tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13972158578570311452024-03-13T14:10:23.060-05:00Say What?Me. Off the record. Er ... on the record. Eh. You get the gist.JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-24037828771779284562010-06-04T17:56:00.000-05:002010-06-04T17:56:27.137-05:00First line Friday: Round 3Here's another round of first lines for you (I know, I know, you're probably getting sick of them. But humor me once more, please):<br />
<br />
I felt like I was trapped in one of those terrifying nightmares, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can’t make your body move fast enough. -- Stephaenie Meyer, <i>New Moon</i>.<br />
<br />
I was thirteen when my dad caught me with Tommy Webber in the back of Tommy’s Buick, parked next to the old Chart House down in Montara at eleven o’clock on a Tuesday night. -- Sara Zarr, <i>Story of a Girl</i>.<br />
<br />
I taped the commercial back in April, before anything had happened, and promptly forgot about it. -- Sarah Dessen, <i>Just Listen</i>.<br />
<br />
On January 1, I made two wishes. -- Lauren Henderson, <i>Kiss Me, Kill Me</i><br />
<br />
There are places where kids like me go. Rachel Ward, <i>NUM8ERS</i>. <br />
<br />
So Mom got the postcard today. -- Rebecca Stead, <i>When You Reach Me</i>.<br />
<br />
There were only two kinds of people in our town. -- Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, <i>Beautiful Creatures</i>.<br />
<br />
I have had more than a dozen so-called mothers in my life. -- Ashley Rhodes-Courter, <i>Three Little Words</i>.<br />
<br />
Julia was killed on Labor Day on her way home from a party. -- Jennifer R. Hubbard, <i>The Secret Year</i>.<br />
<br />
One more rainy season and our roof will be gone, says Ama. -- Patricia McCormick, <i>Sold</i>.<br />
<br />
Later, I would think of it as crossing over. -- Joyce Carol Oates, <i>Freaky Green Eyes</i>.<br />
<br />
When I look into a mirror, it is her face I see. -- Ellen Hopkins, <i>Identical</i>.<br />
<br />
Some of these work for me, and some of them don't. An blah-looking first line won't keep me from buying a book if I'm excited about the storyline, but if I'm only so-so, the writing in the first paragraph has a huge effect on me. <b>What about you?</b>JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-90002188428662318552010-05-28T16:21:00.000-05:002010-05-28T16:21:00.651-05:00First line Friday: Round 2How important are first lines? For me, very. Often times, they set the mood for the entire story. Here are a few that I enjoy: <br />
<br />
- Once you’ve been taken, you usually have twenty-four hours left to live. Edward Bloor, <i>Taken</i>.<br />
<br />
- They promised me nine years of safety but only gave me three. Laura Wiess, <i>Such a Pretty Girl</i>.<br />
<br />
- Blood fills my mouth. Bree Despain, <i>The Dark Divine</i>.<br />
<br />
- It is the counting that saves him. Lisa Mangum, <i>The Hourglass Door</i>.<br />
<br />
- Sirens and lights welcomed me back to the suburbs of Chicago. Stephanie Kuehnert, <i>Ballands of Suburbia</i>.<br />
<br />
- Life was good before I met the monster. Ellen Hopkins, <i>Crank</i>.<br />
<br />
- On Sorry Night, just a few days before Christmas, you have to snuff the lamps, douse the flames in the fireplace, and spend the night in the cold and dark. Simon Holt, <i>The Devouring</i>.<br />
<br />
- The day I killed my brother’s girlfriend started with me handpicking leaves off our front lawn. E.R. Frank, <i>Wrecked</i>.<br />
<br />
- I remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves. Maggie Stiefvater, <i>Shiver</i>.<br />
<br />
- He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air. James Dashner, <i>The Maze Runner</i>.<br />
<br />
- Gray slats of light slipped between the bars, only to be swallowed by blackness. Heidi Ayarbe, <i>Freeze Frame</i>.<br />
<br />
- When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. Suzanne Collins, <i>The Hunger Games</i>.<br />
<br />
- Kaye took another drag on her cigarette and dropped it into her mother’s beer bottle. Holly Black, <i>Tithe, a Modern Faerie Tale</i>.<br />
<br />
- The white boy, the skinny, tall boy with shocking white hair sneaks behind the stone bench and leans against the tree trunk. Julie Anne Peters, <i>By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead</i>.<br />
<br />
- I am sitting at a desk in the middle of a hallway, and all of the lights are off. Julie Halpern, <i>Get Well Soon</i>.<br />
<br />
- The day begins in the middle of the night. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan, <i>Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist</i>.<br />
<br />
- I was born with water on the brain. Sherman Alexie, <i>The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian</i>.<br />
<br />
So, what do you think: too tense, not tense enough, exciting, boring, totally brand new, been-there-done-that? Do any of these make you curious enough to read on, or would you move on to the next book on the shelf?JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-84745041564942444282010-05-24T07:51:00.000-05:002010-05-24T07:51:30.391-05:00YA: the newest celebrity trendMove over, UGGs, little dogs in big purses, and reality TV shows. The newest celebrity hotness? Pen your own YA series! <br />
<br />
I have to say, I was pretty upset when I saw Lauren Conrad's books on the shelves, but I thought: Well, okay ... She's basically famous because her parents are rich and MTV decided to film a show about rich people's kids, and, well, at least the book is about rich kids who get filmed and are famous because TV made them that way. It's basically the Hills in book form. (And since I was still watching the Hills at that point, I couldn't be all hypocritical and complain about it.)<br />
<br />
But then Hilary Duff got bored with acting and singing and being <a href="http://www.skinnyvscurvy.com/hilary-duff/then-and-now-hilary-duff.html">ridiculously skinny</a> and decided to give it a go, too. And I thought: Okay, okay ... this is pretty scary, but at least she's almost a teen, and she's kind of a globe-trotter, like her character, so maybe it won't be <i>so</i> bad ... right?<br />
<br />
But then I saw the latest: Tyra Banks, queen of the <a href="http://jezebel.com/5361714/antm-recap-tyra-stop-trying-to-make-smize-happen/gallery/">smize</a>, has jumped on the bandwagon, too, with a forthcoming 3-book series about models at an academy for pretty people with Harry Potter-like abilities. As for this one ... well, I don't even know what to say. Because Tyra? She may know a lot about modeling, but the girl's downright, batshit crazy. <br />
<br />
I think it's time for celebrities to move on to a new craze, before Paris Hilton decides she needs to write a YA series and, in turn, brings about the apocalypse ...JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-33559378779595737572010-05-21T08:04:00.000-05:002010-05-21T08:04:00.737-05:00First line Friday: Round 1The Blood-Red Pencil did a post recently about <a href="http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2010/05/busted-authors-caught-infusing-first.html">infusing first lines with conflict</a>, and it really made me think. Not only about my own WIPs, but also about books that I pick up off the shelf. <br />
<br />
Fair or not, I typically make my decision on what I'm going to buy based on the following: (1) word-of-mouth and/or recommendations from people I trust, (2) book covers that catch my eye, (3) an exciting book jacket synopsis, and (4) the writing in the first few sentences. <br />
<br />
So I went on a field trip to my library (a.k.a. the little hearth room at the front of my house), pulled down book after book, and wrote down the first line of most of them. I ended up with quite a few, so I think I'll split them up over a few posts.<br />
<br />
Here's the first round:<br />
<br />
When my brother Fish turned thirteen, we moved to the deepest part of inland because of the hurricane and, of course, the fact that he’d caused it. -- Ingrid Law, <i>Savvy</i>.<br />
<br />
Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse I saw the dead guy standing next to my locker. -- P.C. Cast and Kristin Case, <i>Marked</i> (a House of Night novel).<br />
<br />
Everyone’s seen my mother naked. -- Elizabeth Scott, <i>Something, Maybe</i>.<br />
<br />
Mother spent $700 on a treadmill “from Santa” that I will <i>never</i> use. -- Suzanne Supplee, <i>Artichoke’s Heart</i>.<br />
<br />
