In My Mail Today...Cleopatra's Daughter

Exciting YA news for me...today I recieved an advanced reader's copy of Cleopatra's Daughter! Thanks goes out to Michelle Moran, author of Cleopatra's Daughter, for having one sent to me through her publisher. I seriously can not wait to sink my hair into it. But...I've got quite some work to do this semester at graduate school. I have 4 fiction pieces to write (and I hope I can write them as chapters towards my YA novel/ thesis manuscript) in my Fiction Workshop. That's challenging, but totally do-able. Now, the Screenwriting Workshop. All I can say is wow. I basically have a 70 page feature length screenplay to write. On top of that, I have film analysis and 2 formal papers with bibliographies on book to film adaptation (hmmm...how about Twilight-I'm probably the only one brave enough to do it for grad school) and on previous forms developed in my chosen film genre. Like I said, wow. When will I blog? When will I reveiw? When will I read? But, I'll keep my promise of 1 to 2 posts a week (not neccessarily book reviews).

Tonight, I want to focus more on Cleopatra's Daughter as September 16 is coming on us pretty fast. Heck, Septemeber 1st and The Hollow nearly passed me by, and I didn't even have time to go anywhere near a book store today (but I definitely will).

If you haven't yet seen the book trailer on Michelle's website, well, here it is. It'll pretty much get you to read it.
1


Who can resist the intrigue of Rome? And for all you world history students reading this...it's so perfect how we are going to be covering ancient Rome very soon.

Happy reading! (And wish me some luck!)

Cleopatra's Daughter... Alive and Well

So, you guys know I love teaching world history and that I am a new fan of historical fiction. Well, it's no surprise I am anxious to get my hands on Cleopatra's Daughter, a soon to be released novel by Michelle Moran. Read the summary I posted below from the author's website and tell me you don't just want to read it! I believe you won't be able to!

The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony’s vengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome, but only two—the ten-year-old twins Selene and Alexander—survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian’s family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.

The fateful tale of Selene and Alexander is brought brilliantly to life in Cleopatra’s Daughter. Recounted in Selene’s youthful and engaging voice, it introduces a compelling cast of historical characters:

Octavia: the emperor Octavian’s kind and compassionate sister, abandoned by Marc Antony for Cleopatra
Livia: Octavian’s bitter and jealous wife
Marcellus: Octavian’s handsome, flirtatious nephew and heir-apparent
Tiberius: Livia’s sardonic son and Marcellus’s great rival for power
Juba: Octavian’s ever-watchful aide, whose honored position at court has far-reaching effects on the lives of the young Egyptian royals

Selene’s narrative is animated by the concerns of a young girl in any time and place —the possibility of finding love, the pull of friendship and family, and the pursuit of her unique interests and talents. While coping with the loss of both her family and her ancestral kingdom, Selene must find a path around the dangers of a foreign land. Her accounts of life in Rome are filled with historical details that vividly capture both the glories and horrors of the time. She dines with the empire’s most illustrious poets and politicians, witnesses the creation of the Pantheon, and navigates the colorful, crowded marketplaces of the city where Roman-style justice is meted out with merciless authority.

Based on meticulous research, Cleopatra’s Daughter is a fascinating portrait of Imperial Rome and of the people and events of this glorious and tumultuous period in human history. Emerging from the shadows of history, Selene, a young woman of irresistible charm and preternatural intelligence, will capture your heart.

I'll be promoting this novel the rest of the week...the author has several contests, an awesome book trailer, and a Q & A. Plus, she is providing a guest post for Athena's YA Book Reviews!

COMING SEPTEMBER 15!

CONTEST! FOR TEENS ONLY A chance to win a $250 gift certificate for Hollister. See details here - http://michellemoran.com/teencontest.htm STARTS SEPT 15

CONTEST! FOR ALL Win a box of Cleopatra's goodies (signed novel, earrings, fun stuff) by participating in a literary treasure hunt hosted by the author and independent book stores across the nation. See details here - http://michellemoran.com/treasurehunt.htm STARTS SEPT 15

MONTHLY CONTESTS! Win a signed copy of the novel and an authentic Roman coin by answering a question based on Roman history.

