The Secret Adventures of WriterGirl

Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): What If by Safetysuit.


I know this comes from the movie, but the movie is based on the book, right? Totally legit. Enjoy today's Feature Fun Friday: How the Wizard of Oz Should Have Ended. :) Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Drought by Vienna Teng.

And here are all the books I have to read (I'll be crossing them off as I go. It is the great WriterGirl race!).



The Hero of Ages
Forever Lily
The Book of Story Beginnings
Sweethearts
The Islands of the Blessed
The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society
Fablehaven
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo
Alex and the Ironic Gentleman
Austenland
Forestborn
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Comet's Curse
The Little Book
Leaving the Bellweathers
Warbreaker
The Novelist
The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow
The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Wind
The Twelve Kingdoms: The Vast Spread of the Seas
Feed
The Emerald Tablet
Summerland
The View From Saturday
The Mysterious Bennedict Society
Crystal Moon
Alphabet of Dreams



So what does your TBR pile look like? Anyone want to dare go into a race against me (because let's face it, I've got six months before Mockingjay comes out, and I would really like to buy a book before then). My hands are already twitching. Just a little. *glances at them* Promise. Anyone dare take on their TBR pile with me?

Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): Falling For the Time by Barenaked Ladies



Contests!


Over at Steph Su Reads she is having her mega-blogoversary giveaway. And she has just recently reached 900 followers, so congratulations to her! Ends Feb 28th, so hurry!

Speaking of huge giveaways, Storywings "little" 49 follower giveaway has exploded to over 243 (as of this posting. With each new benchmark, she adds more books. At this point, it's staggering. Luckily you have until March 19th with hers. And it is international, always a plus.

Bree Despain, author of the highly popular The Dark Divine book(s), is also holding a contest. Her supercool husband invented something sweet. I think it will be making many mommies very happy. Go check it out. Prizes include a YA book of your choice, a signed copy of The Dark Divine, or even a 15 page manuscript critique by her. Now that is what I call nice winnings. Hurry though, this one also ends Sunday Feb 28th.


Other Coolness!

I love The Spectacle blog. Lots of different authors with some really cool articles. Very spiffy. One that impressed me recently (for all you writers out there) is Jo Whitmore's analysis of The SHOWDOWN, you know, the final climactic moment in your book of epic awesomeness. She breaks it down really well and makes it easy to understand.

Here is Janice Hardy's (author of Shifter) take on how to write a query letter in four easy steps. Definitely good ground coverage for those getting ready or thinking about querying in the near future.

And since I'm a nerd, I'm including this, eight months before Halloween. Like scary stories? Ever wonder what some the famous places that inspired these stories look like? Wonder no more. The Smithsonian magazine has put together Real Places Behind Famously Frightening Stories.

And don't forget to check the amazing and fabulous Nathan Hale's blog. He is doing a picture book marathon, as well as the incredible Land of Doom comic series, where he and Yellowbelly (his fantastic creation) infiltrate the intense world of Children's Publishing. He just got to the YA category. Oh yeah. Go check it out.


That's it for now!

Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): April Pearl by What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?



I love trying new things. Because now I hurt in new ways that I possibly couldn't imagine. Ibuprofen, you are my best friend. Who knew that in fencing you are supposed to be in a semi-crouched position the whole time you're fighting? I'm remembering my (much) younger days in karate. Hurt back then too.

Also, never ever underestimate the weight of a two pound sword. That doesn't seem like much, but hold that baby up for two hours and you've got a paradigm shift on pain. I have a new appreciation for fencers all over the world. The first week we didn't even touch a foil. We just used our hands and pretended they were swords (that was really funny *swish swish - stab!*). After that first night of just holding up my hand, I thought I was going to die. Then add the foil and wow. (However, the first time I held the sword in my hand, it was the coolest feeling in the world. It was like we bonded. I couldn't stop grinning). It is getting a lot better now. Last night, my arm almost didn't hurt at all. Also, swords are longer than you think, really. Don't swish them around. Funny and stupid things happen then.

Let's see...

~Hollywood-style fencing is not like real fencing. You face a smaller target and fights with much smaller movements. The moves look great, but with all the swishing and flailing, it leaves you wide open and then - stab!

~Hollywood fencing is still really cool in my book. I'm not giving up my Princess Bride fight scenes anytime soon.

~Girls - always always wear bobby pins for your bangs. You may look stupid, but when you pull your mask off to shake hands with your opponent for the seven-hundredth time, you'll thank me.

~It's weird looking out through black mesh while you're fighting, but it hides any strange expressions on your face you might be making while you are concentrating - thus making you look a lot cooler. :)

~I wear a size 42 jacket (that's pretty small). Guess how I remember it? Think Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Yep. It's the answer to everything, even my jacket size.

~Girls, make sure to wear cups. Just saying.

~Only the white area of the torso counts as a hit. Neck, mask, and arms are "off target." Guess where I happen to hit with surprising frequency?



I only have one week left in class, and hopefully I can sneak someone in next week to take video of me. I'm sure I think I look a lot cooler than I really am. So hopefully this will be a WriterGirl epic-win video instead of a WriterGirl embarass-herself epic fail. But hey, even if we all get a good laugh, it's all good. :) Then we can appreciate the real masters all the more for it.

Current Theme Song (aka what's playing on my ipod right now): All I Know by Five For Fighting [Chicken Little soundtrack].


It's finally happened. My seventeenth (or maybe eighteenth... yeah, definitely eighteenth) worst fear has finally happened. My little sister, the Snake Charmer, finally got her dearest wish.




We have a ball python in the house.




*Pauses for a moment* Aaaaaah!!!




Yeah, I'm supposed to be an undercover superhero and all (ordinary girl extraordinaire!) :) but this thing is ten feet long, has beautiful coloring (yes, I will admit that), and her name is Trinity. Like from The Matrix. I wonder if that says anything... *imagines suspending leaping reptiles*



*shudder*



First of all, that cage is ginormous. Yes, I am making that an official word, and Firefox didn't correct my spelling so that proves it is real, right? :) But seriously, you could probably lock two full-grown people inside of it. Maybe three. She has her own tree in there for heaven's sake! And yes, I made sure it came with a lock (like from those cheap diaries you can buy at a dollar store). Apparently if you don't have those, they can lift the lid off and go "wandering" about.



*double shudder*



But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was when Snake Charmer brought in the food. When you think "rat" you think something gross with glittering eyes, right? Like from Lady and the Tramp, or any number of Hollywood interpretations? Well, you got it WRONG Hollywood. I blame you for shattered misconceptions. These things are cute. They are either light tan, white, or a mixture of both. And they're small, like babies. Who ever heard of a white rat?! They're adorable. And they're going to get eaten. Do you think I am goin to be anyhere near her room when that happens? It's the circle of life, right here in my house.


You will get to see pictures of Trinity the snake very soon. As soon as I can stop panting from bringing that cage in.