The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say. -- Patrick Ness, <i>The Knife of Never Letting Go</i>.<br />
<br />
A piece of advice from me to me: better brace yourself, loser. -- Sonya Sones, <i>What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know</i>.<br />
<br />
On a Saturday morning in November, Alex finds himself alone for the weekend, so he decides to break a few rules. -- Martin Wilson, <i>What They Always Tell Us</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>So what do you think? How do these first lines make you feel? Did you laugh, squint your nose, roll your eyes? Did you want to read on, or were you so bored you nodded off? What's your take on how important (or not) adding conflict in first lines really is?</b>JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-44538599732671771632010-05-17T08:11:00.000-05:002010-05-17T08:11:00.172-05:00To prologue or not to prologue?That's my question of the day.<br />
<br />
Almost all the "How To" blogs I've seen say prologues are a no-go, that they're just a backstory/info dump, that whatever you need to say can and should be said in the first chapter. In fact, many industry-types think the <span style="font-style:italic;">real</span> start of your story is somewhere around what you currently call chapter 3-4. <br />
<br />
But if prologues are dead, and agents/editors/publishers truly don't want to see them, then why do so many recent YA books (and some very popular, mind you) still have them? <br />
<br />
Here are a few examples (sorry, I'm too lazy to include the links):<br />
Becca Fitzpatrick--<i>Hush, Hush</i><br />
Bree Despain--<i>The Dark Divine</i><br />
Lauren Oliver--<i>Before I Fall</i><br />
Rachel Hawkins--<i>Hex Hall</i><br />
Simon Holt--<i>The Devouring</i><br />
Sara Zarr--<i>Story of a Girl</i><br />
E.R. Frank--<i>Wrecked</i><br />
Lisa Mangum--<i>The Hourglass Door</i><br />
Stephanie Kuehnert--<i>Ballads of Suburbia</i><br />
And, of course, <i>Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn</i> ... all by some girl no one's ever heard of.<br />
<br />
I admit, I have a soft spot for prologues. Always have. But do they add to the story, or are they just a cheap plot device for a story that falls flat in chapter 1? <br />
<br />
My personal opinion? Sometimes prologues work, sometimes they don't (immensely helpful, I know). But as for me, I think I'm going to take the advise of someone whose opinion <i>really</i> matters: my 15-year-old cousin-in-law, Jenna (who reads like a crazy person and is way too pretty for her own good). <br />
<br />
When I loaned Jenna <span style="font-style:italic;">Hush, Hush</span> (which she loved), I asked her if she thought the prologue was a little weird. She said, "Oh, I don't read prologues. I just skip over them and start with the first chapter. I figure if it's <span style="font-style:italic;">that</span> important or if I get confused or whatever, I can come back to it later." <br />
<br />
I don't know about you guys, but that's all the information I need.JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-88606859076219452692010-05-11T07:47:00.000-05:002010-05-11T20:19:06.327-05:00Truthful Tuesday (or, the post where I shamelessly objectify pretty boys).I know it's unhealthy. I know I should know better. (I'm not a kid anymore, right?) But I can't help it. Bad boys, they still get me. <br />
<br />
It may have something to do with the fact that they look like this:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyXU-dPXYesg8tSjJD8GHJrelUpY0PWsP_enWQqStN6XYazHJGKjQQb7Zli-XH1OCZxrJVLrTcMe0EKtSVamnkY3PORB63blVT_NXNWpAebNEIIKZkBgBcSbGoyE8nC0ZnIIM9h5xTDA/s1600/glee-puck.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyXU-dPXYesg8tSjJD8GHJrelUpY0PWsP_enWQqStN6XYazHJGKjQQb7Zli-XH1OCZxrJVLrTcMe0EKtSVamnkY3PORB63blVT_NXNWpAebNEIIKZkBgBcSbGoyE8nC0ZnIIM9h5xTDA/s320/glee-puck.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469469889339639010" /></a><br />
<br />
And like this:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhreBxC8-Bx-mxPH6DkJu22kimjXYRLd7YtCmmgiiHGKwijy08TBLzIzklDT0z1usXCzMP26nIeKQj1-_BYmXu43EVk__0oP5ZtqPr6Tn0D9BkVpfsDHjZD1cNWJyq8YknhkSbZ-tVTDoE/s1600/Tim-Riggins-friday-night-lights-561367_1124_1500.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhreBxC8-Bx-mxPH6DkJu22kimjXYRLd7YtCmmgiiHGKwijy08TBLzIzklDT0z1usXCzMP26nIeKQj1-_BYmXu43EVk__0oP5ZtqPr6Tn0D9BkVpfsDHjZD1cNWJyq8YknhkSbZ-tVTDoE/s320/Tim-Riggins-friday-night-lights-561367_1124_1500.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469470054379215810" /></a><br />
<br />
And (<span style="font-style:italic;">OMG</span>) like this: <br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2YkNFQgNAqHnHmcSPakucn5enqFKs-Im3S2rfSNubrMm5JtkFvAU8MOlVxQk4snRn0r0P81zrh2dPRAoEZG_O4lw85uhNFY3NqLlrOulPQGd36k7IiwU23PusFqj-GH0nwgCqCZsBWs/s1600/ian-somerhalder-vampire-diaries-damon1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO2YkNFQgNAqHnHmcSPakucn5enqFKs-Im3S2rfSNubrMm5JtkFvAU8MOlVxQk4snRn0r0P81zrh2dPRAoEZG_O4lw85uhNFY3NqLlrOulPQGd36k7IiwU23PusFqj-GH0nwgCqCZsBWs/s320/ian-somerhalder-vampire-diaries-damon1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469470227702717186" /></a><br />
<br />
...<br />
...<br />
...<br />
<br />
(<span style="font-style:italic;">Sorry ... Damon was just telling me how I want to get lost in his eyes. Must be that creepy, vampire trance thing...</span>)<br />
<br />
Even when they're sweaty: <br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXgokYuLg3Q0ArWayswbilpTyGy9re7d2i6JfvMAW3OWVsQfpvoMgu5QjzRBYkxLR0tqwXWgt6MGUVmMln0rQynQ5MRR3E0YaMwpxvNrj9mbD1mb2KfMLQvH3ux1MZemaIos32hqa3u5o/s1600/tim-football.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXgokYuLg3Q0ArWayswbilpTyGy9re7d2i6JfvMAW3OWVsQfpvoMgu5QjzRBYkxLR0tqwXWgt6MGUVmMln0rQynQ5MRR3E0YaMwpxvNrj9mbD1mb2KfMLQvH3ux1MZemaIos32hqa3u5o/s320/tim-football.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469471676410353138" /></a><br />
<br />
And all dirty:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXruTN_dtJgZDMx8pOoXbyitzYFFz3u0lpp3v5Y9jxTewaxMq6pqXe6jZNvFXuUV6spf6sba2V3NLWb53d1sI0YByWKw7l8XBWOon_mw9144JKAdurku-EwRr3SXw4WMhzAKvfq0l8beo/s1600/dfhd.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXruTN_dtJgZDMx8pOoXbyitzYFFz3u0lpp3v5Y9jxTewaxMq6pqXe6jZNvFXuUV6spf6sba2V3NLWb53d1sI0YByWKw7l8XBWOon_mw9144JKAdurku-EwRr3SXw4WMhzAKvfq0l8beo/s320/dfhd.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469798621123585826" /></a><br />
<br />
Or maybe it's because they clean up so nicely:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHQaDld_1XQt8MSmD0L1jMMopuQx1keTlPNwL_ZuUWuqLAM89AwgApGmLlVDGhyphenhyphenoHWarUSpwEKhKJ-tEyOet9fK6yD7cPYDJaUo3odpDDQ49raR_tVYcmUOcEHTl0ya2NtElmB6fvnZo/s1600/nicholas-braun-groove-on-03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHQaDld_1XQt8MSmD0L1jMMopuQx1keTlPNwL_ZuUWuqLAM89AwgApGmLlVDGhyphenhyphenoHWarUSpwEKhKJ-tEyOet9fK6yD7cPYDJaUo3odpDDQ49raR_tVYcmUOcEHTl0ya2NtElmB6fvnZo/s320/nicholas-braun-groove-on-03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469803001425194178" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnibWCiHCoiDQds7T6e0YX-xp1d3TIH-lPZDKwZU0dOxPq5u2upoCCjjxRyec5h9t6eQBht1DeuhupjKl-AMJVTnDQ4V47ecyVqOqzetq05rzfosxPqfulQ9uAso4jGqM_yse945JHhQ/s1600/6a00d8341c630a53ef00e554b22bfa8833-800wi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnibWCiHCoiDQds7T6e0YX-xp1d3TIH-lPZDKwZU0dOxPq5u2upoCCjjxRyec5h9t6eQBht1DeuhupjKl-AMJVTnDQ4V47ecyVqOqzetq05rzfosxPqfulQ9uAso4jGqM_yse945JHhQ/s320/6a00d8341c630a53ef00e554b22bfa8833-800wi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469812866647628322" /></a><br />
<br />
Or because they pack heat underneath those football jerseys:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZV8oPw4QscyW3fwDnPMfadCR_4TFNtjFcj4Tex1My6IkpU5HfIzrBAJ3CJinafkfUts9o9XG69u5njnOvq5X_h0yZexPSS4p1TzIgQS5xjR5Pksiq7C4o8GvWtOjOliobPqYgDSfYkE/s1600/taylor1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZV8oPw4QscyW3fwDnPMfadCR_4TFNtjFcj4Tex1My6IkpU5HfIzrBAJ3CJinafkfUts9o9XG69u5njnOvq5X_h0yZexPSS4p1TzIgQS5xjR5Pksiq7C4o8GvWtOjOliobPqYgDSfYkE/s320/taylor1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469476486712993874" /></a><br />
<br />
(<span style="font-style:italic;">If you haven't seen Taylor in The Covenant, go do it. Now. Trust me: you'll forgive him the Speedo</span>.)<br />
<br />
