Awesome Aspiring Author-Jen Daiker

  If you haven't met Jen, then consider yourself lucky that you've stopped on by!  Even if you have met her, she's worth meeting again :)

Her blog is super awesome and you should head over there after you read this post.

Here's what Jen would tell you if you were to ask about her (or at least what she'd tell you if you met her on her blog).

I love to lie. Wait a minute, I love to tell stories, yup that's my calling. I spend my days day dreaming of distant lands, fairies, witches and that one handsome prince who will whisk each and everyone of my characters off their feet and into a more beautiful place. Why write of reality and live in reality when there are so many possibilities through imagination. They call me crazy, but I call myself a writer. This is my life on paper.

If you want to learn even more, which I think is totally worth it, then stop by here for some fun facts.

So, before I get carried away on some tangent, here is my interview with Jen.  

How long have you been writing? 

Under a year, I started January 20th, 2010. The day I started blogging.  

(Just after I did!  That's so awesome.  It's fun to meet someone who hasn't been writing for...well, forever.  Oh, and she's having an awesome, can't miss, contest to celebrate.  I'll tell more about it after the interview.)

 What made you want to write? 

I wanted to be somebody, do something. I was the one girl in High School who'd known what she'd wanted to be since she was 7 (an architect) and my Junior year it didn't fit what I wanted in the end. I tried everything and one day picked up Susan Elizabeth Phillips books (pick one up now! They're brilliant) I fell in love. I realized that rather than trying every job and never being happy that I could write about all the jobs and make them my own. A year later I've written three first drafts and working on my fourth.

 

Do you have any pet peeves while writing?  Any certain music or drink you just have to have to concentrate? 

Umm my husband quietly sitting next to me. He's not doing anything wrong but it drives me nuts, so I write by myself or while he's working on homework. Music depends on the story, with Jules I watch trash tv for inspiration, for other books it's A Fine Frenzy and Imogen Heap all the way.

 

What is your favorite thing to write? 

Tough I'd say it's two things, for novels it's young adult, normally with a different element rather than just the human world, my second would be blogging, the snarky one of a kind (or I like to think so) personality of Jen and Jules.

(And if you're confused as to what Jen and Jules is, then go check out the other blog.  LOVE Jen and Jules :))

 

What other genre's do you enjoy writing, if any? 

Thrillers, I'm working on a story where it is told first person from the serial killer point of view. Those who've read a piece tell me it's like Dexter (some show I think) minus the fact that my serial killer is all bad... no good.

 

What is your favorite genre to read? 

Chick lit, light airy and oh.so.wonderful. I'm addicted to SEP so she's my go to gal if I need some real romance.

 

What is your favorite blog? 

Holy Toledo are you serious? This one is tough, I love all my peeps but if I'd have to say a favorite I'd go with Candyland's and because I'm bad at choosing one Tahereh's. They're fabulous girls who have their blogs drugged... no joke. Trust me there are so many others I'd name but those were the first two that came up.

 

Have you been to a conference?  If you've been to more than one, which was your favorite and why? 

No I haven't, though I'd love to! I would go to the romance once (even though I'm not a romance novelist, lol) because a ton of bloggers rent hotel rooms and have the time of their lives with one another. Just to be in the presence with other amazing writers would be amazing!

 (That's sounds like fun!  Uh, weren't you at writeoncon?  I know it's online, but it totally counts!)

Which author's do you admire? 

Sophie Jordan, she's amazing, writing romance and young adult takes a special talent and she rocks it out! Others would be Rose Cooper, Elana Johnson, Lisa & Laura and Talli Rolland. To without these wonderful woman I would not be the writer I am. They inspire.

 

How often do you write? 

Every day. That doesn't mean it has any value, I comment on blog, write emails, jot notes down, journal, and work on my novels. Not all done in one day (I'm not that awesome - JK Rowling) but I do what I can with the time I'm given.

Okay, I just have to ask.  I've found lately that people are either chocolate lovers or "all other" candy lovers.  I can sit and eat taffy and fruity candy (starburst, skittles, tootsie rolls, etc.) like it's nobody's business, but can only eat a couple pieces of chocolate before getting sugared out.  How about you?  Candy or Chocolate?

I'm not a chocolate girl, unless it's chocolate chip cookies. My poisions: Chocolate chip cookies, lifesaver gummies (sour only) and sunbelt fruit snacks (Wal-mart).

(Woohoo!  Love the sour only.  Sour is most often the only way to go.)

