Thanks so much everyone for coming to play at my blog last week. You guys made it easy for me to choose the winner because only ONE of you picked the right answer...
Congratulations, Taffy! You chose #3, which focused on Sarah's popularity and the possibility of her having her high school renamed in her honor...because she's cool like that. :) Email me with your address and I'll get your copy in the mail! aubreymace@yahoo.com
If you didn't win, come back next week for the chance to win a copy of The Mark, a YA novel by a great new author, M. R. Bunderson. I was lucky enough to preview it before it was released, and it's awesome!
In other news, I'm very excited that LDStorymakers is finally almost here, and I'm hoping to see lots of you folks there. My goal this year is to be less shy and self-conscious, which is pretty much my goal in any social situation/event I attend. One of these days I'll figure out how to be more charming and less wallflowerish. Any advice you guys might have on how to accomplish that would be much appreciated!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
My friend Sarah, who is ever so much more interesting than I am
My friend Sarah Eden has recently released a new book, Courting Miss Lancaster.
This was a BIG event for me.
After I read Seeking Persephone, I started buying Sarah's other books on Amazon as fast as I could afford to... until they were suddenly unavailable. Hopefully (fingers crossed) they will eventually be re-released so I can snatch up the ones I'm missing. Needless to say, I was thrilled to have something new to read from her.
I waited as patiently as I could for her big launch party, which I almost didn't make it to because I have a disease called TLS, or Terminally Lost Syndrome. (For those of you unfamiliar with the symptoms, TLS is characterized by sudden feelings of confusion and hopelessness coinciding with travel outside your 10-15 mile comfort bubble. It is also marked by periods of fervent prayer alternating with bouts of mild cursing.)
Anyway, I digress. The point that I was trying to get to was that because of my self-imposed Whitney reading and various other situations that popped up, I had to set it aside for almost a whole month before I actually got to read it. For a naturally impatient person, I think that this showed a remarkable amount of restraint on my part.
When I finally had the chance to dive in, let me assure you that it was worth the wait. Sarah is the modern-day master of Regency romance. (Those of you who had the chance to read Seeking Persephone know what I'm talking about. In fact, as a side item, Sarah is giving away a mystery item on her blog this month-- unless I am mistaken, I think it's a copy of Seeking Persephone. You definitely don't want to miss this opportunity, since this is the ONLY place you can currently find a copy. Go here and enter! http://www.sarahmeden.com/ )
I love this genre, but it's getting harder and harder to find a Regency romance that isn't, how shall we say, rather smutty. I know that I never have to worry about this with her books; I can count on her for the heart-pounding romance without having to frantically flip through something I'd rather not see.
So... I picked up an extra copy of Courting Miss Lancaster, and if you're willing to play my little game, it could be yours! Sarah has been kind enough to provide us with three rather interesting and little-known facts about herself, only one of which is true. And since she has a very vivid imagination, it might be slightly tricky to pick the right one. Everyone gets one guess, and the winner gets the signed copy of Courting Miss Lancaster. If more than one person picks the correct answer, our lovely friends at random.org will make the final decision. The contest will close on Saturday, April 17th at midnight, and the winner will be announced on the following Monday.
Here are your choices:
Extra-special glimpse into Sarah's life #1:
When I was five, I invented a new game: Roller-skate golf. In our backyard we had a big ol' concrete slab that doubled as a basketball court and a tether ball court. In the middle of this bit of suburban heaven was a hold into which the tether ball pole was inserted. Being the wise girl I was, I put two and two together. Before long I had my roller skates on, a stick from one of our citrus trees and all the ping pong balls from the ping pong table. I am still a crack shot on a putting green.
When I was five, I invented a new game: Roller-skate golf. In our backyard we had a big ol' concrete slab that doubled as a basketball court and a tether ball court. In the middle of this bit of suburban heaven was a hold into which the tether ball pole was inserted. Being the wise girl I was, I put two and two together. Before long I had my roller skates on, a stick from one of our citrus trees and all the ping pong balls from the ping pong table. I am still a crack shot on a putting green.