And inside those tattered jackets:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jmt86BRQ5jPJ3R0enLmaft2q0WJvKDIHFlTwSpy-wlleAe6JRD_8efpA-d0oN6f1S7tWY64GThCDpBFAmhjsyoc2O3ySrElFSXrXXv4cd9MCj7jDx_G9p_NYdKqWYUwP3QSdjmdnj4g/s1600/james-twilight-series-1135402_267_400.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jmt86BRQ5jPJ3R0enLmaft2q0WJvKDIHFlTwSpy-wlleAe6JRD_8efpA-d0oN6f1S7tWY64GThCDpBFAmhjsyoc2O3ySrElFSXrXXv4cd9MCj7jDx_G9p_NYdKqWYUwP3QSdjmdnj4g/s320/james-twilight-series-1135402_267_400.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469807173091541058" /></a><br />
<br />
Or maybe it's because they drive girls crazy with their confidence:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoivnJWaXS-Z8a95sulKH6hjyo7wt33piQejdYXBmcJyNjz7aaBlMzPaU5r2C7_M8fDP2v_U3CThZIPcMh2FzOY7JWkDlMQacaKD7s8i7wPypInZtkuMJTujnCNh0p3ysgQo-0QYvijlM/s1600/TenTh004EthanPeckLindseyShaw.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoivnJWaXS-Z8a95sulKH6hjyo7wt33piQejdYXBmcJyNjz7aaBlMzPaU5r2C7_M8fDP2v_U3CThZIPcMh2FzOY7JWkDlMQacaKD7s8i7wPypInZtkuMJTujnCNh0p3ysgQo-0QYvijlM/s320/TenTh004EthanPeckLindseyShaw.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469798878719302082" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRNns8VVgGvd6cFq2tnlt26AFDiCyEQ1a-ahKJ-F4fMk7JmWgSGdt_yh8UUOF0fz4T5GvAHqrWVe2nSqLQnG18FATq0B8mi8pDTp61O3yVSyeg98cjhVOTVIsfMHKsL9cl9AJB7Te6dg/s1600/Buffy+and+Spike1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRNns8VVgGvd6cFq2tnlt26AFDiCyEQ1a-ahKJ-F4fMk7JmWgSGdt_yh8UUOF0fz4T5GvAHqrWVe2nSqLQnG18FATq0B8mi8pDTp61O3yVSyeg98cjhVOTVIsfMHKsL9cl9AJB7Te6dg/s320/Buffy+and+Spike1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469808575835819794" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0Hm5fhwVPFo_wKZ8qik2BvQr1R9Ynqv_-TsfPlY9d9X-FGbRJqfc1cdFe5CwUMXHGupZVKO6W1Q81dHpG1yiYwSAo9fLL-FqZUEMDiKBlyNjWyqygBjGA3lm5Iwuqx0wE2orC3y-B80/s1600/chuck_blair.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 253px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0Hm5fhwVPFo_wKZ8qik2BvQr1R9Ynqv_-TsfPlY9d9X-FGbRJqfc1cdFe5CwUMXHGupZVKO6W1Q81dHpG1yiYwSAo9fLL-FqZUEMDiKBlyNjWyqygBjGA3lm5Iwuqx0wE2orC3y-B80/s320/chuck_blair.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469813189078324978" /></a><br />
<br />
Or because they drive <span style="font-style:italic;">these</span>:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjADVyM2sBQ1CGOYnJSJjddjk9JS2YLso2f-uef167f0OmBAFZylK1XY7UZ6rSlTJdPw7SioTZ-oivGv6kNHxd08qJovrP-8GZAYITBdyR6URDyHEJ2VtAy0qSS0mTaGQRBjY3aTFvwo/s1600/10797_lindsey-shaw-y-ethan-peck.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjADVyM2sBQ1CGOYnJSJjddjk9JS2YLso2f-uef167f0OmBAFZylK1XY7UZ6rSlTJdPw7SioTZ-oivGv6kNHxd08qJovrP-8GZAYITBdyR6URDyHEJ2VtAy0qSS0mTaGQRBjY3aTFvwo/s320/10797_lindsey-shaw-y-ethan-peck.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469799076018944786" /></a><br />
<br />
Or it may be because they fight against the demons living inside of them:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx3Tpe3uhFsRv_kpmu5rC14VjRrzrv8ABeuTM7yuYf8L_ry8yeJRAIFHLKy6TTecQVMNrPLqt2CrHQZxwDo6MUx1qTx8UX2fZW_7YgZm3nG2x-FFe_8omfvXWZb-klw11HHjxpoNW2AA/s1600/vampire-diaries-boys.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx3Tpe3uhFsRv_kpmu5rC14VjRrzrv8ABeuTM7yuYf8L_ry8yeJRAIFHLKy6TTecQVMNrPLqt2CrHQZxwDo6MUx1qTx8UX2fZW_7YgZm3nG2x-FFe_8omfvXWZb-klw11HHjxpoNW2AA/s320/vampire-diaries-boys.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469471682705324066" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_7uMgCIMGr39FvRQ0z15ZhAz0sMbVmH4UD-X0P9rnpGBFCG0ut3RVChA397IrFbtqcnvwq3Z-JUrUp3AkVATN8CDXtW70MPbjLLs1FZsDFuE-wiP5Rup__qUUWC0l4pErt_9FlvQyck/s1600/2jcsls0.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_7uMgCIMGr39FvRQ0z15ZhAz0sMbVmH4UD-X0P9rnpGBFCG0ut3RVChA397IrFbtqcnvwq3Z-JUrUp3AkVATN8CDXtW70MPbjLLs1FZsDFuE-wiP5Rup__qUUWC0l4pErt_9FlvQyck/s320/2jcsls0.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469807559165573826" /></a><br />
<br />
So they can be good enough for the girl who makes <i>them</i> crazy:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfbMT7zYf40hZRi0ue12taI0zWm4-eZCliFY66Z0VX8bNSV8KzodmwUsGUmNBFU2OcB-sWOUuhwf_B4wOM2QZ1rXYLzhn-92kwyCQMjd8TIR_-6UtYXlENnWAcxGLrssMc8T3D591og4/s1600/Damon-and-Elena-1x17-the-vampire-diaries-11290075-2048-1365.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfbMT7zYf40hZRi0ue12taI0zWm4-eZCliFY66Z0VX8bNSV8KzodmwUsGUmNBFU2OcB-sWOUuhwf_B4wOM2QZ1rXYLzhn-92kwyCQMjd8TIR_-6UtYXlENnWAcxGLrssMc8T3D591og4/s320/Damon-and-Elena-1x17-the-vampire-diaries-11290075-2048-1365.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469802045373637218" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIto4PLSk9YJ5fz7NuFRpeDDl7LtBUz4eJlStn0SlmZ9jGWLRisndgQ07kxW2p5XLBUSaPgcpSypesz0ztmlFR3qoSA9LcJ5GjelChUbvAUohrNmZ_xYOr27wdF-lKW6afNzPKgAJqiqQ/s1600/buffy_spike01.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIto4PLSk9YJ5fz7NuFRpeDDl7LtBUz4eJlStn0SlmZ9jGWLRisndgQ07kxW2p5XLBUSaPgcpSypesz0ztmlFR3qoSA9LcJ5GjelChUbvAUohrNmZ_xYOr27wdF-lKW6afNzPKgAJqiqQ/s320/buffy_spike01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469807718657607282" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTnmWqZXRqR1ob9S__oEY5UqaE1-fO0p9_qe5JjJM31SL5dC6PpjP-GlFYuwQh0qiUwz8m41VVElSMAbYntM8nEMZASyZH_IYDQmVgEYrE8mTJlB2v_RkAAHdfvhCJ8HL4A2crkubrHw/s1600/elena-and-stefan-photo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTnmWqZXRqR1ob9S__oEY5UqaE1-fO0p9_qe5JjJM31SL5dC6PpjP-GlFYuwQh0qiUwz8m41VVElSMAbYntM8nEMZASyZH_IYDQmVgEYrE8mTJlB2v_RkAAHdfvhCJ8HL4A2crkubrHw/s320/elena-and-stefan-photo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469817644528786514" /></a><br />
<br />
Even if she's sort of bland and doesn't seem to deserve all the fuss:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABYDSfbO6nMzTAyBLAv8xH9P-pU5mejbTFLl7Akmo-38ZBtTpj8ECmE6VIDiZ1sz9jl5FADObNPUC0AenlH8DM0QVUs5MfRBJYoR0V9cUCKmfpSUA8kUSXneLrmVlnBu83DhBNkG_IOY/s1600/Edward-Bella-Jacob-twilight-series-6665008-2560-1920.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABYDSfbO6nMzTAyBLAv8xH9P-pU5mejbTFLl7Akmo-38ZBtTpj8ECmE6VIDiZ1sz9jl5FADObNPUC0AenlH8DM0QVUs5MfRBJYoR0V9cUCKmfpSUA8kUSXneLrmVlnBu83DhBNkG_IOY/s320/Edward-Bella-Jacob-twilight-series-6665008-2560-1920.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469478242646169042" /></a><br />
<br />
(<span style="font-style:italic;">Yeah, I know. These 2 are about as bad ass as a flea, but the abs deserved to be included. And he's 18 now, so it's totally cool. Right?</span>)<br />
<br />
Or it may be because they make for really hot love triangles:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn95zAlg6C1bDZVlFp8mbZgV1b3HrEp8dXcyLsxkstUeI8uerjri3feGqElixZWzMx5Z_2Na2HqNuCN8iBUw8JOCUBWatcUJGwWljVyN7-JduwGzjwRAclyoHQdhvPRmj28yDPE7CK62o/s1600/Damon-Elena-and-Stefan-damon-elena-stefan-8978350-563-388.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn95zAlg6C1bDZVlFp8mbZgV1b3HrEp8dXcyLsxkstUeI8uerjri3feGqElixZWzMx5Z_2Na2HqNuCN8iBUw8JOCUBWatcUJGwWljVyN7-JduwGzjwRAclyoHQdhvPRmj28yDPE7CK62o/s320/Damon-Elena-and-Stefan-damon-elena-stefan-8978350-563-388.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469817810923321746" /></a><br />
<br />
Or maybe it's because, no matter how bad ass and untouchable they seem, they always, always, have a weak spot. And that weak spot? It makes them human:<br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0fo31zxEPj1t41xTeRpk-ZOn3SOBlr8Q5NiMCssCBdudOovAbyNFkvzuRzHP0Fe5SHMwzuT6oOxGljxkb59jRVYGCyzyUpvqpj3lkiardnR_CGL8zyUSbq3WE6OllCQd6tUbHyjli0o/s1600/Quinn-and-Puck,-1.4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0fo31zxEPj1t41xTeRpk-ZOn3SOBlr8Q5NiMCssCBdudOovAbyNFkvzuRzHP0Fe5SHMwzuT6oOxGljxkb59jRVYGCyzyUpvqpj3lkiardnR_CGL8zyUSbq3WE6OllCQd6tUbHyjli0o/s320/Quinn-and-Puck,-1.4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469814882973501538" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0zOLv_rIVyVcSU2cdFe6-u-8_H_bRhE3dFVgKb83gjd_ksPtwXn1MHe0Uve-lR255NsTRFYrQa-wFWbuKwcnZggb5ooh2vGXS0LZL_PlmjjsDgqGdYAxfJGCQu2pe2d4QLDKxeCKk14/s1600/buffy-spike-angel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0zOLv_rIVyVcSU2cdFe6-u-8_H_bRhE3dFVgKb83gjd_ksPtwXn1MHe0Uve-lR255NsTRFYrQa-wFWbuKwcnZggb5ooh2vGXS0LZL_PlmjjsDgqGdYAxfJGCQu2pe2d4QLDKxeCKk14/s320/buffy-spike-angel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469808791519905650" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QwM2cljHnHGpIQJPt7C2olkDVcoYztbeHs62hCGBP9mPiNGUORoXwfR27AaauBkW6JzXgsTnpWwcxzH5nkB5DR8nKIuYyftSLLKBdCufdAorYbwNWVZlVzeQS5gcRoRSIYTBHffsui0/s1600/vampire_diaries_19.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-QwM2cljHnHGpIQJPt7C2olkDVcoYztbeHs62hCGBP9mPiNGUORoXwfR27AaauBkW6JzXgsTnpWwcxzH5nkB5DR8nKIuYyftSLLKBdCufdAorYbwNWVZlVzeQS5gcRoRSIYTBHffsui0/s320/vampire_diaries_19.