Zombie Thursdays is a weekly feature with guest blogger, Miranda. You can read more about her here . **Today's entry discusses mature themes and isn't acceptable for readers under the age of 18. So don't read on if you're underage or easily offended by sex or published smut. If you choose not to read on, go enter our Race to 150 Contest! It is kid friendly.** Since most of the readers of 'The Pie' seem like writerly types and well-read individuals, none of you are shocked to know that a bunch of Borders bookstores are closing down. I don't really know anyone who doesn't have "their" Borders closing. Even the huge Borders on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, close to where I work, is shutting down. It's a sad day for book readers and buyers and even a sadder day for me because all those Seattle's Best coffee shops are closing and my company, Starbucks, owns them... and well, I'm about ready to sell my stock, so I need it to not go down. B...

Every Wednesday, YA Highway asks their readership a simple question to answer on your blog. Once you answer, you link your blog in the comments for other readers to hop on board. This is Road Trip Wednesday. Today's question : What books were you obsessed with as a kid? If you ask my mother, she'll tell you I was all about The Pokey Little Puppy . I don't remember much about that, so she must be lying. The books that stand out in my mind from the ankle biter years would be these two: The Velveteen Rabbit convinced me that whenever I left the room my brown bear Yogi would explore my room. I would seriously sneak back to the bedroom and listen at the door for fuzzy, creeping feet. As far as Tikki Tikki Tembo goes, I just liked the rhythym. As I got older and more words came into play, I couldn't get enough of Nancy Drew. This includes all the original stories too. Even as a kid, I had completionist tendencies and backpedaled my way through ever...

Welcome to part two of task-setting for writers. This will be a weekly feature for the next several weeks. If you're like me, you want to accomplish more things than reasonable during the day: blogs to read, TV watch, peeps to catch up with, that book you want to finish reading, not to mention the gym. This is on top of eight hours at what you consider your day job, whether it's school or work. Overwhelmed with how much you have to do, you opt to do none of it. Why couldn't there be four more hours in the day? No worries, you can trick yourself into additional hours by multi-tasking. Part Two: Multi-Task Some people will argue that no one can truly multi-task , that our brains aren't structured that way. While I know for a fact I can't tap my head and rub my belly simultaneously, I can walk and chew gum. It's a fine line, but it's still multi-tasking. Most of  us do this naturally. Have you ever read on the treadmill? Talked to your mom while groc...

Because it's Monday and I'm busy with conferences and way too many work deadlines, caffeine is imperative. I've been known to blog about my love of all things caffeinated , so that I have a haiku in the wings shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone in The Lurkdom. #3 photo © 2008 shira gal | more info (via: Wylio ) Nectar caresses My palette, zinging my brain. Caffeine, I love thee. Come haiku with me. In the comments, write a haiku about one of your favorite things. And if you're new to The Pie, go enter our contest . ____ Last.fm hit of the day : Everything by Anathema

Every Friday the peeps that run Paper Hangover run Flash Fiction Friday. Yours truly blows at flash fiction--it always winds up being a longer piece down the road. Anyway, poached directly from their site: "Here's the gist. Each week, one of us we'll give you some kind of writing prompt--it won't always be stories, just something to get those creative juices flowing. If you want to participate, just leave your link in the comments and we'll stop by and see your work. Easy, right??" This week's prompt is In 300 words or less, write a story that begins with 'It's not you, it's me...'

To say I listen to "eclectic" and "unconventional" music is an understatement. I'm fully aware that my music taste and most of the Lurkdom don't match up. But today isn't about why you should join the dark side and embrace Dimmu Borgir videos as your number one source of entertainment*. It's Zombie Thursday which means we must address the zombie in music. Now, I should examine why zombies are prevalent in certain musical genres, but the 9-5 job is kicking my butt. You can get an idea of what Miranda would say on the matter by reading her inaugural ZT post . Instead, what I'm going to do is list songs with "zombie" or a zombie reference in the title with links to the lyrics. Your job is to argue whether or not it's really about zombies or something more. Zombie - The Cranberries Pet Sematary - Ramones Zombie Prostitute - Voltaire Now I'm Feeling Zombified - Alien Sex Fiend Dawn of the Dead - Michale Graves Let ...