 Jen also provided some really fun quick facts about her.  I'm still perfecting the craft of interviewing so I'm glad she offered these!  

Random Facts:

Sun or Moon: Moon (it glistens) 

Rain or Snow: Snow, falling snow flakes is magical

Bear or Tiger: Bear (Polar Bears are awesome)

Pirates or Vampires: Pirates (only if their fun...vampires, blood, the whole thing creeps me out) 

Polly Pockets or Barbies: Tough one! I choose Polly Pockets (old school edition) 

Favorite Movie: Currently - Easy A 

Isn't she awesome?  Now for a little more fun.  As mentioned above, Jen is celebrating her one year writing anniversary.  And she definitely knows how to celebrate!  Head over to her giveaway post to enter for all sorts of fun and exciting 'choose your own adventure' type giveaways!  You won't want to miss this!

Thanks again Jen!  It was a ton of fun getting to know more about you.  Now, let's celebrate!  

I hope everyone has a great weekend and a Happy (and safe) New Year!

By the way, be sure to come back Monday for my very own one year celebration!

Thank You!

     
Wow!  I have so many new friends.  I wanted to first of all give a shout out to all of you.  I've said before that when I reach 50 followers that I'd have some kind of contest...and I will.  I promise.  But to make it fair to any of those who might be taking time off for the holidays, I'm going to have it after the New Year.  

But to make it double exciting, there is another big milestone around that same time that I want to celebrate with everyone as well!  I'm not going to tell you right now what it is and it might not actually be a big thing to all of you, but it is a huge thing to me!  


And, to top things off, even though I'm not having an interview this Friday, I'm excited about the one next Friday.  So, be sure to come back.  Please *cheesy grin*  


Thanks again for all the comments on the blogfest!  I had a great time visiting the other bloggers and making new friends.  


Have a Merry Christmas or a Merry whatever else you might celebrate :)   Be safe and eat lots of candy.
   

       I never knew so many of you were cat lovers.  But the blogfest definitely brought out the cat safety decorations.  So, this picture is for all you cat lovers.  

Be Jolly By Golly Blogfest!

Would you like to know how I decorate my house?

I don't like spending money on expensive decorations that my four kidlets could most likely break. So, here are my cheap, but super awesome, Christmas decorations!

The snowmen were a hand-me-down decoration.  Every year instead of hanging the very breakable glass balls on the tree, I place them around the house for decorations.  They last much longer and look really pretty :)

My mother-in-law made this.  You put kisses in the bag and eat one every night.  The last night is Christmas Eve and then you go to bed and Santa comes!

This is my pride and joy village.  I add to it every year.  The best part?  It's ALL bought at the Dollar Tree.  

My mom sent me this when I was in college.  (Dollar Tree)

My husband and I used to put a puzzle together each Christmas.  We would glue it and either frame it or find some other way to hang it.  The tradition has dwindled since, but we still hang the pictures and have the memories.

I also love to add bows and holly around the house.  

This is the reason I'm celebrating!  I am Christian and I love my Savior!

So, this tree has certainly been through a lot!  This is a hand me down fake 20$ tree that my sister gave me our second year of marriage.  It has been tipped over 5 times just this year.  Many of the ornaments have been smashed and more child-proof ones have been added.  One day I'll get a really nice tree, but for right now I'm perfectly okay with this :)

This is my holiday drink mix.  I call it "homemade wassail," but the recipe says, "Russian Refresher."  It's a recipe from my in-laws.  The thing I love is that it tastes good and makes single servings like hot chocolate mix.  I like it strong and sweet so I add more scoops, but you can always add less if you'd like.  Here's the recipe.
2 cups Tang (yes the slightly tangy orange drink)
1/2 cup lemon mix (lemonaide drink mix with the sugar already added)
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
Mix it all together and store in a container.  I add about 2 Tbsp of mix for 10 ounces of hot water.
Enjoy!

This is the drink mixed up and ready to guzzle down.

I am not a baker.  Just had to say that.  I don't bake very much even around Christmas time.  In fact, while I was making these cookies, I got frustrated with the sticky dough and my husband took over to fix it.  The frosting is a basic white frosting mix that tasted very much of Crisco and powdered sugar.  I had a fun time inventing the peppermint middle and toppings, though!  So, although they may look yummy, they were just okay.  I'll spare you the recipe's as I'm sure, if you're a baker, you already have your own awesome sugar cookie and frosting recipe!  