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469801798496503442" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFXA9C4Py8xb17SdyWpWxBSTskO6S-oaNcgM689q6AJjVjqnW_1tgDjsYUsIpBYKSJNaZeXCGcSdRBl0UMxK-WU26sz5CxObLiJ5qC0uuKzcUbFvDTfu9GsYp-xpd2nZxllgdGLQdhbk/s1600/020209-2028-greysanatom1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFXA9C4Py8xb17SdyWpWxBSTskO6S-oaNcgM689q6AJjVjqnW_1tgDjsYUsIpBYKSJNaZeXCGcSdRBl0UMxK-WU26sz5CxObLiJ5qC0uuKzcUbFvDTfu9GsYp-xpd2nZxllgdGLQdhbk/s320/020209-2028-greysanatom1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469821787352606818" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsO5aK9x8w3T2szNV2f82tbLD8aKOoGn_NYy6vfO0ePkUaaNogPKiTM21bFsrdgukA6tHIFcEiDeTJAXamXR3BcRj4Y6uBN1P5NE4y2vDJYhDoTh3MbtzrtpQZddCRWAd-raArvWbwHwg/s1600/chuckblair.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsO5aK9x8w3T2szNV2f82tbLD8aKOoGn_NYy6vfO0ePkUaaNogPKiTM21bFsrdgukA6tHIFcEiDeTJAXamXR3BcRj4Y6uBN1P5NE4y2vDJYhDoTh3MbtzrtpQZddCRWAd-raArvWbwHwg/s320/chuckblair.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469813424113123266" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHGi4BDC9TDRtKoTup4N_7ulGUSDnc0bLIf1jrIQFrO_S5UamO7brwjALmeS5SDwa4wrBZuU4sntKv8II-M_cz1XKCMxyP09W71I_NTRzOUQ0l0WnKJD68noiB_csZ-VtePfoenzdkOY/s1600/friday-night-lights-123.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHGi4BDC9TDRtKoTup4N_7ulGUSDnc0bLIf1jrIQFrO_S5UamO7brwjALmeS5SDwa4wrBZuU4sntKv8II-M_cz1XKCMxyP09W71I_NTRzOUQ0l0WnKJD68noiB_csZ-VtePfoenzdkOY/s320/friday-night-lights-123.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469821781722378178" /></a><br />
<br />
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkInMo-VbWyeKCDri6DTPS1mW-tIWVQcb0JZev00JFSw8IyxmsnfgBDA4Tq2piYUvgZnA8c_vwGSK7fK_OzMFE1HUM_HbaceuosATwcgl2sNW5tNC19De_2x5Jqdla3GU3cLbVHDLNIQ/s1600/MV5BMTI3MjUzNjIxN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNzQ3MTA3._V1._SX440_SY352_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvkInMo-VbWyeKCDri6DTPS1mW-tIWVQcb0JZev00JFSw8IyxmsnfgBDA4Tq2piYUvgZnA8c_vwGSK7fK_OzMFE1HUM_HbaceuosATwcgl2sNW5tNC19De_2x5Jqdla3GU3cLbVHDLNIQ/s320/MV5BMTI3MjUzNjIxN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNzQ3MTA3._V1._SX440_SY352_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469821797157820098" /></a><br />
<br />
(<i>Or as close to human as they can be if they're, ya know, a vampire</i>.)<br />
<br />
Whatever that little piece of magic is, all I have to say is keep 'em coming. Pretty, pretty please, keep 'em coming.<br />
<br />
<i>p.s. If this isn't a good example of why it's important to show, not tell, I don't know what is! :)</i>JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-68924612967735528662010-05-06T08:28:00.000-05:002010-05-06T08:28:00.622-05:00The English language has stumped me. Please help!I admit: I'm one of <span style="font-style:italic;">those</span> people. The ones who spot errors in books and pretend to be all annoyed but get this sick satisfaction with finding imperfection. The ones who get unreasonably annoyed when people use the wrong their/they're/their or its/it's or you're/your. The ones who find it <span style="font-style:italic;">way</span> easier to edit for grammar than for content. The ones who delete blog comments b/c of one, tiny typo. <br /><br />(For everyone who thinks I'm crazy, I'm not alone. Just check <a href="http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/05/12/99-grammar/">this post</a> for more about white people and their grammar issues.)<br /><br />But, much to my dismay, I still don't know it all. Like, for instance, I sometimes hesitate when spelling grammar. A part of me thinks it should be grammer instead. (I won't even get into how long it took for me to accept that there is no "a" in definite.) And when I'm writing and I can't remember whether to use lay or lie or sit or set, I just pick another word.<br /><br />And now, when I don't know whether to italicize the punctuation directly after a word that is also italicized. <br /><br />Normally when I'm stumped, I can Google the answer, but I don't even know where to start with this one. So I'm putting this to a vote. Which one of the 2 choices below do <span style="font-style:italic;">you</span> think is right?<br /><br />(a) "What were you <span style="font-style:italic;">thinking?</span>" <br />(b) "What were you <span style="font-style:italic;">thinking</span>?"<br /><br />(In case it's not clear, I'm asking whether I italicize the question mark.)<br /><br />Thanks, peeps!JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-7289322071459171982010-04-29T08:02:00.000-05:002010-04-29T08:02:00.397-05:00If it walks, talks, and acts like a duck ... is it?My current WIP is actually an older WIP that I'm trying to convert from women's fiction to YA. Voice-wise, it's always belonged in YA. And I'm totally loving the changes.<br /><br />But here's the deal: I have 2 sisters as narrators. Originally, they were 22 and 25. Now, they're 17-18 and 20-21.<br /><br />It feels like YA. It sounds like YA. It walks, talks, and acts like YA. But, well, can it really <span style="font-style:italic;">be</span> YA when only one of my 2 protagonists is a teen?<br /><br />What do you think? Be honest. I'd rather not look like an asshat when I query the thing.JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-36416729193703562422010-04-28T08:48:00.000-05:002010-04-28T08:48:00.868-05:00Dear YA cult: we have a new convert.I've been trying to get my little sis to read YA for, well, ever now. She would read the occasional one (mostly out of necessity when she was staying at my house), but she always went back to the adult ones.<br /><br />And then finally, this week she calls me and says, "So ... All I want to read lately are kids' books. I've been looking through Amazon, and it keeps showing me all these other books I might like, and when an adult one comes up, I'm like, 'Ehhh ... I don't care about your lame adult problems.' I want to read about teenagers, damn it."<br /><br />My evil plan for total YA domination has taken root. Now, I'm off to convince my husband that there are other great kids' books in the world besides Harry Potter ...JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-44818688927559130332010-04-26T13:38:00.000-05:002010-04-26T13:38:00.388-05:00Words of wisdom from the Query SharkPosted Saturday, on <a href="http://queryshark.blogspot.com/2010/04/156.html">#156</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Really good novels don't have everything on the page. Really good novels are like spiderwebs: the filaments, words, are important but the space they create, the unspoken, is what makes it beautiful.<br /><br />You must trust your readers to make intuitive jumps with you and to know some of why things happen. They'll be able to do this easily if you write it by SHOWING, not telling.</span><br /><br />Beautifully wonderful advice I thought I'd share, in case any of you don't follow the Query Shark blog. Which you absolutely should. So <a href="http://queryshark.blogspot.com/">get over there</a>. Now. You can thank me later.JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-61558507528316790002010-04-20T09:46:00.000-05:002010-04-20T09:46:00.529-05:00Why spell check just isn't enough.In case you needed another reason to edit, edit, and edit some more, here's one from my Publisher's Lunch email:<br /><br />"As for the strangest and most embarrassing international news story, Penguin Australia reprinted 7,000 copies of the PASTA BIBLE due to a horrible typo. A recipe mistakenly called for 'salt and freshly ground black people' instead of 'pepper.'"<br /><br />Teehee.JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-19632694942078841702010-04-19T09:44:00.000-05:002010-04-19T09:44:00.201-05:00Pretty Pink RibbonsThey're soft. They're girly. They wrap things up all clean and pretty. Sometimes, that can be nice, preferable, even. And other times, well ... Other times I just want to shred the pretty pink satin to slivers.<br /><br />Clearly, I'm not talking about <span style="font-style:italic;">actual</span> ribbons here. I've gotten nothing against the frilly things. But when it comes to books and movies and television shows, I could stand a few less of them. <br /><br />Or, if you're set on pink ribbons (hey, they definitely have their places), at least slice them up, let them fray at the edges. Because happily-ever-after perfection can get a little tired, a little cliche. Plus, it's not that realistic. <br /><br />Yes, I read for a release, for an escape from the real world. And yes, I know it's fiction. But I'd still like to be grounded somewhere on this planet. I'd still like to feel, "Hey, I <span style="font-style:italic;">know</span> these characters. And I believe what they're going through, because this is something that would happen in the real world."