Sweet Giveaway News, New Blog Look

Hi Guys. Just wanted to pop in real quick and update you. I survived another round of torture from various doctors this week. But instead of complaining about all of the poking and pinching,  I decided I was going to celebrate it by revealing my new look.  What do you think? I owe a great big THANKS to the AMAZING Miss Jaycee De Lorenzo, as she never fails to lift my spirits, AND she designed my new blog header!! Check out her blog/web site for  some freaking awesome web designs, you won't believe how talented she is. Thanks again Jaycee!  xo

As for my GIVEAWAY NEWS:  I simply can't believe how close I am to reaching 100 followers! It seems like just yesterday I had exactly two: my sister and myself. It still flabbergasts me when I see comments from people that aren't related to me. So, to celebrate my unbelievable luck and the wonderful (and ridiculously tolerant) followers I have somehow garnered, I am going to be hosting a Sweet Giveaway.

Me holding  my Wolverine Bobblehead.

I'm not going to announce what I'm giving away just yet...but I'm not good with surprises so I'll drop you a little hint:  The object I give away, has something to do with my fan girl crush... I'll leave it that, but I'm pretty sure you can guess  :0  By the way,  did anyone besides psycho stalker me happen to catch the new stills of HJ posing for The Wolverine? He always looks good, but holy crap in those stills,  he redefines hot !! Can't wait until the trailer comes out.


PS: Sorry if you didn't get any comments from me this week. I always try to read your posts and catch up, when I'm feeling a bit better.

Mind of A Middle Grader, and Awesome Ren Faire Pics

Yesterday, I picked up one of my middle grade projects I had shoved aside a few months ago, because I just wasn't feeling it at the time. But yesterday, yesterday I was just in a middle grade sort of mind. After the seriousness of last week, I thought, what better time to pull this project back out and give my brain a little break? It's a nice departure for me to write about carefree, silly and fun  things again. As I sat there writing along, it got me thinking, is it even possible for an old tart like me to tap into and once again, think and feel as young as my middle grade characters? I believe the answer to that question is a giant, YES!

One of the reasons I adore writing and reading Middle Grade as much as I do is because a huge part of me relaxes and enjoys delving back into that total lack of responsibility. I take pleasure in the innocence and immaturity of a middle grader. There is a part of me that still longs for and wishes I could get away with thinking and acting like a middle grader, all the time. But the responsible side of me, who is a wife, mother and mature adult, knows this can not be.

I have decided I will thoroughly enjoy every minute of working on this project, and slipping into the mind of my characters. Isn't that what writing is all about? Maybe I should warn The Husband, that while I'm working on this, he should expect a wife who finally, finally, thinks it's funny when he farts. I'll tell my kids to expect a playmate, one who jumps on the bed with them, instead of someone who insists they must make it! And my friends should just stay clear of me altogether, unless they want to come over,  braid each other's hair, stuff our faces full of crap, and giggle nonsensically, all night long. (Wait, that's not much different than what we do now..he he)

What about you? Do any of you enjoy writing middle grade for any of  those same reasons? Do you have to be in a "Middle Grade" sort of mind? What are your favorite middle grade authors/stories? Why?

A few of my favorites are: Suzanne Collins, Gregor The Overlander Series, The Day My Butt Went Psycho, Based on a True Story Andy Griffiths, The Name of This Book is A Secret, Pseudonymous  Bosch. I loved all of these books. Of course, I picked these titles for my girls to read, but I had to read them myself first :)

AND AS PROMISED- HERE ARE SOME PICS FROM THE LAKEWOOD REN FAIRE I WENT TO THIS WEEKEND:


Meeting some real wolves. The larger one appeared in the movie "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"




My girlfriend Rebecca, just after taking the stage to belly dance!


 

Frankie, knife throwing.

Farrah, a fair  and beautiful little Knight.



A little jousting...

 

Above: Fried Oreos YUUUM Below: Faith after eating fried Oreos. All smiles.
 

 

My little Chef simply had to take a turn throwing knives. She rocked this!