See details here - http://michellemoran.com/contests.htm Come on all you history buffs... this contest is for you!

My Class, Using a "Poetic Eye", and author Sarah Ockler

Today was a great first day back at school! Summer vacation is over, the beach is gone, and it's back to the school desk. But, Twenty Boy Summer is still going strong. Read it soon!

The best part of going back to school at Med High? My creative writing class last period...all of the students seem to be really nice and unique individuals who are very much interested in helping one another become better writers. Even though the class seemed to go by pretty fast and was relatively stree free, it was nonetheless productive. We looked at a few poems in preparation for their first writing assignment and practiced reading and listining with a "poetic eye" and "poetic ear." You know, mention poetry to a bunch of teens and many of them will groan. Why is that? Well, my thinking is we pretty much kill poetry for them as teachere when all we do is read for meaning and analysis and literary technique. All those things are good, but poetry is so much more...it's about the aesthetic appeal, as well. It is not necessary to know what every line means. Sometimes it is more about taking the poem as a whole and appreciating its form and varied instances of artistic beauty and risk. So, that's what we did.

Here's an example...

"Tours" by C.D. Wright

A girl on the stairs listens to her father
Beat up her mother.
Doors bang.
She comes down in her nightgown.

The piano stands there in the dark
Like a boy with an orchid.

She plays what she can
Then she turns the lamp on.

Her mother's music is spread out
On the floor like brochures.

She hears her father
Running through the leaves.

The last black key
She presses stays down, makes no sound
Someone putting their tongue where their tooth had been.

What do you think? Tell me if some of these lines don't just simply stand out...look at the line "Like a boy with an orchid" or "Her mother's music spread out/ On the floor like brochures."

So, how do you read with a "poetic eye"? Look for lines or images with aesthic appeal (images that simply sound beautiful or arresting even without fully understanding the meaning) or with an unlikely comparison or form of figurative language. For instance...why use "Like a boy with an orchid"? How does the line relate to the experience of domestic violence as expressed by the speaker? Well, I don't fully know, but I know I like the image, and put together with the rest of the poem, it works. I wished I had come up with this line!

And, the "poetic ear"? You need to hear it outloud...the impact of the spoken work is phenomenal. If you can find an audio version of the poem, by all means, hear it. If not, at least read it outloud with care.

Want to hear "Tours"? It will blow you away. Listen here: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16175

Thank you, guys, for listening to all my views on poetry...I'm just that excited to be teaching this class!

Don't forget to read Twenty Boy Summer if you haven't yet...and to go along with all this talk about creative writing, please check out the youtube video featuring the author's thoughts on the creative process for this novel. Want to be a fiction writer? Go into into the mind of a published YA author...Sarah Ockler. It's a really good video.

My Exciting News, A Poem, and More 20 Boy Summer

I am so excited...it is official--I have one section of creative writing at Med High! I've been waiting to announce this, hoping all would go as I expected, and now it's done. My creative writing class is scheduled for last period every other day--that means 4A for all you guys from Med High reading this. The only thing I'm concerned about is that so far there are only 2 students on my roster. So, I'm wondering...where are all you guys who said you had pre-registered for this class last May? Alexis? Stephanie? And the rest? Where are you? Get yourself over there ASAP and tell them you want Mrs. Vasquez 4A!

In honor of my creative writing class, I am going to post one of my poems here because that is what we are starting with--poetry! Ok. Now understand this is one I wrote in graduate school last year and it's been a while since I've looked at it. Enjoy! And hopefully some literary journal out there will soon accept it for publishing. (A ghazal is an Arabic poetic form.)

Ghazal Buried in Autumn Fire

October sage speaks—last words often falter, the meaning lost.

Lips pale, bruise red in pomegranate water, the meaning lost.

The warmth of leaves and popsicle ice, vanilla cream inside

Remind of love notes, tombs of alabaster, the meaning lost.

Once you knew of milk foam, with lips pink, supple on mother’s skin;

Only her robe remains on your ghost frame, Daughter, the meaning lost.

Days when youth glowed, a memory played in auburn mud and sticks

When monarchs died in the caves of Gibraltar, the meaning lost.

