TV Resolutions

Since it's Fall TV week over at The Novel Girls this week, and it's also The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, I decided to come up with some TV related New Year's resolutions.

As in, I watch way too much TV and some of it needs to stop. In fact, I have so many shows that have recently come back on that I can't even possibly tape them all, even with two DVRs that can both tape two shows at once. That's four shows at one time, people!! (Yes, I think it has reached the level of addiction!) And then there's the issue of not having time to watch all of it -- two kids to take care of, two books to work on, three college classes to teach, one house to clean (Well, who am I kidding, my house is actually a mess). But still, you get the point. So I am resolving to kick some of these shows to the curb. Here's what and why:

1.) Dancing with the Stars: I think I've seen one too many quick-steps at this point. And this is 2 hours twice a week -- way too long!!
2.) Heroes: This is sad, because I was such a huge, huge fan the first season. But last season, they kinda lost me with all the time travel stuff, and I've still been unable to make it through the entire premiere episode -- so gross -- that scene with Claire and Sylar (if you watched you know what I'm talking about). Plus how many times can they save the world? Really!
3.) Ugly Betty -- I was a little bored with the premiere show. Okay, I was multi-tasking and only half watching, but I didn't rewind back to see what I missed. Gone.
4.) Real World/Road Rules Challenge: They don't even do any actual challenges this season! They sit around and argue (and drink) and besides, I'm 30 now. I may be the only 30-year-old who thinks she's still young enough to watch this. Gotta go.
5.) Fringe: I saw the first episode and I really liked it -- but it scared me, no, terrified me. And I still can't get the image of translucent, melting skin out of my head.
6.) House: I was so mad about the end of last season, that I vowed never to watch it again. (I did already slip up and watch the premiere episode). But I'm gonna try to kick the habit for real now.

So there, I've freed up 8 hours a week. Now if only I can stick with it, I may actually get more work done and go to bed earlier, too. . . And free up some space on the DVR for the important shows, like Sesame Street and The Wiggles.

If you want to hear what TV I'm not giving up on, stop by The Novel Girls on Thursday!

Just cuz it's Thursday. . .

It's Thursday again, so that means it's time to head on over to The Novel Girls to check out my weekly post. This week, I wrote about how the first day of autumn, and the seasons in general, feel much different to me since I've been living in Arizona.

And hey, Thursdays are getting even better again now that Grey's Anatomy comes back on TV tonight. I can't wait to see what's going to happen with Meredith and McDreamy. Really, I'm even slightly forgetting about the fact that I'm exhausted and I have lots of work to do -- that's how excited I am!

My First Review!!!!

Kidliterate posted an early review for THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS today!! Click here to read it.

I absolutely love the way the reviewer describes Abby (the main character) and her emotions. My favorite part is where she says "Very nicely written. I thought Cantor [THAT'S ME!!!] did a great job with Abby and her very complex all-over-the-map emotions."

So thanks to Kidliterate for a lovely first review!

Balzer & Bray, Bushnell, and . . . Me?

Check out this little tidbit from Publishers Weekly about Candace Bushnell's deal with Balzer & Bray to write two teen books about Carrie Bradshaw's (of Sex and the City) high school years, with the first book to be out in Fall 2010.

This is so exciting to me on so many levels! First, I absolutely can't wait to read these books!! What was the fabulous Carrie like in high school?? And who was she friends with? And who did she date? Seriously, I'm going to be first in line to pre-order this.

And, perhaps even more exciting, I've recently found out that I, too, am going to be a Balzer & Bray author in 2010. My lovely editor, Jill Santopolo, is moving to that imprint and taking me with her for my second (still untitled) book to be out in winter 2010.

Imagine that, me at the same imprint as Candace Bushnell, Carrie Bradshaw coming alive in the very same rooms as my protagonists! I never would have believed it a few years back, at a time in my life when I was up to my ears in agent rejection letters, and I was prone to staying up very, very late to watch Sex and the City marathons.

(And speaking of agents. . . Don't forget to check out my post at The Novel Girls tomorrow to read about how I found my fabulous agent, Jessica Regel, without whom, I would still undoubtably be watching Sex and the City re-runs right now rather than writing this post. Though, to be honest, I'm probably going to go do that after I post this. . .)

Something's Awesome in the State of Denmark. . .

And that is that the Danish rights to THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS have sold to the publisher Forlaget Thorup!!

I can't tell you how excited I am that my work is going to be translated into another language! And what better place than Denmark, birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson, and setting for Hamlet?!

Friendship Week

The Novel Girls are going to be groggin' about friendship all week this week. Which has gotten me thinking about some of my own friendships and what I'm going to write about in my post on Thursday.

My best friend Monica and I have known each other for 25 years. (I even have this really embarassing picture of the two of us wearing matching hot pink and black outfits to a dance in junior high.) If only my hair had been a little less frizzy back then, I may have considered posting it. . .

But as a fairly new Facebook & Myspace obsessee, I've also started to think about how friendship has taken on a whole new meaning in this Internet age that we live in these days.

So, more on my take on friendship on Thursday. If you stop by, leave me a comment, and while you're at it, friend me on Myspace, too!

Book-it!

If you head on over to The Novel Girls blog, you can read my first Thursday post. In fact if you haven't already read it, you should "book it" on over there. Hehe.

Seems I wasn't the only one obssessed with The Pizza Hut Book-It program as a child. (I would've read the books anyway, I swear! But who can resist those personal pan pizzas??)

I checked out their website today, and they actually have an Alumni page!!

Okay, now I really want a piece of pizza. . .