Thanksgiving: Sabbatical Style

I know, I know. I've been AWOL for a few weeks now. There is reason behind this madness. But I will get to that later.

Since tomorrow is the U.S.'s Thanksgiving holiday, I'd like to offer my thanks.

I am thankful for:

• God: I know I don't have as much faith as I should but for some reason You still stick around. I appreciate your unconditional love and great patience with me. I love you
• My family: my constant strength and support. No. Matter. What! I love you all
• My job: it couldn't have come sooner. It is stressful at times but enjoyable anyway
• Love: it is what turns the world around
• Friends
• Sleep: it is my fuel, although I can't seem to get enough of it
• Moose Tracks ice cream: Numms. Need I say more?
• My writing, even though it stresses me out
• Books: they draw me into beautiful worlds of wonder
• My love of traveling: bring on Australia and Tasmania this coming summer
• Pajamas
• My car: Miss Razlyn
• Pay checks
• The ability to walk
• Seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting
• Clothing, especially skinny jeans
• The miracle of watching a helicopter take off
• Warm blankets
• Not getting so many headaches as I did before (miracles)
• Hot showers
• Snow
• Sun
• Rain
• Wind
• Music
• My random giggling for insignificant things
• Mowing the lawn in the summer
• Nutella
• Make-up
• Water
• Puppy dogs
• The pitter patter of the little girls feet as she runs around upstairs
• And many, many more wonderful things that bring joy to my life

Anyway, I need to be more grateful. Isn't that the case with us all, though? What are you grateful for?

Well, I have decided to take a wee sabbatical away from my blog. Not forever, of course. Just for a little while. Suffice it to say, a break from blogging and writing is in order for the Jewels! I will come back soon. I don't know when soon will arrive but hopefully at the beginning of next year with new year's resolutions and the such.

Sigh. Super sigh. Super duper crazy sigh.

I'm grateful for you all. I will see you around the bend of next year. Have a wonderful Holiday season! Much love. I bid you farewell, a short adieu.

    Writing. Jewels.

Month of November Goals

Happy November, dear friends! I hope your Halloween was spooktacular! Well, I'll just jump right into my goals.

Here is how my month of October goals panned out:

• Recuperate from spraining my ankle Uh... It turns out that I fractured a bone in my foot. I had to wear a hideous boot for a freaking month. Luckily I'm out of the montrousity of ugliness. But I've got to rehabilitate my poor foot now. Silliness, I say
• Read BEYONDERS: SEEDS OF REBELLION by Brandon Mull Check. Great book
• Finish listening to DIE FOR ME by Amy Plum Super Check. I loved this book sooooo much. Read it. Now
• If I have time, I'll edit some or all of one of my writing projects Nope, I did open up one of my projects and read the first chapter to my new roomie. She LOVED it! Just you guys wait...
• Start my new job, love it, and learn it fast Check on all accounts
• Find a new place to live in Salt Lake City before I'm driven mad by the long commute Check and it didn't happen soon enough. I truly was going crazy driving two hours a day.
• Enjoy my half birthday... Check. I loveth growing old. haha

Well, I'm feeling good about my goals and hope to have success in the coming month. Here are my month of November goals:

• Finish listening to the audio book CHIME by Franny Billingsley
• Listen to the audio book SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater (I just got a library card and by golly I'm gonna use it--bring on the audio books. Yes!)
• Read FINALE by Becca Fitzpatrick
• NaNoWriMo--50K and/or finish writing my dystopian book called SPHERICAL
• Do something social at least once a week
• Have a super fantastic Thanksgiving Holiday *gobble gobble*
• Be better at reading and commenting on other blogs. So sorry for being anti-blogospher-social

How did your month of October goals go? What are your month of November goals?

    Writing. Jewels.

 

Angels Night Out: Becca Fitzpatrick et al... And Happy Halloween

First of all... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

*BOO*

Did I scare ya? Obviously. *grins*

Anyway, last week I had the amazing opportunity to meet Becca Fitzpatrick, author of the HUSH HUSH saga. The release party (called "Angels Night Out") for the last book in the series, FINALE, took place that night at the Provo Utah Library (where Fitzpatrick envisioned some of the scenes in the first book). What the perfect setting for the event, eh? Well, the party was sort of this cocktail-esque-with-hot-guys-strutting-around-the-ballroom-in-tight-jeans-and-t-shirts-while-serving-drinks-and-hor-dourves type of an unforgettable gala. And did I mention there was nummy-to-my-tummy cupcakes? Oh, nope, you're still swooning over the gorgeous hot guys, aren't you? Admit it!

The cool thing about the party was dressing up. On the ticket it said,

"Patrons are encouraged to wear angels wings and dress in red, black, or white."

