RTW: Best of February

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments on YA Highway, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

You can participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link - or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic

What is the best book you read in February?

My favorite read of February was:

Kirsten Hubbard's WANDERLOVE

I was a huge fan of her first novel, LIKE MANDARIN, but this one was even better. I've never wanted to travel so much in my life. WANDERLOVE is brilliant! If you haven't already, you should definitely order a copy for yourself.

The YA Spill (#1)

  

Welcome to my first installment of The YA Spill! You're probably wondering what The YA Spill is, right? 

The YA Spill is going to be a weekly (I hope) meme or sorts where I'll have Q&A with YA book bloggers. As a founding member of a YA book blog, I've had the pleasure of getting to know many bloggers and even though I've stepped back from blogging in that capacity as often, I'm still a huge fan of reading YA book blogs and love hearing the blogger's opinions on the hottest books out there. 

So each week I'll be spotlighting two or three YA book bloggers with a few questions on what they're currently loving and can't wait to read next. If you're a YA book blogger, and you'd like to participate in The YA Spill, please email me at cindythomaswrites (@) gmail (dot) com.

Our first participants in The YA Spill are: 

Amber (Pixie) from Page Turners Blog:

(Blog  / Twitter / Goodreads / Tumblr)

1. What is the most recent book that you've read and loved?  

Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa - Horror is my favorite genre - Julie delivers and then some.  

2. What book recently surprised you?

 Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma - I read it a few months ago, but it's the last book I can honestly say surprised me.

3. What types of books do you wish there were more of?

These are hard questions - it seems like there is an abundance of everything- but what I would personally like to see is less of abusive relationships romanticized. Yes we love, the passion that the I could kill you any moment offers but as a parent trying to teach her children what is appropriate in teen dating - it's sending mixed messages. You can have that passion without the guy trying to repeatedly kill you. Look at Adam and Mia (If I Stay/Where She Went) - they have a great passionate romance and love story without all the creepiness. 

4. What book comes out soon that you can't wait to get your hands on?

Ohhhhhh so many, how can I choose? Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore is the first thing that came to mind. I can't wait to see how that trilogy ends. 

Katie from Katie's Book Blog:

 (Blog / Goodreads / Klout / Twitter)

1. What is the most recent book that you've read and loved?

The most recent book that I have read and loved was The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.

2. What book recently surprised you?

A book that recently surprised me was Partials by Dan Wells.

3. What types of books do you wish there were more of?

I wish there were more books with strong heroines. I don't necessarily want it to be in a specific genre, just all throughout YA books.

4. What book comes out soon that you can't wait to get your hands on?

I don't know if this one really counts as soon but I'm dying to get my hands on Insurgent by Veronica Roth!

Thank you so much for joining me today, ladies!

Road Trip Wednesday: Words to Love By

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments on YA Highway, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

You can participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link - or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic

What words do you absolutely hate? Which ones do you adore?

When it comes to writing, there are several words that are outside my comfort zone. Hate is something a strong word, so I'm going to go with dislike. 

Dislike List

Douche (although, I sometimes do laugh when others use this!)

Awesomesauce (is this one or two words? Either way, I'm not crazy about it.)

Sexting 

Fart 

Pu**y (you know the one)

Fa**ot  (you know the one)

Love List

Hubris 

Craptastic

Forever

Delicious 

Acrid 

Sapphire

Cake

Serenity 

Infinite 

Chortle 

Exemplary 

Amazing

Yes

Billowing 

 

Ten Things I Learned This Weekend

This past weekend marked the first annual YA Berkshires Writing Retreat. It was the most awesome weekend of awesome awesomeness. I met my writing goal and spent the entire weekend with four amazing women. We brainstormed. We wrote. We ate. We slept very little. And every single second was fantastic.


I learned a lot this weekend about my writing and about my new WIP and characters, but there are ten things that have really stuck with each of us. We'd like to share them with you. Some of them won't make sense, but trust us: they're super important.

TEN THINGS I LEARNED THIS WEEKEND 

1. Do not write like Julio.
2. The Amalie Love Shield requires no sauce.
3. The Stink Eye solves all writing procrastination problems.
4. Beware of Poop Skittles, Gummy Trolls and Mucous Pez. (You don't want to know.)
5. Don't piss off the lady who picks the blueberries. Just sayin.
6. In The Berkshires, a Hoo-Ha is not what you think it is.
7. Dance breaks do not require standing.
8. Not all rental houses have a cheese grater.
9. Fonts are very, very important.
10. Saying goodbye is hard to do...that's why you should wait until the last possible second to leave.

A HUGE thanks goes out to Kristi Cook, Amalie Howard, Danielle Ellison & Kate Kaynak for a wonderful weekend! 

The Blank Page

It's exciting and daunting and a wonderful mixture of the unknown. The blank page is that magical beginning to something you just know is going to be the writing love of your life.

It doesn't matter if you're a plotter or a pantser or some combination of them both, the blank page can be as much overwhelming and terrifying as it is thrilling. Chances are that first sentence is going to morph into something completely different by the time you're draft is complete, but there's no denying that it's an important one.

The first paragraph of a brand new WIP can mold a character and a story in just a few short sentences. It can tell you nothing at all or everything you've been wondering about your plot. It's hard not to put a ton of weight into those first words.

On Friday, I'll be heading out of town for my very first writing retreat, and since my current WIP is now complete, I will begin working on my brand new shiny idea. I'm SUPER excited. I'm also super nervous. For the past two years I've been working on the same novel. Day in and day out, I've been writing and revising and tightening up a story that I've known very well. It's been a challenge and a blast all at once.

So starting something new is frightening beyond words. Am I ready? Do I know how this story is going to go? Am I going to hit a brick wall right away? Will my character cooperate and allow me to actually write her story? Will I want to bang my head against my laptop and cry from the lack of words flowing?

The answer to all of these questions is: YES.

It's going to be difficult, but it's also going to be fun. And even though it's a bit scary, I'm ready to turn that blank page into something worth reading. Bring it!

Road Trip Wednesday: Best of January 2012

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments on YA Highway, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

You can participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link - or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic

What was the best book you read in January?

I'd have to say it's a tie. It honestly seems like all the books I've read in the past month were amazing. I actually loved all of them, but the two that are sticking out the most for me are:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I couldn't put down either of these books and when they ended, I kept flipping that last page wishing more pages would magically materialize. LOVE them. Heart them. Want to own and squeeze them. They are that good. 

How about you? What were your favorite books that you read in January?