<br /><br />What about you? Do you like your ribbons new, sliced, or completely absent?JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-45048268056572488192010-04-12T09:01:00.000-05:002010-04-12T09:01:00.352-05:00If I Stay: A book that broke my heart, in the best possible way.I love YA. I do. But it's been a long time since a book really got to me--made me stop and think or laugh and cry, made me <span style="font-style:italic;">feel</span> something, long after I read the final pages. A couple of YA books have come close, but something didn't completely click. For whatever reason, I wasn't as sucked in as I wanted to be. <br /><br />But then this weekend, I took the very good advice of <a href="http://jmeadows.livejournal.com/760957.html">Jodi Meadows</a> and finally read a book that's been in my TBR pile for months: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/If-I-Stay-Gayle-Forman/dp/0525421033/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0"><span style="font-style:italic;">If I Stay</span></a>, by Gayle Forman. <br /><br />And can I just say ... Wow. <br /><br />I don't know what took me so long to read it, but I'm glad I finally did. It's written in first person present tense, but it was so well done, I didn't even notice. By page 14, I was so devastated I wanted to put it down, or throw it against the wall, or <span style="font-style:italic;">some</span>thing. But I couldn't. Because I couldn't stop reading long enough to do any of those things. <br /><br />I can be a bit of a baby, I'll admit, but I haven't cried over a book since ... geez, maybe back in Nicholas Sparks' better days. But <span style="font-style:italic;">If I Stay</span> didn't just make me cry over the characters; it made me think--about love, family, music, and loss. And while I was thinking, I bawled like a little girl. <br /><br />It reminded me that <span style="font-style:italic;">those</span> books, the ones that are powerful enough to stop and start your heart, they're still out there. <br /><br />If you haven't read it yet, you should. <br /><br />That is all.JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-44249537616691239652010-03-29T10:00:00.000-05:002010-04-19T19:40:18.878-05:00Endings, Shmendings ...Sorry for disappearing for a million years. I've been working and reading and working and working and reading some more. The working part is boring. Let's talk about the reading instead.<br /><br />I just finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Before-I-Fall-Lauren-Oliver/dp/006172680X">Before I Fall</a>, a new YA novel by <a href="http://laurenoliverbooks.blogspot.com/">Lauren Oliver</a>. <br /><br />First thing's first: this book is huge. Like, size-of-my-head, beat-yo-mama huge. Second thing's second: I devoured every single page of it, racing through the story like my life depended on it. <br /><br />This book had things I loved (vivid descriptions, metaphors that made you stop and think, a fun love interest, a great premise, voice), things I didn't love (repetition I'm not certain was intentional, somewhat cliched mean girls, issues that felt important but weren't fully addressed), and then one other thing.<br /><br />The ending. <br /><br />Some people will love it, some will hate it, and others will love to hate it. As for me? I <span style="font-style:italic;">wanted</span> to love it, or to love to hate it, or even just to like it. <br /><br />But I didn't. Not even kind of. In fact, it pissed me off so much--gave me this "Wait ... What the marshmallows?!?!?" moment--that I wanted to throw it against a wall. (I didn't, of course. It's a big book; could cause serious damage to the plaster.) I wanted to scream, "No! This is wrong, wrong, wrong! One more day, please!" I waited a few days before posting this, b/c I thought maybe the last 2-3 pages would grow on me. They still haven't. I can't explain it any more thoroughly without giving something away, so I'll just say Lauren's choice (or Samantha's choices, technically) didn't sit right with me. <br /><br />All that said, Lauren Oliver has taken an intriguing premise and created a movie-worthy story with it. She has demonstrated that interesting characters aren't perfect, that even narrators don't have to be likable so long as the author is skilled enough to pull them off (which Lauren totally is). And I would ABSOLUTELY recommend you pick this book up. Despite its flaws, <span style="font-style:italic;">Before I Fall</span> stands out in an increasingly popular genre. <br /><br />This very well-written book reinforced what I already suspected: endings are tough stuff. No matter what you do, not everyone's gonna love it. <br /><br />So let me know: have any of you read <span style="font-style:italic;">Before I Fall</span>? (If you haven't, you should. Now.) What did you think of it? And what about that ending?JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-9414046592750695682010-03-02T18:07:00.000-06:002010-03-02T18:10:57.612-06:00Query + First 10 Pages--last chance to enter!Okay, so this is ridiculously last minute of me, but if you haven't entered <a href="http://www.weronikajanczuk.com/2010/02/query-first-10-pgs-critique.html">Weronika's </a>contest, hurry up and do so! You've still got about (okay, a little less than) an hour. Here are the rules, pulled from Weronika's site: <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">RULES</span><br />The contest will be open over two intervals: TUESDAY, MARCH 2ND, FROM 7AM EST - 9AM EST and 6PM EST - 8PM EST. Emails outside of these intervals will be deleted unread.<br />Email all queries and pages EMBEDDED IN THE EMAIL to weronika (dot) janczuk (at) gmail (dot) com.<br />Put the word QUERY in the subject line.<br />Do not submit from an email address that requires any confirmation, etc.<br />You're welcome to submit with an unfinished manuscript. If I offer to forward your query, I'll just have to wait until the book is done!<br />All critiques will be sent by Sunday, March 7th, 9pm EST.<br /><br />AWESOME, right? So get your butts over there now!JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-81966881810398169852010-02-24T10:52:00.000-06:002010-02-24T10:52:00.129-06:00Let's get to the point.Here's my Tuesday truth, a day late and a few dollars short: I'm halfway into my rough draft, and I haven't made any progress. <br /><br />Okay, so that's not <span style="font-style:italic;">exactly</span> true. I did revamp my plot, fine-tune my conflict, kill off a few darlings (sorry, my dears!), come up with a pretty wicked outline (thanks to the ladies over at <a href="http://plotthis.blogspot.com/2010/02/speaking-of-plotting.html">Plot This</a> and an amazingly helpful <a href="http://cynjay.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-write-book.html">plotting device</a>), and draft a preliminary query and synopsis (jumping the gun, I know, but it helps me focus). <br /><br />But now that I've done all of the above, I realize the first third of my book is backstory. Which is precisely why I'm stuck, why I've been staring at a Word document for the past 2 weeks without making any progress. <br /><br />I love my characters. I love their story. But no one else will if I can't shut the hell up and say what I mean, already. <br /><br />So I'm starting from scratch. Except, I like to think of it as cooking brownies from a box: I have all the dry ingredients. Now I just have to thicken them up, blend them together, and make them sweat. <br /><br />Or something like that.<br /><br />What about you?JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-80907613377211889452010-02-01T09:18:00.000-06:002010-02-01T09:18:00.320-06:00Have you ever gotten the bug?You know the one. It's the Shiny New Idea sickness. When it strikes, you have to drop everything you're doing because this idea? It's OMG The Next Big Thing and no one has EVER done anything so cool before and it will make you famous it's just that good ... except it isn't. And discovering that? Well, it sucks something hard.