Hi Everyone!
I’m totally stoked to have Kristin Walker on the blog today! Kristin is celebrating the release of her debut novel: A Match Made in High School.
You know the routine. . . .
About A Match Made in High School
When a mandatory marriage education course forces Fiona to “try the knot” with super-jock Todd Harding, she’s convinced life could not possibly get any worse. Until moments later, when her long-time crush is paired with her arch-enemy (otherwise known as Todd’s obscenely hot, slightly sadistic girlfriend). But that’s nothing compared to her best friend’s fate – a year with the very shy, very goofy, very big Johnny Mercer.
A series of hilarious pranks and misunderstandings leave Fiona wondering: is there something her supposed “best friend” hasn’t told her? Could there be more to Johnny Mercer than a deep voice and an awesome music collection? And perhaps most intriguing of all, is it possible that Todd Harding could actually have a heart – and a brain – beneath his pretty-boy exterior?
About Kristin Walker
Kristin Walker grew up roaming the Pennsylvania countryside. She finally landed at Penn State, where she earned a BA in Theatre Arts. In addition to being actor, Kristin was many things on her way to becoming an author, such as a lifeguard, a nanny, a beginning ballroom dance instructor, a library circulation clerk, and very nearly a nurse. A Match Made in High School (Razorbill/Penguin Group) is her first novel. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Ladybug, Wee Ones, and two Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Kristin lives in a Chicago suburb with her husband and three sons.
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?
Kristin: I can't say. Not that it's a secret, or anything. It's just that most of the book was both sublime and excruciating to write. Okay, I loved it when I came up with a great joke.
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?
Kristin: Well, I started out in picture books and ended up in young adult novels, so I guess the only place to go is to adult fiction. But I love writing for teens. Teens don't let you get away with any of the highbrow phony crap that clogs up many an adult novel.
Me: Who is your writing hero and why?
Kristin: Nancy Viau. She's also my friend and critique partner. She's set a never-quit example for me from the very start of our careers. She also gives me a boot in the rear when I need one. She's definitely the writer who has kept me going and inspired me to reach further. I heart Nancy.
Me: Aww! Awesome! :)
Readers . . . You can visit Kristin at her home on the web: http://www.kristin-walker.com/
And . . . A Match Made in High School is officially on sale. You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Match-Made-High-School/dp/1595142576/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263786626&sr=8-1
Thank you so much for stopping by, Kristin!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
School Visit!!
I Know! I Know!
I’ve just about disappeared off the face of the planet. Still juggling an insane class schedule. This week was slower, but I spent my free time preparing for my very first school visit, which was Friday.
Let me just break here and tell you what an AWESOME time I had talking to the 9th and 11th grade AVID students at North Pitt, and I’m *so glad* my high school English teacher invited me to speak to them.
I’m so ADD, and neurotic, and public speaking isn’t my favorite thing to do, but these guys were awesome! They were so attentive and they laughed and they asked great questions.
I had fun telling them all of my crazy lies growing up, and reading some of the things I wrote when I was their age. . . . It was a blast!
I didn’t embarrass myself too much, which is always a good thing. I was talking to a group of girls after the first class, and they were telling me that they noticed I was playing with a paper clip while I was talking (nervous energy!). Well, ladies, you should know that during the second hour . . . I DESTROYED that paper clip. Seriously. It ended up in three pieces by the time I was done.
I did lose my train of thought a few times. . . . But the worst thing that happened: I took a swig of water, and when I tilted my water bottle back some splashed in my face! How does that even happen? Only I could drown myself standing in front of a class.
Drowning aside, I had a fabulous time, and I appreciated the comments from a few of them about how I inspired them to keep writing, and follow their dreams, and stay persistent.
Because that’s what it’s all about: finding your passion, and sticking with it.
And they should know that they inspired me, too. They reminded me why I write, and who I’m writing for.
And why I *LOVE* writing more than anything in the world.
They’re calling for snow here in the next few hours. Looking forward to grading my last few assignments of the week, and then getting back to revisions on the latest ms.
Have a fabulous weekend!!
