Soccer Tournament 2014 in Cedar Springs…

Had an awesome weekend with the kidlets at soccer tournament. Both Chase and Erin’s teams took 3rd place in their divisions/age groups. So proud of them. it was definitely a long weekend with lots of games. But they played hard and were so fun to watch. I think all the parents lost their voices cheering. And we’re all one sunburn richer (even after applying sunscreen like every 1-2 hours–ahhhh). Below are some pics from the weekend!

 

The picture below is of Chase on defense during his 1st game on Saturday (look at that mean face–LOL)

 

This is a picture of my daughter looking all tough!! LOL–she definitely gave the boys heck during these games that’s for sure…

 

Picture of Erin’s team after they won they’re 3rd place trophy (she’s on the bottom far right).

 

This is Mollie,  Emma and my daughter Erin (these are two of her BFFs that she’s played soccer with since she was really little).

Here’s a pic of the girls with their siblings. It’s funny because all the siblings played on a team together too…

And this one is of Chase and his friend Kevin, sporting the purple hair in the semi-finals…

And this is Chase and his team after their 3rd place win….

Read Full Post »

Tromping into June…

June has kind of come out of nowhere! Seriously. We’re nearing the end of soccer season here in the Purdy house. We have two games this weekend, then we have tournament Friday-Sunday next weekend (well depending on how well the kids’ teams do—LOL). But at least 3 games each (so that’s 6 games we’ll have to be at for sure). GAH. But it’s super fun to watch them play!

 I’m still working on writing the sequel to Legend of Me. Just finished a REALLY tough scene. Hoping to get this on cranked out by July, at which point I’ll need to start writing The Winter People bk 3. Also have like 3 side projects I want to work on, but I have to get all my contracted stuff written first…

 Oh and for those of you going to ALA, I’ve sent out some signed Winter People bookmarks (they’re really sweet looking) that’ll be at the Entangled table. They’ll also have some ARCS on hand for those of you who want to get your hands on TWP before it releases in September.

 I’m getting super pumped about vacation, which is coming up in August. Can’t wait to hike and camp. And have a break from the day job (LOL). So yeah, I’ll be counting down to that.

 REALLY hoping to get out this weekend to see The Fault in Our Stars—but not sure if my schedule will allow for it or not. If you guys haven’t read the book this movie is based off of, GO NOW AND GET IT. Super awesome. You will laugh. You will cry. You will go through lots of tissue.

 Hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend!!

Read Full Post »

AYSO Soccer Tournament 2013 in Lakeview

Phew, so we had a loooong weekend of soccer. Between both Chase and Erin we had 10 games this past weekend. Erin’s team took 4th place in the U-14 Boys division (she’s on a coed team–she’s one of 3 girls). And Chase’s team took 1st place in the U-12 Boys division (also a coed team). 

Erin’s Team below:

 

 

 

 

 

     Chase’s Team:

They both played so hard and it was a blast to watch them. But seriously, during my daughter’s games we were SO frustrated. We got bad reffing for 1/2 her games. There was this one kid who fell to the ground after one of our players bumped him (it was a legal shoulder bump) and he pretended to be hurt (you could tell he was faking it) and the ref called it a PK (penalty kick). Then we ended up facing that same team in the semi-finals and that same kid did the same thing. He flopped on the ground and pretended to be hurt until they made the call for the PK (GAH). They played SO dirty. At one point they tripped Erin, but didn’t call the penalty. So a play or two later she ended up tripping someone (not on purpose) and they called it. It was like everything they could call on us, they did. Our coach went over at half-time to talk to the refs. He was mad because the calls weren’t fair across the board and the one kid kept faking injuries. He just wanted our kids to have a fair shot, without all the extra stuff.

My daughter was like “I’d be embarrassed to be a 14 year guy who threw myself on the ground crying in the middle of a soccer game.” LOL.

Then during Chase’s game, a kid shoved him down and cleated him in the shoulder. He was down for a couple minutes. Then they called the penalty on Chase saying he was body tackling. Yeah, not sure where that came from because he got shoved from behind.

But I’m proud of the kidlets, they played their butts off (and had clean games).  They both came home w/trophies, sunburns, and lots of memories (and of course, I’ve got pictures).

Erin and her BFF Chris:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chase laying down between games:

 Chase breaking it down by his team:

 

Erin with her friends Emma and Mollie (the three girls on the team):

Read Full Post »

October flying by–end of soccer season…The Fairy Godmother Files available in paperback

It’s the end of soccer season (holy crap it went so fast). So I’ll actually be able to come home after work for a few weeks! Woot-woot. Next up, basketball season. LOL. Our seasons are driven by what sports the kidlets play.

Okay, so I have to say that I’m totally LOVING Once Upon a Time, Haven, and Vampire Diaries (SQUEEEE). I’d been counting down all summer for September/October to hit. At least with sports being over for the time being, I can play catch up on all my shows. Oh and I should also get more writing time in.

Still plugging away at The Winter People bk 2. I’m about ¼ of the way done writing it. So far it’s going pretty well. I’m doing 2 POVs in this book as opposed to the 1 I did for the 1^st book. Can’t wait to get this one cranked out, that’s for sure. Other than that, I’m playing the fun “hurry up and wait”. Hehehe—those of you who are familiar with the publishing industry know exactly what I’m talking about.

I’ve read some good books lately: Obsidian & Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I’m currently reading The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. I have 2 more books in my TBR pile at home, then I’ll have to start checking books out from the library again (LOL).