Oh, I wore each one of the colors and wings to boot. Aren't I to die for? Well, the cool person is right next to me: Becca Fitzpatrick. So cool!

Well, not only was Becca and I to die for... BUT... the model (Drew Doyon) who posed as HUSH HUSH's character Patch on the book covers attended the event as well. Now how is that for way-beyond-the-universe cool? Well, it was awesome! And I've got the picture to prove it.

Three other amazing authors were in attendance, too: Kresley Cole, Tonya Hurley, and Elizabeth Miles. They were a delight to talk with and gave me some killer good advice (more to come on next week's Insecure Writer's Support Group post).

Have you ever been to a book release party? Have you met some really awesome authors? Who? Let's share and gloat for a bit. haha

    Writing. Jewels.

Better Late Than Never... Posting, Finally

Hi friends!

I haven't had any real time to prepare a post for today, as I always post on Wednesdays. Ugh! I moved last weekend and have been getting a new job under my belt (of which is going splendidly). *grins*

Well, as I said, I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. I never thought I would live in this neck of the woods, but alas, I am here. Very exciting, indeed. And I am through with a long commute to work, now. Yes! No more griping Julia at the wheel. *grumble grumble* Not a good combination, especially if I'm tired and heaven forbid hungry. Plus, I will be saving a bunch of money from the gas tank.

Here are some pics of the move:

Before...

 My crap made it upstairs at my old pad...

After... at my new place... My poor books haven't found a home yet. :(

Anyway, this is the third, count it, the third time I've moved in 10 months. Crazy-town for sure. Thus be the transiant life. I'd love to settle down into a permanant dwelling. Perhaps, I will do that sometime soon.

Anyway, what is the most times you've moved in a short period of time? Do you like moving? Detest it? Do you use movers or family/friend muscle (and your own too)?

Thanks for stopping by, folks! Have a great week until I see you again. Ciao!

    Writing. Jewels.

Wanna Laugh?

A couple days ago, I was shopping at Target and overheard a conversation between a mother and her son. This is how is went:

Boy: I need these underwear.

Mother: No you don't.

Boy: But I need them!

Mother: You've got plenty at home.

Boy: But what if I run out?

I had to bite my tongue not to laugh in front of them. Aren't kids supposed to be begging for candy or toys? Needless to say, it was hilarious enough to me that I wanted to share it with you.

That got me thinking about a cute thing that happened this week. My sister-in-law brought up something adorable and super sweet that my niece did the other day. So, my nephews were complaining about the dinner she made (kids, kids, kids *shakes head*) With her beautiful small voice, her two-year-old daughter said, "Thanks for making my dinner, Mommy." What a sweetheart, huh? And she's my lovable niece.

Anyway, what are some cute or funny things you've seen or heard about the last while? Or have you written something funny lately that has made you laugh to the point of tears? Oh, golly, that has happened to me tons of times.

    Writing. Jewels.

 

How Do Your Characters Feel?

So, how do your characters feel?

I've thought long and hard about how my characters would react in certain situations. How they would pull through a difficult time? How they would feel when happy, sad, excited, etc... Like how they would feel deep down inside of them, going beyond the surface one word adjective.

The thing is, as a writer, I have to show these things, not just tell them. How do I show? Well, I have drawn on personal experiences. I have stood in front of a mirror to figure out exactly how my characters face would look like during a scene. I have made myself feel giddy, melancholy, scared, elated. Yes, I may be considered a masochist by forcing myself to feel terrified just to write a scene. But it is worth it when I can lean back, sigh, and realize how awesome a scene turned out.

More often than not, I think of times in my life where I've felt exactly how my character is feeling. I may even write a scene as I experienced it.

For example: Whenever one of my old boyfriends (oh, how I adored him), would touch me, I felt electricity flood through my body. It was like hot, little prickles of pure joy spreading from my skin down into my nerves, muscles, bones until the feeling burrowed itself into my soul. Yes, I have used that sensation a few times in my books. Suffice it to say, the feeling was to die for. Sigh!

Or for instance, I've got some serious back and neck pain right now. I could draw from that to show one of my characters feeling bodily pain. PS: I'm really not looking for sympathy by having said that. However, my poor neck and back inspired this blog post, so yippee.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is this: Draw on your own life experiences to show how your characters feel. Perhaps, you can ask other people how they'd feel in a given situation. The options are there. It's just a matter of putting those feelings or emotions on paper (or laptop, if you're me).

How do you express how your character is feeling? Do you draw on your own life experiences? Do you ask others how they would feel? Do you close your eyes and take in the essence of the scene until the words flow through your fingertips? (Yes, I have done that countless times--pure magic, I say)

    Writing. Jewels.