2012 Goals

2011 was a successful year:

• Finished my first manuscript
• Did a rough edit of my first manuscript
• Participated in my first NaNoWriMo and won my first
• Finished my second manuscript
• Met a lot of awesome writers and received a lot of amazing feedback
• Got married
• Had my best friend and her new boyfriend move in (also my brother-in-law)

Writing Goals for 2012:

• Complete the #500WIP Challenge (set forth by Cara Michaels) - Write 500 words a day, every day
• Find an agent (or at least query all the agents on my "top" list for my first manuscript)
• Edit my second manuscript 
• Midway through the year (June or July) query those same agents for my second manuscript (if none picked up the first, that is)
• Finish the following manuscripts:
• Rioss Book One
• Kingdom of Obsession
• A Good Criminal Heart
• 2042
• Edit and package Rioss to be queried in the fourth quarter of the year

Personal Life Goals for 2012:

• Find a day job where I work directly with people and/or animals:
• USC, UCLA, or a college position (student services, student housing, student life, etc.)
• Dog trainer, dog walker, kennel worker, etc.
• Finish a few crafting projects
• Sewing/redesigning the purple dress
• Create and sell more light switch plates
• Finish my Legend of Zelda painting
• Finish the tree of life painting
• Finish the sunset painting

Reading Goals for 2012:

• Create one monthly giveaway each month
• Participate actively in the To Be Read Pile Challenge
• Read at least three books a month

I tend to think big and set my hopes high for each year.  But I'm hoping that I can come back to this list and keep myself on track.  It helps that I'm now part of certain groups that will hold me accountable (like #WIP500 and TBR Pile Challenge).

And of course, my ultimate goal:  Enjoy every minute of it.  So far so good.

Destash Blog Hop

Most of you probably don't know that I help run Adorning Schemes with my cohort, house mate, and best friend (or heterosexual life mate) Lorelai.  We had so much junk floating around our house that her boyfriend (my brother-in-law) and my husband were getting very frustrated.

We kept making excuses - "No!  There's so many awesome things we can do with a used pillowcase!"  But we finally had to admit:  There were just too many things for us to nearly complete all of our desired projects.  With my writing and reading goals, it seemed a little impossible to finish most of what I had started.

So we came up with the Destash Hop idea.  This is Week One.  As such, you post about what you are purging - click on the button for more details and to sign up.  You can sign up any time, it's lasting all January.

My Purge:

• Old PlayStation and XBox video games, listed on Amazon, actually sold a few of them for some decent cash.  Sold some of them at NextGen and put that money towards new games for the New Year.  Bonus:  I traded in my old XBox that was just collecting dust!
• Full Screen DVDs:  Who on earth uses Full Screen anymore?  Who knows, but the quality is terrible now that we have a blue ray player and a nice TV.  Managed on getting about $15 back on all of them.  Some I managed to trade into Amazon.com for credit, but I tried to take them to Amoeba first (they didn't accept 1/2 of the ones that amazon did).
• Lorelai and I gave a few things that we couldn't sell over to Goodwill.  I donated two text books that cost me $100 each when I first got them - they are now for sale used for pennies.  I figured it would be better to donate them at this rate.
• Old books:  Surprisingly, a few of the ones I had sold fast.  One of the ones I had I managed on making $3 off of the original price - that doesn't sound like a lot, but when you want cash fast, it's nice to make money instead of losing it.

Do you want to sign up?  You still can!  All throughout January, we are encouraging people to do some early spring cleaning/destashing and "shedding" 2011 once and for all!  Good luck, everyone!

Monthly Book Recommendations

Happy New Year!  If you are anything like me, you are probably feeling a little under the weather this morning.  Though I don't party like I used to (college is only two and a half years behind me, but it seems like a lifetime ago), I do love the beginning of another year!  A few glasses of wine or champagne, and I can celebrate a new year with my beloved husband.  We go into part two of our first year as a married couple - and it has been brilliant so far.

We have arguments, sure.  And sometimes, for an outsider looking in, you might think "What on earth are they doing together?!"  But five seconds later, you blink and you miss it, we're back at our best.  You think, "There is no one better suited to be together."  That argument that seemed to last a lifetime was no longer than five minutes.

And most of the moments we spend together?  Perfect.  In every way.  I even love the arguments, because they prove that we still have our own opinions and thoughts - we were not put on this earth just to please each other, but to push each other to be our best.  And that's what he makes me, he pushes me to be my best.

