You know you’ve made it when someone asks you to guest blog on their fabulous website! Okay, okay…I volunteered while she’s away on her book tour, but just the same, stop by Eileen Cook’s website where yours truly is guest blogging about the difference between the YA we grew up on, and the YA available today.

Oh, and make sure you come back here on Friday (if not before). I’ll be interviewing writer, Alan Gratz, author of SAMURAI SHORTSTOP and SOMETHING ROTTEN.

This is my very first dishrag. I have to say it works excellently too. What do you do when you’re brain is too fuzzy to read or write?

Make sure you drop by Carol’s site to find out more about her and her and to read the first chapter of her books, Manderly Prep and Rich Girl.

1) What’s on your CD player?
Broadway tunes. I’m a big fan of musicals, especially Oklahoma!, The Fantasticks, Into the Woods and South Pacific. I listen in the car and sing along. But I can’t listen to music when I write, it’s too distracting.

2) Do you use an outline when writing or just let it flow and write as fast as you can?
I have a brief synopsis, but after I start writing I seldom look at it. If I know what’s going to happen I get bored, so I try to surprise myself.

3) What’s the riskiest thing you’ve ever done and how did it work out for you?
I took a job on a hospital ship when I was 28, where I was hired to sail to Africa for a year and translate for the doctors and nurses from French to English and vice-versa. I had no idea what I was getting in for, but it was the most amazing experience of my life. The country was colorful, exotic and exciting and the people were fascinating. (see my web site, carolculver.com for a photo of me in Guinea).

4) Do you eat right, get exercise, sleep eight hours or sit in front of a computer all day?
I am too restless to sit for very long. I write fast, get up and stretch or bake something or take a walk then reluctantly go back to the computer. I eat (sort of) right, sleep 8 hours a night and get plenty of exercise. In the summer I swim every day. Can’t wait!

5) Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I want a second house in a warm climate so I can swim every day. I see myself writing in the mornings, soaking up Vitamin D in the afternoons at the beach or pool. I’d like to have a cook in the kitchen whipping up delicious and nutritious meals from local ingredients including the fish caught off our pier. How’s that for a dream?

I really have been winning the Fabulous Book Lottery lately. To be fair, a lot of the books are recommendations, and not just ones I’ve picked up randomly (thanks, Michael). This is a very good book. The subject matter is a little hard on the heart. If you’re a kid and you decide to read this, I hope you’ll ask your parent or friends to read it too, so you can talk about it afterwards. And the same for parents. This is a good book to share. Set in Pakistan, it gives an authentic feel of what it’s like to be a young woman there and it’s not so pleasant, really. It’s good for us Westerners to be a little uncomfortable though (or a lot uncomfortable). Also, Antieau has a real gift for instilling hope when times are tough (see the blog about her other book, MERCY, UNBOUND further down), so I hope you’ll give it a read.

I’m posting the picture so you can enlarge it and see the cover for a reason. When I was at the library, I picked up this book. I am not sure why, because the cover is off-putting to me. However, I read the first page, liked it, checked it out, took it home and it’s been sitting on my shelf as I read every other book and then some new ones too. I didn’t remember that I’d read and liked the first page, and the cover just couldn’t get me excited enough to pick it up. So, finally, I ran out of library books and had to read. And guess what? Yep. I LOVED it.

It’s funny, unusual, and unique. There were times when things happened to the character that she hated, and I personally would’ve LOVED to happen to me when I was fifteen, so sometimes I wanted to just shake her, but other than that, it was just a great read. And if she’d embraced these things, well, then there wouldn’t have been much in the way of dramatic tension, now would there?

The book is about a girl from Canada who goes down to spend two and a half weeks with her punk rocker father in L.A. That’s all I’m going to tell you. That, and put it on your reading list. I’ll definitely be looking for more books by Castellucci.

I only write about books on this blog that I really like, but this one…this one goes to the top of the book pile. I am totally in love with this book. I read it through in one sitting and was truly blown away by it all: the writing, the story, the characters, the ideas, everything. Do not let this one go unread. Oh, and if the author’s name sounds familiar, scroll down a bit and you’ll find where I wrote about her other book, BEIGE, which I liked a lot too. But this one I love. Also read THE QUEEN OF COOL last night and liked it too.

I feel like I’m on a roll here…lots of great books have come my way lately. This is a neat book. I know that makes me sound like I’m twelve, but it’s the word I want to use. It’s just kind of neat how it’s told from many different perspectives. Unlike many authors who try this, it’s completely clear and not the least bit confusing. It’s magical in its way, but also real and touching and often funny. My favorite bit (which won’t spoil anything) was when the mother said to one of the main characters, Chrissie, “Believe you me. Those Southern boys are all manners until you’re alone with them.” Of course, I got a good laugh out of that, being married to a Southern boy myself! This book is unique and very visual. It really comes alive in a sort of subtle and minimalistic way. Check it out!

I am happy to get back into a routine with my Friday Author Interviews. This week, Carol Culver has stopped by to answer some pressing questions. Okay, maybe not pressing, but interesting! Carol is a romance writer who is dipping her toes into the YA pool. Heck, she’s not just dipping, she’s making a splash with her new Best Friends Forever series. Here’s the interview!.

I decided since I’m going back to a schedule of sorts, I should do my Thursday Humorous Animal essay. This is when I write about the humorous animals in my life. In the past there was a skunk in the house, my cats always offer fodder and we had an eagle in our yard once, trying to pick off a goose out of the lake, which wasn’t exactly funny, but was very cool. Today we’ll talk about deer.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, so deer were around. I mean, you didn’t see them down at the local 7-11, but you’d see them at the beach or along a country road, or even in the neighbour’s yard. Now I live on an island and there are deer, deer, everywhere deer. And guess what happens to deer who have no predators? They get friendly with the humans! Some more than others. Today we had a whole herd of young bucks in our yard. If you look closely, you can see their antlers trying to push through their skulls like little teeth pushing through baby gums. These guys LOVE me. Or I should say, they love carrots, bananas and apples - all of which they associate with yours truly. Today, the one we call Nubby (although to be fair, that could be any of them), was so intent on getting carrots that while I tried to give one to another deer with my right hand, he pressed his big wet nose right into my left hand and stole carrots while I wasn’t paying attention! The glutton. He’s cute though. Did you know deer have teeth? Well, of course you did, but did you know that if you run out of carrots, they’re not abject to chomping on your finger as a way of saying, “Hey! Go to the store and get more carrots!” Sorry guys…we’re all out. But next time they’re on sale, I’m going to buy a big bag. There ain’t nothing like a little deer slobber to brighten your day!

Me and Nubby- And yes, I am in my pajamas, but hey! It was morning. Give me a break.

“What do you mean they’re all gone?”

Nubby, just a few minutes ago when he came back to see if I’d been to the store yet. When he found out I hadn’t he bit me! He’s still cute though.

Oh, and my husband, the photographer, wanted me to point out that the colour phots are snapshots…snapshots and not photos that he wants credited to his portfolio (although the last one IS one he’ll accept credit for). I had to agree to this disclaimer before he let me use them on my website because he didn’t think y’all were dumb enough to believe that a mysterious less-than-talented photographer snuck over to our house this morning to photograph me with the deer, which was what I was going to say.