Rear Gear

Good grief, they've thought of everything! 

If, like me, you find the idea of a poodle with a daisy hanging from his rear end hilarious, then please check out this website. Thank god they aren't scratch & sniffs!

Baaa Baaa

Go sheep!

Ahhh, the Rejectionist

Another post that makes me realize how much I love that blog! Read it, my friends, and you will not be disappointed. 

Book Quiz

You Are Mystery

You are a natural problem solver. You like figuring out the best way to do something. You are very intuitive. You are good at picking up on people's moods and predicting the future. You can't help but being a bit of a detective and a snoop. You always want to know what's going on. And while you may have the scoop on everyone you know, you're not a gossip. You're a pro at keeping secrets.

What Kind of Book Are You?

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

9-1-1

According to Fox news, a Wisonsin woman called 911 to report a drunk driver. It turned out she identified the driver as HERSELF.

Yeah, read that again.

The 911 tape was released the day after. She called the emergency number on Oct. 24th at about 11:20 p.m.

Here's the conversation:

Woman: "Somebody's really drunk drivingdown GrantonRoad."

Dispatcher: "Okay are you behind them, or. . ."

Woman: "No, I am them."

Dispatcher: "You am them?"

Woman: "Yes, I am them."

Dispatcher: "Okay, so you want to call and report that you're driving drunk?"

Woman: "Yes."

To hear the audio version click here. Trust me, it's worth hearing.

THAT guy

Okay, so today I did something bold. Very, very bold. Like how I put it in bold? Anyway,  I hung out with THAT guy.

"What guy?" you ask.

Let me explain who THAT guy is before I talk about what happened. In every group of friends, I've noticed there's THAT guy or THAT girl. I can describe his/her personality. They're the quiet one in the group. The friend you hang out with, but never alone. You may want to hang out with him/her, but you're all set.

Why? People fear hanging out with THAT guy messes with the group's dynamic. Think about it. What if you hang out with him/her and then you find out. . .He's a dud, and you knew there was a reason no one hung out with him outside of the group gatherings. The person is generally fine within the group, but their personality never seems to stand out or shine through whatever. 

My friend Josh (I'll call him Josh on here for the sake of privacy) warned me the other night not to hang out with THAT guy. He said people used to in the past, but they stopped. I found this odd and asked why people didn't hang out with him outside of the group.

You ready for it?

Josh said he didn't know why. So, I told Josh that was ridiculous, and I reminded him how he seems alright and that we should include him more. Well, we were going to a nearby boxing place, and I decided asking the seems-alright-but-who-knows guy wouldn't be the best idea. Sure enough, THAT guy showed up with some of our other friends at the boxing place. I took this as a sign.

After about an hour, I called it quits, walked over to THAT guy, and asked him what he's doing later. He said nothing, and I invited him to hang out with Josh and me. My first mistake was telling a fellow C Major that I was excited to get to know him better. Uh, let's just say we've all learned the tell-tale signs of lies, and he picked up on mine instantly.

Despite everything, he showed up--unfortunately Josh did not. There I was, left alone with THAT guy. We went for a run (a few of us are applying for an internship with ICE and we have to pass a tough physical exam. loads of running and stuff) and after the run I sat down beside him and asked him what's up.

Uh, two hours later, I found out there's a reason no one hangs out with THAT guy. He said seven words the entire day, and I know this because I counted. I tried to chalk it up to nervousness, but then his inner jerk emerged. And, man did I not like it. He said something about my friend Kim (again, not her real name either), and I flashed him a smile before telling him his major should've been Sexist Ass rather than Criminology.  

I went home, called up Josh, and told him WHY no one hangs out with him alone.

Turns out, THAT guy doesn't get asked to hang out outside of the group because his inner personality seeps out like poison--an example being jerkness.  So, there you have it. My first experience with THAT guy.

Going to go work on my current WIP. . . You've been warned about THAT guy people. Pass this revelation along!

Ripped off?

Click here to see what all the buzz is about. It's been said that her rights as an artist weren't protected, and it makes me really consider the word "plagiarize." This brings me to my next subject:

BOOKS!

If you didn't already know, I'm an L.J. Smith fan and a certain author who shall not be named has a remarkably similar story line as one of her night world series plots. To make matters worse, said author has TWO chapters that start off with the same sentences as Smith's novel.(and the sentences aren't brief descriptions. oh no they lead in deja vu chapters, too) Now, I'm not one to point a finger, but where did originality go? Has it vanished? Will plagiarism increase steadily over time?

What about self-published books? Are they checked for plagiarism? Is it a possible for them to write rip off novels of best-sellers and make money off it by selling them for half the price? I'm sure you've heard about Thomas Nelson's self-publishing division. Could that be used as a cheap way to make a buck with some knock-offs? I sure hope not, and yes, I've realized I'm probably the only one who thinks of crazy scenarios like this.