Every Wednesday, YA Highway asks their readership a simple question to answer on your blog. Once you answer, you link your blog in the comments for other readers to hop on board. This is Road Trip Wednesday.  Today's question : Which book character would you like most as a next door neighbor? Bella Swan! She's so perfect and smart and charming and has a perfect sense of self. Wait, she's none of these things? Credit *shrugs* Moving on. My taste in neighbors has changed in recent years. When I was in college (still living at home and for the most part desperately single), all I wanted was a hot single neighbor that D and I could silently drool over and make lame attempts at conversation. If there was an accent, all the better. Now, as a quasi-adult with a husband and 2 children cats, I just want someone amicable that goes to the same gym*.     College Alicia's Choices Ray Caine, the rock star from the Glory St. Clair books. He's hot, si...

Welcome to part one of task-setting for writers. This will be a weekly feature for the next several weeks. To say that the art of writing is time-intensive is like saying chocolate is awesome*. In my fantasy world, I have an unlimited amount of time each day to work on my projects, still train for a marathon, and give the pool boy a good tongue-lashing. Reality is pretty different. There's the day job, social commitments, housework, cats. Life. All of this chips away at the time I mentally block off as "writing time." "Writing time" consists of anything that falls into the writing bucket: researching, editing, revising, beta-reading, and *gasp* actual writing. That's a lot to fit in and it's not surprising that everything sorta overflows like that time I forgot to add the flour to the cookies**. The key to stop the overflow is to quit. Kidding. photo © 2008 Hartwig HKD | more info (via: Wylio ) All you need to do is find balance. Balance is t...

If you're reading this post, that means the day job has kicked my butt again and I pulled out one of the last ditch posts. That I've written this with a raging PMS migraine isn't helping the thought process*. Credit Last month, Lauren sent me this as further proof of the squirrel apocalypse. Here you can see Abe whispering plot details to Charlie. What can they be talking about if not about overtaking the government?** The squirrels were quiet all winter. I'm not sure if this is because squirrels hibernate or if the weekly snowstorm just buried them all. Perhaps they were vactioning in Boca. Now that the rains erased any traces of snow in about 2 weeks, all wildlife is back in full force. This includes these little dumpster divers. The cats have never been so excited. If Abe and Charlie aren't canoodling or talking about a political coup, what else could they be discussing? By the way, we need 26 more followers before the Race to 150 closes. Don't y...

The White One is problematic. He's an asshat of a cat , but also very lovey. With a touch of emo-ness . That said, living with him is sometimes a challenge*. Last week was no exception because apparently he may have a case of The Clap . But even when he does things like crack Android phone screens and snap video cards, he then balances them with something hysterically funny like the time he got his head stuck in a Kleenex box. This is because he's the epitome of catness.The video below is one of these times. If there's a cat stereotype, he fits it. I present you with Lucky Versus The Wreath Box. Have a great Friday. Here's hoping next week isn't as crazy as this one! * I should've known this the first weekend with him when he destroyed a cat toy in 5 minutes. ________ Last.fm hit of the day : Love Sounds by Abigail's Ghost

Zombie Thur sdays is a weekly feature with guest blogger, Miranda. You can read more about her here . Just like any good zombie, you really can't keep something dead for long. Thus, we're revisiting a topic I have posted about before-- the Hello Kitty Zombie. You may recall from my previous Zombie Kitty post that I was in the process of moving and wanted to make a small room in my apartment a girly Hello Kitty room. Well, ironically, I have just moved again! I'm not sure if the plan remains to turn a room into a Sanrio room... we'll see. In my last HK post, I showed pictures of fan-art type of things-- zombie kitty tattoos, a cake, artwork, etc. None of it officially licensed or anything. All that has now changed! Sanrio has produced a limited line of Hello Kitty Zombie products (along with some of HK's closest friends). It seems most of these products are sold at (surprise, surprise) Hot Topic stores. Nonetheless, they are really cute. And kudos to Sanrio...