A cool sun falls behind the thorn bush, fluid amethyst sky

Creating a backdrop, the embers of an altar, the meaning lost.

Sweep the glass shards, a pickle jar prism melts on ceramic tile;

Above, moon-stars sigh for the household martyr, the meaning lost.

My bronze skin under molten rock, a beauty glazed with crimson,

Noon sun passes over Teotihuacan, the meaning lost.

You wonder what ancient tea leaves whisper for generations—

Know this wisdom: the robes of Athena saunter, the meaning lost.

Hope you like it, and I can tell you I don't exactly know what every line means, but I know I workshopped the heck out of it, and I just really love how some of the lines turned out.

Also, since summer is still officially here (and I kind of don't want it to end), I thought I'd tell you that Sarah Ockler has an excerpt of Twenty Boy Summer on her website. Come on guys, get your hands on it--one more weekend of free reading before we all go to school and get bombarded with the boring stuff. (Well, not anything in the creative writing class and definetely not the beautifully written world history AP textbook...just kidding about the AP book.)

At least read this if you haven't had a chance to get the book in your hands.

Read chapter 1 HERE: http://sarahockler.com/books/

Bye!

Twenty Boy Summer...Coming to an End

Well, here we are at the end of summer...one more week before I go back to work and I get a whole new batch of teenagers. A whole new group to scare with the grueling workload for advanced placement world history! On the bright side (for them and for me), I know I'm going to meet some really interesting and awesome individuals, and I know I'll find some YA enthusiasts to talk books (when I'm not teaching, of course) with me!

To all my former sophomores...I already miss you (sniff, sniff). You guys must totally come visit me, especially all those of you (and you know who you are) who were like my second set of children. By the way, congratulations! A 28% passing rate on the AP World History exam! See...I told you all the note taking, quizzing, AP bible reading, and essays from the yonder unseen place was necessary torture! For those of you who don't know...28% is actually good. The exam is like the exam of nightmares. Even I'd be afraid to take it.

But on to what I love the most...YA books! And to celebrate the end of summer, this week I'll be focusing on Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. (Yes, I said this week because with school and graduate night classes, and all kinds of stuff with my own kids everyday of the week, well, I can only commit to doing so many things. But, I promise at least one post a week.)

Before I tell you what it's about, read the excerpt. That will pretty much get you over to a book store or library. I think the title itself is enough. 20 Boys + Summer = 2 Girls in Search of Love

I kick off my flip-flops and walk across the wet grass to the steps, sitting on the bottom one and digging a little tunnel in the sand with my feet. It’s wet and cold under the hot surface, just like Matt said.

As the waves shush against the shore, I look out over the ocean and watch a few families scattered along the beach. In front of me, a mother stands knee-deep in the water, waving and calling for two little boys to come in for lunch.

When someone you love dies, people ask you how you’re doing, but they don't really want to know. They seek affirmation that you’re okay, that you appreciate their concern, that life goes on and so can they. Secretly they wonder when the statute of limitations on asking expires (it’s three months, by the way. Written or unwritten, that’s about all the time it takes for people to forget the one thing that you never will.).

They don’t want to know that you’ll never again eat birthday cake because you don’t want to erase the magical taste of the frosting on his lips. That you wake up every day wondering why you got to live and he didn’t. That on the first afternoon of your first real vacation, you sit in front of the ocean, face hot under the giant sun, willing him to give you a sign that he’s okay.

Want to know more? I'll keep it short.

California sun seems like the ideal ingredient for a summer romance, right? Except when you've already loved someone--someone you know longer have. In Twenty Boy Summer, Anna's best friend, Frankie, is determined to find a boyfriend for Anna by getting her to meet one boy each day for twenty days. Sounds like a plan, but everybody knows relationship is built on quality not quantity. Then again, Frankie is a teenager. I remember being pretty adamant about having a boyfriend back in high school, and I probably would have gone along with Frankie's plan because meeting 20 boys would have been better than none and maybe, just maybe, true love would appear like a fairy tale. But, this is not Anna's reason. See, Anna has already had a summer romance--a summer romance with Frankie's older brother that would have gone through may more seasons had it not been for the hand of tragedy. Frankie does not know this. Anna's love died with Frankie's brother, yet Anna has to go along with the 20 boy plan to protect her secret.

