Reality TV: My Summer Fun

Head on over to The Novel Girls to check out my thoughts on Ellen DeGeneres replacing Paula on Idol. We're having a month-long blogoversary extravaganza, so while you're there you can comment on my post or become a follower to enter to win this week's prize (a signed copy of A BUMP IN THE ROAD by Maureen Lipinski) AND the grand prize, a $100 giftcard to Amazon.

And I'm also going to post my take on reality TV here. This is what I was about to post at The Novel Girls until I heard the AI news. So here you have it, my fascination with celebrity reality TV:

In the fall, winter, and spring, when “real” TV shows are in season, I limit my reality show consumption. In the summer, though, I am admittedly, a reality TV junkie. And since there’s nothing else on, I actually let myself believe that these shows are good! This summer I relished Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Denise Richards: So Complicated, and Guiliana & Bill.

I guess there’s something about watching celebrity lives that fascinates me, because, yes, I got joy out of watching Tori Spelling deal with her toddler’s tantrums and thinking about how similar our lives are. (Of course, I don’t have my own live-in baby nurse, but you get the point.) There’s also something about living vicariously through a celebrity’s life. Kathy Griffin may think she’s D-List, but she got to do some pretty fabulous things and hang out with some fabulous people this past season. And she’s funny, so what’s not to like about a reality show that makes me laugh? I set my DVR to watch as many reality/celebrity shows as I could find this summer, and I may have actually even procrastinated writing to watch them.

But I have to admit, I’m excited it’s September now and actual scripted shows are coming back with new episodes. There’s no contest for me between Merideth Grey and McDreamy and Tori and Dean. MerDer wins hands down! And by the end of this month, I’ll happily worm myself back into my favorite fictional characters’ lives, and will all but leave reality TV behind until next May. Of course, if a really good new celebrity show comes on, I’m sure I’ll still record it. It’ll just have to get in line in the DVR queue behind all my real favorite shows.

Hello. Goodbye.

It's Tracy Madison's release week over at The Novel Girls this week, so if you stop by and comment on my post or any of the others, you'll be entered for a chance to win a copy of Tracy's first book, A TASTE OF MAGIC! We're blogging about our magical powers this week, so it's lots of fun.

And I have to say that I see I haven't posted here in a nearly month. And I really have no good excuse, except to say I've been writing. A lot. All the time. See, a few weeks ago, I officially quit my adjunct professor job, which has lit a major fire under me to finish my current work in progress, if only so I can make my status as full-time writer/mom something permenant. This means I've been setting lots of unattainable goals for myself, like write 10 pages every day, and then beating myself up when I don't always meet them.

Anyway, I am crawling back into the writing cave. Will be back out in a few weeks with a (hopefully) finished project to talk about.

Happy July!

Last Chance to Win. . .

A signed copy of The September Sisters (by me!) and A Taste of Magic (by Tracy Madison) over at The Novel Girls. It's easy to enter -- all you have to do is leave a comment on tomorrow's post or any other post from last week. Each comment gets you one entry into the contest.

So stop by the blog and join in the fun. The Novel Girls did some really great interviews with me and Tracy last week -- we even did a fantasy movie casting on Friday!

It's Here! It's Here!

The September Sisters release day, that is! I'm so excited that the book is finally out!!

So far to celebrate, I took the kids to the bakery to get cookies, and then we sat outside (it's 80 degrees here today) and ate them, having what my son dubbed "a cookie book party!"

On the web, I'm blogging over at the Harperteen MySpace page today about how the book was "born." Click here to check it out! And it's Maureen Lipinski's turn to interview me and Tracy Madison over at The Novel Girls! Remember, if you leave a comment on any post all week, you're entered to win a signed copy of The September Sisters or A Taste of Magic.

Hope of Hope's Bookshelf put up a great review of The September Sisters yesterday, and Kelsey over at Reading Keeps You Sane put up another great review today! Hope posted an interview and contest today as well!

