Long Lost Friends

Over the past year I’ve slowly sorted through the piles of boxes stored in my parents’ garage. (I have a LOT of wine glasses, but no silverware.) I’ve rediscovered photos and games and clothes, but one box in particular had completely vanished. Figures it was the box of my favorite books. Well look what I …

Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins

I’m not one for book reviews, especially two weeks in a row, but there’s no way I CAN’T tell you about this book. Seventeen-year old Anna is sent to the School of America in Paris, thanks to her rich father’s need to fit in with his pretentious friends. She dreads saying goodbye to her best …

Synopsizing

Synopsis [si-nop-sis] a brief or condensed statement giving a general view of some subject. Apparently Webster hasn’t met me. Let’s go with this one instead: Synopsis [si-nop-sis] a brief summary of the plot of a novel, motion picture, play, etc. That’s more like it. ***** An interesting tidbit I picked up during my Weekend of …

Lisa and Laura Roecker’s The Liar Society

Last weekend Erica Chapman and I road-tripped to Cleveland to attend Lisa and Laura Roecker’s launch party for their debut novel, The Liar Society. You know me, I live my back cover blurbs: Best friends don’t send emails once they’re dead. With her dead best friend’s pearls and skirts tiny enough to make Nancy Drew …

The Winners!

Holy wow you guys! Thank you so much to everyone who spread the word about the contest. I had triple the normal number of hits last week, and I even gained new followers! *waves to new followers* But that’s not why you’re here. You want to hear about all the writers I met this weekend! …

HOOHAH: The Finalists

ETA: Voting is now closed. First, a HUGE thank you to everyone who entered the contest, spread the word, and laughed at me with me in my video. I’ve had a lot of fun with this contest and will definitely be doing more vlogs in the future. (No, don’t go unfollowing me…) Now, on to …

Finding My Voice

Don’t forget to leave a comment on Friday’s post to be entered to win a $25 gift card! Comments close Thursday night. I had dinner with a friend last week that I hadn’t seen in quite awhile, and he asked me about my writing. When I told him I’m working on a young adult novel, …

My Own Out of the Ordinary Homecoming/Arrival Home Story

First, if you missed Friday’s post about the HOOHAH Contest or haven’t left a comment yet, be sure to watch the video and play along. Now, here’s my story: Back when I was 25, I went on a ski trip to Colorado that was completely uneventful until my friend dropped me off at the airport …

Hoo’s Out of the Ordinary Homecoming/Arrival Home CONTEST!

That’s right! It’s contest time! Introducing Hoo’s Out of the Ordinary Homecoming/Arrival Home Contest, or HOOHAH! Watch the video for details: To summarize, you have two ways to win one of two $25 Amazon gift cards. 1 – Leave a comment on THIS POST about a bizarre, crazy, funny, whatever story about coming home. Next …

What a Difference 365 Days Make

Can you believe it’s been an entire year since I left Mexico? Through a weird quirk of my flight times, I departed Zihuatanejo on February 23rd and arrived in Chicago February 24th. I’m big on numbers and dates (as I believe I’ve mentioned before) so having a clean divide between the two actions is significant …