Randomness

Okay, so here are some random things for your Tuesday:

1. We are moved. My legs and feet are not as sore as they were, say, two days ago. Thank God for hot baths and whirlpool jets. I know you’re jealous. Don’t hate me. The guy I’m sorta married to but not allowed to talk about online says he feels like we’re house-sitting. Don’t pinch me, because I don’t want to wake up!

2. My round two revisions on my latest ms are finally done. Now I have to print it out and start round three. Would be great, except 1) at 200 pages (single spaced), I’m afraid I’m going to run out of toner and 2) I only have the paper that’s in my printer. My other reams are packed with our office stuff, and there are like 15 of those boxes. I don’t know where the paper is. I also need envelopes. Grr.

3. I’m reading Sarah MacLean’s The Season (a little more than halfway through), and let me tell you: It’s Awesome. I *heart* it. I literally had to make myself go to bed last night and not keep reading. Also, Sydney Salter’s Jungle Crossing ARC arrived yesterday. I’m excited about this one, too, because I don’t read a lot of MG novels, even though I’ve written one (I’m pathetic, I know).

4. It’s raining here right now. I’m kind of glad, because when it’s sunny outside I feel guilty for grading papers inside when I could be out enjoying the day. I will be v. productive today. (Good thing, too, because if I’m caught up with everything by Thursday, I’m taking an afternoon off to watch Twilight . . . again).

5. Congrats to Melissa Walker whose latest novel, Lovestruck Summer, releases today! I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy, because I loved her Violet series. Plus, as a fellow NC YA Writer, we’re kindred spirits. Happy Release Day Melissa!

Have a fabulous day!

~Leigh~

Moving Day!

1. I moved this weekend. It began when power to my current house shut off at 11am on Friday, and it hasn’t stopped yet. I was in the middle of washing clothes when the power was turned off, so I literally had to pull wet clothes out of the washer and throw them on the back deck, then scoop water out with a cup. I also had to fish around a pitch black bathroom that night in search of my contacts. (You have not seen dark until you’re in a room with no windows in the middle of a dark house nearing midnight. V. Scary).

In addition to cardboard boxes and packing tape, there was also a 3-foot black snake involved (shudders). More material for the books I write, I suppose.

2. It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m in my hew house, but I’m *exhausted*. The fact that I work from my couch is completely evident this weekend. The pads of my feet are killing me.

3. I have a backlog of papers to grade, so it will be a v. busy Monday and Tuesday (at least). I also have an inbox full of emails to reply to, so if you’ve emailed me in the last four or five days, don’t worry: you’re flagged, and I haven’t forgotten about you.

4. Here’s my blog tour schedule for the week:

Week of May 3-May 9

5/3 Kristin Walker http://walkwrite.livejournal.com

(What I would’ve been if not a writer)

5/4 Kimberly Derting http://kderting.livejournal.com/

(Bestselling Rockstar Author or an Acclaimed Literary Award Winner?)

5/5 Rhonda Stapleton http://rhondastapleton.blogspot.com/

(My favorite cafeteria meal in high school!)

5/6 Jennifer Brown http://jenniferbrown09.livejournal.com/

(How does Wrenn Scott eat a Reeses?)

5/7 Kristina Springer http://kspringer.livejournal.com/

(The worst thing I did in high school that I didn’t get caught for)

5/8 Jon Skovron http://jonnyskov.com

(Why I prefer pirates!)

5/9 Megan Crewe http://megancrewe.livejournal.com/

(The hardest part of writing One Wish)

5. I can’t believe it’s already May. What happened?? At the end of the month I’ll be heading to NYC for Book Expo America! I’d say that I can’t wait (which I can’t), but I’m sure it will be here before I know it!! Yay!

Back to work!

(groans)

~Leigh~

P.S. I'm not sure why my line breaks aren't showing lately, but it's getting on my nerves.

Website!

We interrupt this work day to inform you that www.leighbrescia.com is live.

I’m not going to even go into the headache that was designing and uploading this thing: how many designs I went through, how many software platforms I tried before I could get it to work, the time spent on the phone with troubleshooters who were no help to me at all. . . .

I gave up on the traditional software/uploading and finally decided to design a site in SproutBuilder since I’d had so much success with it before. Yay for beating the system!

So far so good. J

1) I hope you stop by.

2) I hope you like it.

3) I hope you’ll let me know if you come across any incorrect/dead links.

Since I am a one-person show (on my good days I’m actually a writer: not a graphic/website designer or HTML expert) there’s a good possibility that I’ve overlooked something.

There’s a link to the book trailer, and an audio excerpt of me reading from One Wish (though I really don’t care if you skip that, because I’m not too thrilled with the way I sound on recordings . . . I can only hope that I don’t sound that way in real life).

Meanwhile, the next time I need a website overhaul I’m going to the professionals. Lesson learned.