These are our only outside lights.  And even though it's not very much, it still shorted while we were setting them up.  We thought the plug just stopped working so we were shocked two days later when we found our deep freezer without power!  We had no idea the two plugs were connected!  That's the last time we make that mistake.  Luckily, it hasn't shorted out since and we get this pretty view every night :)

Yes, I love to get gifts, but I love even more to give them.  I wanted to post this to show you one of my other hobbies.  I  love to make flower clips.  My new thing is to clip the flowers back to the stem when I give them away.  It makes a fun bow!

In case you're wondering how to feel the holidays, here are a few extra ideas.  Heat up by a fireplace (or sit by the heater), light a holiday candle (I prefer cinnamon), and listen to some Christmas music (I love David Archuleta Holiday, Tran-Siberian Orchestra Holiday, and for the kids it's Chipmunks Jingle Bells station).


Some of my all time favorite Christmas movies (remember that I have a love for oldies) are:  Bishop's Wife, Holiday Inn, The Home Alone's, White Christmas, While You Were Sleeping, Serendipity, the Little Women (those last three are technically not Christmas but we like to think they are), Christmas in Connecticut, and the kids love the Christmas classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  Polar Express is also great!  Oh, I also love the Nativity Story.  Man, I could go on forever :)


Be sure to check out the other blogs in this Be Jolly By Golly Blogfest!

By the way, since my kids are out of school, I'm going to take at least this Friday off for Aspiring Author Interview.  But, if I get random writing thoughts and have time to post them, I'll be here for sure.  I plan on tackling my TBR pile and then plan on sharing the awesome reads with you.  

Have a safe and very merry Christmas!

Rachael Harrie is HERE!

For the longest time, I knew Rachael as this.

Yes, a small cartoon.  I'm so glad that she finally posted a picture.  Now when I say Rach over at Rach Writes, I get this image.

Ahhhhhh.  Like a long awesome sigh of knowing the real girl behind the cartoon.  

Now, I bet you want to know more about her too, right?  Awesome.  It's always good to make a new friends and she's well worth knowing.

Here is what she'll tell you.

I used to write “nice” fiction until I realized my characters kept suffering from nasty author-induced tragedies. Now I’m happy writing YA Horror (with a dash of paranormal) and chortling when I come up with a particularly juicy scene. I spend my day imagining evil plot twists and psychotic characters, and thinking up ways to make you squirm. But don’t worry, I’m really a nice person!

I’m a writer, a mother, a wife, and an Aussie. I have a wicked sense of humor, a very loud wolf-whistle, and a fascination for all things Young Adult. Sparkly vampires optional. I kill cacti (accidentally), I collect dragons, I adore emoticons and exclamation marks (but never in my manuscripts), and I used to have a dead fern called Prudence. Why? Cause everybody needs at least one dead fern in their lives.

I tweet occasionally, I blog religiously, and I organize Crusades so bloggers can connect and network together. I love meeting new people around the blogosphere, so drop in to Rach Writes..., say hi, and come with me on this fascinating journey toward publication. Suitcases optional, but don't forget your computer!

She's cool.  Just sayin'.  Sadly, the Crusade is closed right now, but you can bet when it opens up for new members, I'll be the first in line.  Really.  Like I already talked to her about it :) (Rach, that emoticon is SO for you! ;))

And if you don't know what the Crusade is, then you need to go here to read more about it.  *But please, please, please, read the interview first, because I know for a fact that you can get sucked into the Crusade and everything else on Rach's blog.  Thanks*

And here's that interview.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve written in one form or other my whole life, but it’s only in the last four years that I’ve started to write seriously. The first book I wrote (and then shelved) was a historical fiction, and I spent a lot of time experimenting with different genres after that until I realized my real passion lies with YA Fiction.  (Saweet!  One thing in common so far... Okay, so no I didn't experiment with other genres, but I'm so there with the YA fiction.)

What are you working on now?

My current WIP is a YA Horror, titled FROM THE OTHER SIDE. I’m neck-deep in revisions at the moment, and hope to query agents in early 2011. My logline for FTOS is:

When seventeen-year-old Verity is murdered by the boy she loves, she becomes a ghost whose ability to burn her victims seems purpose-made for her mission of vengeance. However, the search for her killer and an increasing body-count stretch Verity’s sanity to the limits, and unless she finds a way to regain control more innocent people will die, including the one person with the power to save her from herself.

What made you want to write?

