Pretty Little Liars–Book Review

To make the best of my four days of tech hell migrating laptops, I read Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard.

Ms. Shepard is going to be speaking at the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA so it was prime time to read something she wrote.

The books made me think Gossip Girl meets The Babysitters Club.

I loved having the four POVs of each of the best friends who became strangers after the mysterious disappearance of their fifth best friend in middle school. The story unfold three years later.

The pacing is fantastic. A definite page turner. By spending a chapter with each of the four girls, the reader gets to watch everything unfolding in their lives.

There are a few mysteries in the story. Firstly, all four remaining friends are receiving notes and texts about their biggest secrets from the past and their current secrets. Things only their missing friend would know and things no one should know now. Then there is the mystery of something they did together back in 6th grade and refer to as The Jenna Thing from 6th grade.

And finally, the mystery of what happened to their fifth friend, Alison.

There’s a good amount of flirtation and sexual situations too. I found myself rooting for Spencer and Wren.

“Never trust a pretty girl with an ugly secret” is a fantastic hook.

It was a fun read and a fast read. Definitely worth checking out. I can see why it made the NYT Bestseller list.

Long Overdue Blog Awards Post

I am incredibly grateful for all these blog awards from my fellow bloggers.

I was delighted when they popped up in the blog comments while in New York for conferences. I couldn’t blog about them from my Ipad though, which means I am incredibly behind on the blog awards. I love my Ipad but it’s no substitute for a laptop.

I really appreciate all the comments and likes that my blog receives. It’s wonderful to know people are actually reading what I write.

But these awards are the honey swirled in my tea. I am so thankful that you thought this little blog deserved them. *Blush*

A thousand thank yous for keeping me smiling through my conferences. It was such an energy boost to see the awards.

Because there are several awards, I’m going to mash up the rules ala the fabulous Emmie Mears. I will present each award to 3-7 bloggers, list 5 blog posts I think you should read, and list 10 things you don’t know about me.

Thank you so much to J.C.V. and Sally and IndiaPhare for the One Lovely Blog Award! Receiving it from all three of you means so much! Lovely cubed.

I pass the One Lovely Blog Award on to these very talented bloggers:

• Jessica Negron
• Samuel Walters
• The Cozy Little Plot
• Beth Zerilli
• Lascitas
• Snagglewordz

Much gratitude  to J.C.V. for the Genuine Blogger Award!

The Genuine Blogger Award goes to a few bloggers I had the pleasure of meeting at conferences. I can attest to how genuine they are:

• Emmie Mears
• Girls With Pens
• Kelly Light
• Alison Cherry

Thanks to Emmie Mears for the Kreativ Blogger Award and the Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

I’d like to pass  the Kreativ Blogger Award and the Very Inspiring Blogger Award onto:

• August McLaughlin
• Laura at Cheesecake Summer
• JM McDowell
• 4amWriter
• Nascent Novelist
• Lorna’s Voice
• Sally Panayiotou  

Lots of gratitude to Laura and LimebirdBeth for the 7×7 Award! A double award. Wow. Very cool.

I pass the 7×7 Award on to these amazingly talented bloggers:

• Katrina Bender
• Liz Whelan
• Carolyn Snow Abiad
• Lisa Hayes
• Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge
• Lauren Watkins

5 posts I think you should read on my blog:

• What I Learned from the Two Page Critique at Backspace
• WD Conference–Building the Perfect Plot
• WD Conference–How to Pitch
• Emerson Doesn’t Want Mommie
• Character Birthing

1o things you don’t know about me:

1. I read I’ll Take Manhattan when I was ten.
2. My favorite band when I was seven was The Beatles.
3. I named my dog before we met.
4. I hate being the center of attention. The mere thought of ever walking down a wedding aisle makes me break out in a cold sweat.
5. I hate dusting. So much so that I let it accumulate until I got a sinus infection.
6. I love the beach but despise sunlight.
7. My hiccups are bizarre. They have a gaspy sound at the end.
8. I wish I had my mom’s blue eyes.
9. I still sleep with a stuffed animal…or ten.
10. I went to soap opera conventions as a tween.

Kreativ Blogger Award

Yesterday, the fabulous and talented JM McDowell passed on to me the Kreativ Blogger award. Thanks so much JM!  She’s someone whose heart goes into her blog and you should definitely check it out! I’d have given her  this award again, but I think she’d prefer I pass it along to new recipients.

First, the rules:

1. Share 10 things people don’t know about you.
2. Pass the award onto 6 other bloggers.

10 Things You Don’t Know About Me

1. I confuse right and left frequently, despite every technique I’ve been given to differentiate them.
2. I’ve been tricked repeatedly by GPS into taking the long and scenic route.
3. I almost drowned at 3.
4. My favorite moment of the day is when I’m drifting off to sleep.
5. I am calm in a crisis, provided it’s not my own blood leaking out.
6. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be Emily Dickinson.
7. I’m allergic to tree nuts and I miss nutella.
8. I lived in NYC during and after 9-11.
9. I read Le Petit Prince in French and adored every single word.
10. I loved Star Wars and still have some of the figurines.

The 6 Kreativ Blogger Recipients

1. Abominations
2. August McLaughlin’s Blog
3. Indulge– Travel, Adventure, New Experiences
4. Jonesin’ After 40
5. Novel Journeys
6. Tea With Mary Kate