Today I’m thrilled to have Mandy Hubbard on the blog! Mandy is celebrating the release of her debut novel: Prada and Prejudice
First, the basics:
About Prada and Prejudice
Fifteen year old Callie just wants to impress the popular girls when she buys a pair of Prada heels on her class trip to London. She didn’t plan on tripping, conking her head, and waking up in 1815! Now she’s wearing corsets with her designer pumps, eating bizarre soups, and breaking up engagements. If only the nineteen year old Duke of Harksbury wasn’t so bloody annoying, she might have a little fun in Austen-Era England…
About Mandy Hubbard
Mandy Hubbard grew up on a dairy farm outside Seattle, where she refused to wear high heels until homecoming—and hated them so much she didn’t wear another pair for five years. A cowgirl at heart, she enjoys riding horses and quads and singing horribly to the latest country tune. She’s currently living happily ever after with her husband (who, sadly, is not a Duke) and her daughter (who is most definitely a princess). Prada and Prejudice is her first novel.
And now: on to the Interview!
Me: Without giving away too many spoilers, what is your favorite part of the novel/what was the part you had the most fun writing?
Mandy: Anytime in which Callie had to really "play the part" of a prim and proper regency girl--with an audience-- was fun for me. There's a scene that takes place in the drawing room where Callie is asked to play the piano (because her alter ego Rebecca is said to be a wonderful player), and all Callie can think is, "I hope they like chopsticks!"
Me: OMG! (lol) That is hilarious! What kind of writing projects are you currently working on? Or, if you aren't working on anything new, is there a different demographic/genre you wouldn't mind tackling in the future?
Mandy: I'm in the midst of writing my Nascar novella for Harlequin (comes out June 2010), and drafting a paranormal romance. Soon I'll be getting to work on my second YA with Razorbill, too, that should be due out Summer 2010. It's still to-be-determined!
Me: Awesome! Who is your writing hero and why?
Mandy: Probably Stephen King--and I don’t even read his (fiction) books! I love his attitude-- it's so refreshing the way he speaks his mind. His memoir/non-fiction book, ON WRITING, was particularly fun.
Me: A lot of Debs picked him! I LOVED ON WRITING! But I’m like you: I’ve never read his fiction. The movie adaptations scared/scarred me enough, thank you.
Readers . . . You can visit Mandy at her home on the web: http://mandyhubbard.com
And . . . PRADA AND PREJUDICE is officially on sale. You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Prada-Prejudice-Mandy-Hubbard/dp/1595142606/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228166029&sr=8-1
Mandy will be chatting with Sydney tomorrow at: http://www.mybignose.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for stopping by, Mandy!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
NYC Post! (Finally!!)
Okay, I know, I’m pathetic. I still haven’t blogged about my NYC trip. In short? We all had a blast.
On Friday night we went to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa). We spent a few hours browsing (weaving through the crowds) and glimpsing works of the masters. Baby girl recognized a painting from her “Baby Art” video, so we snapped a photo. The guy I’m sorta married to but not allowed to talk about online got to see the photography floor, so he was happy. The “Mom” (who is an art teacher) gave us the “unofficial tour.” My favorite?
The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali
(I’ve actually always called it Melting Clocks, though)
When we were done we headed to Burger Heaven, and yes, their burgers really were Heaven.
On Saturday while I was at BEA the fam went to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. That night:
Shopping on 5th Avenue!!
Yes, we went into Sak’s, which was WAY CRAZY!! I was actually browsing around when I saw this glorious white scarf that I would’ve LOVED to own. Picked up the price tag: $1400.00.
I am so sorry, but that decimal is in the WRONG place. Fourteen Hundred Dollars for a SCARF!! It was beautiful, though. Not three car payments beautiful, but beautiful enough.
My mom kept hissing at me to stop touching things. (Like I was 7 and not 27, duh!)