The book is much more than this though. It's a coming-of age novel touching on first love, teen intimacy, loss, grief, friendship, and the value of honesty. It's really more about their friendship, the ways in which Anna and Frankie have changed, the secrets they keep from one another, and the betrayals they face by their own actions. Anna doesn't hold anything back in her voice...the author, Sarah Ockler, manages to get into the immediacey of the experience through a realistic portrayal of a teenage girl. This is Anna.

The guilt of not telling Frankie about Matt and me is overwhelming, but it is a pale second to the violation I feel that she read my most private, raw thoughts and destroyed them. She broke into my carefully guarded heart, stole the only memories of Matt I had to myself, and turned them into a monstrosity.

A Countess Below Stairs...Captivates All Around

Have I mentioned before how I am now a huge fan of Eva Ibbotson? I know I told you about being a new fan of historical romance thanks to her novel, The Reluctant Heiress, which I reviewd a little while back. But, since then I have read almost every book by this author, and I must say she now holds the title for best historical fiction, and I will forever critique other historical fiction by Ibbotson's standard.

Everytime I read one of her novels, I am swept into a world so unlike our own--a splendid, foreign country I wish would continue for another 300 pages. I actually relish the words and images. I just finished reading and re-reading A Countess Below Stairs...in two days. Well, actually, I re-read every single part dealing with Anna and the Earl of Westerholme. The narrative is utterly arresting.

A moment between Rupert (the Earl) and Anna:

"Ah, yes; my wedding." The word reared up to meet him, banishing the last traces of lunacy. He became aware of Rene staring at him salaciously, of Elsie, with her mouth open, clutching a towel..."You will be very attractive for my wedding," he said lightly. "For my funeral aslo, je vous assure." He lifted a hand, laid it for a moment on the rich dark tresses where they mantled her shoulders, then turned it, letting the backs of his fingers run upward against the shining waves. For an instant she felt his touch on her cheek; then he stepped back. "There that was my ration for all eternity. People have died for less, I dare say."

And another: And he understood that she was offering him this, her life, for all eternity and understood, too, where she belonged because her sisters are everywhere in Russian literature: Natasha, who left her ballroom and shining youth to nurse her mortally wounded prince...Sonia, the street girl who followed Raskalnikov into exile in Siberia and gave that poor, tormented devil the only peace he ever knew.

See how beautiful it is? It just evokes the senses through rich, elegant dialogue and prose. And of course, since it is historical romance, the description of the landscape, the history, is superb. Again, maybe it has special appeal to me since I teach world history and actually recognize the historical and literary references. But even so, I can not imagine that any reader would not be touched on some level by Ibbotson's writing: A patchwork country, flower filled and gentle , in which a smiling queen stood on street corners bestowing roses which miraculously grew on pins upon a grateful populace...A country without winter or anarchists whose name was England.

Wow. I love that last line. Somewhere later in the novel, Anna describes how her brother, Petya, was plagued by anarchists in his nightmares and by the shadows of religious icons floating on his walls from a nightlight.

As for the story line of A Countess Below Stairs, Anna, the image of a Slavic painting personified, is a young Russian countess with a glorious mass of chestnut curls who finds herself employed as a housemaid after her new status of political refugee. Although not exactly beautiful, her spirit and character illuminate all things in her presence. As it would be in many a great love story, her presence captivates the master of the estate, Rupert, the Earl of Westerholme. Her fluid curtsies, her demure physique, her bronzed waves flowing over her shoulder--all these things are Anna and all these things he begins to love. But, Rupert is engaged to marry. As a WWI veteran, Rupert falls in love while being nursed back to health by a volunteer nurse who comes from new money. The nurse, Muriel, is an angel of mercy during his stay at the hospital, but the very same woman soon proves to be much less with her plan to legitimize her wealth through marriage to a title and with her prejudice against those who are imperfect.