Love,
~Leigh~
I’ve just about disappeared off the face of the planet. Still juggling an insane class schedule. This week was slower, but I spent my free time preparing for my very first school visit, which was Friday.
Let me just break here and tell you what an AWESOME time I had talking to the 9th and 11th grade AVID students at North Pitt, and I’m *so glad* my high school English teacher invited me to speak to them.
I’m so ADD, and neurotic, and public speaking isn’t my favorite thing to do, but these guys were awesome! They were so attentive and they laughed and they asked great questions.
I had fun telling them all of my crazy lies growing up, and reading some of the things I wrote when I was their age. . . . It was a blast!
I didn’t embarrass myself too much, which is always a good thing. I was talking to a group of girls after the first class, and they were telling me that they noticed I was playing with a paper clip while I was talking (nervous energy!). Well, ladies, you should know that during the second hour . . . I DESTROYED that paper clip. Seriously. It ended up in three pieces by the time I was done.
I did lose my train of thought a few times. . . . But the worst thing that happened: I took a swig of water, and when I tilted my water bottle back some splashed in my face! How does that even happen? Only I could drown myself standing in front of a class.
Drowning aside, I had a fabulous time, and I appreciated the comments from a few of them about how I inspired them to keep writing, and follow their dreams, and stay persistent.
Because that’s what it’s all about: finding your passion, and sticking with it.
And they should know that they inspired me, too. They reminded me why I write, and who I’m writing for.
And why I *LOVE* writing more than anything in the world.
They’re calling for snow here in the next few hours. Looking forward to grading my last few assignments of the week, and then getting back to revisions on the latest ms.
Have a fabulous weekend!!
Love,
~Leigh~
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Rhonda Stapleton is Here!
Hi Everyone!
I know I’ve been MIA lately. Chalk it up to a psycho class schedule. I do want to take time out to post an interview with the AWESOME Rhonda Stapleton, though. Rhonda is another 2009 Deb (her book debuted in December!).
So without further ado. . . .
About Stupid Cupid
Felicity Walker believes in true love. That’s why she applies for a gig at the matchmaking company Cupid’s Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn’t just a matchmaker…she’s a cupid! (There’s more than one of them, you know.)
Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA infused with the latest in cupid magic (love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches. But when she bends the rules of cupidity by matching her best friend Maya with three different boys at once, disaster strikes. Felicity needs to come up with a plan to set it all right, pronto, before she gets fired…and before Maya ends up with her heart split in three.
About Rhonda Stapleton
Rhonda Stapleton started writing a few years ago to appease the voices in her head. She has a Master’s degree in English and a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. Rhonda works as an editor for a legal publishing company and enjoys offering editing workshops. Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her lovely, energetic family, who are more than enough to keep her busy when she’s not writing.
In the twelve minutes of free time she has each day, Rhonda enjoys reading, photography, writing poetry, singing in the shower (and in the car, at work, or basically anywhere that provides oxygen), drinking chai tea, and playing on the Internet.
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?
Rhonda: I had fun writing the part where Felicity matchmade her parents. I am so mean...
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?
Rhonda: I'm working on 2 stories--one is a futuristic, and one is a contemp romantic comedy. Very different things. haha
Me: Yeah. I’d say so. I won’t ask how you’re managing that! And finally: who is your writing hero and why?
Rhonda: Dude, probably Nora Roberts. That woman is like a machine--she writes so many books.
Me: Gah! I know! Whatever she’s on . . . I need it!
Readers . . . You can visit Rhonda at her home on the web: http://rhondastapleton.com
And . . . STUPID CUPID is officially on sale. You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Stupid-Cupid-Rhonda-Stapleton/dp/1416974644/
Rhonda will be chatting with Carrie Ryan tomorrow at: http://carrie-ryan.livejournal.com
Thank you so much for stopping by, Rhonda!
I know I’ve been MIA lately. Chalk it up to a psycho class schedule. I do want to take time out to post an interview with the AWESOME Rhonda Stapleton, though. Rhonda is another 2009 Deb (her book debuted in December!).
So without further ado. . . .
