Happy Friday!

You might have seen these already. But they're worth watching again.

I &hearts James Franco

This made me laugh.

On Waiting

Someone told me and subsequently I tell other people, the two most important things for a writer to have in this industry: Patience and Persistence.

But the truth is...

Waiting is torment.  Yet people require it of you at every stage of the road to publication.

When you're looking for an agent: if the process is at it's quickest, you wait for agents to read the query, your ms gets requests, and you wait for the agent to read and respond.

Once you have an agent: you go out on submission and wait for editors to respond.

Once you have an editor and a book deal: you wait for your contract, you wait for your editorial notes, you wait for your copy edits, you wait for your cover, you wait to see your manuscript actually become a book.

The thing is, for all the waiting writers do, industry professionals are also waiting right along side them.

Many of the offers of representation I've made, I've waited to find out whether or not that writer would choose me (all the while, going "pick me, pick me!" and annoying everyone in my office with my constant "But I'll die if I don't get it" whining).  When I go out on submission with a manuscript, I'm waiting for editors to read (cue more annoying whining everyone in the office has to deal with - I'm horribly impatient).

Editors also have to wait.  During auctions, they're waiting to hear if they're going to be able to get the book they love so much.  When buying a book, they often have to wait for approval from bosses, from sales and marketing.  Then they wait for the art department for the cover and the booksellers for the order numbers and then the reviewers, bloggers, and book buying public to hear how the book does.

So, how do we cope with all this waiting?

I read more and throw myself into long hours at work (and whine to my colleagues).  Which works for me.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Because I don't want to ruin anything for anyone else - ah! the twists!  All I can say is, after reading Clockwork Angel (in a day), I'm rereading The Mortal Instruments Trilogy because I'm dying to stay in Cassandra Clare's world.

A century before the events of The Mortal Instruments, another everyday heroine gets entangled with demon-slaying Shadowhunters. Sixteen-year-old Tessa comes to London to join her brother, but is imprisoned by the grotesque Dark Sisters. The sisters train Tessa in previously unknown Shapeshifter abilities, preparing her to be a pawn in some diabolical game. A timely rescue brings Tessa to the Institute, where a group of misfit Shadowhunters fight evil. Though details differ, the general flavor of Tessa’s new family wil be enjoyably familiar to the earlier trilogy’s fans; the most important is Tessa’s rescuer Will, the gorgeous, sharp-tongued teenager with a mysterious past and a smile like “Lucifer might have smiled, moments before he fell from Heaven.” The lush, melodromatic urban fantasy setting of the Shadowhunter world morphs seamlessly into a steampunk Victorian past . . . this crowd-pleaser’s tension-filled conclusion ratchets toward a new set of mysteries. — Kirkus

Check out Cassandra Clare's website for information about signings and upcoming events!

All the Single Ladies...

Thanks to Beth for forwarding this to me.  Made my morning :)

DUFF Winner!

After deliberating and getting people in the office to weigh in, we have a winner of Acronym Short Story Contest!

Honorable Mentions:

Funniest Use of BOY as an acronym
Red Boot Pearl (3:31 pm) with Boneheaded Odoriferous Yetis Suck

Best Scene From My Life
Jenn Marie (2:25 pm)

Best Use of an Animal Acronym
MarissaV (4:21 pm) with BIRD: Boy In Rampant Denial

Best Twist I Didn't See Coming
Shoshana Beaubahna (6:19 pm)

Best Paranormal Entry
Mandy (8:35 pm)

Best Use of the DUFF Characters
Quizzical Feline (2:10 pm)

Best Take on Fictional Characters
Bookaholic (1:11 am)

Best Knock on Real People
Paul C Mercer (6:32 pm)

Second Place
Too Cute (11:31 pm) with:
“Dude, check her out.” Ryan jerked his head at the blonde sitting at the bar.


“Which one?” I asked.


“Which one? Are you shitting me?”


“Yeah, but why should I even bother looking?” I shrugged. “I’m just gonna end up with her crazy, annoying friend.”


Ryan shot another look at her longs legs, licking his lips unconsciously. “How do you even know she came with someone?” he said, starting to ease off his barstool.


“The hot ones always do. And when I’m with you, I get stuck with them.”


“What are you talking about?”


“I’m a PAW. Perpetually a Wingman.”

And the Winner is...