 

A cool face painting

A ginger haired fire breather

 

Frankie bought yet another sword. Then had to go show it to a Knight 

 

Fun times! Can't wait to go to the Pennsylvania Ren Faire next month.  :)

Ninja Captain's Genre Favs Blogfest

Thanks to the Ninja Captain for hosting this fun Blogfest. I love DIVERSITY. Whether it's the people I hang out with, what I read, watch or listen too.  But here are a few of my favorites:

Music: I love music and listen to all kinds. Hard rock, classical, rap, reggae, show tunes, opera, jazz and alternative. The only music I'm not a huge fan of is country. But if I like an individual song or artist, I may listen to that too. I guess my favorite genre would have to be Alternative, because I listen to that the most. As I'm writing this blog post, I'm listening to Switchfoot- Dark Horses is the song playing right now :)

Movie:  Again, I love movies! All kinds. Foreign, black and white, Action Adventure, Sci Fi, Romantic Comedy, Musicals, Thrillers, Suspense, Kung Fu. The only thing I'm not too fond of, (don't hate me) is horror movies. Only because I'm a giant chicken and if something looks like I'm going to loose sleep after watching it, sorry but I have to skip it.  Those of you who know me well, won't really be too surprised by what I pick here:

I could watch Wolverine, all day every day and NEVER get bored.

Book:  Gah! This was one of the hardest. (And again, I love them all) Fiction/Non-Fiction, Fantasy, Sci Fi, Mystery, YA, NA, Biographies, Paranormal, Romance, Steam Punk, Classics...and the list goes on and on. I could wander around a book store or the library for hours picking stuff  from every shelf! As long as I'm reading, I'm happy! If I have to choose, my favorite book would have to be The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien.

As for my guilty pleasure, if I'm going to the movies or at home reading,  I must have is this: my kettle corn and Dr. Pepper! Best snack ever.

Anyone notice the nice slice towards the bottom of the bag? That's so my hand could have better access once I get down to the bottom of this ginormous bag. LOL

 Can't wait to hop around and read all about your favorites. Thanks again to Alex, for hosting this fun blog hop. Happy Hopping!

Friday Fact or Fiction, Well, sort of.

Hey All!  Friday already? Where did the time go? I am happy that despite everything that kept me busy this week, I was still able to post M,W&F, and pop in to comment on most of your blogs. Which was my goal!  As far as a Friday Fact or Fiction post, this week, I'm making it really easy. I'm going to post nothing but FACTS. I won't be able to post answers tomorrow, so I just cut out the middle. The following "Facts" are all things that happened to me over the course of  this week :)

#1.  On Monday, Faith had to have surgery on her toe. It's swollen and Fred Flinstone sized, so she wouldn't allow me post a "gross" toe picture for all to see. (It doesn't look as bad as she thinks) It hurts, but she's a tough cookie and went back to school  the next day after lots of  very little drama!

#2. This week, I, once again, had to say good-bye to a dear friend, WAY too soon. I love you sweet Carolyn. Your bright smile and laughter will be missed. Always. xo

My beautiful friend, Carolyn. She will be missed! 



#3. Tuesday was 9/11- a tragic day of loss and sorrow, one we will never forget.  I wasn't in NY on that horrific day, but I was close enough to see the smoke. Trust me when I tell you, I do not take anything about it lightly, but it also happens to be my sister Adrienne's b-day. It's hard for her to feel like celebrating, but I make sure we at least do something fun for her.  We met up with her best friend, went out to lunch and did some shopping. Low key, yet still fun. But we will never forget.

Sistas!

#4. Many of you know how much I love coffee.  At (yet another) doctor's appt. this week, I was strongly advised to give it up. ACK!  I'm trying my best, but it's a struggle. I'm so crabby! I'm so tired! I'm getting lots of head aches from lack of caffeine. One of the kids that works at my local Starbucks, actually called me to see if I was OK!!  Yes, my coffee addiction is that bad... But as tired and busted as I am, my little Frankie has me beat- How's this for tired?  Back to school is so fun.

One day, she may kill me for posting this. Hope it makes you smile today!

 

#5.  On Wednesday, I had a small birthday party at my house, for my sister. My brother, who travels  for work, was home, and was able to  put in a rare appearance.  For my girls, it's like a celebrity sighting. (It doesn't hurt that he always brings back something interesting, from wherever he travels, just for them)  I plan on featuring him here on my blog, very soon. He is a ridiculously talented Sci Fi writer and I'd like him to start to promote his book. But he is just so busy, he hasn't had the time to do it. And because I'm crazy, I offered to do it for him! LOL 


YAY! My brother Chris was in town, and we got to see him Wed.  

