Wacky Wednesday

Doesn't feel that Wacky actually. It's snowing. Did I mention that it's Spring? And there's supposed to be more snow flurries tomorrow? Plus.I've been up since 5am. And I worked on taxes for about 3 hours. There's that.

So all in all, that's kind of the anti-wacky.

BUT...

A couple of groovy things DID happen today so let's go with the glass half full routine!

SARAH OCKLER talks about I'm Not Her

IF I TELL is on Goodreads!!


Plus I think our family is going to adopt a new dog. Dont' get me wrong. I am still heart broken over the loss of my dear little Meeko(who will always be the young spirited puppy of my heart) But it turns out my husband's Aunt and Uncle are moving to China and need new owners for their Chihuahua mix.  He's litter box trained (which frankly just CRACKS me right up) They want a good home for him and they'd love to keep him in the family. I can totally understand that.

They're going to bring him by next week for a test run, but I'm sure he'll be great once he has time to get used to us. I know his owners are going to be heart broken to leave him, and I feel bad for them, but at the same time it kind of feels like the right thing to do. Kind of meant to be-ish.

So. Guess what this little guy's name is.....wait for it....

BRUCE.

Ha ha.  A little dog named Bruce. That is kind of wacky for Wednesday!

Monday Madness

It must be Monday.

I had three over ripe banana's browning on the kitchen counter and decided to be a little more ambitious in the kitchen and actually put them to use instead of disposing of them-- by baking banana bread. This was not a light decision. Wouldn't son and hubby be surprised and pleased with my domestic efforts? I felt pretty inspired.  Dare I say, proud.

So --I googled a recipe, whipped it all up and shoved it in the oven. And then when the bread cooled down, and I had a little sample, I realized a crucial mistake had been made.

Yeah. I forgot to add the sugar. So it tastes like salted cardboard. Mmmmmm.

I think I will dispose of the evidence before I pick up Son from school. :)

Monday Madness- Back from BC

I'm Baaaaaaaaack.

Took off for the weekend to cabin building country. A mere 8 hour drive to get there. One way. Hubby has us building a cabin out in the wilds of BC (British Columbia) This was a "quick trip" to check on a delinquent worker bee hubby hired who was supposed to do the insulation and drywalling over the winter. Yeah. He didn't. Insert bad name calling of the bad worker who didn't do his job.

So when we arrive at our cabin, which is on the side of a mountain, there's about 4 feet of solid snow all the way from the road to the deck.  No driveway. Just snow. Hmm.  Going to make it hard to unload all the flooring and other things we hauled out.  Hubby gets on the cell phone.

An hour late, bobcat shovelling of the driveway is done and then we're in.  (of course, like everything with this cabin, it cost us to have the snow plowed out and we've paid for it. Once there was a movie called the Money Pit. This is ours.)

Next day I get my first lesson in installing insulation.

Me- "Didn't I mention to you when we met that I didn't want to buy a house, I wanted a condo because I hated yard work and housework."

Hubby- "Yeah. That might have come up."

Me- "I guess you weren't listening, eh?"

Hubby- Looks away and whistles.

The insulation work wasn't so bad. And Superson Loves going to the cabin. So that's all good. And here I I am. Married to the guy who loves to fix and build and oh my gosh, I've been dragged into this huge project and sometimes it drives me crazy and sometimes I have to just grin and bare it.

Good thing I come with a few quirks of my own.

Sisters Saturday with Katie McGarry

Today on SISTERS SATURDAY, I have with me upcoming debut author, Katie McGarry. Her novel, Redefining Normal comes out in 2012 and it sounds amazing. Plus. She got to be a teenager in the grunge era. Oh how I loved grunge. I am still hoping for a comeback. Bring back the Doc Martens.  But let's talk to Katie about her sister!!

Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. Her debut Young Adult novel, Redefining Normal, was sold by the wonderful Kevan Lyon of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency to Harlequin Teen. The novel is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2012. In Redefining Normal, two teens, brought together by their court ordered therapist, work together to learn the secrets of their case files, but neither foresaw the shattering consequences of the learning the truth regarding their families or of falling in love. Visit her website at http://www.katielmcgarry.com/



Hey Katie. Thanks for joining me. So how many sisters do you have?

Katie: I have one sister.

And where do you fit into the birth order in your family?

Katie: I'm one of two and the last of two, so that would make me the baby.
The baby. Aww. That's a good place to be. So what was your "role" in the family? Do you still have it?

Katie: I never liked uncomfortable situations, especially awkward silences, so whenever things got tense at home, I tried to smooth things over with a joke. This is a role I've continued to play in almost all of my relationships.

Joking is a great way to deflect discomfort that is for shizzle. So, what is the age difference between you and your sister?

Katie:  Four years

A pretty big number when you're a kid, right? So what is the best part about having your sister?

Katie:  Never feeling alone. No matter if I was being made fun of in middle school, getting dumped by a boy in high school, losing my best friend in college, or being rejected while trying to establish my writing career, I always felt better knowing that there was one person in the world who would stand by me regardless. My sister is always there and that gives me peace.