<br /><br />Jim Benton said it best, I think. Here are his wise words, reported by the <a href="http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/2010/01/jim-benton-keynote.html">SCBWI blog team</a> (and I'm still super jealous that I missed out on this conference ...): <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Jim talks about the rush of getting a new GREAT idea that you drop all other projects for to work on RIGHT NOW. And then... once you've worked on it a bit you realize it is AWFUL. Don't be paralyzed by your stupid ideas, you won't know they're stupid at first, just let all ideas in and eventually the good ones will make themselves known. </span><br /><br />Genius, isn't it?JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-19829510866271464252010-01-25T14:58:00.001-06:002010-01-25T15:20:54.380-06:00Damn you, Elizabeth Scott!Have you ever read a book and thought, "Wow ... Now <em>that</em> was the epitome of teen voice. I mean, damn ... Why do I even bother when I have to compete with this level of awesome??" <br /><br />It's a strange feeling, to be so in love with the voice of a book that you immerse yourself in it, live it eat it breathe it need it love it. I've had this feeling before, for instance, when I read LHA's <em>Wintergirls</em>. But there was something about Elizabeth Scott's <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VPE7VA/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0061122831&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0CDFQ3DMXVV57XXWJQN0">Love You, Hate You, Miss You</a></em> that grabbed hold of me and punched me in the gut. <br /><br />The story was simple. Not a whole lot going on: girl's friend dies; girl goes to treatment center to get better; girl deals with the aftermath and finding her way in a world without the only thing in it that ever made sense to her. But what made this book for me was Amy's voice--how she spoke, how she acted, how she felt, her nonverbal cues ... It was all very real, authentic, raw, honest. Very teen, without all the "ya knows" and "likes." <br /><br />If you haven't read it yet, you should. (Plus, it's so cheap on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VPE7VA/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0061122831&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0CDFQ3DMXVV57XXWJQN0">Amazon</a> right now that it'd be crazy to pass it up!)<br /><br />Now. I'm off to kidnap Elizabeth Scott, tire her up, and make her tell me her secrets. <br /><br />(Elizabeth: If you've somehow stumbled upon this post, please know I mean you no harm. I'll feed you lots and make sure you watch all your favorite shows. Plus, I have tons of board games--Scrabble, Boggle, Clue, Monopoly ... If you're into that sort of thing. And of course I'll give you a pen and some paper, b/c the world would be a less lovely place if you stopped spreading your words with everyone. See? Told ya. Not bad for being kidnapped.)JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-21547213694756270272010-01-18T11:09:00.000-06:002010-01-18T11:52:56.301-06:00142 pages is my limit.So there's this book. It's YA, and you've probably heard of it, even if you haven't read it yet. Here are a few of the stats: <br /><br />1) <span style="font-style:italic;">The cover?</span> Gorgeous. It's why I had to learn more about the story.<br /><br />2) <span style="font-style:italic;">The description?</span> Fun, spooky history + love story + first in trilogy + mystery = trip to my local Borders to pick it up, pronto.<br /><br />3) <span style="font-style:italic;">The story itself?</span> ... And here's where things get a little ugly. <br /><br />-- At about 40 pages in, I set the book down for a couple of weeks, because it wasn't that interesting yet. But no way was I giving up on such a big, fat, beautiful book that easily. <br /><br />-- At 92 pages, I set it down again, because, well ... still not that interesting. Where was the story? What was the point to all the "I did this today and this the next day" Bella antics? Surely it was building up to <span style="font-style:italic;">something</span>, but what? And when? How much longer would I have to wait? The 40-or-so other books in my TBR pile(s) were calling to me--and the call was strong--but dammit, I was seeing this one through. <br /><br />-- At 122 pages, I stopped again, and decided to read some reviews. Some people loved it, but many reviewers said the same thing I was worried about: There <span style="font-style:italic;">was</span> no story, at least not until the last 20 pages or so. Of a 400+ page book. <br /><br />-- I decided to give it one more shot. And then, at 142 pages, I closed the book, marveled over its dark, spooky cover one more time, and did something that broke my heart: I threw in the towel. <br /><br />This reading experience really gave me a new perspective when I opened up my own WIP. It made me think, "Am I into the meat of the story yet, or am I diddly daddly'ing around because I love my characters and their world too much to let them go?" This is something I'll address more in the editing phase, but it's also helped me to pick up my first-draft-writing pace as well. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">AND SO I SAY TO YOU ALL, DEAR WRITERS:</span><br /><br />(Most) readers are not impatient people. We love books. We love falling into world after world after world. And we will stick with you through 700+ pages if that's how long it takes to tell your story. (If you don't believe me, just ask Steph Meyer.) But, you must give us a reason first. Mundane, day-to-day activities, at least in my humblest opinion, does not a reason make ... even if you throw us a bone and introduce us to The Love Interest. It is not necessary that you plunge us headfirst into scenes with blood, guts, and drama (in fact, that can be a little overwhelming when we have no concept of who these people are yet), but you must give us something to hang on to, something to make us care. And don't wait until Book 2 of the series to bring it. We don't have Book 2 in our hands yet. And, if we can't connect with Book 1, we probably never will.<br /><br />With muchest love,<br /><br />MEJESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-29788513745542981302010-01-11T11:57:00.000-06:002010-01-11T11:57:00.493-06:00Monday Madness (a.k.a. random awesomeness for writers)First off, Steph Bowe over at <em>Hey! Teenager of the Year</em> is hosting an <a href="http://heyteenager.blogspot.com/2010/01/super-awesome-contest-for-aspiring-ya.html">amazing contest</a>. Steph is giving away 5 (or maybe more) first page critiques to aspiring writers. So get your butts over there and <a href="http://heyteenager.blogspot.com/2010/01/super-awesome-contest-for-aspiring-ya.html">sign up</a>, if you haven't already! (For those of you who don't know her, Steph is a 15-year-old YA novelist with her debut novel coming out in 2010. So she's not only someone I'm totally jealous of; she's also my target audience!)<br /><br />Now, on to random nuggets of wisdom that I saved in a draft ages ago and forgot to share with you all. Perhaps it'll be a nice refresher. <br /><br />1) Janet Reid, wise as ever, tells everyone <a href="http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-get-no-more-rejections-ever.html">here</a> how to get no more rejections, EVER. Seriously, never ever ever get rejected again. The solution is simple as store bought chicken pot pie: All you have to do is stop writing. That's it. Presto. Doesn't sound appealing, does it? Then do what Janet suggests, and learn to take the good with the bad. Rejections aren't fun, but they're part of being a writer. So we can (a) suck it up, or (b) quit writing. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm putting on my big girl pants and sticking with (a). (Janet really has a way with words, so definitely check out her <a href="http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-get-no-more-rejections-ever.html">post</a>, if you haven't already.)<br /><br />2) Have you ever wondered whether you've committed some fatal error in your WIP that will make teens stop reading? If so, then go <a href="http://heyteenager.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-stop-reading-ya-book-when.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HeyTeenagerOfTheYear+%28Hey%2C+Teenager+Of+The+Year%29">here</a>. As I mentioned above, Steph Bowe knows teens well. She doesn't just write for them, she is one of them. Which makes her an amazing resource. Her list of what makes her stop reading a YA book is very thorough and a great resource for anyone coming up on an editing phase of a WIP.