And don't forget my contest, which I've linked on the sidebar! I'm eager to hear where you see the book, especially because I have yet to see it in a bookstore myself!

Blogging elsewhere. . .

Today I'm blogging over at the Harperteen MySpace page about when I first knew I wanted to be a writer. You can click here to read it -- and if you haven't already, friend me on MySpace while you're there!

Yesterday, I blogged about my grandfather over at The Novel Girls. He was involved in many of my fondest and most embarassing memories, as you can see from the post if you click here.

Only a few days left in my contest. You have until Tuesday to enter, and Wednesday I'll announce the winner!!

Happy Weekend!
Jillian

Guest post at The Novel Girls

Over at The Novel Girls today, Maureen Lipinski posted her interview with literary agent, Holly Root. It's a great interview -- especially if you're looking for an agent of your own, or even if you want an insider's take on what's selling right now.

The rest of us are blogging about our embarassing moments this week, so tune in on Thursday for mine. I'm still contemplating what I'm going to write about -- there are so many to choose from, but most I don't think I'm willing to share with the blogosphere!

And don't forget, you have until Jan. 20th to enter my contest.

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

Over at The Novel Girls this week, we're talking about New Year's resolutions. I haven't actually figured out any good ones to write about yet (check back Thursday to see what I come up with!)But I have been reflecting on the past year this week.

2008 was a really great year for me, and in a way, I'm sad to see it go. The highlight may have been in January, when The September Sisters sold at auction-- after having been rejected in one way or another in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. I thought that was a very good sign for my writing life in 2008-- and I was right!.

In fact, 2008 was the first year I came to think of myself as a real writer -- as in I could tell other people that I was a writer without having to feel like an imposter when they asked me exactly what I had written. Which means while I was writing my second book, I could tell people I was working and have it be true, since I was actually getting paid to do it. (A thought which still boggles my mind.)

Looking back, I've also done a lot more writing this year than I ever, ever have in my life. I wrote and revised and polished my second novel (which will be out in 2010 from Harperteen), and I just this week I completed a draft of what I hope will be my first adult novel. It's not that I had more ideas this year or even more time to write (In fact, I probably actually had less time than I've had in the past.). But 2008 was the year I started having enough confidence in my writing to really, really, really work at it. To make myself sit at the computer for two hours every night after the kids went to sleep and just write. Even if I was tired. Even if Grey's Anatomy was on! Because it was the first time I believed that if I kept at it, it would be worthwhile, that I could be writing something other people would eventually read.

But for the last part of 2008 I've also felt like I've been waiting, waiting for The September Sisters to come out, waiting to see it in a bookstore, waiting nervously for reviews, waiting for my real writing life to start. So I'm excited for 2009, excited for the possibility of what it might bring both for my writing and for my life as well. I love fresh beginnings, new starts, new years, because you never know what might be waiting for you just around the corner. (Can you tell I'm an optimist?!)

So what were your 2008 highlights, and what are you looking forward to in 2009? I'd love to hear.

Happy New Year!!
Jillian

PS. Don't forget, Thursday is the last day to enter my contest and the contest over at The Novel Girls!

Wondrous Strange Release!

My cyber writer friend and fellow Novel Girl, Lesley Livingston, had her debut novel, Wondrous Strange hit bookstores today! (I'll be blogging more about my excitement for the book over at The Novel Girls on Thursday, which will include my sighting of the book on a real live display at Borders yesterday!!!)

My copy is, according to Amazon, arriving tomorrow, upon which I'm planning on rippng open the box and reading it right away. I've heard so many wonderful (wondrous?!) things about the book, and when I saw it at Borders I was blown away by how gorgeous it looks.

And if you want to enter to win your very own signed copy, all you need to do is become a follower of The Novel Girls by January 1st!

Contests!!

If you'll notice from the title of this post, I said "contests" plural. That's because I have two great contests to tell you about!!