"Bye, Elmo." I said, ignoring his bewildered expression.


I headed to the rest room, conferred with Myself in the reflection. I didn't need him, or the dozens like him, the LMOEs. I had standards and he wasn't meeting them.


With a grin at Myself, I repeated the mantra, "Not if you were the Last Man On Earth."


Congratulations Patty Blount (12:39 pm)! Send me your mailing address and I'll be glad to send you the signed ARC of The DUFF.

Thank you to everyone who participated - especially everyone who entered multiple times. Your entries rocked!

Because I have a dog like this too...

And he's sweet and pretty, but just not very smart.

This cracked me up.

If there was any doubt before...

Twilight has hit the big time. It's getting it's own feature film parody.

Vampires Suck



Thanks to the fabulous Carey Corp for sending this my way.

Who Wants an ARC of The DUFF?

Because I have one - and it's signed by none other than the lovely and fabulous Kody Keplinger.

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.


But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.


Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.


Now, how can you get your hands on my signed ARC?  You must win a writing contest! (hey, these are fun).

The DUFF is an acronym for The Designated Ugly Fat Friend.  In the book, Bianca first learns of the acronym when Wesley is calling her The DUFF (she douses him with her drink before that night is over).

To win, you need to write a short story - 100 words or less - introducing a new acronym that applies to Boys (note: your acronym doesn't have to be BOYS, it just has to apply to them).

You have until midnight on Monday 7/12!

Enter as many times as you want.

And we have a winner!

We had 98 entries in the contest for the Personal Demons ARC, and I can't even begin to tell you how many made me laugh out loud when they showed up.  For the past few days I've been reading blog comments out loud in the office.

For those who wondered, I have four dogs.  Their names are: Sage, Epic, Slevin, and Fate.

(here we are lounging)

Then of course Dan is Dan of the Release the Krokos stardom.

Onto more important things, such as winners.

Best Entry by a Colleague:
Suzie's Fan Club (7:58pm)

Best Use of "Sage":
Lauren Jean (5:29pm)

Best Use of a Celine Dion Song Lyric:
Deb (11:52pm) with My heart will go on


Dan's Favorite:
ally (10:02pm)

Best Multi-Lingual Pun:
jdh (11:59am)

Best Inclusion of the Personal Demons storyline:
Quizzical Feline (4:28pm)

“You don’t understand,” Gabe said. “There’s an epic battle for your soul.”

“It’s not really a battle,” Luc said. “Fate, Dan and Slevin already decided the outcome.”

“Who’re they?” Frannie asked.

“I’ll explain later. For now, come with me.”

“Yeah. If you want to die. Come with me.”

She looked between them. The safe choice was the angel. So she chose the demon.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, her guided her to the water’s edge.

“Release the Krokos!”

As the sea began to boil, and a sage-colored light lit the demon’s maniacal grin, she understood.

Fate screwed her.

Second Place
Erin Kelly (10:58pm)

And the winner of the Personal Demons ARC is:


(our whole office laughed at this one) 


“Release the—”


“Krokos! Get your ass in here.”


“Yes, Ms. Janet?”


“Don’t you try and tempt fate again, Danny boy. If I’ve told you once—hell, that should be enough. Don’t fraternize with Suzie. You’re getting her all confused and googly-eyed. She needs to focus, Krokos. Focus.”


“Yes, Ms. Janet. Sage advice, Ms. Janet.”


“What were you two doing out there anyway?”


“Practicing lines. She’s up for the starring role in FinePrint’s community theater rendition of Bill and Slevin’s Epic Adventure. She’s having trouble with the...you know—love scene.”


“FinePrint doesn’t have a community theater.”


“Oh.”

“Suzie!”

Congratualtions to justwritecat (12:34pm), our winner. Send me your mailing address and I'll be glad to send you the ARC of Personal Demons.

Thank you to everyone who participated. Your entries rocked!

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

I wasn't thrilled with the ending of Blood Promise, the fourth book in the Vampire Academy series, and I was worried that Spirit Bound would be have a lot of the same plot.

I was so wrong.  Spirit Bound was the best installment yet.  And with this cliffhanger ending, I can't wait for book six.

Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong...


After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri's birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's-and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives beyond the Academy's iron gates to begin. But Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he's out there, somewhere.


She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. And this time he won't rest until Rose joins him... forever.