One More Reason YOU Must Go

Need yet another reason to be jazzed you're going to the SCBWI Annual Summer Conference?

Are you still on the fence?

Lee Wind has a fab interview with keynoter Holly Black. Check it out.

And now Lee is tweeting. Go follow him. All of Team Blog will be tweeting throughout the conference. Whee! Find me HERE!

Be More (like) Holly

I'm ready to Be More like Holly: to Be More Chill!

I'm this close to finishing my revision. I have some things to add. Some things to tweak. And I sure would like to nail the ending. Since my hubby was away last night...and I don't like to sleep alone...I slept with my manuscript. I know, I'm a total dork, but I hoped maybe something wonderful would seep in during the night. Perhaps!

But I'm ready to move onto some other things this summer: like a my WIP; playing with the girlies; a family trip; company; and the SCBWI Conference!

So my SRS goals for this week are slightly different. 1) The main goal will be to CHILL (while my critique group peeps read the whole manuscript). 2) And get moving again on my WIP (I miss that kid).

What are your goals this week?

Monday Moment #28

First...I've been dubbed! Thanks, Ben.

As I write this, I'm home alone. Well, the girlies are here with me, but I'm the only grown up. Okay, I'll admit it, I don't like to be home alone...especially when it gets dark. I just don't. I know it's no different than any other night, but when I'm alone, I can freak myself out.

IT'S ALL IN MY HEAD!

Maybe it's just something you never grow out of, the silly things were afraid of. I still remember a night when I was a kid (alone in my room) and I heard a noise coming from the ceiling. To me, that scratching sound was so loud and threatening, I was certain a bad guy was digging through my roof with a pick. You can probably guess what it was...an itty-bitty mouse.

What is a silly fear your character has? And, what crazy things do they make up in their head that make it worse?

Okay...now how about you. Do you want to share your own silly fear? (You know, just to make me feel better.)

SRS Revision Report

Holly and I are so impressed with the productivity that is happening! Woo-wee! Really, it's impressive during this time of vacations...and family visiting...and (what's that?)...SUNSHINE.

Okay, this whole sunshiny-ness may not be a big deal to some of you (in fact many of you may get it all year long) but for us here in the Northwest, we are having a summer like never before. It's so very lovely. Like, I need my sunglasses on a daily basis. See, typically, summer doesn't start for us until after July 4th and then it's spotty, at best. We so deserve this summer. So for those of you in the PNW...way to go on meeting your writing goals (or producing at all). If you are at all like me, it's been a challenge to not be out under that golden warmth all day long.

But now, it's accountability time! How are you doing with your July goals? Tell us how you did this week. Share it all...the sunny, the cloudy, and even the gloomy reports.

SRS Lash Flash: Sarah Beth Durst

Holly has a treat for you today! Head on over to her blog for a Lash Flash with Sarah Beth Durst!

Thank you, Holly and Sarah Beth!

Cool Stuff...or at least I think so

YOU! Yes, you. All those of you who read as a Follower, through GoogleReader, from a bookmark...all of you. Thank you for making blogging so much dang fun.

Holly's SRS Candy Buzz! Yes, Holly has a whole list of Smackdown goodness to check out. Go, go, go...I mean, once you've finished looking at cool stuff here (there's pictures at the end)!

An almost finished revision. Whee! Yay for Summer Revision Smackdown pushing me through. End of the week--done. You heard it here, now hold me to it!

SCBWI Conference in LA! Will you be there? It's right around the corner and there's still time. So, so, so excited about being part of SCBWI Team Blog. Alice Pope posted about the conference and conference blog--including how to find each of us on Twitter so you don't miss a thing. Lee Wind is counting down, too!


My pup! Because Ben said I should post pics of my pup. The funny things is, I've just realized that she ALWAYS blinks. I can't get a good picture of her. So, my pup isn't always cool, she's a 7 month old puppy and does puppy things that make me crazy. But one thing that is cool, this dog has the LONGEST eyelashes you have ever seen! I wish I could capture them in a photo, but so far, impossible. They have to be well over an inch long. Crazy.

My garden! It's been so pretty this year. Here are some of the pretties right now.

Astilbes...such a cool color and so different.

Lavender and Lilly lovin'!

Crocomia in front of a Butterfly Bush. I love the purple and the red.

The hummingbirds are very happy. Oh yeah...so are the weeds.

Better get to work on that revision (or the weeding)!

Monday Moment #27

Insecurity…

This one’s personal.

Don’t laugh.

Please.

I’m sensitive.

I think myself a confident person, that said, I’m super self-conscious and can be insecure about many things. It often makes me think, if I wasn’t confident, then how would I feel? I’d be like a total paranoid nutball!

But really, I think it’s part of human nature. You know, when you find yourself thinking, Does that person really like me? Maybe they’re just being nice or putting up with me.

So, here’s something I’ve been dealing with: to add or not add my followers on my blog. Want to know why I haven’t added them? Because, if I only have a handful, then I might look like a very sad, little blogger. But then I think, if I did add them, maybe more people would declare their love of Cuppa Jolie. Would you? Would you help me with my total lack of confidence about this issue?

But, a BIG shout-out and thank you to all of you who already follow. Kisses!

After I got to thinking about that, I had another situation bring about my flattened confidence (actually I think it’s a bit more about fear). A really awesome writer-friend asked me to swap books as we’re both at the “finish-line” point of our revision. GULP! Doulbe-gulp! But I can’t say no, because it’s too cool and I’d LOVE-LOVE-LOVE this person’s feedback.

You know, the world is a big, scary place, especially the people who walk about it—particularly the ones we like and want to like us. (You like me, right?...how very pathetic!)

All right, all right. Since I’m admitting all this right now, I will now expose my followers and hope they grow in size. I think sometimes you have to pretend you have bigger bazoongahs than really do…guess that’s what I’m doing.

How about your main character? Tell of time they struggle with confidence or the feeling of insecurity.