First, as promised, I'm having a contest to give away a signed Advanced Review Copy of THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS. All you have to do is become a follower of my blog by January 1, 2009. (Click on "follow this blog" on the left hand side -- you might have to scroll down a little bit to see it.) If you're already a follower, then you're already entered to win! I will pick one winner, at random, after Jan. 1st.

Contest number 2 is going on over at my group blog, The Novel Girls. We're giving away a signed, hardcover copy of Lesley Livingston's WONDROUS STRANGE, in celebration of her December 23rd release. (If you click over, you can find the details, but really all you need to do is become a follower of The Novel Girls.)

It's simple, so enter them both! And good luck!!

Do you follow?

Head on over to The Novel Girls to check out my post about Abby's (the main character in The September Sisters) favorite things. You'll get to learn a little bit about the book, and I promise no spoilers.

Earlier today, I figured out how to add the cool "followers" feature to my blog, only, I sadly don't have any followers yet :-(.

There's going to be lots more blogging in the new year, and I'm even planning some contests for January, where I'll be giving away a few advanced copies of The September Sisters!!! So follow away, or, at least check back soon for the contest details.

I'm Still Here. . .

I know I've been neglecting this blog as of late, and I have to apologize. But I've been busy, busy busy writing what I hope (fingers crossed) will end up being my debut novel for adults. I'm working on the end now, and when I'm done, when I come out of this writing fog that is consuming my life at this moment, I may get back into other things, like blogging, or say, cleaning my house.

I've also officially finished revising my second YA book, which will be out from Harperteen in Winter 2010. I'm super-excited about this book, and I think the details about it, the writing of it, and the title, deserve their own blog post, which I promise will come soon, probably in January.

For now, it's back to writing for me, back to pushing through this first draft so I can spend my holiday break from teaching revising.

You can still find me every Thursday on The Novel Girls. Last week we blogged about names, and I discussed the importance of nicknames, both for me and my characters. This week we're going to blog about our favorite things, just like Oprah or um, Maria Von Trapp. (Only don't ask me to sing. Really. Don't.)

Thanksgiving!

Here's an update: I'm still only on page 75 of Wally Lamb's new book -- which means I've got a long way to go till the end. But I haven't read much in the past two weeks. I've been working furiously on my new adult book, and I have a problem with reading another book while I'm really in the midst of writing my own. There are only so many characters I can allow in my head at once! But I'm going to get back to Wally Lamb, just as soon as I finish my draft. In fact, maybe I will make it my New Year's resolution.

But it's today it's Thanksgiving, which means I'll be cooking instead of reading or writing. So head on over to The Novel Girls to check out my Thanksgiving post! (I've even added a picture of my ugly but tasty pineapple upside down cake from earlier in the week.)

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

752 Pages!

I was so excited to get Wally Lamb's new book, The Hour I First Believed, in the mail yesterday. (Of course I pre-ordered it from Amazon weeks ago!). I'm only 40 pages into it, but I'm enjoying it immensely so far. No one can make a character, a story, or a voice come alive like Wally Lamb. I was hooked on the first page, and I've been thinking about the book all day, wanting to get back to it. The good news is that the book is 752 pages, which means I'll be able to savor it; I'll be able to look forward to reading something good every night. The bad news is that the book is 752 pages, because, well, I barely have time to sleep as it is.

I read the acknowledgments first (as I always do), and he mentioned that it took him 9 years to write the book. 9 years!! I can't even imagine the patience and the painstaking work that must have gone into that. I'm absolutely awed!

So I'll let you know when I finish the book, and what I think of the 752 pages in the end. But I'm already crossing my fingers that he'll get an Oprah Book Club three-peat.

PS. Over at The Novel Girls, we're blogging about recipes this week. Click on over to read about my disasters in baking!