#6. Last but certainly NOT least: I won a give-away from Miss  Kianwi, at Simply She Goes, (her puppy picked me, go check it out on her blog, it's awesome) Knowing that I won something, had the girls all sorts of excited, and watching the mail like hawks. When the box came yesterday, I think it was the first time the girls were able to conceptualize the people on my blog are REAL!  Oh, and not only did I get my prize, but  Kianwi sent presents for each one of  my girls too! They were ecstatic!! THANKS KIANWI!! You made the girls so happy.


My girls, all excited, holding up their unexpected surprise, and my prize.

OK, I think that's enough info for you to get a pretty decent idea about how my week has gone. Anything fun and exciting happen to you this week? Did you receive any unexpected presents? Do any of you have a relative/family member you miss, and don't  get to see regularly? I'd love to hear about it. Have a great weekend everyone! ~ Jaybird

The Next Big Thing Meme

When one of my all-time favorite bloggers, Clare Dugmore from Clare Dugmore Writes,  tagged me in The Next Big Thing Meme,  I was excited for several reasons: (1) I had just starting editing my WIP again. And I hate to edit. (2) I didn't have a clue what to post on today (3) She picked me !  This is still a lovely and exciting novelty, for someone like me, who was NEVER picked in gym  class....
So great big thanks and hugs to my friend Clare. In case any of you don't follow her yet, you should really go check out her blog, it's brilliant.  :) 

OK- here we go:
WHAT IS THE WORKING TITLE OF YOUR BOOK: "Breaking Cardinale Rules"

WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM:  Unfortunately, my idea came from events that really happened to me.  Just like my MC, I had just been through a really rough break up, when I was served with my notice for jury duty.  I was only nineteen when  I was picked to sit on a very serious jury trial, which took approximately four months to complete. I suffered a lot of the same prejudices that my main character does.  Quotes like "I'm not sure how, but somehow, someway, I'm going to prove a short skirt and big boobs does not make for a bad juror"  came straight from my mouth.  The rest of the story, well, that was sorta, maybe, wildly and ridiculously exaggerated.

WHAT GENRE DOES YOUR BOOK FALL UNDER:
NA Paranormal Romance

WHAT ACTORS WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY YOUR CHARACTERS IN A MOVIE:
Oh, this is so hard! The main character is an Italian girl, with long dark hair, eyes and coloring. Oh, and she's a little thick. It would be pretty challenging to find a Hollywood actress who eats enough to fit her description. As far as the love interests: #1 is Ben Malefico. He has long blond hair, blue eyes and is ginormous. Picture a young, Viking God. Uh, maybe Chris Helmsworth in Thor...  Love interest #2 Andrew Moore, has green eyes, short dark hair, lots of scars and is muscular, but lean and mean. Think someone like Channing Tatum, with dark hair and a super bad ass attitude.

WHAT IS THE ONE SENTENCE SYNOPSIS OF YOUR BOOK:
The dreaded synopsis! Ugh. Um, can we revisit this question a little later? Because I will be stuck here working on it all day and never get around to posting or doing the million and one things I have to do today  :)

WILL YOUR BOOK BE SELF-PUBLISHED OR REPRESENTED BY AN AGENCY:
I haven't sent any queries out on it yet, but I plan to soon. I'd like to try for an agent first, but if I generate zero interest or a bunch of  rejections, I'm absolutely open to self-pubbing it.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT:It's taken me close to two years. There were times I had to stop writing and lay off it for a bit, because it was too hard for me to relive some of the stuff in it.. and other times, I just had zero time to write. Oh, and every single time I go back and read it, I keep changing things and editing it some more, and I just don't feel like it will ever be at the point where it  feels completely "finished". It's driving me bat shiz crazy!

WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK: Like I said before, sitting on a jury trial for four months helped inspire me to write this book.  Oh, and having a psycho, stalker ex-boyfriend helped inspire me A LOT.

WHAT ELSE ABOUT YOUR BOOK WOULD PIQUE A READER'S INTEREST:
This is a paranormal romance, urban fantasy and  legal thriller all rolled up in one. It's like getting three books for the price of one, and come on, who doesn't love a bargain?  LOL

I TAG/PASS THIS MEME ON TO:
Any of my writer friends out there who'd like to participate! Because I'm cool like that.