<br /><br />3) Awhile back, Lauren (over at Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf) had an <a href="http://laurenscrammedbookshelf.blogspot.com/2009/11/can-teenagers-really-fall-in-love-guest.html">amazing guest post</a> from author L.M. Preston. The subject? Whether teens can really fall in love. The answer? Love isn't reserved for old farts like me. Teens feel it, too, with an intensity that will probably keep me reading YA until my eyes fall out. Not only is teen love real, but if it could be bottled, Preston would call it "Love Potion #9." (Dangerous idea, bottling teen love. It could send the world into a frenzy.)<br /><br /><br />Wishing you all a Monday full of madness, but only the good kind.JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-78461526338997875562010-01-04T10:57:00.000-06:002010-01-04T10:57:00.349-06:00In my wrapping paper (and in other places)My husband reeked of awesomeness this Christmas. Don't believe me? Here's what he got me (granted, I gave him a wishlist with all of the books in it, but still!):<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willow-Julia-Hoban/dp/0803733569/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1"><strong>Willow</strong></a> by Julia Hoban<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hourglass-Door-Lisa-Mangum/dp/1606410938/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262581957&sr=1-1"><strong>The Hourglass Door</strong></a> by Lisa Mangum<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Need-Carrie-Jones/dp/1599904535/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262581985&sr=1-1"><strong>Need</strong></a> by Carrie Jones<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Before-I-Die-Jenny-Downham/dp/0385751834/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582017&sr=1-1"><strong>Before I Die</strong></a> by Jenny Downham<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Lies-My-Sister-Kate/dp/0823421791/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582127&sr=1-1"><strong>Secrets, Lies, and My Sister Kate</strong></a> by Belinda Hollyer<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/David-Inside-Out-Lee-Bantle/dp/0805081224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582172&sr=1-1"><strong>David Inside Out</strong></a> by Lee Bantle<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prophecy-Sisters-Trilogy-Book/dp/0316027421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582263&sr=1-1"><strong>Prophecy of the Sisters</strong></a> by Michelle Zink<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adoration-Jenna-Fox-Mary-Pearson/dp/0805076689/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0"><strong>The Adoration of Jenna Fox</strong></a> by Mary E. Pearson<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Missing-Girl-Norma-Fox-Mazer/dp/0064473651/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582416&sr=1-1"><strong>The Missing Girl</strong></a> by Norma Fox Mazer<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Devouring-Simon-Holt/dp/031602712X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582447&sr=1-1"><strong>The Devouring</strong></a> by Simon Holt<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cracked-Up-Be-Courtney-Summers/dp/B002MAQT4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582493&sr=1-1"><strong>Cracked up to Be</strong></a> by Courtney Summers<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Book-1-Lisa-McMann/dp/1416974474/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582524&sr=1-1"><strong>Wake</strong></a> by Lisa McMann<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sweethearts-Sara-Zarr/dp/0316014567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582555&sr=1-1"><strong>Sweethearts</strong></a> by Sara Zarr<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Your-Room-Jordanna-Fraiberg/dp/1595141936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582578&sr=1-1"><strong>In Your Room</strong></a> by Jordanna Fraiberg<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Living-Dead-Girl-Elizabeth-Scott/dp/1416960597/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0"><strong>Living Dead Girl</strong></a> by Elizabeth Scott<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Maze-Runner-Trilogy-Hardback/dp/0385737947/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262583083&sr=1-1"><strong>The Maze Runner</strong></a> by James Dashner (Okay, so I bought this one for him, but my reasons were at least half selfish, so I'm adding it to the list.)<br /><br />And then, when my mother-in-law asked what <em>she</em> should get me, he told her about these:<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Becca-Fitzpatrick/dp/1416989412/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582382&sr=1-1"><strong>Hush, Hush</strong></a> by Becca Fitzpatrick<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Divine-Bree-Despain/dp/1606840576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262582941&sr=1-1"><strong>The Dark Divine</strong></a> by Bree Despain<br /><br />AND ... if that wasn't enough, I ordered a few from Amazon (I know, I know, I definitely already had enough, but I realllly wanted <em>Beautiful Creatures</em>, and it was half off at Amazon at the time. Half. Off! I couldn't resist. Of course, I couldn't <em>just</em> get that one, because I needed to qualify for free super saver shipping. You understand. Right?):<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Creatures-Kami-Garcia/dp/0316042676/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262584197&sr=1-1"><strong>Beautiful Creatures</strong></a> by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Twins-Jacquelyn-Mitchard/dp/B001M4JKHM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262584241&sr=1-1"><strong>The Midnight Twins</strong></a> by Jacquelyn Mitchard<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/If-I-Stay-Gayle-Forman/dp/0525421033/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262584304&sr=1-1"><strong>If I Stay</strong></a> by Gayle Forman<br /><br />And, pre-Christmas, I bought a few from Borders (their coupons always get me!):<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Games-Suzanne-Collins/dp/0439023483/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262583742&sr=1-1"><strong>The Hunger Games</strong></a> by Suzanne Collins (got tired of waiting and waiting for the paperback and finally decided to bite the bullet)<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everafter-Amy-Huntley/dp/0061776793/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262583802&sr=1-1"><strong>The Everafter</strong></a> by Amy Huntley<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Knife-Never-Letting-Go-Walking/dp/0763645761/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262583895&sr=1-1"><strong>The Knife of Never Letting Go</strong></a> by Patrick Ness (may be the coolest title ever, and the first page is hilarious)<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Towns-John-Green/dp/014241493X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262583948&sr=1-1"><strong>Paper Towns</strong></a> by John Green<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Chemistry-Simone-Elkeles/dp/0802798225/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262583980&sr=1-1"><strong>Perfect Chemistry</strong></a> by Simone Elkeles<br /><br />ANDDDD ... if all that wasn't good enough, I won a signed copy of:<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Toy-Barry-Lyga/dp/0618723935/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0"><strong>Boy Toy</strong></a> by Barry Lyga <br /><br />And that's about it! Well okay, not really. Not even close, actually. In truth, I have several more on my bookshelf upstairs that I haven't had the chance to read yet, but if I add those, I'll just look like some book buying crazy that needs an intervention. <br /><br />I must warn you all: if you come to my house and try to take my books away and say that you're doing it because you love me, expect retaliation. <br /><br />Happy New Years to all!JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-39963948655082196692009-12-21T15:06:00.000-06:002009-12-21T17:25:57.832-06:00To all you honest scraps<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNs_UE44GV2hoUxUgbYrfqz2C4rH6qGN4-SeVyV38qBL2s5rqmZX6BDnvIWY3PagU7udAKPun5QQVDooo6NTFPkynNhJetQi06MxSFIsI6OBsFBafqWLRBYLOIEFPm201jHwrQLtKiGXk/s1600-h/honest+scrap.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNs_UE44GV2hoUxUgbYrfqz2C4rH6qGN4-SeVyV38qBL2s5rqmZX6BDnvIWY3PagU7udAKPun5QQVDooo6NTFPkynNhJetQi06MxSFIsI6OBsFBafqWLRBYLOIEFPm201jHwrQLtKiGXk/s320/honest+scrap.