Every Wednesday, YA Highway asks their readership a simple question to answer on your blog. Once you answer, you link your blog in the comments for other readers to hop on board. This is Road Trip Wednesday.  Today's question: Who from real life have you written into a book? My creative writing professor in college gave us this sound advice on incorporating real life people into works of fiction: "Change their penis or breast size." Um, no Annie, that's not how it works. Like a lot of the other road trippers, I'm a trait stealer. In Falling to Normal, Cheyenne's extremely Catholic uncle is modeled in part by my dad and several conversations I've had with my former nun aunt. At least the staunch Catholic part is. And all of Cheyenne's extended family is modeled in part after my father's 18 brothers and sisters*. With this many aunts & uncles, you got an inevitable trait farm. An earlier version of Falling to Normal eve...

Today is the last day of Dawn Embers' Broken Hearts Blogfest . So if you're coming from there, hello, and why don't you enter a contest while you're here ? If you say you're from this blogfest, you'll get an extra entry. What is that? I'll let Dawn explain: "... the basic idea is to write about a heart breaking or one that is already broken. Show us the wretched emotions, the anger, depression, fear, whatever happens after the happy honeymooon lovey-dove V-day stuff is over and all that is left is a broken heart." This blogfest has been on my radar for a while, but wasn't sure if I'd enter it. I'm twitchy about sharing excerpts from WIPs, but I'm trying to get better at it. Feedback is a good thing to have, after all. The below is a bit from my co-authored yet-to-be-titled WIP. The MC, Laurel, is seeing her ex-boyfriend for the first time in almost two years. I hope you enjoy it.

You know I'll never get sick of this one. Life has overrun the day job and the day job has overrun my brain. I can feel the stress level creeping up to the point where neither chocolate nor ice cream will eliminate the problem. The headache is pounding to the point where holding my head like Deadpool here might be the best alternative. I'm sorry. Why? Apparently The White One has fleas which means everything in the house needs to be cleaned/scrubbed/boiled in water. Reporting to three different managers for the day job is starting to take it's toll. My brain is overcapacity and can't process much else*. Is there anything we can do? Sure. Tell people to enter our race to 150 contest . The more people you refer, the more chances you get to win. Also, I really want to ship out all the prizes.  It's Pi Day and what would Slice of the Blog Pie be without honoring it? But, I'm too lazy to write about pie. Instead, check out this awesome recipe for pie pops...

First off, thanks to Mo for hosting this blogfest. As it's still March 11th over here, we're not late. (PS: If you're new, you should enter our contes t.) The "Bucket List" blogfest is all about things you want to do before you die. Things you want to do before you kick the bucket. Things Miranda Wants to do Before She Dies Unfortunately, the past few weeks have been very bad for me. I feel like any list I write is going to sound incredibly emo and depressing, so I'll make my list very brief and tame. 1. Travel to Europe 2. Travel to Asia, specifically Japan 3. Feed the rhinos at the San Diego Zoo 4. See a real flesh eating zombie That's really it. I'm kind of a boring person! Things Alicia Wants to do Before She Dies 1. Have a book published the traditional way*. 2. Go to Egypt. 3. Go back to England. 4. Teach the cats how to do housework. 5. Really win the lottery. That's it, kids. Sorry for the lateness and the non-wittin...

Zombie Thur sdays is a weekly feature with guest blogger, Miranda. You can read more about her here . I'm not a fan of reality television shows. I find them to be completely unrealistic, even the "competition" shows. Producers constantly set the outcome of who stays and who goes. Let's face it-- you can't send home the bitch on the show in the first episode because then there would be no drama. No drama, no viewers, no ratings. This fact always bothers me. In a competition to find the next best *whatever,* the producers are pulling strings for ratings, not real talent. Ever wonder how Jeffery managed to win his season of Project Runway after consistently being in the bottom two every week for the first half of the season? He was an asshole, so they kept him around. With all this hatred in mind, I decided to give a new reality show a chance, but only because I'm highly interested in the subject matter. The show is on Syfy (or whatever they call themselve...