Yeah, I think that bond is so special. The one who will always be there, no matter what. The one girls without sisters kind of long for. You're lucky to have each other! But, on the other hand, what's the most challenging thing about being sisters?

Katie: We are exact opposites of each other and that was very challenging growing up.

Yes, especially with the age difference. But from my somewhat *cough* older perspective, the differences become almost more lovable as we get older. Trust. Do you write about sisters in your books?

Katie:  No. Not yet. My characters always have a someone they consider like a sister.


Interesting. Okay. Here's my fave question. Does your sister know secrets about you? Can you share one? How about one of her secrets?

Katie: She was one of the first to know that I was pursing publishing, but other than that no. Any secrets worth having or telling were when I was younger and the four year difference affected our relationship during that time.

Rats. Okay, next question, what is something you never tell your sister, but you should?

Katie: That I love her. Emotional conversations make me uncomfortable so I avoid them, especially with family members.


That is an excellent something.  Writing is a great way to get those uncomfortable emotions out, isn't it! I can relate to that. Lastly, how does your sister feel about having an “author sister?”

Katie: I know she's proud of me, but I think (like everyone else I know) she's scared I'm writing about her or our relationship. So when she reads my stories, she can sometimes read into characters and wonder if I'm writing about her, but I'm not. Most of my characters are some sort of a reflection of me.

Yeah. I think that our families do kind of worry we are going to divulge secrets, but the stories and characters while reflecting us, really are fictional. (for the most part ** wink wink)
Thanks so much for coming by.  2012 will be here fast than you know and I can't wait to read REDEFINING NORMAL!!

Ode to Meeko

Yesterday was a really hard day.

Yesterday I had to say good-bye to the cutest little dog in the whole world. I know everyone with a dog thinks their dog is the cutest. We're all probably right. But Meeko, she was truly a sweetheart. Cute to look at.  Adorable really. Like a little stuffed animal. She was skinny minny under all her gorgeous fur. Maybe 5 pounds on a good day. But the best part about Meeko was her personality. Meeko was such a good little soul.

She felt that every single person in the whole world was TOTALLY AMAZING. She wanted to say hello to each and every person who met her eye.  There was not a mean bone in her tiny little body.

She was a perpetual puppy. Almost 2 1/2 in human years but full to the brim with happy energy. She could jump as high as my waist when it was treat time. Despite her tiny size, she loved to play catch. She would bring a ball or a stick back and drop it at my feet, shivering with the anticipation of it being thrown for her again.

Meeko was not a barker, but she loved her walks and when it was time to go to the dog run she honked and sounded a little like a sick goose. She knew when we were getting close and she'd start to squeak. She was a great passenger in the car on long trips to the cabin and short trips to take Superson to school.

At night she would snuggle under the covers with my husband. She had a special little spot by him in his chair in the bonus room. Every day when I wrote she would snuggle up beside me on a little pillow. She'd curl up into a warm little ball. If we ever lay down for a nap she would snuggle into our legs our lie right on top of us.

Her fur was soft like a teddy bear. She loved to mooch. When we went out she would lie on top of our dining room table, watching out the window for us to come home.  She'd greet us with uncontained joy.

She brought us so much happiness and unconditional love.  It's amazing how much a pet like Meeko gets into your heart and it seems so wrong that she had to leave us so soon.

Her worst fault was her running. She wanted to go visit. She wanted to say hi.  We should have trained her better. I should have watched her closer.  Accidents always come down to horrible timing. If only. What if.  

And so we lost a precious part of our family.  Not a person, but still a bundle of joy. A cute little dog who loved so big and so hard and left us much too soon.

I'm so sorry Meeko.  If I could only have picked you up, or put a leash on you or closed the door faster. You were the best little dog in the whole world. 

I miss you. 

IF I TELL --sneak peeks!!

Only 60 days until I'M NOT HER comes out. Do you know what that means?? Um. Yes. I'm Not Her will be available for purchase May 1-ish!!! GAH!!!

It may take some stores a little longer, like let's say May 15ish...but it's on it's way, baby.

And that is pretty amazing stuff!



Also---I am working on copy edits for IF I TELL. Yup. It's coming out this year too. And I have a cover comp. And it's pretty fabulous. Plus back cover copy.

 ** These aren't final yet...there may be tweaks but here's a sneak peek at the back copy:

"It was like watching a train wreck. I wanted to look away but couldn’t take my eyes off them."



Her best friend and her mom’s boyfriend. Locking lips. This is the secret Jasmine Evans has to keep at all costs. Because her mom is pregnant, and Jaz doesn’t want to ruin her life—again (just being born did it the first time). But the harder Jaz tries to pretend everything is okay, the faster her life spins out of control. Until Jackson. He doesn’t care about the popularity of her friends or the color of her skin. But can she really trust a guy who just transferred in from reform school? She might be willing to chance the heartbreak, but telling him everything and risking the truth getting out is a whole other level of scary.


ANDDDDDD....here's a sneak peek at the cover....

What do you think??