All can see Anna is not one for the mere occupation of housemaid. Her speech, mannerisms, and grace all point to an aristocratic, royal upbringing beyond even that of the Earl. Nontheless, she pours her entire soul into her work, breathing life into the estate at Mersham. Breathing life into the dream tormented Earl of Westerholme who will stand with honor, yet without love, at the side of his former nurse. Ahhh...the beauty of pain in love. The richness and poetry of a classic love story. Some might say it is too predictable, too long, too descriptive, too clean...but to me it is just perfect. Who tires of the classics, of Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice? No one, and A Countess Below Stairs (and all of Ibbotson's historical romances, I might add) follows in the same tradition.

Eva Ibbotson, hands down, writes the best historical romance. Her novels are strong in crossover appeal to young adult and adult fiction readers. There is nothing in any of her novels to keep them out of sight in a family room or out the hands of your daughter.

Red Glass...A Slice of Hispanic Culture

Exciting news! Laura Resau, author of Red Glass, will be a visiting author at South Texas ISD during the month of March. I am completely thrilled! Like I told you a couple days ago, I picked up Red Glass right before a live chat with Laura over at the Readergirlz website. I absolutely loved the book and raved about it to our librarians. So, thank you, Lucy, for contacting Laura and making this happen. She'll be presenting to teens and teachers from Med High and Sci Tech over here in Mercedes, Texas and also at the Edinburg and San Benito campuses...to an audience of readers who will recognize and appreciate the references to Hispanic culture in Red Glass. Can't wait to get more details on her school visit!

Check out this excerpt: I held Pablo's hand, and when no one was looking Angel would slip his hand into mine for a moment, or I would let my arm graze his, or he would touch me with the excuse of pointing out something and let his hand linger a few beats. The crowd was pushing us into each other and we let it happen. I loved the shade created just for a moment between his arm and mine, his face and my neck, my hair and his hand. And in this space, I could almost forget that he was leaving for good.

And this one too: And then suddenly, Angel's hand was on my hip and he was turning me around and pressing me to him and whispering, out of breath, "Lime-girl." I felt my breasts against his chest, and I breathed in his soap, the detergent of his T-shirt, next to the destroyed Virgen on the sliver of moon, with only a few tiny stars left on her cape, I could see why someone would want a mnoment of complete happiness, even if it wouldn't last.

In Red Glass, Sophie is a teenage girl who has always been afraid of everything--of the sheer number of possible illnesses and tragedies that may come hurling towards her. She is especially afraid of losing life to death and losing those whom she has come to love, including Pablo, a six year old illegal immigrant whose parents died crossing the border into Arizona, and Angel, a young man who many might judge as Sophie's complete opposite with his gold chains and low-slung jeans. Sophie's fears are put to the test when she agrees to travel into Mexico with her aunt Dika, Angel, and Mr. Lorenzo (Dika's boyfriend and Angel's father) to reunite Pablo with his family. Together they create their own little world made up of car, heat, Mexico, and Neruda (Hispanic poet Pablo Neruda) as they travel several days to the state of Oaxaca, a place where some still speak a more indigenous form of Spanish called Mixteco.

Sophie is aware that Pablo might break her heart if he agrees to stay with his family, but what she does not expect is that Angel, someone she has only barely met, may do further damage by going south into Guatemala to find his own mother. Angel knows of death, having nearly lost his own while picking coffee beans during his youth. And, with the hope of finding his mother alive, Angel feels his home is his mother. He sees nothing wrong with making his life in Guatemala rather than the US. He had never wanted to leave his tierra (his land) in the first place. Sophie finds it difficult to understand how anybody, including Pablo and Angel, would be willing to leave the safety and luxury of the U.S. for a world that is more uncertain. Or, rather, a world uncertain to Sophie only.

But, throught the example of strong women, Sophie is able to see she is not the first to endure obstacles and pain. First there is her aunt Dika, a Bosnian refugee whose home was destroyed and who once had a great love in her life. Then there is Nola, who lhas always loved one man, a gitano (gypsy), her entire life even though circumstances have kept her from being with him. There's also her mother who is willing to provide midnight meals to illegal immigrants who are living near life and death situations. And then, there are the women of Pablo's village who show Sophie how to manage the hard work of village life--stirpping kernels off dried corncobs, carrying heavy buckets down dirt roads, making tortillas over a fire and turning them over with her own fingers. (Hey, I barely pick them up with my nails and sometimes resort to a fork or spatula.) And the men? Well, the men do the men work in the fields. That's how my parents, grandparents, and long line of ancestores made their lives.

