Meeting Carrie Ryan

I must blog very fast today, because I am *SOOO* behind. (I know, I know. And you’re totally going to hear this until my next month off, which is um, June. So I apologize in advance for the whining.)

I do want to say that I left my house long enough this week to hear the *fabulous* Carrie Ryan speak in Kinston yesterday. No one *ever* comes to speak to us in Eastern NC, so this was a big deal.

I snatched my little brother and met Shana Norris (TROY HIGH, SOMETHING TO BLOG ABOUT) so we could show our writerly solidarity (I don’t even know if that makes sense, and I don’t have time to look it up) and support Carrie.

Actually, I was hoping to steal some of Carrie’s magical, New York Times Bestseller Greatness for myself.

Seriously though: she gave an awesome presentation about everything zombie, talked about getting published, and (as a writer) putting your characters “through the fire” to prove they can handle it.

She almost made me want to go out and rent every zombie movie ever filmed. (coughs) Almost.

I was able to get a photo. Yay!




(Thank you, Shana, for sending, because of course my camera is Crap.)

(I usually don’t post photos of myself without doing some retouching, but if there’s no time to blog, there’s definitely no time to spend hours and hours playing with my photo-editing software. You’ll just have to deal with my shiny face, and what my mom calls my *default* smile: all big and toothy. Carrie, of course, is adorable.)

And . . . Carrie signed my copy of THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, which I’m planning to read (again) after I finish Melissa Marr’s INK EXCHANGE.

It’s actually with my brother right now, anyway. He started reading it in the car on the way home, and made me drive 40 minutes in silence (no discussion/no radio). It was worth it, though, and I guarantee he stayed up late last night to finish it. I love it when I’m right.

(sigh) It’s back to work for me.

Enjoy your weekend!

Love,
~Leigh~

P.S. Yes! My red hair is gone. The color faded, and my roots were looking heinous, so I re-colored this week. Unfortunately, the store didn’t have Ruby Rush, so I had to go with Ruby Fusion, which is *not* a Feria Power Red. My hair is sparkly and auburn, but I miss the *red* already. The guy I’m sort of married to but not allowed to talk about online and my mom seem to feel differently.

*Am going to paint my fingernail tips black in protest*

Friday Five: Melissa Joan Hart Edition

TBS keeps screwing with my morning programming. Saved by the Bell wasn’t running for a few days this week, and you know: that’s the *only* thing that keeps me on the treadmill, so it’s like, ESSENTIAL that they stop doing this or I will turn into a blob that has to be peeled off my couch. . . .

Or maybe not, because ABC Family is showing reruns of:

1. Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I officially have a back-up plan!

I mean, how cool would it be to zap the living room clean? Have dinner on the table in five seconds? Piles of papers graded in under a minute? Yeah, I could deal.

Now, I have *always* liked Melissa Joan Hart, starting with:

2. Clarissa Explains it All. Was there ever a cooler show? And why didn’t I have a cute next door neighbor climbing into my second-floor window?

And then there’s. . . .

3. Holiday in Handcuffs. Yes, it’s a cheesy Made for TV Christmas movie.

And maybe I shouldn’t admit that Mario Lopez is what sold me, but it has *easily* become one of my Christmas favorites. So Slay Me. (Sleigh Me?) (groans).

And then there’s the Holiday in Handcuffs knockoff for year-round:

4. My Fake Fiance. Which I just saw for the first time (on Hulu) a few weeks ago. And then I watched it again. And again. And (coughs) again.

And yes: another cheesy Made for TV movie. But I loved it. Seriously. But it could have something to do with. . . .

(coughs). Yeah.

Which brings me to Melissa and Joey’s new sitcom:

5. Um . . . Melissa and Joey. Which I have been watching faithfully for the last few weeks and is kind of funny and includes two of my favorite Made for TV people.

I mean, we have neurotic and adorable and someone I can totally relate to:

And. . . .

Need I say more? Didn't think so.

Have a Great Weekend!

Love,

~Leigh~

It's Raining, It's Pouring. This is my Nightmare.

No Friday Five Today. Why? Because it would turn into Friday Five: Waterlogged Edition. Friday Five: Why I Should’ve Invested in a Canoe. Or Friday Five: Why I Hate Rain.

Because my hair frizzes into a puff of cotton and it can’t be controlled. Because it’s dark and depressing. You get the point.

I’m not a fan of any cold, wet thing, really. I’d never make it in Seattle. Or the Pacific Northwest. Forks.

It has been raining here almost nonstop since Sunday. I haven’t seen the sun once. And you know I *need* the sun and the warm weather. I got caught in a major downpour on Monday while grocery shopping, and have made an effort to remain indoors since then. The schools here were closed yesterday, so I had a SuperGirl SideKick to entertain. Today we’re on a two hour delay. And yes, I’m taking her, even though her “school day” will last all of an hour and a half.

The ground is soggy, roads are closed. . . .

They are saying we got 15 inches of rain in four days. It was kind of nightmarish, actually. We had a major drought this summer, and it barely rained at all, which is unusual for the South, as we’re known for those freak, afternoon thunderstorms. Still, it’s like all the rain we were supposed to get this summer was stored away, and then dumped on us all at once.