A professor of mine pointed out some frightening statistics. TEACHERS, that's right teachers, plagiarize as much as their students. How you ask? Well, they print out handouts and such from other teacher sites and pass it off as their own. Crazy, right?

All of this makes me wonder how far some people will push until they get label "plagiarizer." Granted, story ideas are a dime a dozen and most have been done in some form or another, but why oh why are there DUPLICATED sentences being dropped into novels? Maybe if I wasn't so obsessed with Smith, I would've never picked up on it, but, well, I am.

And, now for some UK book signing news that has absolutely nothing to do with the matter click here. 

I've been a bad, bad girl.

Okay, so the past week has been hectic! Very, very hectic with all the schoolwork, agent requests, and my grandmother having the flu. therefore, i've been at her place waiting on her hand and foot like the good little granddaughter I am.

;)

On top of that, I'm finally back to work--and making sure there are absolutely NO lemons, oranges, or banana peels near me. Even sunday I had work, so there was no way of going to church this weekend. bummer. now i feel a little off like i might become a delinquent in the next few days. Ha, feel free to ignore my corny joke.

The other day I had a character whispering to me. A real smart-ass, too. So, I've dropped my current WIP and started a Nancy Drew type novel. Can't say too much about it, but I'm slowly falling in love with it. All those murders and stuff I study are getting to me because I feel the need to create a smart-mouthed, troublemaking character solve high school mysteries. I finished the outline and first chapter. Planning out my evidence, criminal slip-ups, interogations, etc. This whole turning what I've learned into a novel is definitely fun!

Hmmm. . .What else shall I talk about?

Oh, how about television since my favorite show is on tonight. Sound good? For those of you who don't know the show GREEK, I suggest you give it a go tonight on ABC family if you are into college shows. You can catch up on it by watching it online.

Besides that show and grey's anatomy, I don't really watch a whole lot of t.v. So, anyone have any suggestions? I'm willing to give some newbies a go.

Also, has anyone watched the news lately? I'm very disturbed by the fact that reporters are saying crimes are out of control. Um, hello? Do they look up statistics? In my college state alone, crimes have dropped 6% from last year. That's A LOT. I've also researched other states with my professor and found he same results: varying between 2% to 7% drops in crime.

Fairy Tales

You know how when you were a little kid and you believed in fairy tales? That fantasy of what your life would be. Yeah, I can visualize it now. . .that white dress and a prince charming who would carry me away to a castle on the hill. When I was sick, I would lie in bed at night, eyes closed, and have complete and utter faith. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Prince Charming, they were so close I could taste them, but eventually I grew up. See, I had the chance to grow up, to be a part of something that isn't perfect, but was damn near close. 

Some people open their eyes and think the fairy tale disappears. Most turn to things they think will make them happy rather than people. All the while having a chip on their shoulder that the world is a cold, cruel place. 

Me? I hold on to a sliver of that fairy tale. Others, they may open their eyes and realize theirs has come true. They may open their eyes and see the world in a whole new light, but maybe they should've been seeing that light all along. How many people has this happened to? 

The faith to believe turns up when you don't really expect it. Its like one day realize that the fairy tale may be slightly different than you dream, but its still there. The castle, well, it may not be a castle. Its not so important that its happy ever after, just that its happy right now. 

Warning: Churchy Post

Okayy, I know I'm cutting it close I the deadline. This is more of a thoughtful monday post. ha. (this is where you laugh at my extremely corny joke) Anyway, today was pretty interesting. Church was pretty good. . .even though I had to leave early. My pastor should be a comedian. Seriously, you'd love him too. He has OCD and constantly says, "ain't that good," while shaking his legs like Elvis.

Here's the deal:

Walking in, I received a brochure and inside of it was a piece of paper with a check list and fill in the blanks. (No, I didn't get my days confused! I promise I was at church not school!) On the paper, was some caine and abel verses--pretty normal. Underneath, there were a few simple questions.

1. Am I showing that I care about others?

2. Am I happy?

3. Am I patient?

4. Am I nice?

5. Am I living by my commitments?

6. Am I control over temptation?

Not going to lie, there were a few no's to those questions. Figured I'd post them and see what your answers would be. If there are no's then I think you have to reconsider a few things like I am at the moment.

BTW--Don't post your answers on here if they are personal and you don't want others to read. I shouldn't HAVE to say that, but, well, figured it's better to be safe than sorry.

Okay, I'm finishing up my L.J. Smith book. Yeah, haven't really gotten the chance to finish it yet, but it's DEFINITELY good. Highly recommend it.