What's Your Chocolate Blog Hop

M. Pax, Laura Eno, Brinda Berry & Ciara Knight, what a fun idea for a blog hop! I mean, who doesn't love chocolate? The hardest part of participating in this hop, was trying to narrow down and pick my favorite chocolate experience to tell you about! Here's one of  my fav chocolate stories.

When my girls were very young, The Husband and I decided to take them to visit "The Sweetest Place on Earth", a/k/a  Hershey, Pennsylvania.  From the minute we checked into the Hershey Lodge, my girls were eating chocolate bars, hand over fist! Chocolate is everywhere in Hershey. Because of the chocolate factory, even the air in Hershey smells like chocolate.  It's fabulous.
Anyway, this was where my youngest, Francesca, discovered Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for the very first time. After her first taste of that epic chocolate/creamy peanut butter combination, she was hooked. For the rest of our trip, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, were the only thing she wanted to eat!

On our last morning of vacation, The Husband and I booked a special "character" breakfast for the girls, as a little surprise. Never in a million years did I imagine the reaction Francesca would have, when she saw the over-sized Reese's Peanut Butter Cup coming towards us. She started screaming, jumped up from the table and took off!  I ran after her and when I finally got her to stop, calm down, and tell me what was wrong, she cried and said, "That giant chocolate was coming to get me, because I  ate up of its little brothers!"  LOL

We love Hershey, and it's become a tradition in our family, to go back and visit  every year. Now that she's older, we tease the heck out of the poor kid for thinking that Reese's Peanut Butter cup was coming back to seek revenge. Here she is with one of her big sisters Faith- Thankfully, she's no longer afraid of the characters!

Happy "What's Your Chocolate" Blog Hopping Everyone! ~Jaybird

Thank You and Laine Blogger Award

Hey Guys: Sorry I  went MIA but these past few weeks have been very hard on me health wise.  I had a huge set back and had to pull the plug for a bit. Please know that I really missed reading each and every one of your blogs. When I'm sick and unable to communicate online, it makes me feel so sad and literally disconnected. I count on you all more than you know. Some of your blogs make me laugh, some make me cry, some encourage and help me with my insecurities about writing, but the one thing you all have in common, is that you lift my spirits. I don't like taking anything for granted, and that goes for you too. So thank you very much for the gift of your blogs.

I'm hoping now that the summer season is over and the girls are back at school, life will calm down for me. Ha! I can't even type that sentence with a straight face because I'm looking at my calendar, and the month of September is already full of things I have to do. By the way, every one of them are things I'd really like to avoid, but sadly, can not.

After dodging certain invasive testing for as long as possible, I know I must now face the music and my cowardice. Lucky me, I will be spending most of September getting poked, prodded and overall having, not so much fun. In any event, I will be in and out of it for awhile, but will do my very best to bounce in and comment and keep up with what's going on here on the blog-o-sphere.

And now the fabulous Miss Kianwi, at Simply She Goes gifted me with this :

 

The Laine Blogger Award is about Beauty. Even though I am not feeling very beautiful at the moment, I'm trying to bring my beautiful back, so I gladly accepted this! The rules for this one are simple:

1. Answer the questions (the same ones I've answered.)
2. Pass the award along to 5 other bloggers

1. What is your current beauty obsession?

Probably my MAC Hey Sailor Red Racer Lipstick. When I put that red color on my lips, it makes me feel all kinds of  sassy.

2. What is the one beauty item you wish you owned?

I wish I owned my own ULTA store.  I want it all. Muaah!!

 

3. What is your favorite topic to read about?  As much as I love fantasy and Sci Fi, I am also crazy about biographies. I love people! The good, the bad and the ugly. Human nature fascinates me.

4. What inspired you to become a blogger? I had the privilege of attending a class given by the talented and super sweet romance author Donna Fletcher. She suggested that if I didn't already have a blog, I should start one immediately. I had (and still have) absolutely no idea why anyone would want to read what I have to say, but for some reason, people did and still do :)  

5. What nail polish are you wearing now? My girls and I were feeling the PINK this week.

 

 

And now I pass this award on to:

 

Clare Dugmore

Jaycee DeLorenzo

Kyra Lennon

Sporkgasm and:

Faith's A Foodie (Because I'm her momma. And I can.)

 

 

Zero pressure by the way. Do not feel obligated to post this. But know that I think you all of you are beautiful!! Inside and Out.