With their example, Sophie discovers she has more strength than she thinks possible. The gringuita (slang word meaning white girl) from the ends up risking her life through possible bus hijackings and gang abductions in order to rescue the life of a man she has grown to love--Angel Reyes. Now, does he find his mother? Does he come back with Sophie? I won't tell you, but I will say he finds the guavas sustaining life and the red glass once worn by his mother and now draped around Sophie's neck.

But, what I really enjoyed the most was all the cultural flavor...the description of boys selling tiny packs of chicles, the sounds of the cumbia, and the assembly line of tamale making. Now, for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about...chicles refer to gum, the cumbia is a rythmic style of music, and tamales....mmmmm...you've got to eat them! Tamale making is a Mexican tradition still alive here in South Texas. Of course, many of us buy them by the dozen, but even I know exactly what the tamale assembly line is all about. Basically, a bunch of women (the grandmas, aunts, etc.) get together, especially during the holidays, and make loads of tamales for all to share and take home. It's quite an elaborite process of kneading, spreading, and boiling, but it does provide a pleasant time of sisterhood, laughter, and fellowship with all the comadres (close, female friends and relatives). Ok. l'll admit a little gossip probably takes place, too, but it's all in good fun. And, Laura describes it right on. It's been a while since I've done the whole tamale thing...I have to plan better this Christmas and get over to my Mom's whenever she gets the tamale making bug!

Read it! It'll get you in the mood for some awesome, home-made Mexican food. A road trip, yummy food, romance, true-to-life descriptions, and Laura's beautiful imagery...can't go wrong with it. You'll love it! Hmmm...I think I'll make some real tortillas sometime this week.

Wedding Anniversary & Upcoming Review

Being that Wednesday, 8/5/09, was my 14th wedding anniversary... thought it would be fitting to write a review for a book with some romance. Yep, 14 years--married to the best husband--Jaime. Just to tell you a little bit about us...we met while we both worked at HEB (a very popular grocery store down here where I live) during our high school years. Hmm...sounds like a great topic for a YA romance novel! Well, we were very good friends before we ever went out on a date, and our first "official" date was on Valentine's Day 1993, a year after we both graduated from HS. So, we belong to the same eras and know about all the totally cool hair and clothing fashions created in the 80's and 90's! Go Class of '93! We even have a picture with both of us wearing our college cap and gowns from the Univerisity of Texas-Pan American . Go Broncs and Class of '96 &'97! We married while still in college and basically grew up together during the days when movies and going out became so out of the question because we were living on any left over college grant and loan money! We both became teachers, bought a house, and now have 3 kids! Now, that is life!

So, now about the book review...a few months ago, I was over at Readergirlz and discovered they were hosting a live chat with Laura Resau, author of Red Glass. The very next day, I walked over to our school library, checked out the 1 copy available, read it all day and night, and got ready for this chat. You can check out the chat summary an earlier post...just scroll down or check the May archive. And being that Red Glass has some romance and deals with Hispanic and border land culture, I'm thinking it's the perfect book to write about to go along with my wedding anniversary 'cus my husband and I have a love story that worked out, and we live just several miles away from the U.S./Mexican border. But, I don't want to take away from my anniversary post nor from the book review, so I will put the review in tomorrow. Come back and read it!

For now, read a brief excerpt of Red Glass:

...when no one was looking Angel would slip his hand into mine for a moment, or I would let my arm graze his, or he would touch me with the excuse of pointing out something and let his hand linger a few beats. The crowd was pushing us into each other and we let it happen. I loved the shade created just for a moment between his arm and mine, his face and my neck, my hair and his hand. And in this space, I could almost forget that he was leaving for good.

One more thing, and this has nothing to do with the book (just a little trip down my own memory lane)...one of the most memorable days in my 14 years of marriage--Disney in Orlando, 2006--the Thunder Mountain ride. It was the most awesome time I've ever had at a theme park. See, all our kids were finally tall enough for some of the bigger rides, so we all get on as a family, and as soon as we were buckled in...it began to pour! We were on a roller coaster in the rain! And the whole time, my youngest son was yelling all sorts of crazy things like "Yeah, baby, yeah!" I mean, we were drenched, but wow! I'll never forget that day. We didn't even need to find cover from the rain afterward!