We saw Rockefeller Center, and NBC Studios, and wouldn’t you know there was a crowd standing outside the Rainbow Room. Turns out Prince Harry was in town. His black SUV was parked out front; it was roped off, with a dozen guys in suits and earpieces swarming around.
I stood there for about 30 minutes to get this:
You can tell I’m not used to carrying around tiny pieces of leather that are hundreds of dollars, because I haven’t taken it out of the pouch it came in, and it’s tucked away safely in my purse. I’m too nervous to actually use it. It’s awesome though, and I like to talk about it, I um, just don’t pull it out v. much.
(Blog Hijack! If you have a moment, you should head to the Louis Vuitton website. The guy advertising their Father’s Day collection is smokin’ hot.)
So that was our trip in a nutshell. It was a busy weekend, and there were so many things we could have done but didn’t have time for. We are definitely heading back, though, because although I’m a country girl at heart, a taste of big city life never hurt anyone.
Have a Great Day!
Love,
~Leigh~
On Friday night we went to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa). We spent a few hours browsing (weaving through the crowds) and glimpsing works of the masters. Baby girl recognized a painting from her “Baby Art” video, so we snapped a photo. The guy I’m sorta married to but not allowed to talk about online got to see the photography floor, so he was happy. The “Mom” (who is an art teacher) gave us the “unofficial tour.” My favorite?
The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali
(I’ve actually always called it Melting Clocks, though)
When we were done we headed to Burger Heaven, and yes, their burgers really were Heaven.
On Saturday while I was at BEA the fam went to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. That night:
Shopping on 5th Avenue!!
Yes, we went into Sak’s, which was WAY CRAZY!! I was actually browsing around when I saw this glorious white scarf that I would’ve LOVED to own. Picked up the price tag: $1400.00.
I am so sorry, but that decimal is in the WRONG place. Fourteen Hundred Dollars for a SCARF!! It was beautiful, though. Not three car payments beautiful, but beautiful enough.
My mom kept hissing at me to stop touching things. (Like I was 7 and not 27, duh!)
We saw Rockefeller Center, and NBC Studios, and wouldn’t you know there was a crowd standing outside the Rainbow Room. Turns out Prince Harry was in town. His black SUV was parked out front; it was roped off, with a dozen guys in suits and earpieces swarming around.
I stood there for about 30 minutes to get this:
I know. He was in a rush. There was no “shaking of the hands.” It’s him, though, in the khakis and black blazer. I know it, because I was there. If it was his brother I may have fainted, because yes, at one time I really thought that if I wrote him a letter he would fall in love with me and I could be a Princess (but that’s a whole ‘nother story).
On Sunday we went to The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which were both very cool. Then we went to the World Trade Center Museum (which made me want to cry) and Ground Zero.
Afterwards we went to the Toys R Us in Times Square, where the guy I’m sorta married to but not allowed to talk about online ran into Phil Vassar (a singer whose name I didn’t know but songs I did). He was shopping with his kids.
We also went to Macy’s where I saw a GORGEOUS necklace within my budget that I didn’t buy and I’m now kicking myself over. I can’t find it online or in Raleigh. Grr! I am cursing the “rational” part of my brain that said I don’t need to buy everything I see. I wanted that necklace. And now it’s gone forever. ANGST!
I did get something else, though. The guy I’m sorta married to but yada yada yada bought me a “Happy Book Signing” gift in the form of Louis Vuitton.
On Sunday we went to The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which were both very cool. Then we went to the World Trade Center Museum (which made me want to cry) and Ground Zero.
Afterwards we went to the Toys R Us in Times Square, where the guy I’m sorta married to but not allowed to talk about online ran into Phil Vassar (a singer whose name I didn’t know but songs I did). He was shopping with his kids.
We also went to Macy’s where I saw a GORGEOUS necklace within my budget that I didn’t buy and I’m now kicking myself over. I can’t find it online or in Raleigh. Grr! I am cursing the “rational” part of my brain that said I don’t need to buy everything I see. I wanted that necklace. And now it’s gone forever. ANGST!
