Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Play List!!

So, I love music. I'm not one of those who can listen to music while I write, I get too caught up in the lyrics. But music inspires me. When I hear songs they paint pictures in my mind. These are some songs that either remind me of Pivot Point or songs I listened to around the time I was writing Pivot Point. So below, when I say 'while writing Pivot Point' I just mean that the songs would get me in the mood to write. Then I would turn them off and write.







  1. Little Wonders by Rob Thomas: When I heard this song for the first time, I immediately thought of Pivot Point. It talks about how life is made up of small moments and how fate can be defined and changed in an instant. It made me think of Addie (the main character) and how she needs to move past memories and let things go. I adore this song.
  2. The One That Got Away by Katy Perry: Every song obviously can’t be a perfect match for a novel. But the general feel of this song made me think of the fact that in the end Addie has to let go of one of her lives and with it, one person she cares about.
  3. Timing is Everything by Gerrett Hedlund: First of all, have you ever seen the movie that this song is from—Country Strong? The movie is amazing and inspires me as a writer. And this song talks about how many things in life are based on timing. Plus, Gerrett Hedlund is hot. Just sayin’.
  4. Waiting for The End by Linkin Park: I love Linkin Park in general. Their songs make me want to write. But this song reminded me of Pivot Point. Just some of the lines—holding onto something invisible; waiting for the end to come; it’s out of my control—drew me right into memories of the story.
  5. Over My Head by The Fray: This is another band that I adore. This song was on the playlist I played on repeat while writing Pivot Point.
  6. Kiss me Slowly by Parachute: This is another song I listened to a lot while writing. This song conjures up so many feelings and images in my mind. I love it.
  7. Stay by Mayday Parade: I feel like a broken record, but again, this song makes me think of Pivot Point. The opening line “I need some time just deliver the things that I need for now” takes me right to a certain place in the story. I love this song.
  8. Trouble by Never Shout Never: My fourteen year old daughter, who plays guitar and has wide taste in music (from the popular to the obscure), introduced me to this band. This song was one she played a lot in the car while Pivot Point was circling in my brain. So when I hear this song, I automatically think of PP.
  9. Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson: “It doesn’t matter where we take this road, someone’s gotta go.” That is basically the bottom line of Pivot Point.
  10. Give Into me by Leighton Meester (ft. Garrett Hedlund): This is another song from Country Strong. And this song reminds me of one of the boys in Pivot Point.
  11. Why Don’t you Love Me by Hot Chelle Rae: And this song reminds me of the other boy.
  12. Half-Life by Duncan Shiek: This is another song can describe some of the elements of Pivot Point. Addie is definitely living a sort of half-life throughout the novel.
  13. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol: Yes. Love this song.
  14. She’s So Mean by Matchbox Twenty: This song reminds me of Laila, Addie’s best friend in Pivot Point. It’s not that Laila is mean…well, she can be. She’s super loyal to her friends but sometimes treats boys as expendable.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Procrastination is fun.

I have so much to do! That's why I decided to make a new blog header. Yes, I'm procrastinating. But isn't it pretty?? I'm so proud of myself when I figure out things like this because I'm not very good at technology. That's why I rely on people who are smarter than me and harness the power of Google. Seriously, how did I get through high school and college without Google?? Let me tell you, there were a lot of encyclopedias involved. Back to work for me! (I think my twitter background might need some work)

Friday, March 8, 2013

Book Club!

So.....I am not a member of a book club. Don't get me wrong, I fully support them and think they are awesome. But I think I might get a little heated if someone told me that they didn't like a book I loved. And, since I want people in my town to still like me, I think it's probably for the best if I don't go spewing my book opinions in all the local book clubs. But anyway, this is a super long build up to say that I went to my mom's book club tonight because they chose Pivot Point as their pick for the month!! Suddenly I'm thinking book clubs sound like the best thing ever. It was so fun. I think I might be wrong about avoiding them. I think maybe I should spew my opinions loudly and without filters....oh wait, no I probably shouldn't go that far. But being at book club tonight reminded me that I love hanging out with other people who love books. These ladies were fun and smart and so great to talk to. So thank you, My Mom's Book Club (I don't think that's the official name of the club. Y'all need a cool name for your club. Like The Super Rads or something) for having me tonight. And thank you for obeying the one rule of not saying anything negative about my book until after I left. :)

I thought I'd share a few questions they asked me tonight with you:

*Did you know the end of Pivot Point when you started writing it?
My answer: Yes, I knew how it ended when I started writing. I knew which choice she'd have to make and why. But I wasn't quite sure how it was going to get to that point. So a lot of things I learned as I wrote.

*Did you think of the title of your book?
My answer: Sigh. No. I am apparently horrible at titles and have not titled a single book of mine. My husband thought of Pivot Point. And my agent and editor have titled my others. This is a sad truth.

*What's in store for book 2?
My answer: Book 2 focuses on some of the other abilities in the Compound. It's still Addie's story but with another POV character and some new dilemmas to figure out. The most obvious being (spoiler alert if you haven't read PP) Addie's Erased memory.

*What kind of time constraints does your publisher put on you as far as turning in drafts?
My answer: My editor is a slave driver. No, not really. I generally have six-nine months to turn in a first draft and a couple months with each new revision.

Anyway, that's just a small sampling of the questions that were asked tonight. I think sometimes being in the industry, you forget how foreign a lot of things are. But I really enjoyed explaining the details of the industry. It was a fun night!