So Ready for Summer

So my hubby and daughter left this week for Rome. They’ll be gone for a couple weeks. There were lots of tears (mine and the kidlets). It’s been WAY quiet in the house. But my boys are keeping me busy. We still have soccer stuff going on as well as band/orchestra stuff. Needless to say we’ve been doing lots of running.

And I admit, last night we had Lunchables, string cheese, and Cheez-Its for dinner (LOL). Yeah, we had to go with quick dinner over standing over the stove for hours dinner.  Tonight or tomorrow I promised my sons we’d go see Iron Man 3. They’re totally eager. My high school son’s been bugging me for the last two weeks that we go see that movie while my hubby/daughter are gone.

On a sad note, hospice came in for my grandma a week ago. And we also lost my uncle to leukemia. So the last two weeks have been super sad.

As for the writing front, well, I’m doing LOTS OF WAITING. Still in contract negotiations on a series. It’s totally killing me too. I never realized things could move this slow. And it’s complete torture. I’m also waiting to hear back from FAB agent about a YA contemp I sent over. Right now I’m in the midst of researching for an NA contemporary.  I’ve jotted down some notes/funny lines, and have a pile of research to sort through.

With all the waiting I’m doing on the writing front, it has freed up some time for me to get some reading in. In the last two weeks I’ve read:

Poison by Bridgit Zinn ( a totally cute/fun YA fantasy)

The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah R. Miller (a LOL fun summer read)

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt (another YA contemporary which was cute/fun)

The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland (another YA summer read/which was a quick read)

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green (YA Contemporary—OMG this book is SO good—I warn you it’s sad, but has a lot of LOL funny moments. It’s one of those books that’ll stay with you long after you read it).

I’m currently reading Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton. It’s cute so far and of course it’s another summer read (LOL). As you can tell from the list above I’ve been on a contemporary kick as of late.

I hope everyone has a FAB weekend! Hopefully I’ll have some news to share in the near future (I know, I know, I say that every time I post. But one of these times it’s actually gonna happen—hehehe).

April where have you gone?/Congrats to my step son!!!

My dearest April, where have you gone? LOL. Yeah, it’s FLOWN by! This weekend my step son (who’s our oldest child) graduated from GVSU (Grand Valley State University).  We’re SO SO SO proud of him. He’s a social studies teacher (he’s hoping to get a job in a middle school). During his student teaching he got the chance to work w/some 7^th graders/junior high aged kids. Of course, my youngest two want him to come back to their school to teach (LOL).  But yeah, it was awesome to see all his hard work pay off.

Now, only 5 more kidlets to go (LOL).

On the writing front, things are kind of crazy. Still going through contract negotiations on one book (series), and I have another book that’s out for betas right now (so can’t wait to get this one over to Agent Jenn). I’ve spent the last two weekends reading through my first 2 betas comments etc and adjusting a few things. Once I get the other two back, I’ll finish cleaning TRC up then it’ll be out the door (yay).

Right now, I’m in the midst of plotting another contemp (LOL). I know, I know—I’m not sure what’s gotten into me. I’ve had so many contemporary ideas as of late. And of course, my daughter and sister keeps feeding the fire by telling me how good the ideas are and wanting me to work on them. It’s definitely different than the fantasy/paranormal genres I normally write in. But I’m glad for the chance to spread my wings some.

Hoping to blog more in the coming months, but with the kidlets in soccer, band, and orchestra, I’ll be running around like a crazy woman. I do already have my summer vacation approved (and I’m counting down for it—COME ON AUGUST) and a list of houses I want to look at (hehehe). Still hunting for land or a summer house in the Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We vacation up there quite a bit, so we’d rather have a permanent place rather than tenting it every year (and that way we can bring our dogs w/us and not have to get a house sitter).

I hope you all have a FAB day/week.