I did get something else, though. The guy I’m sorta married to but yada yada yada bought me a “Happy Book Signing” gift in the form of Louis Vuitton.
You can tell I’m not used to carrying around tiny pieces of leather that are hundreds of dollars, because I haven’t taken it out of the pouch it came in, and it’s tucked away safely in my purse. I’m too nervous to actually use it. It’s awesome though, and I like to talk about it, I um, just don’t pull it out v. much.
(Blog Hijack! If you have a moment, you should head to the Louis Vuitton website. The guy advertising their Father’s Day collection is smokin’ hot.)
So that was our trip in a nutshell. It was a busy weekend, and there were so many things we could have done but didn’t have time for. We are definitely heading back, though, because although I’m a country girl at heart, a taste of big city life never hurt anyone.
Have a Great Day!
Love,
~Leigh~
Friday, June 19, 2009
Vocab and Reviews
Today’s blog has a two-fold purpose: to work on your vocabulary and discuss reviews.
First up: your vocab words for the day . . . .
insipid, pandering, insulting, vapidity, superficiality, infuriating. . . .
I could ask you to look these words up, but that would be boring, and the truth is I’m not interested in improving your SAT scores. You’d get a much better idea of what each of these words means if you simply look up the latest review of One Wish in the Sacramento Book Review and posted on Amazon.
Before you read any further: I’m okay. I’m laughing. I’m smiling. Really, I am. :)
Why? Because this comes with the territory. I knew when I wrote One Wish that if it was published I would have to go through rounds and rounds of edits. I knew that one day I would proofread galleys. I knew that I would see Advanced Reader’s Copies, and that soon the day would arrive when I could hold a real, live hardcover copy in my hands.
I also knew that there would be reviews: Good ones . . . and Bad ones. So far I’ve been fortunate: I’ve gotten great blurbs from Alyson Noel, Mary Beth Miller, and Amanda Ashby, and both the School Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly had nice things to say.
So let’s pretend I’m actually good at math. In a writer’s world (and we writers are notorious for being pathetic with numbers) reviews look like this:
Bad Review = Good Review5 (to the fifth power)
If I wouldn’t have failed Algebra I the first time around and had to repeat it, or cheated my way through Algebra II before happily passing College Algebra with a D, this might mean something like this:
One Bad Review is the equivalent of Five Good Reviews. This means that it takes Five Good Reviews to equal One Bad Review; that One Bad Review carries as much weight as Five Good Reviews.
Do you see how terrible at math I am? It shouldn’t be this way at all. A review is a review, and one Bad Review shouldn’t detract from the Good Reviews: it’s a review.
Still, it’s just another one of those things that we’re fairly neurotic about (along with Google Alerts, vanity searches, Amazon Rankings, and which retailers “bought in”).
We seek this kind of information out, and then we berate ourselves when we find what we’re looking for. This, I have come to realize, is part of the process.
Unfortunately, bad reviews are part of this journey, and that’s okay. Am I glad that this particular reviewer thought One Wish was insulting and infuriating? Not really. But the beautiful thing about writing is that it’s subjective: what one person loves, another may hate; what one person relates to, another may not.
The fact is that every book isn’t for every person. And what fun is a world where everyone’s opinions are the same? That would be boring. In no way are we required to love everything we hear or read or see. It’s what makes us individuals.
What I’m trying to say is: don’t worry. I’ve read the review, and while at first I wracked my brain trying to remember if I’d done something absolutely horrible to the reviewer in a former life, I realized that it’s just one opinion. The book wasn’t for her; it’s not the end of the world.
And now I can scratch another thing off the list of this amazing journey that is being an author: I got my first scathing review. Yes, it stung a bit, but it doesn’t take away from the good reviews, or from those who read One Wish and liked it.