Every Wednesday, YA Highway asks their readership a simple question to answer on your blog. Once you answer, you link your blog in the comments for other readers to hop on board. This is Road Trip Wednesday. First, a big hello to everyone new in The Lurkdom. Please comment often. Second, a big thanks to Lauren Kaycee for our fancy new logo. So, today's question is to celebrate the release of Kirsten Hubbard's Like Mandarin* where the main character wants to be like someone else. It's more like a statement, really. I would have given anything to be like... My childhood photos are littered with pictures of me sitting somewhere near my cousin Kim, usually in identical sitting positions. She's a couple of years older than me and, therefore, taller. My first grade portrait has me in a cranberry ensemble that used to belong to her. I slept over more times than I remember. Enter High School Alicia. Not during the High School Alicia phase. One thing yo...

credit Last week I won an ARC of Divergent through Goodreads. I did a dance of joy when I saw the Harper Collins mailer on my front porch last night. Happy Monday to me. What's that about? Blurb from Goodreads: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fas...

Thanks to all who participated in the Name the Beastie Challenge . There were some good suggestions out there, but, like Highlander, there can be only one. Congrats to Tracey Neithercott ! My little bug-like guy is now known as a coleptra. If you like winning fun stuff, you should enter The Pie's Race to 150 contest . We've added some new prizes such as cupcakes of awesome and a critter, not as in a "I'm going to crit your work," but as in "look at this adorable penguin!" Adipose and Edward the Penguin. _______ Last.fm hit of the day : This Love by Pantera

The Gone, but Not Forgotten blogfest is Erinn's brainchild. All we need to do is list our top five shows that no longer have new episodes being made. OMG, this is the easiest blogfest ever!! Really? This is much, much harder than you would think. There are so many ways to organize this list: cartoons, teen drama, childhood faves. My brain is exploding with the possibilities. For example, Out of this World . I loved the show, do I miss it enough to see new episodes? Probably not*. What about Swans Crossing ? If it could replace the current version of 90210, probably. Alicia's Top 5 Shows That Ended Way Too Soon 5. Highlander . With 7 seasons, it really didn't end too soon, but the storyline faded away from the original premise. Technically, there can only be one and therefore the show shouldn't have been in existence, since Connor was the one. *deep breath* Sorry for the geekout. If they could go back to season 4 and redo the last 3, that would be awesome. 4. The...

Fact: Some people have a problem with the fact Zombie Thursday is only on Thursdays. *blinks* I'm sorry, but whoever invented the days of the week declared Thursday only happens once every 7 days. There's no circumventing this. You're a cruel mistress, you know that? True dat. Don't despair, though. For those who want Zombie Thursday every day, you can actually go to ZombiePlace.com . That's right. It's an actual website. And it's awesome. Credit At ZombiePlace.com, they post every few days with a variety of zombie related information: educational, amusement, and informative. They even have zombie Star Wars movie posters. So if you need another hit for your zombie fix, I definitely say check out ZombiePlace.com. Don't forget to enter our contest . I've been told there will be cupcakes of awesome . _________ Last.fm hit of the day : Born Like This by Three Days Grace

Every Wednesday, YA Highway asks their readership a simple question to answer on your blog. Once you answer, you link your blog in the comments for other readers to hop on board. This is Road Trip Wednesday. Today's topic : Invent your own magical creature. You mean the Wild Beezus isn't one? He's white with blue eyes and yodels with a nose that twitches like a bunny and ears reminiscent of a mouse. Witness my photo as proof. * waits* Okay, since none of you believe the fuzzy picture is a magical creature, I guess I'll have to share what I have. In my current WIP's world, I deal with magical beings, but the main ones are established beasties like golyms and chimeras. I have created something, but don't know what it should be called. So, in addition to this being Road Trip Wednesday, this is also a contest to name the beastie. The rules: Read the description. Comment with a name and leave your email address. Contest will remain open ...

Credit   Style and methods, that is! I totally poached this meme from Holly that she posted back in December . I've kept it filed away for a day when I needed something in a pinch. Since today's Tuesday and the 9-5 job has my brain all scrambled, it looks like today would be the day. Writing style and methodology vary per person. There is no right or wrong way to do go about a writing project. So what works for me will not necessarily work for you. Also, style and methods can change over time*. 1. Are you a “pantser” or a “plotter”? For those in The Lurkdom that don't know these terms, I'll give you a quick breakdown: pantser is when you write a story without any planning, just going by the seat of your pants. Plotter is the exact From the dawn of time, I used to be 100% panster; I would have the characters and backstory in my head and then just let my fingers and brain tag team to get the story down. While this is fun, it was a pain in the ass when I w...