Tag Archives: book

I Did It!

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No one ever thinks they will find the broken leg of a three year old to be a blessing in disguise, but lat week, I did. CJ’s company graciously let him work from home on preschool days while MJ has his cast on. Since he stays home with the girls, I have been going over to the library to work on my book while MJ is in school. This has given me the ability to write thousands of words at a time. It has been an amazing experience to throw myself into my book like this.

Because of this opportunity, on October 2nd 2015, I was able to write the words I’ve been so looking forward to writing since this book was just a concept in my head.


Ahh! My hands shook while I took that picture to send to CJ because I couldn’t even wait until I got home to tell him.  🙂

Now, finding a way to print it so I can begin draft two. I can do this. I will do this. And you’re all invited to the book launch and subsequent movie premiere lol.

Mrs. Mike

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I read my favorite book for the first time somewhere around the fourth grade. At least, this is when I remember using it for a report for the first time. It was published in 1946 and written by a married couple, Benedict and Nancy Freedman. My mother gave me a copy as it was one of her favorites and I will be eternally grateful.

Over the years, I have used it for many reports and projects and inspired many an English teacher to read it. It just applies to everything.

Last week, I reread it for the millionth time, yet the first time since I became a mother. Somehow, this amazing book managed to become even more beautiful. I cannot wait until Q is old enough to enjoy reading and I can share this wonderful book with her. Not my copy of course. I found her one of her own at a garage sale 🙂

NaNoWriMo

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As November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) I had been hoping to make some major strides in my book. So far, this has not been going quite how I planned (my biggest day has been an addition of only 1,000 words). I know it is early in the month, but I feel I have already fallen into the pattern of every other month. I was hoping to set a precedent using NaNoWriMo as motivation.

For some reason, the past few days have been full of reading, as seen by my Goodreads profile. I know in order to write well, you have to be well read, but I guess I have been using “I just need to finish this” as an excuse to not sit down and work on my book.

Have you ever been so simultaneously scared of failing and succeeding that you find yourself hesitating to finish the task before you? I feel quite proud of the idea I have and the notes, etc that I have so far. Up until extremely recently, I have been to nervous to share my work with anyone. The few people who have read what I have so far have given positive feedback, but what if they were only being nice? And somehow worse, what if they were not? Is it completely silly and unreasonable to be scared by the possibility of your own success? How does one overcome it?

Wish There Were More Time in the Day

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Perfect Scoundrels is the first book I have begun reading since MJ was born that I have been waiting a long time for. Most of these types of books, I would always finish within a day or two. However, now that is something I cannot do. It is taking me far longer to read this book than I wanted, as I have to sneak in a chapter or two here and there; most of the time before bed.

Even now, I am just wanting to read my book to find out what happens, but I am making myself work on my writing for just a little bit while I have some extra time. I understand now when I would reccomend a book for my sister and she would tell me she just did not have the time to read it. There really is not the time I used to have especially when there are more important things that I want to take care of after MJ goes to bed but before I do.

So far, my writing is going…shall we just say decent? I have some pretty detailed character bios. I have decided that since I cannot devote as much time as I would like to it, I should take notes at every opportunity so I do not lose any plot, info, etc. I am getting pretty excited about it.

Back to writing I go! Or maybe to my book 🙂

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I am currently rereading Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter. For my birthday, CJ got me Perfect Scoundrels and before beginning it, I felt compelled to read the book that came before it again.

When I get a new book, especially if I have waited a long time for it to come out, I have a bad habit of blowing through it as fast as I can because I just cannot wait to see what the ending is. I did this with Uncommon Criminals when it first came out and after having read the first few chapters of Perfect Scoundrels, I realized that I really needed to remind myself of what had happened.

I remembered liking the book a lot, but I could not recall exactly how it ended. When the new book reference how the main characters were now a couple, I did not know how that had happened, and I am fairly certain that it will be important in the new book.

I had planned on just skimming the parts I remembered and therefore taking a short time to read it so I could get to the book I really wanted to read. However, this has not happened as there is an awful lot that I cannot skim…and all I really want is to read my new book.

It is hard to read as much as I like, but after all the reviews I have heard about Perfect Scoundrels I cannot wait no read it.

Boundless

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Yesterday I finished Boundless by Cynthia Hand. It is the last in a series of three books and one novella.

When I was in Denver and working at Barnes & Noble, one of my managers reccomended the first book of the series Unearthly. She had read the advanced reading copy and had nothing but wonderful things to say about it. Shortly after I purchased my Nook, I found that Unearthly was only a few dollars so I gave it a whirl.

It is definitely a teen series complete with love triangles and too must angst. When I was in my YA Lit class, my professor told us that when we finally became teachers, to read what our kids would be reading so we could stay in tune with them and also be able to talk about what they are interested in. Thus sparked my foray into YA fiction and the fact that at my age I read more of it than I probably should 🙂 (at least that is my excuse).

I was actually impressed with the series because it was the first of its kind that I had read. It deals with the nephilim and the author’s ideas of how they came to be on Earth, multiplied, and what they do now. All that are still on Earth have a “purpose” that they must complete before the end of the 120 years they will live. The series dealt with the “purpose” of Clara Gardner.

I had high hopes for the last book, as anyone does with the last book of a series. After I first finished it, I was a little disappointed, but the ending has grown on me a bit. Clara struggles through all three books and the novella with a love triangle she cannot seem to dissolve. She ended up with the guy I wanted her to be with, but the epilogue did not give me the information I was craving. The more I think about it, the more I think I should just be happy with the information I was given and let that be the end of it however, it was hard to be okay with the way things were. The guy Clara did not choose was left “out in the cold.” He did not show up at the family gathering at the end. He no longer talked to Clara or wanted anything to do with her. That is understandable, broken heart and all, but that left the reader with no closure as to whether he would ever be happy with another in his life. I would have felt better if the poor guy had found someone wonderful that he could love instead.

I see more and more YA novels that have epilogues where marriage is involved, just like this one. It is so rare to marry the BOY you date in high school. I think it gives a false perception and makes girls think this is the “norm.” High school is a time about finding yourself and discovering who you are; it is not about finding a boy and discovering how to keep him forever. We need more heroines who do not necessarily end up with the boy at the end. They work their way through the novel finding themselves and becoming happy with who that person is. You cannot truly love someone until you love yourself. If you never take the time to find out who you are, how can you ever hope to have a mature and functioning relationship? Slow down. Grow up. Enjoy your friends. Be yourself. You are a complete person all on your own.