So I’m glad I gave myself permission to take September off from projects and writing, because I got *nothing* accomplished this week. Crazy thing is: it’s October. WHAT? I know. And it’s 63 degrees, which is below my threshold. I’m a 78 degrees cool breeze kind of girl. It’s getting colder. I’m going to have to pull out sweaters, there are pumpkins for sale on the side of the road.

I will unwillingly embrace fall . . . if I absolutely must . . . if only because fall means that Christmas is just around the corner, which is, of course, the best holiday ever.

But please Please PLEASE, Authorities that Be: make this rain Go Away.

Wishing you a warm, sunny weekend wherever you are. . . .

Love,

~Leigh~

FRIDAY FIVE: Book Banning Edition

1. I’m sure by now you know about the book banning heard ‘round the world. If not, go here. Essentially, someone has decided that because he doesn’t want his kids reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler, or Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, no one’s kids should . . . which is wrong on so many levels. He has also grossly misrepresented Speak as being “soft pornography.” Seriously? Seriously.

2. In honor of Banned Books Week (September 25 through October 2), I will be re-reading Speak, because it’s one of those books that *must* stay on the shelves. It’s not soft porn: it’s an amazing story about a girl who finds the power to speak loudly against sexual assault, and has helped thousands of girls (and women) cope with past experiences. You should read it, your daughter should read it, and your daughter’s daughter should read it.

3. Also, the Deb’s very own Sarah Ockler has been challenged. To show support, the Debs and Little, Brown are giving away 100 copies of her novel, Twenty Boy Summer. To enter, go here.




4. There are also several contests going on where authors are giving away “Filthy Books Prize Packs,” or copies of all three novels that are being challenged. One of these prize packs is available here, at fellow WestSide author Beth Fehlbaum’s website. She’s also throwing in a copy of her first novel: Hope in Patience.

5. Here are some other related links:

Laurie Halse Anderson’s blog post about the banning.

Sarah Ockler’s post about the banning.

Also, if you’re on Twitter you can show your support with the #SpeakLoudly tag.

And a bonus #6. Please know what your kids are reading. If you don’t feel it’s appropriate for them or your family, then by all means do what you feel is necessary. Mr. Scroggins, you have every right to censor what your children read, but you *don’t* have the right to censor what mine reads.

Laurie Halse Anderson originally posted this on her blog, and I think it speaks volumes:




Happy (Banned Book) Reading, Everyone!

Love,
~Leigh~

Friday Five: I Can’t Believe I’m Actually on the Treadmill Again Edition

1. I’ve unofficially decided to take September off. I’ve been writing/working on projects non-stop since . . . I don’t know. Last year? Seriously. I’ve either been working on something new or revising projects into the ground, so I think a mental vacay is just what the doctor ordered. Not that I actually saw a doctor or anything. This is a total self-diagnosis. It’s okay, though, because I aced Psych 101.

2. Still, I can’t help the new ideas that are swirling around my head: new projects that I want to attempt, possibly. And when I was reading the first draft of the ms I wrote throughout the month of July the other day, I decided that I don’t hate it as much as I thought I did. This was kind of surprising, actually, because I was full of self-loathing over it for a while there. It took stepping away for the entire month of August to realize that it might have potential: the germ of an idea . . . even if *major* revisions are needed.

3. We have two more days until Mercury leaves retrograde. I have to admit: things weren’t so bad this time around. Seriously. I might be back to thinking the horoscope stuff is just hogwash. For instance, my horoscope today is telling me that “errands” are going to take up all of my free time. So far I’ve made it to the post office, picked up SuperGirl SideKick from school, and hit a drive-thru with the Guy I’m Sorta Married to But Not Allowed to Talk About Online. Now I’m home. No more errands. Yep. It’s all hogwash.
Actually, I think blogging will take up all of my free time. . . .

4. You will also be incredibly pleased to know: I’m Back On The Treadmill! It’s no lie! I swear: We are Back Together! This is four days in a row. And to think, all it took was a flat screen TV on the wall of my bedroom. Who would’ve even thought? Music doesn’t work; books don’t work (yes, I’ve tried reading on the treadmill). Saved by the Bell reruns at 8am: They Totally Work!

5. Yes, I’ve been watching old episodes of SBTB this week. I mean, now that I actually have mornings to myself: why not? They’re so great. And they keep me moving, which makes them powerful stuff. Today, I got an extra special surprise. I was watching one of the college episodes and Producer: Mark Fink flashed across the screen. I nearly fell off the treadmill. Mark Fink! (WestSide Books: STEPPING UP; THE SUMMER I GOT A LIFE). I totally know him! I met him! And he’s *such* a great guy. I also like the older episodes, because Jeannie Taylor is the script coordinator. She and my mom went to school together, and she used to send me stickers in the mail.

That makes me like, two degrees from Zack Morris, right?

I don’t even know how that works.

In the meantime, I hope you have a great weekend! And please, do *not* start a pool to bet on how long I’ll actually stay on this workout kick. I’d like to think that Zack and A. C. and Kelly are powerful enough to keep me *on* the wagon . . . er, treadmill.

Love,
~Leigh~