But enough kind words for the man in my life, here's what you all were waiting for!   
The monthly recommendations:

Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster
YA Science Fiction

You are now obsolete.  Everyone else has been upgraded, save our main character and a handle of other people.  Kyle has been left behind.  Mike Lancaster paints the story as a teenager would, giving the key details, but leaves out a massive amount of description, but he gives us enough.  It is a fast paced book that flies by.  It's a simpler story with a straightforward plot - but it is very interesting nonetheless.  I like it, and describe it as another "snack read."  At the end, I was satisfied, but I wanted a bit more from Kyle's story.  There is apparently, according to Goodreads, a book titled 1.4 coming out in January.  I don't see how this novel could have a sequel, but I would still be interested in reading it.

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
YA Sci-Fi

Guys... you must.  This book.  This.  It is one of the best YA romances I've read in awhile - and it has zombies!  ZOMBIES!  The fact that our beloved main character, Nora, takes a good half the book to really fall in love with Bram, it makes it that much more touching.  It is believable, even though he's totally and completely dead.  And Habel takes some liberties with story telling, every chapter is from a different character's point of view.  And it is done quite flawlessly.  Her use of Victorian language, the style of prose, all of it is pretty incredible.  This is a bit of a harder read for YA, which is why I think it is a great crossover book (or it at least has cross over appeal).


Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
YA Fantasy (on the cusp of Urban Fantasy - but it's more Fantasy)
When this book was coming to an end, for some reason, I really wanted it to stand entirely alone.  I think Taylor did such a good job at sucking me into the main character that I wanted to have her story wrap up at the end.  I know there's so much more that she can go into, and I will definitely pick the next book up - but I still wanted the ending to be "good" for our main character, instead of being a bit more ambiguous.  With that being said, Taylor does well with description.  The end gets a little heavy handed with telling instead of showing - but the rest of the novel is beautifully woven.  Because of this, I do recommend it.  I wrote a full review on my examiner.com page.

A Giveaway Each Month

This month's giveaway:

Water for Elephants

By Sara Gruen

 

(paperback)

Why I liked this book:

It has the element of romance, and a man going slowly insane towards the end of his life.  He is still defiant, much like he lived his life, and is kind of an awesome old man.  Between the flash backs of his past and his current situation, Sara Gruen paints a beautiful character for you to fall in love with. 

Who would like this book:

Anyone that likes contemporary fiction or likes romance.  There are enough elements of both to keep readers entertained.  This book is also in very good condition, I wouldn't say it is perfect enough for a gift - but if you knew someone that has been wanted to read this, it might make a good "random" present.

The Giveaway Contest Details:

• Must be in the United States OR pay for shipping outside the U.S.  (Shipping is free for U.S. winners)
• There is only ONE copy of this book, the winner will be picked via random.org
• Follow the rafflecopter instructions below!  The giveaway starts at midnight eastern time tonight and ends February 1st.  This will be the first installment in a year of giveaways!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rioss

My new work in progress, inspired by Sarah Rios (or really, just one of the many people that has been encouraging me to write this piece).  I'm up to 7,000 words, and hope to finish an additional 25k before I go back to work (next Tuesday).

A brief tidbit:  Jeremy told his parents that he was a werewolf.  They thought he was insane and dropped him off in Rioss Hospital.  It is in the hospital that the story unfolds.  Here's an excerpt:

         But the scream was so guttural. It had seemed urgent, like life or death. Usually, when people screamed in here, it was madness. It would be shrill and would last for minutes, and it would happen again and again. This was once, and then it was silenced. The doctors wouldn’t have been able to get to her that fast.

I don’t know why I was so worried. Screams happened all the time at Rioss, but all the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Something told me not to go to bed, and I stayed up, eyes trained on the window. If I saw a shadow, heard any footsteps, I would lunge. Five minutes passed without any more noises, just the usual shuffling of feet to the sides of me. Some deep moans from people that were forced into sleep by enough drugs that would induce a coma on any normal person. The window remained empty, but it was my only way to see out of my dingy room.

If anyone was coming for me, I would be ready. Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen. Then the shadows on the walls changed. Someone moved outside, but too fast. Someone was - another scream. Blood curdling like the one before, but on this floor. Again, it died as quickly as it had started. I heard the same voice, still muddled. Relax, it said. I crouched close to the wall, my heart pounding in my chest. Five more minutes, then ten. The shadows changed patterns again. A distant latch on a door clicked into place. Silence.

After a few more minutes, the only thing I could hear was the pounding of my blood rushing through my head.