It’s been said that, when faced with a bad review, an author must seek out the positive and forget the rest. In this case, the reviewer thinks I’m a decent writer. Because of this, there is always the possibility that, while One Wish wasn’t for her, my next novel may be just what she’s looking for. (Fingers Crossed!)
Happy Friday!
First up: your vocab words for the day . . . .
insipid, pandering, insulting, vapidity, superficiality, infuriating. . . .
I could ask you to look these words up, but that would be boring, and the truth is I’m not interested in improving your SAT scores. You’d get a much better idea of what each of these words means if you simply look up the latest review of One Wish in the Sacramento Book Review and posted on Amazon.
Before you read any further: I’m okay. I’m laughing. I’m smiling. Really, I am. :)
Why? Because this comes with the territory. I knew when I wrote One Wish that if it was published I would have to go through rounds and rounds of edits. I knew that one day I would proofread galleys. I knew that I would see Advanced Reader’s Copies, and that soon the day would arrive when I could hold a real, live hardcover copy in my hands.
I also knew that there would be reviews: Good ones . . . and Bad ones. So far I’ve been fortunate: I’ve gotten great blurbs from Alyson Noel, Mary Beth Miller, and Amanda Ashby, and both the School Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly had nice things to say.
So let’s pretend I’m actually good at math. In a writer’s world (and we writers are notorious for being pathetic with numbers) reviews look like this:
Bad Review = Good Review5 (to the fifth power)
If I wouldn’t have failed Algebra I the first time around and had to repeat it, or cheated my way through Algebra II before happily passing College Algebra with a D, this might mean something like this:
One Bad Review is the equivalent of Five Good Reviews. This means that it takes Five Good Reviews to equal One Bad Review; that One Bad Review carries as much weight as Five Good Reviews.
Do you see how terrible at math I am? It shouldn’t be this way at all. A review is a review, and one Bad Review shouldn’t detract from the Good Reviews: it’s a review.
Still, it’s just another one of those things that we’re fairly neurotic about (along with Google Alerts, vanity searches, Amazon Rankings, and which retailers “bought in”).
We seek this kind of information out, and then we berate ourselves when we find what we’re looking for. This, I have come to realize, is part of the process.
Unfortunately, bad reviews are part of this journey, and that’s okay. Am I glad that this particular reviewer thought One Wish was insulting and infuriating? Not really. But the beautiful thing about writing is that it’s subjective: what one person loves, another may hate; what one person relates to, another may not.
The fact is that every book isn’t for every person. And what fun is a world where everyone’s opinions are the same? That would be boring. In no way are we required to love everything we hear or read or see. It’s what makes us individuals.
What I’m trying to say is: don’t worry. I’ve read the review, and while at first I wracked my brain trying to remember if I’d done something absolutely horrible to the reviewer in a former life, I realized that it’s just one opinion. The book wasn’t for her; it’s not the end of the world.
And now I can scratch another thing off the list of this amazing journey that is being an author: I got my first scathing review. Yes, it stung a bit, but it doesn’t take away from the good reviews, or from those who read One Wish and liked it.
It’s been said that, when faced with a bad review, an author must seek out the positive and forget the rest. In this case, the reviewer thinks I’m a decent writer. Because of this, there is always the possibility that, while One Wish wasn’t for her, my next novel may be just what she’s looking for. (Fingers Crossed!)
Happy Friday!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sarah Ockler is Here!
Hi Everyone! Today I’m welcoming Sarah Ockler to the blog! Sarah is celebrating the release of her debut novel TWENTY BOY SUMMER.
Without further ado. . . .
About Twenty Boy Summer
While on vacation in California, sixteen-year-old best girlfriends Anna and Frankie conspire to find a boy for Anna’s first summer romance, but Anna harbors a painful secret that threatens their lighthearted plan and their friendship.
TWENTY BOY SUMMER is a debut YA novel that explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.