Classics are Good

Okay, so lately I've been trying to "widen my horizons" and decided to give a few different books a go. I came across this great quote and figured I'd share it. . .

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."

--Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut

I genuinely liked this novel. Yeah, he's straightforward, albeit quirky, but all around it was a good food novel. I call them food novels when they fill me up on more than humor or romance or whatever. Deep novels are pretty good once in a while. Plus, I'm a sucker when it comes to history.

Hmmm. . .Maybe that's why I'm doing so much research for my novels. It's weird I don't put all I've learned into them, but I like knowing about myths and such.

Anyway, I'm going to challenge whoever reads this post to go pick up a new book--one completely different from what you normally read--and see if there's anything you can get out of it. Who knows, maybe it'll become on of your favorites.

Handling Rejection

Today, I visited the hospital for a routine check-up on my sprained wrist. I slipped on a sliced lemon at work. Yeah, I know soo funny cause a lemon did me in, right? Not even a banana peel. Nope. I had the satisfaction of being taking down by a lemon slice. 

Anyway, I went into the wrong building and found myself at the emergency room. I saw a family crying there. It got me thinking about the grief some people go through. The dictionary defines greif as keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or lose; sharp sorrow; painful regret. In criminology, we're taught to learn from and rely on books, on facts, on definitives when it comes to dealing with victims. But in life, strict definitions rarely apply. In life, grief can look like a lot of things that bear little resemblance to sharp sorrow.

Grief is something no-one wants to deal with.

It's also something people should consider next time they get rejected because of a "query letter or partial." I guess what I'm trying to say is that next time someone is discouraged because of a standard rejection, remember what you've read. Think about the pains others have dealt with or the pain you've dealt with sometime in your life and remember it's not the end of the world.

My first novel got rejected by about. . .eighty-something agents. (Definitely justified by that way. That first novel was a hot mess. New one? Much better and polished, but word to the wise writing about college kids is hard to sell. Those are the forgotten years in publishing. Luckily, the new one is the awesome high school years *laughs*) Next time you get one think about other things. Don't let two or three sentences ruin your day. I'm sure others would love to be in your place. The abilities to walk, to talk, to sing, to feel, to love. . .those are great things. Things not everyone in the world are able to have.

I saw on television the other day a show where a man lost his entire family in a car crash. Yeah, it wasn't real, but stuff like that really happens in life. Now THAT is what I call having a bad day.

Take those rejections like you do a bad hair day. Suck it up and move on. Like many agents say, "All you need is one yes." So deal with the no's because, one day, you'll get that yes.

Book to Movie

I'm sure many of you are excited about Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely becoming a movie. Yes, I'm one of those people. Like I said--dork. For those of you who haven't heard, Melissa Marr sold the Wicked Lovely movie rights to Universal Pictures. The movie will be produced by Wild West Picture Show Productions and adapted by Caroline Thompson. No casting news has been announced, but I'll definitely keep you updated. Stay tuned!

Ahhh, there's more.

Yesterday was the lovely Marr's interview with Blog Talk Radio. Go to blogtalkradio.com to hear about her new adult anthology. The book also features Kim Harrison, Jeaniene Frost, Jocelynn Drake, and Vicki Pettersson.

"Not all hunters are bound by human laws. . .

Revisiting the paranormal realms they've made famous in their wildly popular fiction, New York Times bestselling authors Kim Harrison, Jeaniene Frost, Vicki Pettersson, and Jocelynn Drake--plus New York Times bestselling YA author Melissa Marr with her first adult supernatural thriller--unleash their full arsenal of dark talents, plunging us into the shadows where supernatural stalk the unsuspecting. . .and every soul is a target.

Get ready for the ride of your life--because the wildest magic has just been unleashed. . .and evil is about to have its day."

Publishing News

The Latest novel from "Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown, "The Lost Symbol," broke one-day sales records, its publisher and booksellers said. Readers snapped up over one million hardcover copies across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom after it was released on Tuesday, said publisher Knopf Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc.

"We are seeing historic, record-breaking sales across all types of our accounts in North America for 'The Lost Symbol," said Sonny Mehta, editor in chief of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Knopf Doubleday is a division of Random House Inc.

Amazon.com Inc, the world's largest online retailer, called the book its bestselling first-day adult fiction title ever, including pre-orders.

Barnes & Noble Inc said "The Lost Symbol" broke its previous one-day sales record for adult fiction.

The success of the Dan Brown's latest is a boost to publisher Knopf Doubleday and booksellers, which have endured sliding sales in the midst of the recession. Booksellers have anxiously awaited a popular title that will resonate with readers and fuel the same sort of frenzy seen earlier this decade with the "Harry Potter" series, from author J.K. Rowling.

--Yahoo! News