You know, I can’t actually think of any one thing (or even a combination of things) that made me want to write. It’s always just been something I’ve done. I think I started writing stories when I was six or seven years old, and I continued ever since, with breaks here and there as I dodged the curve balls that life threw at me.

(I totally can't connect with the writing since I was young thing (see my previous post), but I definitely have to dodge my share of curve balls.  Another thing in common :) And yes, I love to use emoticons, but I'm probably using them more this time since I read about Rach at the top.)

Do you have any pet peeves while writing? Any certain music or drink you just have to have to concentrate?

With two children under the age of three, I’m finding I have less and less time available to actually write. So I’ll admit to a certain frustration when I’m interrupted during my “writing time.”

I usually put music on very low in the background – too loud and I can’t concentrate on my writing. Also, I need to listen to songs / music I’m familiar with, otherwise my brain pays too much attention to the song and not enough to the writing.

I don’t need any particular drink to concentrate, though I don’t mind a nice cup of tea beside me when I sit down to write.

(I hear ya on the music thing.  Which is another thing we have in common.  (That's 3, but who's counting?) )

What is your favorite thing to write?

That’s easy. Young Adult Horror!  

What other genres do you enjoy writing, if any?

I have a YA Dystopian idea on the boil, and I do love Paranormal fiction. My current WIP has paranormal elements (ghosts); if I wasn’t writing YA Horror I think it would be either Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic or straight Paranormal.

(Which is pretty much what I love to write, so that's another common thing  between us.)  

What is your favorite genre to read?

I love reading so many different genres. At the top of my list are Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal, and Horror. These days I mostly read Young Adult books in those genres. Occasionally I go through different phases, where I’ll read adult thrillers or romance or fantasy, for example, but I usually return to my favorites after a short period of time.

(I branch out every now and then, but I usually get back to my favorites pretty quick too.  That's 5 things in common.)

What is your favorite blog?

There’s so many great blogs out there, it’s hard to pin down my absolute favorites. The ones I check the most frequently are Mary Kole’s Kidlit and Rachelle Gardner’s blog. Also, I love the blogs of my fabulous critique partners: Marieke - Marieke’s Musings http://www.mariekenijkamp.com/musings/ and Tessa Quin - A Quest for a Literary Agent. http://www.tessyquin.blogspot.com/

(Yes, I've already interviewed both Marieke and Tessa.  I vouch for their awesomeness and agree that their blogs are worth visiting.  6)

Have you been to a conference?  If you've been to more than one, which was your favorite and why?

Actually, I’ve only been to one writing conference, and that was WriteOnCon 2010. It was an amazing experience for me, and the first time I realized what a wonderful community of writers existed online. I made so many great friends and found some fabulous critique partners AND critique groups. And I can’t wait for WriteOnCon 2011.

(I agree 100% with that all of that.  I can't wait for writeoncon 2011.  And I'm so excited that I've met all of these awesome people that have things in common with me.  And that's 7.)

How often do you write?

Every day if I can. But I love writing, and the day it seems like work to me is the day I take a break – that way writing never loses its magic.

++

Thanks and hugs to Rach for answering my questions.  Did you see how many things we had in common?  A lot.  I hope you found a common ground with her too.  That's why I love learning about other aspiring author's.  

Remember to visit Rach's blog. And, yes, right now would be a good time!  

The Truth

Since day 1 in my writing journey, I've been a little bit sad that I didn't start writing earlier in life.  Every time I do an interview or hear someone say that they've written since they were 5 or since they could remember, I get slightly jealous.  Like they've had so much more time to develop their stories and perfect their craft.  

Today, that changed.  While I stood at the sink washing my dishes and of course thinking about my current WIP, my five year old came up to me and told me the most random story about the picture she held in her hand.  

Sadly, I don't remember her story, but her words taught me one thing.  Although I haven't been a writer very long, I've been a storyteller my whole life.  

I started out just like she is and maybe one day she'll be writing those stories just like I am. 

My Recent Read

Just thought I'd share my most recent read with you.


I just finished Matched by Ally Condie.  


Look at this cover...


Is it not breathtaking?  Probably one of my favorite covers of all time!  


Here's what goodreads will tell you it's about.

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

If you like dystopian, you'll like this book.  The pacing was a teensy bit slow for me, but the story is intriguing enough that it kept me going.

Have any of you read it?  What did you think?

Aspiring Author Patricia A. Timms

  On Patricia's Blog you'll find a lot of cool things.  But here is what she'll tell you about herself.

