Writers today have a lot more challenges than just what is on the television. In an age where you can be connected to the internet through your computer, phone, e-reader, and probably a hundred more things I'm forgetting, it's difficult to remember a time when this wasn't the case*. With the exception of a few hours a week, all of my online time has been done by phone or NOOK while I worked on my revisions and only then to look up something or compulsively check Twitter and such**. Doing this was important because the revisions I undertook were TOUGH: scene scrutiny, additional worldbuilding, not to mention a lot of yelling at the paper. (For the record my revisions are still going on, but I'm on back end of it now.) Unplugging is good not only for a particularly hard revision, but for life. When you're not attached to the internet (or technology in general), you can do a lot more in the real world: have lunch with friends, spend more time outdoors, socialize***...

It’s pretty safe to say that at some point in our life, we would give our baby toes to glimpse into our future or hop into the DeLorean to change some instance in our past. Hell, Bestie Danielle and I usually play the “I should’ve” game once a season. So when I read the premise of THE FUTURE OF US by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, it definitely made me go “hm.” Blurb from Goodreads : “It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future. By refreshing their pages, the...

"If I just keep on going, everything will turn out fine." - Big Bird, Follow That Bird I loved this movie growing up. Big Bird is sent off to live with the Dodo family in Illinois and far away from Sesame Street, but he doesn't like it there. He's homesick. He takes it upon himself to go back to his real home. It's a simple premise, but it's old school Sesame Street and created for little kids, not us big ones. The best part of the movie are the songs. My favorite is the song with Waylon Jennings* and Big Bird called "Ain't No Road Too Long." If your firewall's blocking the video, go here for the lyrics. ** The song speaks a lot to anyone on the journey to publication. At first you know nothing about the journey and think it will be super fast, then someone with more knowledge tells you how long it really takes. You think, "Crap. It'll never happen." Then Waylon Jennings breaks into song. When he tells you "...

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 are your favorite literary cliches? The 9-5 job is (again) kicking my ass, so I only had time to think up one-- The Bad Boy. I've been intrigued with the bad boy since the world got introduced to Dylan Mckay back when pegging your jeans was still in style*. They're mysterious, potentially dangerous, and everyone judges them based off of a few key facts or rumors. What people don't know is that even they externally scream "BAMF!" they have a heart of gold. In order to be a Bad Boy, the character should have one or more of the following characteristics : Rides a motorcycle Has a dysfunctional family where at least one parent has a drinking problem Smokes Smolders. A lot. Has anger issues Detention or suspensio...

Saying this week sucked hard would be an understatement. I had repeat technology fails, waking nightmares at the 9 to 5 job, and three days of cold rain. There were only two highlights to the week: my 3 year anniversary to Hubby and 90s music references on the Twitters and IRL. With that and the disturbing mashup of Baby Got Back and Rico Suave rolling in my brain, I bring you Four For Friday: Musical 90s Edition!!!* 1. Good Vibrations by Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch.  (It takes a second to start. Patience, grasshopper.)   I'm not sure what was better for middle school Alicia. The beat of the song or the fact there were abs to stare at. 2. Bullet With Butterfly Wings by Smashing Pumpkins. One of the only songs where Billy Corgan's voice doesn't irritate me. Also it's *just* angry enough to sate the rage on those slow-burning days. 3. Black by Pearl Jam. 4. Creep by Radiohead.  Radiohead - New Music - More Music Videos My favoritest song by the...

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 : You're packing for a month on a deserted island. What, as a reader and writer, must be in your backpack? I'm kinda old school, so I'm going to assume I got to the island via a three-hour tour *. And believe you me, I can pack a shit-ton for a short trip. Alicia = expert packer. There will be other people on the boat, but due to the tragic storm, The Minnow and everyone was lost with the exception of Yours Truly and the Incredibly Hot Everyman who rescued me from the watery abyss.   The Necessities Sunblock. Let's just say that despite the Southern Italian genes, I fry like I'm Irish**. Hoodie. It gets cold on the water. Gum. I always have at least two packs with me. Lip gloss. Because I'm a girl and with The Incredibly...

So if you blog using Blogger, you've probably noticed the statistics tab. If you don't use it... Blogger has a tab that allows you to see all your stats: hits, top posts, top demographic, who tap dances, etc. Since looking at statistics is higher in priority than cleaning my desk, I check them out a lot. I like to see how I've been found. The best thing is which keywords people use. Like: Obviously if you found me with that search string, we need to talk. Why would you be searching for this? When you hit it on the Googles, you get 13 results, one being mine. I'm not sure what you're trying to figure out, but you're not going to learn it here. While I will agree that the mall does have some import, I'm not going to rank it up there with the sun or the Tower. Trust me on this. I've paid my dues as a mall rat. I've crowded the Galleria when cast members of the original 90210 visited. Social mecca it isn't. That said... Reasons the mall...

I know what you're thinking: Why is there a raisin wearing shades and sneakers? Because it's a California Raisin, of course. And since I live in a weird-ass town, the housing complex down the street showcases three of these bad boys on their patch of dirt lawn. This, plus the other two, are dancing their way far from an alligator and a slightly abused gnome. The California Raisin trio wins the award for weirdest lawn ornament hands down and they're handmade. They're similar enough for you to recognize them for what they are* but different enough so it doesn't rip off the franchise. In case you don't remember them, I've included the video. I loved this at age 8. * I totally recognize that this is only true for those who remember 1986. _____ Last.fm hit of the day : House by the Cemetery by Wednesday 13 (Psst, go out and buy Women and Children Last .)

Wednesday was the throwback to the teens day it seems. First, Nathan Bransford's You Tell Me and then YA Highway does their road trip back to teen writing . So while digging out the photos Thursday night, I also unearthed the journals. The thing you should know about me and journaling is that I've never done it right. I usually did the laundry list or spewed tons of hostility onto the page that never creeps out my pie hole. (And after reading a few entries from early 10th grade, be glad that it hasn't.) After a while, I would get bored. Number of journals I've tried to keep and ultimately failed: 3. The longest time that I kept a journal: 10 months. During this 10 month span, I managed to complete almost two volumes in neon pen with my overly large D'Nealian cursive. It was these journals that I pulled out last night. I found notes from my two best friends in high school plus little souvenirs from shows, trips, and anything related to boys I crushed on. The...

On Wednesday, number 1 agent crush, Nathan Bransford, blogged asking us about favorite books and worst outfit/ style as a teenager. Over 300 people shared their books and their now-horrifying, once-cool hairstyle and/ or outfit. I'll admit right now to reading every single comment and clicking through to the pictures. This got me a little nostalgic. So last night instead of working on FALLING TO NORMAL, I poured over old pictures to scan and upload. (Old = 1993 - 2004ish.) I think I might do a couple of posts over the next few weeks showcasing some of them, but right now it's all about the bad teen hair and fashion sense. For your viewing horror, I present the three worst on-profane pictures of me from the teen years. I hated my straight hair and wanted it curly. Don't mock; it was a trend. Back then, I wanted to be trendy. We couldn't afford for me to go get my hair permed so my mother bought a DIY kit. You can see the awesome end result here. Complete with hu...