Extra-special glimpse into Sarah's life #2:
Apparently having a kid in the front of the class whose legs swing incessantly because they don't reach the ground is excessively annoying. I was that kid.
My sixth grade teacher was a riot--just about the funniest guy ever. He liked to give me a hard time about being small and I liked to give him a hard time about being old. He officially won the ongoing battle, however, the day I arrived at school and my chair had been replaced by one he'd taken from the kindergarten classroom. I sat in it all day, without a hint of annoyance. I think that really took the wind out of his sails. By the next day, I had my real chair back.
Apparently having a kid in the front of the class whose legs swing incessantly because they don't reach the ground is excessively annoying. I was that kid.
My sixth grade teacher was a riot--just about the funniest guy ever. He liked to give me a hard time about being small and I liked to give him a hard time about being old. He officially won the ongoing battle, however, the day I arrived at school and my chair had been replaced by one he'd taken from the kindergarten classroom. I sat in it all day, without a hint of annoyance. I think that really took the wind out of his sails. By the next day, I had my real chair back.
Extra-special glimpse into Sarah's life #3:
I was EXTREMELY popular in High School. I had so many friends, I often had to hold a raffle to determine who would have the pleasure of sitting by me at lunch. Freshman, blinded by the glow of my amazingness, regularly followed me to calculus and physics just for the opportunity to be near me. There has been talk in recent years, in fact there was talk while I was a student, of renaming the school in my honor.
I was EXTREMELY popular in High School. I had so many friends, I often had to hold a raffle to determine who would have the pleasure of sitting by me at lunch. Freshman, blinded by the glow of my amazingness, regularly followed me to calculus and physics just for the opportunity to be near me. There has been talk in recent years, in fact there was talk while I was a student, of renaming the school in my honor.
Okay, time to put on your thinking caps and start guessing! (Hmmm. Maybe they should be guessing caps instead.) Good luck to everyone!
*Also, Rachel Ann Nunes has a new paranormal novel out called Imprints that I am really excited to read. She's having a contest on her blog starting April 15th to spread the word about it, and she's giving away a $50 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice. Make sure you stop by and enter! http://www.rachelannnunes.blogspot.com/
Friday, April 2, 2010
The Agony of Defeat
*Disclaimer* I'm not feeling quite as jolly as I was the first time I composed this post-- before the Blogger malfunctioned and ATE IT. Any snark contained in this post is a result of the aforementioned glitch and is purely unintentional. Thank you for your patience.
So, the Whitney votes are due tomorrow at midnight, and despite my best efforts there is no way I'm going to buzz through five more books before tomorrow. I'm a fast reader, but I'm not THAT fast. The good news is that I'll be able to finish #25 so I can vote in every category except one... and Best Book of the Year. It's been so much fun getting a chance to read the nominees, and I read some awesome stuff that I might not have picked up otherwise. I wanted to give a shout out to the nominated authors-- the quality of the novels that LDS authors are putting out just gets better every year, and I am awed by your work and honored to be numbered among you.
Stop by my blog for some fun stuff in the coming weeks, including giveaways of new novels from authors like Sarah Eden and M.R. Bunderson. Trust me-- you do not want to miss these books!
Also, Rachael Renee Anderson (author of Divinely Designed) is doing a giveaway on her blog in April for some great books, one of which happens to be My Fairy Grandmother. So hop on over there and start counting jellybeans! http://www.rachaelreneeanderson.blogspot.com/
Happy Easter, all!
So, the Whitney votes are due tomorrow at midnight, and despite my best efforts there is no way I'm going to buzz through five more books before tomorrow. I'm a fast reader, but I'm not THAT fast. The good news is that I'll be able to finish #25 so I can vote in every category except one... and Best Book of the Year. It's been so much fun getting a chance to read the nominees, and I read some awesome stuff that I might not have picked up otherwise. I wanted to give a shout out to the nominated authors-- the quality of the novels that LDS authors are putting out just gets better every year, and I am awed by your work and honored to be numbered among you.
Stop by my blog for some fun stuff in the coming weeks, including giveaways of new novels from authors like Sarah Eden and M.R. Bunderson. Trust me-- you do not want to miss these books!