About Sarah Ockler
Sarah Ockler wrote and illustrated her first book at age six—an adaptation of Steven Spielberg's E.T. Still recovering from her own adolescence, Sarah now writes for young adults. After several years of wandering between New York City and Denver, she and her husband Alex now live in Upstate New York with lots of books and an ever-expanding collection of sea glass. Twenty Boy Summer is Sarah's first novel.
On to the Interview!
Me: Without giving away too many spoilers, what is your favorite part of the novel/what was the part you had the most fun writing?
Sarah: I really loved writing the "party scene" and its aftermath. Without being too spoiler-y, it's a scene in which main character Anna finally starts to let go a little bit, to find her way through some of the grief that's haunted her after losing Matt, but before too long something happens and everything gets messed up again. I love diving into those crazy emotional roller coaster scenes!
Me: What kind of writing projects are you currently working on? Or, if you aren't working on anything new, is there a different demographic/genre you wouldn't mind tackling in the future?
Sarah: My next two projects are both young adult contemporary, like Twenty Boy Summer. I really love the voice and style of YA, but I would love to take on something new within the YA genre, like a boy book or a fantasy.
Me: Who is your writing hero and why?
Sarah: Anais Nin. She told the truth during a time when it wasn't all that popular for women to do so. I love her writing, her style, her raw emotion and honesty. Whenever I'm in a slump, writing or otherwise, I spend a few nights with Nin's Diaries and I'm okay again. There's just something about her and her work that I admire and adore.
That is so Awesome!
Readers . . . You can visit Sarah at her home on the web: http://www.sarahockler.com
And . . . TWENTY BOY SUMMER is officially on sale. You can buy it here: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316051590
Sarah will be chatting with Saundra tomorrow at: http://www.saundramitchell.com/blog
Thank you so much for stopping by, Sarah!
Without further ado. . . .
About Twenty Boy Summer
While on vacation in California, sixteen-year-old best girlfriends Anna and Frankie conspire to find a boy for Anna’s first summer romance, but Anna harbors a painful secret that threatens their lighthearted plan and their friendship.
TWENTY BOY SUMMER is a debut YA novel that explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.
About Sarah Ockler
Sarah Ockler wrote and illustrated her first book at age six—an adaptation of Steven Spielberg's E.T. Still recovering from her own adolescence, Sarah now writes for young adults. After several years of wandering between New York City and Denver, she and her husband Alex now live in Upstate New York with lots of books and an ever-expanding collection of sea glass. Twenty Boy Summer is Sarah's first novel.
On to the Interview!
Me: Without giving away too many spoilers, what is your favorite part of the novel/what was the part you had the most fun writing?
Sarah: I really loved writing the "party scene" and its aftermath. Without being too spoiler-y, it's a scene in which main character Anna finally starts to let go a little bit, to find her way through some of the grief that's haunted her after losing Matt, but before too long something happens and everything gets messed up again. I love diving into those crazy emotional roller coaster scenes!
Me: What kind of writing projects are you currently working on? Or, if you aren't working on anything new, is there a different demographic/genre you wouldn't mind tackling in the future?
Sarah: My next two projects are both young adult contemporary, like Twenty Boy Summer. I really love the voice and style of YA, but I would love to take on something new within the YA genre, like a boy book or a fantasy.
Me: Who is your writing hero and why?
Sarah: Anais Nin. She told the truth during a time when it wasn't all that popular for women to do so. I love her writing, her style, her raw emotion and honesty. Whenever I'm in a slump, writing or otherwise, I spend a few nights with Nin's Diaries and I'm okay again. There's just something about her and her work that I admire and adore.
That is so Awesome!
Readers . . . You can visit Sarah at her home on the web: http://www.sarahockler.com
And . . . TWENTY BOY SUMMER is officially on sale. You can buy it here: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316051590
Sarah will be chatting with Saundra tomorrow at: http://www.saundramitchell.com/blog
Thank you so much for stopping by, Sarah!
Monday, June 15, 2009
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