Happy Book Birthday to my Critique Partner, Michelle McLean!

Woot! *throws streamers* Happy Birthday, HOMEWORK HELPERS: ESSAYS AND TERM PAPERS!! This awesome book bears the name of none other than my Operation Awesome partner in crime, Michelle McLean! She is an amazing writer, whether it's fiction or nonfiction. If you aren't following her blog yet, you need to get over there now! Not only is she having a big giveaway to celebrate her book debut, but her daily posts are some of the best writing advice I've seen on the web. She didn't get this nonfiction contract for nothing! This girl knows how to write a fun, conversational, spot-on how-to!


Lots of people are talking about her today, including these guys:


Christine Fonseca, 
Elana Johnson, 
Bethany Wiggins and Suzette Saxton, 
and Lisa Amowitz.


If you comment on each blog, that's how many entries you'll get in the big giveaway going on all week. And be sure to check back here next Saturday (not this one, but next: Jan 29th) because I'll have a brilliant (Seriously. I'm not exaggerating. This will change your writing life.) guest post by the skillful and delicious author.


Now for a few other nuggets of awesome around the blogosphere:

• WriteOnCon has invited Pippin Properties (amazing collaborative literary agency) to live chat with all their followers on Monday, January 24th, 5:00pm EST! You will not want to miss this! So do your research and tune in to ask your questions.

• Congratulations to Beth Revis, author of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, for debuting on the New York Times Bestseller List at #7! Must be a magic number and bodes well for this book b/c Kiersten White's Paranormalcy occupied exactly the same spot in its first week! 

• The fast-growing Best Damn Creative Writing Blog Ever now has a book club! Check it out and get in on the book discussion.

What's got you excited on the blogosphere today?

A Blog Award, A Blog Banner Contest, and Chin Dimples

Yep, I'm trying to do it all today.

BLOG AWARD ALERT!

Huge thanks to the lovely Angela Felsted for passing along the...

In keeping with the spirit of the rules, here are seven things you didn't know about me:

1) My astrological sign is Cancer

2) I was born in the year of the pig

3) Both of my sons were blessed with the amazingly adorable chin dimple (Hollywood, here they come)

4) I've been in a plane crash, but never a car crash

5) My circulation is so bad, I get cold if the temp drops below 74

6) The moon makes me smile every time

7) My favorite color is not orange. It's yellow, but I do love the way they go together on my blog.

I'm supposed to pass this along to FIFTEEN people, which is a great way to spread the love, so I'll see what I can do:

Colene Murphy,     Lindsay (aka Isabella),     Matthew Rush,      Christy Evers,    

Beth Revis... 

Umm, I'm sorry. I got distracted after FIVE by Beth Revis and her book launch party!! Holy delicious book website! Happy Birthday, AtU!

Did you buy ACROSS THE UNIVERSE YET? My copy is sitting by my bed, just where it should be. 

BLOG BANNER CONTEST

Kristal Shaff of Operation Awesome is sharing her amazing talents with all our awesome readers. Head over to see samples of her work (umm, or just look at my beautiful blog banner above. That's her craftsmanship, too). Good luck! I hope you win your own specially designed blog banner!

Now for my mini-blog post:


Check this out! "To Boldly Go: What Made 400 People Volunteer for a One-Way Mission to Mars?"


Just got my copy of a book about colonizing a distant planet, and then I read this. Fun coincidences.  It's crazy how close modern technology is to achieving the stuff of decades of science fiction! It kind of makes writing sci-fi daunting. What hasn't been done?


Beth Revis mentions drawing inspiration for some of her tech from her iPod. If you write sci-fi, or even fantasy cross-over with science fiction elements, how do you make now-old ideas fresh? From where do you draw your inspiration? (I get mine from old science fiction and new "scientific breakthroughs.")


Update: Okay, my husband expressed concern that my readers might think my kids are spawn of Edward and Jacob. To prevent this and give credit where it's due for the awesome chin dimples, I'm posting a picture of my hunky husband: