Week: Day 1

2010-03-15T15:34:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day of Author Appreciation Week. I’ve thought long and hard over the weekend and I have five authors I appreciate. Today I will talk about an author who has to put up with a bunch of crap, Stephenie Meyer.

Back in the day I had phases. I had a Mary-Kate and Ashley phase. I had a Britney Spears phase and I had a Twilight phase.

I was obsessed, and recommended it to all my friends. Well that phase is over. However, I hear so many negative things from people about the books it makes me sick. That’s when I’ve come to realize that whenever something or someone is really popular, people always try to bring it down. My opinion is that people should keep their opinion to their selves.

So I say to Stephanie Meyer (though she will never read this blog post) I appreciate you and how you don’t let all of the crap people give you get to you.

(PS If you are interseted in Author Appreciation week visit Heidi R. Kling's blog at http://seaheidi.livejournal.com/173993.html)

Happy Reading!

In Review: Troy High

2010-03-12T18:32:00.000-05:00

Here's the stroy. The seniors at my school were supposed to read the Homer's The Iliad during the first semester. I could honestly tell you that I did not read it. I did, however, listen to my teacher summerize it and we also watched Troy, so I pretty much got the basis of the story. Flash forward to Christmas, I got this wonderful book called Troy High by Shana Norris.

Troy High is a modern retelling of The Iliad. I loved the book so much, I wrote a review for my school newspaper. So for my first offical blog post here is my reveiw of Troy High.

In Review: Troy High

This is a story for all the seniors who loved Homer’s classic tale, The Iliad, and for the ones who didn’t bother reading it. Substitute warring kingdoms for rivaling high schools, an out of control warrior with a football player with anger issues, and a wooden horse with a homecoming float, and you get Troy High.

The story follows Cassie, an outsider in her own high school despite brothers being football royalty. She finds solace in her best friend from band camp, Greg. There is only one problem. She attends Troy High and Greg goes to Lacede, their rival school. Greg’s brother is Lucas, star quarterback for the Spartans and is dating the most beautiful girl in school Elena.

Before the school year begins, the school board expands the school districts lines to prevent overcrowding in Lacede. Many unwilling Spartans, including the beautiful Elena, are forced to attend Troy High. Elena quickly attaches herself to the only person she knows, Cassie. There she falls hard for Cassie’s brother Perry, dumps Lucas, causing him to declare war on Troy.

As Elena’s popularity grows at Troy, so does Cassie’s. Hunter, her other brother and Perry warn her about hanging out with the Spartan, Greg, worried that she will betray them. Cassie’s loyalties are tested as each school pulls one elaborate prank after another. In the end she must decide between her brothers or her best friend.

Troy High by Shana Norris spins The Iliad into a modern day tale. The character traits as well as the names are parallel to the classic. Hector and Paris are football stars Hunter and Perry. Helen of Troy is Elena, the head cheerleader. Brothers Lucas and Greg Mennon are the Spartan leaders Menelaus and Agamemnon. The wild Achilles is Ackley, a defensive lineman with a grudge against Hunter for breaking his ankle in a game.

Cassie is Cassandra the Seer, the Trojan princess who was cursed with premonitions, but no one would believe her. Cassie, like Cassandra, had dreams of nothing but bad things for Troy. Since the story is in Cassie’s point of view, the novel sways away from the “glitz and glamour” of the popular crowd at Troy High and focuses on the outsider watching the chaos unfold.

Troy High is a wonderful novel filled with romance, rivalry and an explosive ending…literally.

You can check out the author Shana Norris at http://www.shananorris.com/

Happy Reading!

Intro!!!

2010-03-09T21:37:00.000-05:00

Hello world. This is a new blog about my life called Reading, Writing and Chocolate. Those three things are basically my life. I had this idea for a column for my schools newspaper and I decided to spread the love to the world.
So here is the low down.
I will try to blog at least once or twice a week about reading or writing and how chocolate helps you through it. This collection will include book reviews, information on my writing, pointless rants and of course chocolate.

Happy reading!