Yeah, so . . . The Hunger Games movie

I vlogged at YA Confidential today about The Hunger Games movie . . . And, um, I don't usually cross-blog between here and there but, yeah, I looked like THIS in my vlog:

So I figured you wouldn't want to miss a chance to giggle at my ridiculousness. Plus, omg you guys--THE MOVIE!! Don't watch the vlog if you haven't seen it, but if you have? Let me know what you think!!

Click here to watch!!

xo

Sometimes You've Gotta Go a Little Wild

As writers, most of us do... In our imaginations anyway. And if you're anything like me, one of your favorite things to do is sit with your computer and let the words flow. In fact, I'd say that's what I do for the majority of my free time, and I love every second of it. (Even on the days when the words only seem to trickle!)

But I think it's just as important to get out in the REAL world and let loose! Interact with other people, challenge yourself, refresh your brain and, if you're lucky, find inspiration in unexpected places. OR forget about writing all together! (Okay, and if you know how to do that, let me know because I have yet to figure it out, ha.)

On Saturday, I went with a group of friends from work to Rock Creek Park, Maryland, and played at this place called Go Ape. It's a treetop adventure land and It. Was. Awesome.

See?



So Lucy and I started the day off excited and calm:

and ended up big lumps of sweaty disgustingness--seriously, you should have smelled us:

The best part was how intense the entire course was. It left no room for thoughts or worries or anything, just one foot, one hand in front of the other for two solid hours. (Except of course when I was thinking about how much my current MC would LOVE the place! There's pretty much a 100% chance this will end up in a book of mine some day.)

How were your weekends??

♥ me

VLOG: WisCon Style!

So, you might remember a couple weeks ago I went to WisCon. It was freaking awesome!

Not only were the panels I attended fun and, very often, funny. (Exhibit A: The Build a World panel built a world for a three act musical, titled: I Can Haz Musical, The Musical! Seriously, the panelists built a world taking place on a planet of LOLCats. And it was hysterical--just click the link to see what I'm talking about!) 


But while the panels and the conference itself was great, the people I met were even cooler. To name a few of my new faves:

I finally met the famous Derek Molata in person--he's even cooler/funnier IRL than he is on twitter/blogs/IM.  (And bad influence, don't even get me started on why I can no longer drink Amaretto. Thanks a lot, D!) And I met and totally fell for Rae Carson (who read from her recently sold YA trilogy and made me a diehard fan in an instant), Holly McDowell (who, from what I hear is the next Margaret Atwood), Karin Lowachee (who wrote the recent The Gaslight Dogs, which I'm reading and LOVING), and Amber van Dyk (another fabulous writer and helped to coin Derek's moniker The Chin).

What's The Chin, you might be asking? Well, here's your assignment for the day... Watch the vlog and tell me if you can figure out why it's Derek's new nickname =)

Oh, and there's a special treat at the verrrrry end, if you stick for it! (hehehe)



♥ 
me

Tattoo Nation

Um, the vlog will speak for itself.

I apologize in advance for the music editing/breaks. I'm still rolled up in Saradise and didn't have the time to make it perfect!

ENSO

VLOG superstars (in order of appearance), all of whom you should definitely check out:

Simon Larter (Friend, literary writer, super awesome tattoo wearer... You know, the usual. Tends to win writing contests. Not surprisingly.)
Alexandra Shostak (New to blogger, make SURE you stop by to say hello if you haven't already! CP extraordinaire. Gifted, gifted writer--sometimes makes me green with envy.)
Carol Valdez Miller (Another CP extraordinaire! Brilliant with advice, keeps me in stitches most of the time... Comes up with metaphors that make me drool. Make sure you stop by HERE and mention her name. LOTS.)
Derek Molata (Just added Friend Connect. Go. Click. Follow. He's very funny AND he knows his nail polish colors. Oh and he's opened up the door for questions on his blog--anything you wanna know. So if I know you guys the way I think I know you guys, and I DO, you'll come up with some doozies for him.)

Oh and for the record, I will tell my mom about my tattoo--I was only joking about that part. Just haven't seen her since I got it!

♥ me

Will VLOG for ARC

So... Pretty much the VLOG is self-explanatory...  but in case you missed my previous post about it, Lisa Mantchev is hosting a "What Would You Do for an ARC" contest.  Each of the five winners receive an ARC of Perchance to Dream!  This is my entry.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

Oh, and Lisa--if you watch it, during part of the video section you'll see a row of books on my desk. They're my favorite YA books and every time I look at the row, I'm inspired. Note that Eyes Like Stars is in the lineup!! (And no, I promise I didn't just put it there for the video!!)

A few other things to note:

1. The scene with the snow? Yeah, that's real footage that I took standing in the front doorway of my condo yesterday!  All the zippy little specks that you see whizzing by are SNOWFLAKES!
2. Shannon, in the "desk scene" if you keep your eyes peeled, you'll see two of the gifts you sent me!! (Also not strategically placed, I promise.) I swear there's a thank you on its way! #Ikeepforgettingtomailit #massivesarafail
3. I apologize in advance if you're not a Grey's fan...

Link on Youtube

Clearly, I'm still in love with my MacBook and iMovie :-) Also clearly, I'm not destined to be a world famous director, ha.

♥ me

My First VLOG: How to Hit On a Writer

So, since I'll be gone for a week (to Miami, woohoo!) I thought it might be a good day to do my first VLOG. (Okay, and also because I'm in love with my mac* and the iMovie app is ridiculously fun to play with!)

As you'll see in the VLOG, I was hit on yesterday--in the funniest way ever. I had to share, because honestly, if you ever want to pick up a writer, this guy had the right idea!

Please feel free to make fun of me.




So, in case you can't tell... I am having a flipping blast with iMovie, ha. I even finished my trailer for Shattered!! I'll post it when I get back from Miami.


Oh, and one more thing! So, for Saradise I saw in the comments that some of you (Valerie, Melissa, Shannon M., SarahJayne, Karen, and Heather) wanted to do it too!! If you send me your e-mail address, I'll start like, a support chain to send out daily motivation if you want :-)

I love the motivation that comes from starting a specific schedule like this!






♥ me