Helllllllllllo Weekend

We started this week with Sara Bareilles, and I figured we could end this week with her too. Plus its a very happy, upbeat, get your butt out of your chair and start dancing song. SO ENJOY PEOPLE!!! I'll see you on the flip side.
~CM

Monday Morning Woo!

Hope this brings a little woo to your Monday. I was cracking up laughing, so I had to share. :D

P.S. These are the outtakes of everyone trying to lipsync it. With all the trouble everyone else had, got to give Sara credit...


ENJOY YOUR MONDAY PEOPLES!!!

Monday Morning Remedies

Since I haven't posted one for a while here is a Monday morning inspiration. Hopefully it will make your Monday a little more palatable.

Enjoy!

Blog Award

The fabulous Kelly Hashway has bestowed upon me the Liebster Blog Award and I just had to say thank you, so THANK YOU!!!

The Liebster Blog Award is for blogs that have under 200 followers. This award is a great way to share some blogging love, get people’s names out there, and help bloggers build up their followers. There are some rules that come with the Liebster Blog Award

1. Thank the person who gave you this award and link back to them

Check!

2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'll get to that in a minute. :D

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog

Check!

4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers

Check!

5. And best of all - have blogging fun!

Double Check!

And now for my own Bloggie Award bestowing. :D

1.) 40BlogSpot

2.) Writing in Flow

3.) Samantha Sotto.com (not sure if this one is still admissable)

4.) Vinobaby's Voice

5.) Impudent Hatchlings

Okay that's it. And thanks again Kelly! :)

How bad?

The other day, Beverly Diehl brought up a good discussion point and I thought it would be fun to ask. Exactly how bad does a book have to be for you to stop reading it? Also if it is bad or you just aren't feeling it - would you stop reading or do you finish it to see if it gets any better?

Personally, I have an extremely hard time just stopping in the middle. I would rather be disappointed with the story than not know how it ends! haha. I will definately say I'm a bit nurotic in that sense.

So what about you? Do toss it across the room or do you muddle through?

Parent Pick up line

So I've decided that a perfect test for how great a book is, is if you smuggle it in your purse so you can read it (in peace) while you wait in the parent pick-up line at your child's school. If the teacher opens the door to put your kiddo in the back and you get startled by the interuption.

So here's the question of the day,

What was the last GREAT book you've read?

Author Hunt!

Hey Everyone,

I need some help. I'm on the look out for a new Inside the Author's Studio author for next month. I'm not ashamed to say that I've become very attached to the Studio, and enjoy connecting with other authors. I hope that I can continue it.

So if you, or one of your friends, is an author who has a book published by a traditional publishing house, or one that will soon be released, and would like to participate, please feel free to contact me. cmvillani.blog@gmail.com.

Preference

This morning, I'm feeling like Mike Myers in that old Saturday Night Live sketch - Coffee Talk. "I'm a little verklempt. Talk amongst yourself. I'll give you a topic...Discuss! "

So my Question: Which did you like better as your bookstore of choice, Borders or Barnes & Noble? (I know... I know... What about the Independent book stores? you say. But Indies are a horse of a different color, I think... and I will get into those at a later date)

But I've got to say I'm curious because a group of my writerly friends and I were having a discussion about this very topic and it seemed to be the consensus that we all liked Borders better. I found that odd given the fate of the poor book dealer.

And I know its fate had a lot more to do with the evolution of Ereaders and EBooks than it did with the fact that it was a favorite/ or not-so-favorite hang out for many of us. But I was interested to see what other peoples' opinions were.

So what about the rest of you? What is your preference?

Inspiration for your Weekend!

Happy Weekend Peoples! Hope you all are planning yourselves a good one. I will be ocean-side for the Lovely Labor Day weekend. How about you?

Here is a little piece of inspiration I thought I would leave you with.

As most of you know the East coast was busy getting slammed by Irene while the VMA (Video Music Awards) were airing on MTV. So I didn't exactly get to watch it right then and there. However when everything was righted again, and there was time to breath, I heared that the one performance that you have to check out was Adele's. And I have to hand it to that girl, she can belt out heartbreak like no one's business! So here is the video of Adele's "Someone Like You." Enjoy!!