About Stupid Cupid
Felicity Walker believes in true love. That’s why she applies for a gig at the matchmaking company Cupid’s Hollow. But when Felicity gets the job, she learns that she isn’t just a matchmaker…she’s a cupid! (There’s more than one of them, you know.)
Armed with a hot pink, tricked-out PDA infused with the latest in cupid magic (love arrows shot through email), Felicity works to meet her quota of successful matches. But when she bends the rules of cupidity by matching her best friend Maya with three different boys at once, disaster strikes. Felicity needs to come up with a plan to set it all right, pronto, before she gets fired…and before Maya ends up with her heart split in three.
About Rhonda Stapleton
Rhonda Stapleton started writing a few years ago to appease the voices in her head. She has a Master’s degree in English and a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. Rhonda works as an editor for a legal publishing company and enjoys offering editing workshops. Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her lovely, energetic family, who are more than enough to keep her busy when she’s not writing.
In the twelve minutes of free time she has each day, Rhonda enjoys reading, photography, writing poetry, singing in the shower (and in the car, at work, or basically anywhere that provides oxygen), drinking chai tea, and playing on the Internet.
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?
Rhonda: I had fun writing the part where Felicity matchmade her parents. I am so mean...
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?
Rhonda: I'm working on 2 stories--one is a futuristic, and one is a contemp romantic comedy. Very different things. haha
Me: Yeah. I’d say so. I won’t ask how you’re managing that! And finally: who is your writing hero and why?
Rhonda: Dude, probably Nora Roberts. That woman is like a machine--she writes so many books.
Me: Gah! I know! Whatever she’s on . . . I need it!
Readers . . . You can visit Rhonda at her home on the web: http://rhondastapleton.com
And . . . STUPID CUPID is officially on sale. You can buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Stupid-Cupid-Rhonda-Stapleton/dp/1416974644/
Rhonda will be chatting with Carrie Ryan tomorrow at: http://carrie-ryan.livejournal.com
Thank you so much for stopping by, Rhonda!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Alpha Dogs
As promised!
Pictures of our new doggie . . . whose name is . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . BAILEY!
Only, I tend to add “dog” to any dog name. My miniature dachshund, Trixie, was lovingly referred to as “Trixie Dog.” And so sometimes Bailey is “Bailey Dog.”
Sometimes she is “No! No! Bad Dog!”
And sometimes she is: “BAAAAAAIIIIIILLLEEEEEEEYYYYYY!!!!!”
She’s a sweet puppy. We brought her home just before Christmas, and she’s around four months old. We aren’t sure what, exactly, she is. She has a Boxer face, but Beagle ears and body. She *loves* to track. And she’s great with people.
We’re still on the learning curve. We’ve had a few accidents on the floor, and I’ve never seen a dog eat and poop this much. Of course, Trixie was smaller than Bailey full grown, and Bailey is still very much a baby. I’ve no idea how big she’s going to get, but I’m sure, at some point, we will need a new crate.
Still, as long as she remembers that I’m the alpha dog, we’ll get along okay. She has “crack” moments . . . where she runs around the room, jumps on the couch, and soars off the back (which we are trying to discourage). And we had a run-in the other day with some crows. The crows were outside and Bailey was inside, but that didn’t seem to matter.
Even though she was with a “foster” mom, I think she’s much happier in her forever home. (And will continue to be . . . as long as she remembers I’m Alpha.)
Here we are together. No matter how much I played with my photo editing software, I could *not* get rid of her shiny blue eyes naturally. So . . . this is Super Pup, with hypno-vision.
“You will give me a treat,” she says. “You will. . . .”
Then I say: “You will sleep past 5:30 in the morning. No one in this house has to get up until 8:30. You will start sleeping later. . . . You will.”
She also snores. How perfect is that? We’re kindred spirits.
But I’m Alpha. Really. Alpha. Dog.
Have a great day, everyone!!
Love,
~Leigh~
Pictures of our new doggie . . . whose name is . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . BAILEY!
Only, I tend to add “dog” to any dog name. My miniature dachshund, Trixie, was lovingly referred to as “Trixie Dog.” And so sometimes Bailey is “Bailey Dog.”