An Author, A President

I came across this article this morning that talks about President-elect Obama as a writer. I was interested in the interviews with some of my all-time favorite authors, Toni Morrison and Jane Smiley, but also in the whole idea the article purports that Obama is actually a "peer" to other authors.

After you check that out, be sure to stop by The Novel Girls and check out my post on revision.

And coming next week, I'll be blogging on the Harperteen Myspace site. (More details to come.)But in the meantime, the site is lots of fun, so drop on by.

Halloween and New Links

The good news is, after an exhaustive search, I've finally found some orange knee socks -- well, orange with brown trim actually, but that's going to be good enough. My Velma outfit is complete!!

I haven't been blogging much lately, but I've been hard at work on three separate projects. Just finished another round of copy-edits on The September Sisters, I'm finishing up revisions on YA Book 2 (Title coming soon -- I promise!), and I'm also deep into a new adult book that is practically leaping out of my head. I figure if I had an extra five hours or so every day, I might actually have the time to write the book on the computer as fast as my mind is concocting it. But I don't, so I'm seriously exhausted now from not sleeping enough this week.

At The Novel Girls this week, we blogged about Halloween -- and I wrote about my orange and black kitties who like to hang out together, and who we call, collectively, "Halloween." There's a cute picture of them and everything, so pop on over and check it out!

And check out a few new links: This first one is a blog post about the HarperCollins spring preview. Check out the nice mention and the picture of The September Sisters cover!

And I'm also up on the HarperCollins site now, with my own countdown widget and everything! Click here to check it out.

Have a safe and happy Halloween!!!!

Sales and Socks

The Novel Girls are blogging about our book sale calls this week!

Though I love the story of my book sale, it always makes me sad to think about it because my book sold the same week my grandfather died. He was the first person that I was really close to, to die, so it was an oddly surreal time for me. The excitement and the sadness, all at once, was a lot to handle. If you want to read the whole story, click here.

And be sure to check out the posts by the other The Novel Girls, too! There's nothing I enjoy reading about more than triumph in the publishing world. And these posts have all been pretty inspirational so far.

Next week, we're blogging about Halloween. Which reminds me, I still have to finish getting my costume together. That's right, for the first time in probably, um, 15 years, I'll be dressing up, at the request of my son. So, please, if anyone knows where I can buy a pair of bright orange knee-socks, drop me a line. I've been searching all over, and big surprise, they're kinda hard to find!

Favorites

Asking a writer to choose her favorite books is like asking someone with a sweet tooth to choose her favorite dessert. ( I know this one because I fit into both categories!) Seriously, there is nothing more exciting to me than walking into Barnes and Noble, the store aglow with all the pretty, pretty covers.

But it's favorite books week over at The Novel Girls, so I've been agonizing all week about which books to write about. There are so many that I love. If you want to see what I chose, click here to read my post.

Something that I left out is the fact that lately I've been immersing myself in YA books. It's mainly because THE SEPTEMBER SISTERS and my second book (which I'm almost finished revising!! Yay!) are both YA books. So what are my most recent, favorite YA picks? I'll have to say Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin and The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante, two books which I couldn't put down and made me think.

What are some of your favorites? I'd love to hear!

An Anniversary of Sorts

It occured to me that it will be exactly a year next week since I finished my final revision of The September Sisters and sent it off to my agent. That means a year ago from now, I still had no book deal, I felt at the end of my rope in terms of revising the book, and I was more than a little pessimistic about whether or not the book would ever find a home. What a difference a year makes!! The September Sisters will be out in a little over four months, and I'm in the process of revising my second novel, which will be published by HarperCollins in 2010.

I wrote the first draft of The September Sisters in 2003, and it went through dozens and dozens of (maybe more?) different revisions before that final one last October. If you head on over to The Novel Girls you can check out my post on first drafts and read about how it all began for me writing that book.

Of course, in the end, I think it was the revisions that really mattered more than anything, but first things first. Getting it all down on paper has to count for something!

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!