"I'm a writer seeking to be an author. When I'm not writing I'm conducting a three-ring circus in my house. Believe me, it's a circus once you add that third kid into the mix. I try not to take life too seriously because if I did then I would be pretty upset about having stopped just a half-inch short of making it to five feet tall. It doesn't help that I have big ears and feet too, basically I look like a D&D Half-Elf. I write YA paranormal & fantasy. I’ve tried writing adult fiction only to find that I don’t really have enough perspective on being an adult yet. I’m 32, but don’t let my age fool you, I have three kids and I’m a housewife (since I’m like a D&D Half-Elf, I guess that makes me a House Elf like Dobby in Harry Potter), that brings my age down dramatically. I would be writing more Middle Grade but my eight-year old daughter talks to me like she’s a teenager, so that bumps me right up to Young Adult. I used to long for the day I could have real adult conversation again, but where’s the fun in that? I'm trying to have a good time while writing, querying & blogging. Are you having a good time? If not, stop in here from time to time and join the circus I consider my life.

I've joined that circus and think you should join it too!

What could be better than reading a single 411 paragraph about Patricia?  An awesome interview into her writing world!  Here it is.

How long have you been writing?

I started out with journaling when I was six years old. I wrote my first short story when I was eight years old and that’s about how old I was when I decided I wanted to write a novel. However, I stuck to short stories, journal entries and partially written novels for twenty four years. I spent the majority of my twenties reading non-fiction and historical fiction. For a period of time in my life I imagined myself writing a brilliant non-fiction book but I just couldn’t get it started. In the meantime, I worked at writing screenplays, poetry and children’s books. I queried a bit in the late 90’s and then went on to have my three kids. I went back to journaling my children’s lives and my experience as being a mom until my last child was out of diapers, which coincidentally, was around the same time Twilight came out. Yes, Twilight in all of its sparkling glory changed my life. How is that, you might wonder (I would if I were any sane person)? It finally occurred to me that I should try writing what I know. That’s what all the YA authors seemed to be doing. I don’t mean I know what’s it’s like to be a vampire (I don’t and I don’t write about vampires right now) but I do know what it’s like to be a teenager. I have to admit here, I was putting off reading or watching Twilight. I even told my neighbor I don’t read kid books anymore when she asked if I had the books. How lame of me. I was obviously barely alive by this time. I was only reading non-fiction. However, my bookshelves have a large variety of books. I even have my children’s books still. When I finally got around to reading Twilight I literally thought to myself, I think I can write YA. And then I thought, if Stephanie Meyers can sell millions of books with all those typos riddled throughout them then I can write a novel too. I mean this in the best possible way. It reminds me that perfection is subjective. So I got up on January 9^th and started my first full length novel. Since that time, I’ve written over 300,000 words which turns out to be 4 novels and one complete revision.

(Wow!  That's awesome.  Don't have Twilight shame.  There are too many of us that have the same experience with the sparkling heart-throb indulgence.  Stephanie Meyer opened up all sorts of doors.  Love her!)

What made you want to write?

I was shy and didn’t know any better way to convey my feelings than to write them down in a journal. I’ve also been an avid reader my whole reading life. I did a book report on Rudyard Kippling’s Just So Stories in the third grade, surprising my teacher with my ability to comprehend and understand every detail of the story. Books and stories just make sense to me. An author’s ability to look at a blank page and see enough detail in it to get a reader to suspend their disbelief and envision their story like a movie is incredible to me. When given a spare moment, I enjoy devouring books.

Do you have any pet peeves while writing?  Any certain music or drink you just have to have to concentrate?

My pet peeves only kick in between 8pm and 12am and they include being interrupted mid-thought. However, if I’m writing during the daytime then I don’t mind being interrupted because I feel like I’m stealing that time anyway. Since my writing hours are kept while the majority of my household is sleeping I’m not usually bothered.

When I’m writing I NEED to have a cold can of Coca-Cola (regular or vanilla will do) sitting next to me. I wish I liked coffee enough to get on that band wagon but I just don’t. For me, coffee is a lot like the way I imagine licking asphalt on a hot Southern California day would be. I can’t live without music playing nearly all of the time. I use Pandora to provide the random natured variety I need to write story. I have somehow turned my Lady Gaga station into a perfect, all-era encompassing station. I get the Beatles, Kiss, WhiteSnake, Eminem, M.I.A., The Doobie Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, and, oh yeah, Lady Gaga on my station and of course that’s not all. I love Pandora. During my typical writing hours I will also play my DVR’d episodes of Ghost Adventures and Physics of the Impossible on the Syfy channel (I’m kind of a nerd. But I’m comfortable with that).