Sometimes she is “No! No! Bad Dog!”
And sometimes she is: “BAAAAAAIIIIIILLLEEEEEEEYYYYYY!!!!!”
She’s a sweet puppy. We brought her home just before Christmas, and she’s around four months old. We aren’t sure what, exactly, she is. She has a Boxer face, but Beagle ears and body. She *loves* to track. And she’s great with people.
We’re still on the learning curve. We’ve had a few accidents on the floor, and I’ve never seen a dog eat and poop this much. Of course, Trixie was smaller than Bailey full grown, and Bailey is still very much a baby. I’ve no idea how big she’s going to get, but I’m sure, at some point, we will need a new crate.
Still, as long as she remembers that I’m the alpha dog, we’ll get along okay. She has “crack” moments . . . where she runs around the room, jumps on the couch, and soars off the back (which we are trying to discourage). And we had a run-in the other day with some crows. The crows were outside and Bailey was inside, but that didn’t seem to matter.
Even though she was with a “foster” mom, I think she’s much happier in her forever home. (And will continue to be . . . as long as she remembers I’m Alpha.)
Here we are together. No matter how much I played with my photo editing software, I could *not* get rid of her shiny blue eyes naturally. So . . . this is Super Pup, with hypno-vision.
“You will give me a treat,” she says. “You will. . . .”
Then I say: “You will sleep past 5:30 in the morning. No one in this house has to get up until 8:30. You will start sleeping later. . . . You will.”
She also snores. How perfect is that? We’re kindred spirits.
But I’m Alpha. Really. Alpha. Dog.
Have a great day, everyone!!
Love,
~Leigh~
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!!
Ah. The first day of the New Year. Don’t you love how January 1st brings its own clean slate? It’s the perfect opportunity to try something new and abandon old habits. I sometimes make a list. . . . I haven’t yet, though. I need to think.
First, a recap of this past year:
In 2009 . . .
I was hired to teach full-time in my degree field (which is such a blessing because I do have a little thing called student loans to pay back).
I wrote/revised two new YA manuscripts. Writing two books a year seems like a good goal. It’s manageable, at the very least.
I moved into a beautiful new house.
We lost a dog early in the year, and then a cat, but we gained a new little shelter doggy who is sleeping in her crate right now. (I promise to post pics soon. PROMISE!!)
My first novel for young adults, ONE WISH, released in April.
We went to New York City!!
I read more books than any other year (most of which were debut novels and ARCs snatched from the book conventions I attended).
So in all, it was a fabulous year. Yeah, I was way busy, and a lot of things slid to the back burner. But I managed the best I could.
In 2010 . . .
I should probably work out more. Yeah. I should.
I’ve decided that I want to get more massages. Even just once a month. They’re so great.
I’d love to sell another book.
I’d love to write another book.
Keep Reading (obviously).
Hmm. . . . This is really all I have time for these days. . . . If something has to go, though, it will definitely be the work out.
I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year!
Love,
~Leigh~
First, a recap of this past year:
In 2009 . . .
I was hired to teach full-time in my degree field (which is such a blessing because I do have a little thing called student loans to pay back).
I wrote/revised two new YA manuscripts. Writing two books a year seems like a good goal. It’s manageable, at the very least.
I moved into a beautiful new house.
We lost a dog early in the year, and then a cat, but we gained a new little shelter doggy who is sleeping in her crate right now. (I promise to post pics soon. PROMISE!!)
My first novel for young adults, ONE WISH, released in April.
We went to New York City!!
I read more books than any other year (most of which were debut novels and ARCs snatched from the book conventions I attended).
So in all, it was a fabulous year. Yeah, I was way busy, and a lot of things slid to the back burner. But I managed the best I could.
In 2010 . . .
I should probably work out more. Yeah. I should.
I’ve decided that I want to get more massages. Even just once a month. They’re so great.
I’d love to sell another book.
I’d love to write another book.
Keep Reading (obviously).
Hmm. . . . This is really all I have time for these days. . . . If something has to go, though, it will definitely be the work out.
I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year!
Love,
~Leigh~
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