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417799470513623090" /></a><br /><br />Today (or technically, Saturday, when I was out procrastination-shopping and trying my best not to kill people), I became a recipient of the Honest Scrap award. (Thanks, <a href="http://www.weronikajanczuk.com/2009/12/scrap-of-honesty.html">Weronika</a>!) I've seen it floating around for awhile now, and I must say, I've been a little green behind the ears (figuratively only, I hope). <br /><br />So anywho. Rules are, I have to share 10 honest things about myself and then pass the Honest Scrap award on to 10 other "Scraptastic" (best word ever, I think) bloggers. Without further ado:<br /><br />1) I have had a horrible, no good, very bad month. Okay, it wasn't <em>that</em> bad, but it went something like this: (a) fell down in front of court house in the rain and sprained foot--too embarrassed to say anything, so ran away really quickly; (b) one week later to the day, fell down half of my stairs at home and REALLLLLY sprained same foot, plus hurt lots of other things and maybe hit my head on a porcelain dog bowl; (c) spent week on crutches and in foot brace thing; (d) finally got into shoes again (flats only--no heels yet!), and then picked up some sickness; (e) kept sickness for so long that throat closed up and had to get on steroids just to get food down; (f) worked late pretty much every day and spent no time writing; (g) realized about 3 weeks too late that I should start holiday shopping. But I'm better now, so it's all good. Here's to 2010--you can't get here soon enough. <br /><br />2) Sometimes, I can be long winded. If you made it through number 1, you probably realize this already. I'll attempt the brevity approach for 3-11.<br /><br />3) I'm a firm believer in a few, quality friends over a large quantity of acquaintances. <br /><br />4) I haven't had any time to write lately, but it's all I can think about doing. In fact, I get kind of pissy when I haven't met with my characters in awhile. I feel like I'm missing out on something super important. <br /><br />5) I used to be really good at forging signatures. I did it for all my friends in high school. Which made me totally cool. No, really. It did. (Okay, I was a total nerd. Let it go already.)<br /><br />6) I ask my husband a lot of weird questions that I know he has no idea how to answer--almost always related to something crazy I'm writing and don't feel like researching--because it amuses me almost as much as it amuses him. <br /><br />7) I try to like things that are cool, like foreign films and sushi, but I just don't like subtitles, and uncooked fish isn't my thing, no matter how much cream cheese you stuff in with it. <br /><br />8) I do, however, love middle eastern food. I could live off of gyros, kabobs, shish tawook, pita, hummus, and cucumber feta chicken. Heaven on a plate and in my mouth.<br /><br />9) If I could have any job in the world, I'd either be an author or that person who picks out music for television shows. Ideally, I'd be both. <br /><br />10) If my reading, writing, television, movie, and music selections are any indications, I don't think I'll ever grow up. Bring on the YA reads, the CW network, the <em>Bring it On</em>'s and the <em>Jimmy Eat World</em>/<em>Dashboard Confessional</em>s of the world. Forever teen at heart, here I come. <br /><br />__________________________________________________<br /><br />Now, this is typically the time when I'd pass this award along to 10 other Scraptastic bloggers. But the thing is ... SO many of my scrappy friends have received this award already, and I'm just not good at choosing! So what's a girl to do?<br /><br />I can either shriek and hide under the covers and pretend like I can't follow directions, or I can break the rules and ask you all: <br /><br />TELL ME SOMETHING HONEST ABOUT YOURSELF. ONE THING. 2 THINGS. TEN. WE ALL HAVE A LITTLE SCRAPPINESS IN US. AND IF YOU HAVEN'T SHARED IT YET, I'M DYING TO HEAR IT. <br /><br />Happy, Happy Holidays to all!JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-34284558314172087912009-12-01T09:16:00.000-06:002009-12-01T09:16:00.671-06:00Are you a writer?Words of inspiration from someone* who is:<br /><br /><em>" ... I didn't become a writer the first time I put pen to paper or when I finished my first book (easy) or my second one (hard). You see, in my view a writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, because everything she does is golden. In my view a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway. Wasn't until that night when I was faced with all those lousy pages that I realized, really realized, what it was exactly that I am."</em> <br /><br />You can find the full article <a href="http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200911-omag-junot-diaz-writing">here</a>. It's definitely worth a read.<br /><br />*Junot Díaz's novel, <em>The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao</em>, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2008.JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-84062721970432185322009-11-23T16:43:00.000-06:002009-11-23T16:45:41.953-06:00Bored now ...If you're freaked about whether your first 250 words are good enough, do yourself a favor and <a href="http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/7+Reasons+Agents+Stop+Reading+Your+First+Chapter.aspx">read this post</a>.<br /><br />That is all. Short and sweet. <br /><br />Happy Monday-is-almost-over to all!JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1397215857857031145.post-67492606518026352582009-11-17T08:58:00.000-06:002009-11-17T10:02:23.896-06:00If I were an agent, I'd need more meds.Have you ever heard of the Secret Agent contest? It's held once a month at <a href="http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/">this amazing blog</a>, and if you haven't checked it out before, you must. Basically, you enter the first 250 words of your completed work, and that month's Secret Agent reads the entries and picks one or more winners. These winners get really cool prizes, usually in the form of submitting a partial or (eek!) a full to the agent in question. <br /><br />Since my MS is nowhere near ready for public critique, I didn't submit this time. I did, however, attempt to comment on as many of the entries as possible. Here's what I learned this go-around:<br /><br />1) Being an agent must be tough. Agents are attentive, persistent, and patient. Really, <em>really</em> patient. In fact, they may be gods.<br /><br />2) I'm not crazy about people starting their stories with things like, "My momma always warned me not to play near rose bushes," or "My best friend, Roberta, always said that life is like a box of crayons." This kind of beginning sets itself up for an internal monologue or, worse, an info dump. And dumps aren't pretty, no matter what color you paint them. <br /><br />3) Typos are killer. Proofread, proofread, proofread. And, for the love of all things holy, proofread!<br /><br />4) Prologues: I could leave 'em or take 'em, so long as they don't read like backstory. Backstory makes me a little drowsy. And it kind of makes me cringe. <br /><br />5) And here's the real kicker: If you don't pull me in within the first 2 or 3 lines, you've lost me. I don't need you to start the story off with a literal BANG! (in fact, that's normally too much for me to handle); I just need you to start the story off where the story <em>actually</em> starts. Granted, my limited attention span has probably caused me to miss out on a few slow-building gems over the years, but it's also opened my eyes to the works of authors I'd never heard of before and just-so-happened to pick up one day, whilst wandering aimlessly through the bookstore (one of my favorite activities, by the way).<br /><br />Moral of the story? I may not be an agent, but I AM a reader, and an avid one at that. So, if you want me to read your stuff (and you might not; that's your perogative), then write something true (or truly fantastical), something honest (or honestly deceptive). Write something that is worth being said. And make sure you are able, from the beginning, to get a reader to care. Because if you can't do that, then the incredible world you've spent months (or even years) building may never make it any further than a word doc on your computer.JESSJORDANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08915521022827231804noreply@blogger.com9