Posted on

Random

Woo-Hoo! WORD GEEK TRIUMPH!

Remember the photo I took in the Milwaukee Airport last fall?

The American Dialect Society loves the same sign! They named it the Most Creative Word Use of 2008. Here’s from their report: “WINNER: recombobulation area: An area at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee in which passengers that have just passed through security screening can get their clothes and belongings back in order.”

Read the whole thing, esp. “bromance” and “Palinesque”.

And (this is totally unrelated) I really must learn Japanese. (English explanation of the site).

Posted on

Must-Get-Writing Monday

A quick entry today because I need to get to the library when it opens.

Thank you Susane Colasanti for the awesome review of WINTERGIRLS. Release date in March 19th!

And not to leave CHAINS shivering in the snow, here’s what Jerry, a teacher in Texas thinks.

Last but not least, I received a note from a teen reader this weekend who loves SPEAK and wants to read other books like it. Can you help me out with this? What do you recommend?

PS – I shall be singing the Eagles Fight Song quietly under my breath all day.

Posted on

weekend plans

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Scribblescribblescribblescibble…play in the snow…Scribblescribblescribblescibble…play in the snow…Scribblescribblescribblescibble…play in the snow…Scribblescribblescribblescibble…play in the snow…Scribblescribblescribblescibble…play in the snow…Scribblescribblescribblescibble…play in the snow…Scribblescribblescribblescibble…play in the snow..

…drink hot tea by the fire, curled up with a good book.

Posted on

On Contest Winners and Technology Gremlins

So………..

Last summer I decided to try a book trailer contest for SPEAK and TWISTED. The plan was to offer it to summer reading groups at libraries. But I didn’t get much response from summer reading groups and I had a lot of email from teachers who wanted to offer the contest to their students.

So……….

I extended the deadline. The contest rules were spread far and wide. Note: I used my writerlady.com email account for all correspondence for this contest. And then I went on book tour. Whilst on tour, gremlins attacked the server that hosted the writerlady email account. It was a nasty vicious ebomb and the company who owns that server had to totally shut down my account. Permanently.

Meanwhile, I was traipsing across the country, merrily handing out my business car with the email address on it. And the Incompetent and/or Lazy Server Company did not contact me to let me know that the Writerlady Email account had been, in effect, blown up. I didn’t find out what had happened until after Thanksgiving. A million gazillion apologies to anyone who tried to contact me from the middle of October to the middle of December. The email is up and running now, so please try again.

(Yes, the Evil Server Company could have contacted me. They have my private email, my phone numbers, and my house address. They managed to get my bills to me on time. Yes, I am beyond annoyed about this. Know any good lawyers?)

So………

Earnest readers and film makers did, in fact, enter the contest. I am sure they were all alarmed when the email they sent to me was bounced back, but the beauty of the contest structure allowed me to find all the entries on YouTube, so everyone was considered.

So…….drum roll

reaches for the envelope

The winners of the 2008 TWISTED book trailer contest are Suki and CJ from Atlanta!!!

The winner of the 2008 SPEAK book trailer contest is Sharpieinkwarpaint from Canada!

And an honorable mention goes to Parmandiriel (I think she’s from Montana), for her SPEAK trailer!

Many thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about the contest and to everyone who entered!!! (And a thousand curses on the heads of the Evil Server Company for messing up my mail!)

Posted on

My friends in Miami

It is a loverly thing when friendly readers take care of my blogging responsibilities.

Instead of creating my own post today, I direct you to a fun interview with me over at YAthenaeum, a YA book community based out of one of my favorite bookstores, Books and Books in Coral Gables. They asked super questions! (Do you understand the movie reference at the end?)

Thank you, good readers of the YAthenaem!!!

Tune in tomorrow for the announcement of the winners of the TWISTED and SPEAK book trailer contests and an explanation of all the email and server problems we’ve been having here in the Forest for months.

PS – I am back in wicked serious writing mode and loving it.