Also, Rachael Renee Anderson (author of Divinely Designed) is doing a giveaway on her blog in April for some great books, one of which happens to be My Fairy Grandmother. So hop on over there and start counting jellybeans! http://www.rachaelreneeanderson.blogspot.com/
Happy Easter, all!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Why does it always rain on me? (and other Friday wisdom)
I was contemplaing making this a regular event on my blog--who couldn't use more wisdom, right? But then I realized that inspiration (for me, at least) doesn't really arrive in a regularly scheduled slot. So here it is for what it's worth... and you probably won't see it again for a while.
I decided this morning to start a campaign-- no more snow after the first day of spring. I'd like to know how many of you I could count on for signatures if I sent around a petition. Which got me thinking...
See, I have this lovely large wall of windows in the office where I work that overlook the mountains/industrial Murray. When I arrived this morning it was dark and gloomy, and the minute I made it through the door it started snowing like crazy. I guess I should have been grateful that I made it inside before the blizzard started, but it was hard to find the bright side when it looked like I might need snowshoes to make it to my car tonight.
But twenty minutes later the snow had stopped, and the sun was trying to shine through the clouds. (Which are, granted, still a bit gloomy.) But it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. It wasn't one of the signs of the Apocalypse. It wasn't the three feet of slush I was dreading.
If I was a Disney character, I'd probably be Eeyore. At least 75% of the things I stress about never even happen. But when I was little, I wanted to be Pollyanna. Every time I watched that movie, I'd decide I was going to play the Glad Game. For a while, I'd be really successful. "What? A rock in my shoe? Well, I could be glad because I have FEET!" But it didn't take long before I'd slack off-- something relatively minor would knock me off my perch of gratitude and I was back where I started.
I think sometimes I need a reminder that life isn't nearly as dire as I'm expecting it to be, and I'd save myself a lot of unnecessary anguish if I'd brighten my outlook just a tad. I'm working on planning for the sun and moaning about the three feet of slush IF AND ONLY IF it is currently soaking into my shoes. I'm going to focus on worrying about the things I have some control over and letting the rest go.
Aaaannnd it's starting to snow again. Sigh. But maybe I'll be good at snowshoeing!
P.S. Current books read: 22 :) But... only one week to go. :(
I decided this morning to start a campaign-- no more snow after the first day of spring. I'd like to know how many of you I could count on for signatures if I sent around a petition. Which got me thinking...
See, I have this lovely large wall of windows in the office where I work that overlook the mountains/industrial Murray. When I arrived this morning it was dark and gloomy, and the minute I made it through the door it started snowing like crazy. I guess I should have been grateful that I made it inside before the blizzard started, but it was hard to find the bright side when it looked like I might need snowshoes to make it to my car tonight.
But twenty minutes later the snow had stopped, and the sun was trying to shine through the clouds. (Which are, granted, still a bit gloomy.) But it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. It wasn't one of the signs of the Apocalypse. It wasn't the three feet of slush I was dreading.
If I was a Disney character, I'd probably be Eeyore. At least 75% of the things I stress about never even happen. But when I was little, I wanted to be Pollyanna. Every time I watched that movie, I'd decide I was going to play the Glad Game. For a while, I'd be really successful. "What? A rock in my shoe? Well, I could be glad because I have FEET!" But it didn't take long before I'd slack off-- something relatively minor would knock me off my perch of gratitude and I was back where I started.
I think sometimes I need a reminder that life isn't nearly as dire as I'm expecting it to be, and I'd save myself a lot of unnecessary anguish if I'd brighten my outlook just a tad. I'm working on planning for the sun and moaning about the three feet of slush IF AND ONLY IF it is currently soaking into my shoes. I'm going to focus on worrying about the things I have some control over and letting the rest go.
Aaaannnd it's starting to snow again. Sigh. But maybe I'll be good at snowshoeing!
P.S. Current books read: 22 :) But... only one week to go. :(
Friday, March 19, 2010
Four words...
New.
Moon.
Release.
Tonight.
I know-- I'm such a geek. But I make no apologies.
Oh, and if you haven't seen the trailer for Eclipse yet, go here. www.stepheniemeyer.com
And if you're a geek like me, I hope to see you at Walmart tonight!
P.S. Whitney update! Current books read: 19
(Um, it's been a busy week. I guess I should be at home reading instead of out gallavanting at Walmart at midnight with a million screaming teens at least a decade younger than I am. Maybe if I pretend I went out for something responsible like vitamins and just happened to be there for the release...?)
Moon.
Release.
Tonight.
I know-- I'm such a geek. But I make no apologies.
Oh, and if you haven't seen the trailer for Eclipse yet, go here. www.stepheniemeyer.com
And if you're a geek like me, I hope to see you at Walmart tonight!
P.S. Whitney update! Current books read: 19
(Um, it's been a busy week. I guess I should be at home reading instead of out gallavanting at Walmart at midnight with a million screaming teens at least a decade younger than I am. Maybe if I pretend I went out for something responsible like vitamins and just happened to be there for the release...?)
Friday, March 12, 2010
Book signing/Whitney update
I know this is short notice, but I've been out of town and my blog is one of the things that got neglected. (Big surprise, right?)
Three of my FAVORITE authors will be signing books tonight at the Deseret Book in Orem from 6-8 pm. If you're in the area, you should definitely check it out! Sarah Eden, Annette Lyon and Julie Coulter Bellon all have new books coming out this month and I'm so excited! Julie also has a very cool charity called Water for Warriors-- she's collecting beverage items to be distributed to the military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Go here for more information. http://juliebellon.com/
And without further adieu... the Whitney update. (I know you've been biting your fingernails with anticipation.)
Current books read: 17
So, I may have been just a tad bit optimistic when I said I was confident that I was going to be able to get through all the nominees. *ducks head in shame* It seems that I failed to factor in things like unexpected projects and vacation and... sleep. But I'm still forging ahead and I'm going to give it my best shot!
Three of my FAVORITE authors will be signing books tonight at the Deseret Book in Orem from 6-8 pm. If you're in the area, you should definitely check it out! Sarah Eden, Annette Lyon and Julie Coulter Bellon all have new books coming out this month and I'm so excited! Julie also has a very cool charity called Water for Warriors-- she's collecting beverage items to be distributed to the military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Go here for more information. http://juliebellon.com/
And without further adieu... the Whitney update. (I know you've been biting your fingernails with anticipation.)
Current books read: 17
So, I may have been just a tad bit optimistic when I said I was confident that I was going to be able to get through all the nominees. *ducks head in shame* It seems that I failed to factor in things like unexpected projects and vacation and... sleep. But I'm still forging ahead and I'm going to give it my best shot!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Whitney update- Week 2
It's been a good week-- very productive. I wanted to pat myself on the back or reward myself with chocolate until I realized how far I still have to go. Still...
Current books read: 12
I'm pretty sure that if I can keep up this pace, I'm going to finish. YAY! But I don't want to be counting my chickens before they're hatched... or pages before they're read. Anyway, I'm SO excited with the stuff that I've read so far. It's going to be pretty hard to choose when it's time to vote.
Here's an interesting article about some excellent books that WEREN'T nominated.
http://segullah.org/book-review/whitney-2010-nominees/ I can think of a few books that I loved that I really wanted to make it that weren't there either.
Also, here's an awesome giveaway on my pal Sue's blog that you won't want to miss!
http://borrowedlight.blogspot.com/2010/02/giveaway-compaq-cq10-mini-netbook.html
Current books read: 12
I'm pretty sure that if I can keep up this pace, I'm going to finish. YAY! But I don't want to be counting my chickens before they're hatched... or pages before they're read. Anyway, I'm SO excited with the stuff that I've read so far. It's going to be pretty hard to choose when it's time to vote.
Here's an interesting article about some excellent books that WEREN'T nominated.
http://segullah.org/book-review/whitney-2010-nominees/ I can think of a few books that I loved that I really wanted to make it that weren't there either.
Also, here's an awesome giveaway on my pal Sue's blog that you won't want to miss!
http://borrowedlight.blogspot.com/2010/02/giveaway-compaq-cq10-mini-netbook.html
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