Book Fair Buys

There was a Chapters book fair at the local high school, so I dropped in to nab a few titles. While browsing, I chatted with my favourite Chapters manager, Bryan, and his lovely assistant, Megan - who, on a side note, pointed me in the direction of a publicist looking for clients. Books and a possible marketing guru connection! The trip was well worth the drive in the icky sleet.

I purchased a few titles I’ve been dying to get my hands on:

hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick – sure, there was a lot of hype for this release, and "angels might be the new vampires..." as Megan said - but still – I read this one in a night and will be waiting for the next book.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray – my twitter friends had me itching for this title, they said it was hilarious and I don’t doubt it. A kid with mad cow disease, a punk angel, a dwarf and a yard gnome go on a warped journey as they search for a cure. There’s a combination I couldn’t resist.

For my hubbie and love of my life (which is handy, being that we’re hitched and all), I purchased Tim Hamilton’s graphic novel adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s, Fahrenheit 451. He might get to read it….but only when I’m finished.

Bryan and Megan recommended I try Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey. If you can read the back cover blurb without buying the book, you’re no fiend of mine. ;) They also suggested The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade. Canadian author and young adult steampunk thriller?! All too quickly, that gem joined my stack of finds.

And that was my little book shopping expedition at the high school book fair. Not too shabby. What have you picked up lately?

Nanowrimo- Week 1

How many of you are doing NaNoWrimo? Raise your hands! How many of you have started actually writing your NaNo novel? Raise your hands! If you have your hand raised, great job! Even putting down a few words each day is a huge accomplishment. There are too many distractions in our world today for most people to spend the small amount of free time they have, working on something fun, inspiring and creative. Just starting NaNoWrimo means you deserve a pat on the back.

Now comes the hard part. How many of you are on pace to finish on time? Raise your hands! I'm sure a few of you have had to put your hands down at this point, but don't fret! There is still plenty of time to catch up. The weekend is almost upon us, that is the great news. It's a great time to sit down with no other worries, throw dinner in a crock pot, tell your family it's time to write and just do it (now I sound like a Nike ad from the 90's).

So, congrats to all the NaNoWrimo participants out there. Feel good about yourself for taking this mighty task upon yourself. And for those who have yet to get started, there is still time. You can still sign up at NaNoWrimo.org and catch up to everyone. It seems like there are two different NaNo'ers. The ones who start strong, giving themselves a head start, but slow down in the end or those who have a slow start and have a marathon ending. Both work (trust me, I've done both-this is my 4th year participating), so don't worry if you're behind.

For those of you who are looking for a writing buddy, feel free to link up with me here. I'm always happy to have more word counts to stare at as mine stays in place.

So, for what you've all been waiting for, my word count! As I type this (on Thursday evening), I'm at 10,040. I've had some marathon of word wars to help my count! Thanks to everyone's participation in that!

Good luck on week 2 everyone! I'd love to see how all of you are doing in the comments section!

The Winner of the Halloween YA Book bundle is...

Llehn!

Congrats Llehn, you're the winner of the Halloween YA Book bundle. Please be sure to email us at YAedge AT yahoo DOT com. If you email us your address by Friday, I'll try and make a trip to the post office this weekend.

The winner was picked using a random number generator based on the numbering of the comments from the original post.

For all of the loyal blog commenters who didn't win, stay tuned for more giveaways in November!

Also, each Friday in the month of November, I'll be posting about my progress with NaNoWrimo. You can watch my daily progress and become my writing buddy here!

Have a great day everyone!

NaNoWriMo Begins

While I'm unable to participate with NaNo this year, I'm looking forward to reading about Tami's (and any YAedgers!) experiences this November. It's amazing what you can accomplish in 30 days. An entire first draft. Whoot! I know you can do it.

Don't forget to post comments to win Tami's tripple threat of YA reads in celebration of Halloween. Tonight's the last night!

And if you're in the mood for another contest, my publisher, Leap Books, has a badge contest going - you could win swag - maybe even an ARC of Under My Skin. Check it out: http://leapbks.blogspot.com/2009/11/leap-badge-no4.html

Good luck, my NaNo friends....let the writing begin!

To End the Month of Halloween: A Contest!!

To end the Halloween spirit on a high note, we're giving away free books! To enter, just comment in this post for a chance at not one book, but THREE! That's right, I've bundled three books that I loved and would be happy to pass on. I've tried to pick books with the Halloween-type theme. Good luck to all! Please comment by Sunday, November 1 at 10:00pm PST. I will post the one winner on Wednesday, November 4.

Please have a safe and fun Halloween! Eat tons of candy and watch your favorite spooky movie! Want a tip on a few classic horror films? Check out my post from a few weeks ago here.

On another note, don't forget to set your clocks back one hour before going to bed Saturday night, as we are moving back to Standard time (or at least those of you who live in an area that changes their clock for daylight savings.