Helloooooo April (and Blog—hehehe)

So, as you can tell from my lack of blog posts as of late, I’ve been SUPER busy. Day job is killer, but I’m surviving (barely) LOL. Basketball season ended a couple weeks ago, as did Odyssey of the Mind, so now we’re all set to start soccer in the Purdy house. Yes, we recognize our seasons by what activity the kidlets are in.

Okay, so any day now I should have some good news to share. This news has been several months in the making. So as long as nothing falls through I should be able to talk about it soon (yay). During this time (waiting is excruciating—just saying) I’ve been outlining a YA contemporary romance that is cute/funny (well, if I do say so myself—hehehe). I’ll be starting chapter 7 during my lunch hour today. I’m hoping to crank this bad boy out pretty quick.  Now, if only I could shut my mind down and keep all the new shiny story ideas at bay.

I’ve also been getting through my TBR pile. I’m currently reading Grave Mercy by Robin Lefevers. LOVE it so far. I finished the Lux series a couple weeks ago. And I have 6 more books on my night stand to read, plus another 3 coming in the mail in the next week.

And during my time away, I was also able to beat two of my video games (take that Dragon Age I and II). LOL. Now I’ve moved on to Skyrim–which I think is gonna take me longer to beat (according to my sons).

I hope everyone is having a FAB April so far. Mine will be better once the snow quits (LOL).

((HUGS))

HUGE CONGRATS to my crit partner Kit Forbes (aka Barb Sheridan)

OMG, you guys, I’m SO SO SO happy to announce that my crit partner Kit Forbes (Barb Sheridan) has a book deal w/Month9Books!!! SQUEEEE. So happy for her. So stop in and tell Kit  and her agent Emily Keyes congrats and see all the details:  http://kitforbes.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/its-official/

Her book is flipping awesome and I can’t wait for everyone else to read it. And I’m calling dibs on Mark before everyone else (LOL).

Triple Book Cover reveal for Andria Buchanan’s The Chronicles of Nerissette series

Check out these Fab Covers for Andria Buchanan’s new YA series: The Chronicles of Nerissette. Book 1 is due out late 2013. Please make sure to enter her rafflecopter drawing for a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book 1 Blurb for Everlast:

Allie Munroe has only ever wanted to belong, maybe even be well liked.  But even though she’s nice and smart and has a couple of friends, she’s  still pretty much the invisible girl at school. So when the chance to  work with her friends and some of the popular kids on an English project  comes up, Allie jumps at the chance to be noticed.     And her plan would have worked out just fine…if they hadn’t been sucked  into a magical realm through a dusty old book of fairy tales in the  middle of the library.     Now, Allie and her classmates are stuck in Nerissette, a world where  karma rules and your social status is determined by what you deserve.  Which makes a misfit like Allie the Crown Princess, and her archrival  the scullery maid. And the only way out is for Allie to rally and lead  the people of Nerissette against the evil forces that threaten their  very existence.

 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/review/new/17479662-everlast

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/everlast-andria-buchanan/1114701914?ean=9781622660063

 

 

 

Evanescent (Book #2) by Andria Buchanan

Trapped in the deadly land of Nerissette, Allie has all but given up on any return to the mortal realm. Unless she can find the two elusive artifacts that have the power to get her and her friends back home.

But she’s got even bigger problems as the newly crowned queen of Nerissette: she must unite her people in the midst of a civil war and capture the Fate Maker—the evil puppet master responsible for the conflict—before he can find another army willing to return him to power.

On top of it all, Allie is just a normal teenager. Her feelings are growing for the guy she’s certain is her true love, and balancing her personal life while being the queen isn’t as easy as it sounds. Allie must learn the true meaning of bravery, love, and kinship, regardless of the world—and danger—around her.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17343426-evanescent

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/evanescent-andria-buchanan/1114701913?ean=9781622660186

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Infinity (Book #3) by Andria Buchanan

Although she’s still stuck in the magical world of Nerissette, Queen Allie is finally ready to build a relationship with the half hottie, half dragon next door, Winston. But all isn’t really fair in love and war.