Have a great day!

Happy Monday!

Hi Everyone!

A few things on this beautiful Monday morning . . .

1. It’s already a sunny 72 degrees outside (the high for today is 90). I am *loving* it!

2. I am surrounded by boxes. We are packing and moving into what will be our first house. More rooms, more storage, windows that open . . . I’m v. excited.

3. I had a great release week; now it’s time to get back to work. (Those of you who pre-ordered from Amazon: do not fret! Orders will begin filling soon!) I’m kind of torn at the moment. Though I haven’t even finished revisions on my last WIP, I’ve already decided to write a new book this summer. The problem is I don’t know which story to tackle first. There are two novels I’ve previously written that I want to re-write, but this weekend I got an entirely new idea.

4. The new idea would be an urban fantasy, which I’m intrigued by but obviously a genre I’ve never written. My characters (though unnamed) are already carrying on conversations in my head. I’ve started researching the subject a bit. I’ll have to make a decision soon: work on my previous projects or see if I can do something with the new idea.

5. It would be nice to clone myself. I’d send one of me to pack boxes, the other me would grade papers, and I could finish revisions and get to work on my new project.

6. I’m having serious website issues. It will be a while before I get it up. (Would be great to have a fourth clone to handle the headache that has been designing and uploading my web presence).

7. Here is my 2009 Debs Blog Tour schedule for the week:

Week of April 26-May 2

4/26 Heather Duffy-Stone http://heatherduffystone.blogspot.com

(Find out more about Zoe, Wrenn’s best friend!)

4/27 Sydney Salter http://www.mybignose.blogspot.com

(Why I had to pray that my hair wouldn’t fall out!)

4/28 Deva Fagan http://www.devafagan.com

(My favorite fairy-tale)

4/29 Cheryl Renee Herbsman http://blog.cherylreneeherbsman.com/

(Learn more about my favorite place to write)

4/30 Danielle Joseph http://daniellejoseph.livejournal.com

(Find out what inspired me to write One Wish)

5/2 Cyn Balog http://cyn2write.livejournal.com/

(The first piece of fiction I ever wrote)

8. And finally, I stole this from Tina over at the Buzz Girls Blog, because *everyone* should stop what they’re doing at least once a day for a song and dance break.

Sound of Music Train Station @ Yahoo! Video

Have a great day!!

Love,

~Leigh~

Release Day!!

I’m not going to go all sap on you today, but I have to say, when I was sitting on the floor of my apartment, writing out the first draft of One Wish (longhand, in a 5-subject notebook—what?) I didn’t really think I would ever see the day when it was actually published and heading out into the world.

(sigh)

Pinch me now, because the pre-sale link disappeared from Amazon yesterday, and One Wish is officially on sale.

(A quick side note: the Amazon link may say that One Wish is temporarily out of stock, and that’s okay. If you’re interested, I hope you’ll still go ahead and order it. WestSide will begin filling orders v. soon. Also, you can expect links to Books a Million and Barnes and Noble to go live in the coming weeks. One Wish will be available in store through those chains, as well.)

A few links for you on this extraordinary release day:

First, I have a book trailer. It’s not as awesome as Cindy Pon’s, though (Congrats to Cindy on her Meg Cabot shout out yesterday! Link to the trailer in her post: http://www.megcabot.com/diary/?p=711).

Anyway, this is something I did myself with my measly little Microsoft Movie Maker (which kept shutting down on me every time I made a change. Grrr). If nothing else, watch it to hear an excerpt from Greg Maroney’s “The Reluctant Ballerina.” Greg is *such* a talented pianist and composer, and I *heart* his music.

The link is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMeUPa8zaAI

Next, remember all those Debs posts? That’s for our blog tour. Now it’s my turn! Each week I’ll post a new list of links that will (hopefully) take you to an interview. You’ve got time-wasting material until the end of May, people. Use it wisely!

Here are my locations for the rest of this week:

April 24-April 25

4/24 Pam Bachorz http://pambachorz.livejournal.com

(Find out why Grandma Grace should read One Wish!)

4/25 Saundra Mitchell http://www.saundramitchell.com/blog

(Do I prefer Zombies or Unicorns?)

Also, here’s the link to a One Wish interview by Karen Kincy, a member of the Tenners! http://community.livejournal.com/10_ers/126607.html

(Karen’s debut novel, Other, will debut in 2010! Go Karen!)

Also, I want to give a special shout out to my publishing sister at WestSide, C. Lee McKenzie. We’re both releasing today!! Visit her at http://www.cleemckenziebooks.com/

Happy Release Day, C. Lee!!!

And . . . I hope YOU have a Fabulous Day!

Love,

Leigh

P.S. www.leighbrescia.com is coming soon, I swear! I’m a one-woman show. Hopefully in the next few days . . . fingers crossed!