We gain an hour, which is great news for all participating in NaNoWrimo this year. I'll be posting about my trip through NaNoWrimo this year here at YAedge. Stay tuned! If you need a NaNo buddy or just want to follow my progress, search for me under username Seeker4! The more the merrier.

Now, what you have all been waiting for...the list of free books!


Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer (Paperback)

From Amazon: Thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod really hates junior high. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: He’s being hunted by a vampire killer.





Spirit by J.P. Hightman (ARC)

From BN.com: Now, ages later, in the cold, dark heart of the Victorian era—an age of black clothes and black moods—one train is bound for Blackthorne, near Salem, where a winter carnival awaits. The cars are full of the promise of fireworks, sleigh rides, and skating. But for Tess and Tobias Goodraven, this train will take them to a place much darker than they imagined.

Even a seasoned pair of ghost hunters like Tess and Tobias didn't expect a witch like Old Mother Malgore—a witch who stalks the forests, silent as snowfall, hunting, hungering. When the train derails and the casualties climb, the Goodravens must bridge the gap between past and present tragedies if they have any chance of quieting the souls of the living, the dead, and the haunted.

In J. P. Hightman's richly woven story of ghosts and witchcraft, the simple is sinister, the dead stalk the living, and the only real weapon is love.

I heart you, You haunt me by Lisa Schroeder (paperback)

From Amazon:

Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back...

...sort of.

Ava can't see him or touch him, unless she's dreaming. She can't hear hisvoice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she'scrazy, but she knows he's here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. He's back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

Leap Books Halloween Exclusive Reads

My publisher is having a cool promotion that blends Teen Read Week with Halloween. Enjoy two free reads by YA paranormal authors, Kitty Keswick - and me, under my pen name, Judith Graves.

They're spooky, fun, romantic reads, just for you!

My story, Old Flames Die Hard, features characters that also appear in my debut novel, Under My Skin (March 27, 2010). It's kind of cool to know a smidge about the paranormal activity in the small town of Redgrave - before you really get dumped in it when you ready UMS. Cause you're gonna read it, right? ;)

Anyway, here's the official press release:

To Carve or Not to Carve...Pumpkin Carving Tips

I don't know about you, but I love carving pumpkins. The smell that erupts from a pumpkin when you take off the top, the goo inside that stains your hands orange. There is nothing like it. I thought today I would give some pumpkin carving tips that I keep in mind as I carve each year. Remember, you're never too old to carve a pumpkin!

1. When picking your pumpkin, make sure to find one that doesn't have any cuts or bruises. These two issues can cause molding/drying out/becoming mushy. Also, make sure it is a good shape, one with at least one side good for carving. One of the things I find important is the stem. I love a pumpkin with a good stem that makes it easy to carve and also take the top off by.

2. One of the things people don't think to do is wipe your pumpkin clean. It's easier to tell what is the best side to carve, avoiding all imperfections. Make sure to dry it off once it looks clean.

3. When cutting the "lid" of the pumpkin, make sure to cut in slanted so that the lid will be able to sit in the pumpkin. A secret I usually do is to cut a notch so that you know how the lid fits back on.

4. Here's the gooey part. You can use just about anything to scoop out the seeds and strings, but the best thing I've found it an ice cream scoop. This leaves the inside of your pumpkin super clean without any of the stringiness that tends to make carving harder and can even catching on fire (if you use traditional candles).

5. I usually separate the cleaner seeds (and I also clean them in a colander and blot them dry) and put them on a cookie sheet. I salt the seeds (garlic salt or seasoning salt is good too) and then put them in the oven (at 250-275F) until they are starting to turn golden. It usually takes about an hour and make sure to turn them over a few times.

6. Now that you have a sparkly clean pumpkin, inside and out, you get to carve it! I usually search Google for patterns. You can find a ton of great free ones and will make your pumpkin look like it was carved by a professional.

Just print it out on your home printer, slit the corners and tape it to your pumpkin. To "trace" the pattern to your pumpkin, use a toothpick or something of the sort (closed scissors that come to a point work or even sharper tweesers) to make little holes/marks along the parts you want to carve. Make sure you make enough that you can see the pattern once you untape the paper from your pumpkin. Once you're sure you'll be able to see it, take the paper off and keep it near you to verify as you go. They make many tools that are kid friendly to make the actual cuts. If you are an adult and feel comfortable, a semi dull knife (but sharper than a butter knife) will cut into the pumpkin smoothly. Small, even, slow cuts should get the job done. If you rush it, especially when the shapes get very close, the pumpkin skin can collapes. If this happens, and a piece that is important to you design starts to come out or is totally detached, you can reattach with a toothpick inside. It won't be as good as new, but at least people will still be able to see what your design is all about.

7. This is the most important part of the whole process, make sure to have fun. We usually put newspaper down on the dining room table where we can see the TV and watch a scary movie. It will get you in the Halloween spirit!

8. Remember not to put your pumpkin out or even carve too early, or it will dry out (or if you live somewhere moist, will mold). Dusk is a great time to get a good picture of your little beauty! I'll try and take some pictures of my pumpkin this year to share with you all next week!