One more last, last thing...there is a YA book out there about a Disney romance--Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler--two teens working as Disney characters over the summer break fall in love while out on a scavenger hunt at the happiest place on earth! It will definitely get you in the mood for a little theme park romance! The best thing about the book? Alternating boy/ girl chapters.

Must Read A Certain Slant of Light

OK. So, I've already told you A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb is my favorite paranormal romance (yes...it beats Twilight in my book), but I don't have time yet to give a full, raving review. But, what I have done is find the book trailer, and really, that's all you need. If the trailer can't get you to read it...

I guess I'm going a little crazy embedding book trailers, but I'm hooked now. I might have to create some of my own!

Here is an excerpt...

The eyes belonged to an unremarkable young man, like most of these others at this school. Since this group of students was in the eleventh grade, he could be no more than seventeen. I'd seen him before and thought nothing of him. He had always been vacant, pale, and dull. If anyone were to somehow manage to see me with his eyes, it would not be this sort of lad--this mere ashes-on-the-inside kind. To really see me, someone would have to be extraoridnary...But, the next moment, the eyes flickered to mine again, and a shock went through me.

Ready to be "Shiver"ed?

If you've seen my Shiver widget it says 00:00:00:00:00... 'cus today is August 2! If you've been waiting for this and haven't already bought it, get out there and get it because the big release day was yesterday! Especially for all you wolf pack fans...it involves a love story with a werewolf...in case you didn't get enough Jacob in Twilight. (I'm part of Team Edward, by the way.)

Enjoy Shiver ing!

And,what's with the whole paranormal romance craze?

My favorite...A Certain Slant of Light...I must blog about this soon...2 souls from another time take teen bodies captive and fall in love amidst the pangs of modern day teenage angst...more later...but must say the best part is when they finally connect in front the very crowded high school they both attend.

By the way, check out the book trailer for Shiver below. Yea! I figured it out!

My Vacation and Week Long Lost Status

I'm gone one week on vacation and what happens? I feel totally, completely out it...all of a sudden I feel a little overwhelmed with blogging, reading, keeping up with email & FB, and the world of YA books in general. I seriously need a phone with full browser features! I've got my laptop but its not always that simple to find free wi-fi when you're on the road all the time and going here and there...all I was able to do was update my FB status a few times. But, I had an awesome time with my family.

What we did...Six Flags at Arlington (what a day...completely wiped out), Texas Rangers baseball game (and they won!), Dallas Cowboy stadium tour(sheer, pure awesomeness), Dallas Mavericks gift shop (bought a cool shooting shirt), Grapvine Mills Mall (huge outlet mall), watched My Sister's Keeper (finally...and yes, I cried), watched The Univited (liked...but tried too hard to have one of those ironic twists at the end), ate lots of burgers with the best being at Steak 'N Shake, probably gained like 2 lbs, slept on an air mattress, had much, much, much fun!

Maybe I'll post a few pictures later...

So, forgive me for not posting anything in like over a week, but I'll try and get right back to all this.

Is this the sort of thing I should put on my Livejournal? I don't know. Sometimes this whole web-based world is too overwhelming...who has time to update all their stuff? Well, yes, I have a link somewhere on this blog to my Livejournal, but don't be dismayed when you get there and all I have is like 2 things! Just don't know...so help me out...SHOULD I PUT MORE PERSONAL POSTS HERE OR KEEP IT MORE PROFESSIONAL WITH BOOK REVIEWS AND PUT THIS OTHER STUFF ON AN ON-LINE DIARY LIKE LIVEJOURNAL? OR JUST FORGET LIVEJOURNAL 'CUS I CAN'T SEEM TO KEEP UP WITH IT?

AND...SHOULD I USE MAINLY GOODREADS, LIBRARYTHING, OR LIVING SOCIAL (VISUAL BOOKSHELF) FOR ALL THE STUFF I'VE READ?

ok...blog with you guys later...