2011 VMA - Music - Adele

Thank You

I just wanted to take a moment to thank Kelly Hashway for agreeing to let me put her on the spot for this month's Inside the Author's Studio. She was such a sport and by the look of all those comments, you all really enjoyed getting a glimpse inside her life. :D

Thanks Kelly!

And if you would like to find out more about Kelly and her book, please visit her website.

Inside the Author's Studio

This Months Inside the Author's Studio introduces

Kelly Hashway

Author of
MAY THE BEST DOG WIN

1.) Why don’t you tell us a little about your latest publication MAY THE BEST DOG WIN and the adorable puppy Dash who stars in it?

Sure. May the Best Dog Win is the story of Dash, a mixed breed dog who has the perfect life until the Sweeper arrives. Dash thinks Sweeper is a strange new breed of hairless dog and he’s getting all Mom’s attention. But Dash isn’t about to give up his title as the favorite dog without a fight. (And yes, Sweeper is a vacuum. But don’t tell Dash that!)

2.) Why did you decide to get into Children’s Lit?

It was never really a choice for me. I’ve always written stories, and they were always for kids. I just consider it part of who I am.

3.) For those of us not familiar with the writing process that penning a picture book entails, could you tell us a little about it? How did you team up with your illustrator Valerie Bouthyette?

Well, picture books are a 50/50 between the author and the illustrator. My publisher paired me with Valerie, and she’s amazing. She blew me away with her illustrations because she really captured Dash and his emotions throughout the story. You wouldn’t believe all the revisions a picture book can go through since it’s so short, but every word counts. I even had to make revisions based on some of the illustrations. It’s a lot of work but also a lot of fun.

4.) I know, as it stands right now, you are working on a YA novel. Do you enjoy the freedom of switching genres? Is your agent supportive of your choice to switch?

My agent knew upfront that I loved middle grade and young adult and that I wrote across genres (fantasy, contemporary, horror, paranormal). She’s very supportive of me writing what I feel inspired to write, and I love that. Crossing genres keeps my writing fresh, and that’s important to me.

5.) Tell us a little about your agent and how the two of you joined forces?

I’m represented by Lauren Hammond of ADA Management. When I queried her, she got back to me very quickly with a request for the manuscript. And soon after she called to offer representation. It was kind of surreal how we just clicked. I had full’s out with three other agents, but after talking to Lauren, I knew she was the agent for me. She has been absolutely amazing since we signed together in February. She was so enthusiastic about my middle grade novel she signed me with, and since then, her excitement has helped me write two more novels. She motivates me like no one I’ve ever known.

6.) Do you have a favorite genre?

Fantasy is definitely my favorite. But I prefer books that are grounded in the real world. I think of it as reality with a touch of the fantastic.

7.) Which came first? The Book or the Pen? Meaning which enticed you into the literary world first, the reading or the writing?

Reading. I remember wanting to learn to read more than anything else. I loved bookstores more than toy stores, and I always had my nose in a book.

8.) If you had a chance to work with one author – dead or alive – who would it be and why?

Ooh, that’s a tough one! There are so many. I’m going to have to go with Rick Riordan because I love his voice. Reading his books really helped me with my own writing.

Lipton’s Questionnaire:

1.) What is your favorite word? Magnanimous (I’ve never used it in my writing though.)

2.) What is your least favorite word? Then. In most cases, it’s a useless word.
3.) What turns you on about writing? Escaping the real world.
4.) What turns you off? Revising a piece for the 100th time.
5.) What sound or noise do you love? My daughter’s laugh.
6.) What sound or noise do you hate? Teeth clinking together. Ugh!
7.) What is your favorite curse word? Damn. Does that even count?
8.) What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Literary Agent
9.) What profession other than your own would you not like to attempt? Waste removal--I have a very sensitive sense of smell. ;)
10.) If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say with you arrive at the Pearly Gates? That my family is waiting to greet me.