(Not nerdy.  Not that nerdy is bad, though.  Pandora rocks.  Just sayin'.)

What is your favorite thing to write?

This is one of those types of questions that could have several answers. If you’re asking about genre then I prefer YA Paranormal and Fantasy. If you’re talking about what kinds of scenes I prefer to write then I would have to say romantic/love scenes. I also love writing dialogue.

(Cheers for YA Paranormal and Fantasy.  What else is there?  *quickly taking that back before everyone defriends me*  I love to read all YA.  I just can't write it all.)

What other genres do you enjoy writing, if any?

When I started my first novel I really thought it was going to be Science Fiction and I was happy with that, but then it eventually turned out to be more paranormal suspense than Sci-fi.

What is your favorite genre to read?

If I was going strictly from my bookshelf it would suggest I prefer to read non-fiction theoretical science, MG and YA. I think YA today is entirely different than the YA I read growing up. It’s more fun and interesting. There are a lot of good books out in general but YA is really fun right now, more so than adult fiction, for me. YA is still innocent and not really as heavy and personal as adult fiction. But who knows, I’m sure a wave of really great adult fiction is on its way soon and I’ll be changing my mind. I try to stay open-minded when it comes to books. 

(YA books are definitely different these days, which is why I am now finally a lover of books and can relive my teenage years in a variety of ways.  Oh, and I get to experience that fun innocent romance over and over again.)

What is your favorite blog?

I can’t pick just one favorite blog because there are a lot of good ones and it depends on what the topic is for the day. However, I most commonly refer to Nathan Bransford’s blog as well as K.M. Weiland’s blog: Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors and Elana Johnson’s blog when I’m helping my writing group, Write-A-Tat-Tat.

For socializing with other writers and for fun, I frequent Quinn’s blog: seeing, dreaming. . .writing and Michael’s blog: In Time. . . the most.

Too many great blogs to pick favorites though.

 (There are too many, but you named some great ones!)

Have you been to a conference?  If you've been to more than one, which was your favorite and why?

I participated in WriteOnCon this year. It was a blast. Met nice people, learned a lot and had fun doing it on my own schedule. I would like to attend a live conference one of these days but I would prefer to go when someone else I know is going.

(Yay for writeoncon!)

Which author's do you admire?

Alive or Dead?

Dead: I admire Mark Twain for his wit and humor and Edward Stratemeyer for his business savvy. Who is Edward Stratemeyer? He was the man behind the syndicate that produced all of the original Hardy Boys, Nancy Drews, Bobbsey Twins, and several other books. He was ahead of his time.

Alive: Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, for writing the book, God’s Debris. My brain is still aching from that read. And not to be a brown-nose or anything but I truly admire Elana Johnson. I’m not sure she wants to be admired for the reason I admire her but here it goes anyway: Every time I send a query I think about Elana sending like 200 of them. Maybe my numbers are off, I can’t be exact here, but can you imagine getting your 199^th rejection and still sending your 200^th  query which happens to be the one that lands you an agent? I haven’t read her book, and I’m not sure how great of a read it will be (I’m excited to read it though), but even if I don’t end up liking the book it won’t matter, I will always think of Elana Johnson during my journey to publication.

(Agreed on the Elana Johnson thing.  She's epic and I can't wait for her book to come out!)

How often do you write?

I write something, anything, everyday. If I’m writing a novel, I’m writing every day until it’s done. If I’m not writing a novel then I’m writing an email, blogpost, journal entry, email, revision, short story, grocery list, complaint letter to one of my kids’ teachers (not often), text message, Facebook post or a new book idea.

Interesting tidbit about me that most people don’t know

The first job I had when I moved to Hollywood in 1997 to attend The American Academy of Dramatic Arts was as a Production Assistant for a Merv Griffin game show called, Click. Ryan Seacrest was the host of the game show. It would be another year before Ryan Seacrest would get his job as a radio DJ. He had me driving around Hollywood looking for emerald green hand towels for his dressing room. 

(That's totally cool.  Look who's famous now!  One day he'll be in line to shake your awesome author hand.)

Thanks so much Patricia.  It was fun to learn more about you! 

It's time for everyone to go check out Patricia's blog this instant!  

Have a great weekend!