Unrest is quickly forming at the borders and soon Allie realizes that the Fate Maker wasn’t the only one who wanted her crown. When her trusted aunt Bavasama sends her troops into Nerissette on a campaign of murder and mass destruction, Allie has a tough decision to make. She can’t take the chance of letting more people die or letting those she’s lost disappear from memory, but there is more at stake than even she knows.

Still, Allie has to do something. And in the process she’ll discover what she’s truly made of when faced with a series of options…each more horrible than the last.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17343435-infinity

 

About Andria:Patricia’s a small town girl who was blessed with a large tree in the  backyard that was a perfect spot for reading on summer days. Mixed with  too much imagination it made her a bratty child but fated her to become  a storyteller. After a stint of “thinking practically” in her twenties  she earned degrees in Business and Economics and worked for a software  firm in southwestern Germany but, her passion has always been a good  book. She currently lives in Pittsburgh with her two wonderful kids and a husband  that learned the gourmet art of frozen pizzas to give her more time to  write. When she’s not writing she can be found fencing and arguing with  her dogs about plot points. Most days the Beagle wins but the Dalmatian  is in close second. She’s in a distant third.  Patricia writes adult Paranormal under the name Patricia Eimer and  writes Young Adult books under the name Andria Buchanan. 

Website: http://www.andriabuchanan.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndriaBuchanan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AndriaBuchanan?fref=ts
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6926793.Andria_Buchanan

CONTEST ENTRY:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MWNiNTU0OTUyMGNlZDFiOGJmOTc5ZmExZmRmZDJmOjEx/

Bigger Pants Sizes: AKA Life as a writer, full time day jobber, and kid wrangler

So sometimes this writing gig is kind of tough. There is so much juggling we have to do. For me, I work full time as well and have over an hour commute one way (on good weather days)—almost 2 hrs on bad weather days. I also have VERY active kids who play basketball, soccer, orchestra, band, Odyssey of the Mind, and Honor Society. Which means, most days I’m jetting right from work to whatever event is going on.

This of course leaves me very little time in my day. So I generally use my lunch hours to write and on occasion a few hours on the weekend. There are times when I get home from work and whatever practice/game etc and grab the quickest thing there is to cook—which accounts for the bigger pants size (LOL). I’m always like, hey, I can try to squeeze in exercise time. But then I’m so exhausted, I just imagine what it’d be like to walk on the treadmill or grab that fab work out video that kicks my butt to the point of wanting to fall over.  I imagine what it’d be like to have extra time to go for a walk or jog or do something “active.” But my chair is just too comfortable to leave.

And then you throw in those “publishing” world stresses: deadlines, waiting to hear back on projects, waiting to hear back on contracts, trying to apply crits to one book, while trying to write another. Soon, your head is spinning. You get this “love/hate” relationship with your email. Checking it like every 5 minutes because you just know today will be the day you get your news. Then you’re disappointed when it doesn’t come. Then you start to wonder if someone changed their mind or if maybe the story had major suckage. The doubt creeps in then you grab some chocolate because it’s a cure-all (LOL). You post your deepest fears to your crit group and they talk you back up and you’re excited and then the cycle starts all over again.

So yeah the writing part is the easy part. Getting those words down, creating this wonderful and FABULOUS story. Hard parts? The waiting. The finding time to exercise. The finding time to sleep. The bigger pants size. But it’s totally worth it. You fight for it because you want it so bad. It’s what you’re made to do.

So embrace your bigger pants and forge onward. Because, as I’ve learned all the bumps in the road make the journey that much more awesome when you finally hold your book in hand and say “Wow, this is mine. People are gonna read it. SQUEEEE.”

Check Out My Crit Partner KELBIAN NOEL’S Book Covers for her new YA Series!

Okay, so you guys will totally LOVE these book covers. Seriously. It’s for her Witchbound Series: So pop over and tell her what you think of the new covers and book trailers!!

http://kelbian.blogspot.com/

SO PROUD OF YOU KEL ((HUGS))….