Hope everyone’s having a FAB Autumn so far! ((HUGS))

Oops, just got an email alert that The Fairy Godmother Files is now available in paperback on Amazon.

Read Full Post »

3rd Place at Soccer Tournament 2012

Phew! What a weekend. My daughter Erin had soccer tournament all weekend. She was 1 of 2 girls on the all boy team and she kicked some major butt! She scored two goals and had several assists. And her team took 3rd Place!!! They played their butts off. Couldn’t be more proud. Here are a few photos from this weekend!

First up this is a pic of my daughter Erin and one of her BFF’s and the only other girl on the team Jos.

Then, here’s the start of their game on Saturday. Erin is playing right forward (woot-woot). She also had the 1st goal of this game.

And here we have my daughter taking a break to pose for the camera (eventhough the game is still going on–ahh, a little over confident–LOL).

Yes, my daughter’s friend Justin also wanted to pose even though the other team was about ready to do a throw-in (LOL).

Erin is in the midst of doing a header (sweet move).

The coach promised the kids if they won their game, he’d paint his hair purple to match theirs.

And speaking of purple hair, here is the whole team sporting team spirit with purple hair!

After 3 days of 85-93 degree weather, Erin’s team wins 3rd place in the tournament.

Of course, if you win, you have to dump something on the coach!

Back home: Erin showing off her lovely trophy (and sunburned face).

 

Read Full Post »

WHAT UP FRIDAY?

Ah, can I just say that I’m SO happy it’s Friday? This week has been filled with non-stop running.  We’re in full fall sports mode with Football and Soccer and the kids have practice like almost every night (but Friday—woohoo). LOL.

 

Tomorrow we have an out of town football game for my son Chase and we have to be there at 8:45 am.  OMG.  It’s going to be COLD in the morning.  As in I better get some hot cocoa to soak my hands in.  Then we get to go home for a little while and then we’ll head into town for my daughter Erin’s 2:00 pm soccer game. 

 

In other news in case you’ve been hiding in a cave, VAMPIRE DIARIES IS BACK…OH YEAH.  And Ian Somerhalder is still mega hot. Le sigh.  Last night’s episode was really good. Not only did Elena turn 18 and get to see a very nekkid Damon with water and bubbles glistening on his holy-hella-chest, but we got to see “evil” Stephan in action.

 

As always, the episode had a fast pace and I so can’t wait until next week.  And guess what else was on last night? Come on, guess?  SECRET CIRCLE…DOUBLE OMG…SQUEEEEEEEEEEE.

 

Phew, okay, now that I’ve settled down enough.  As some of you know, The Secret Circle was my ABSOLUTE favorite series when I was a teen.  I mean, I reread it every year, that’s how much I love it.  Now, I know the TV show doesn’t follow the books, but let me say, I think I’m going to have another favorite show to watch (hehehe).

 

Britt Robertson is the perfect Cassie, and while I had my doubts about Thomas Dekker being Adam, he quickly blew me away in last night’s episode.  So did the rest of the cast.  The first show was fast-paced with awesome characters.  I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, but OMG, there is some Cassie/Adam chemistry going on.  I do hope that they’ll explore the Nick angle as well (like they did in the books). 

 

In yucky news, I was bummed to find out that The Nine Lives of Chloe King got cancelled by ABC Family.  Say what?  GRRRR…finally, a show I could actually watch with my 6^th grade daughter and my 7^th grade niece that didn’t have tons of sex etc in it and they take it off the air.  My daughter will be devastated because she LOVED that show.  However, I think I’ll let her watchSecret Circle (well at least the first episode).  And I’ll have to buy her the Chloe King book series so she can at least figure out what happens to everyone.

 

I’m still diligently working on my YA Fantasy Horror.  I’m about ½ done with it and the next chapter is going to be a VERY pivotal one.  Can’t wait to write it and I hope the plot twist surprises my crit partners (LOL).  Need to get my butt in gear and put in some writing time though.

 

In my TBR pile (or currently reading pile):  Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles (really loving it so far), Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles, Elixir by Hilary Duff, Balefire by Cate Tiernan, and Awakening by P.C. and Kristin Cast.  Oh and I should be getting the ARC for A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies in the mail pretty soon (ooh so can’t wait).

 

Hope everyone has a FAB weekend!

Read Full Post »

BACK FROM BLOGGITY HIATUS

PHEW! The last three weeks have been CHAOS! I repeat CHAOS!!! LOL. I managed to survive several award ceremonies for my kids (for grades/athletics etc), my step-son’s graduation, the talent show my kids participated in (which they were totally AWESOME), and soccer tournament.

 

Oh, and I can’t forget round 2 of edits from my lovely Agent Lady, which I sent back to her late last night. Had to bulk up a few scenes, dig a little deeper into some of my characters emotions.  But in the end, I was happy with the suggestions.  Hopefully, I should only need to do one more read through (once Agent Lady reads through my changes).  Then it’ll be off to the races (bites nails in nervous anticipation).

 

I’ve also gotten the chance to read some pretty good books lately (right now, I’m reading book 3 of the Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa).  In reading, I’ve come to the realization that I always fall for the underdog love interests. Seriously. In Twilight, I preferred Jacob, in the Mortal Instruments Series I wanted Clary to have a few more romantic moments with Simon, in the Iron Fey Series, I want Meghan to have some more moments with Puck.  And don’t get me started on Jem from the Infernal Devices series. Sigh. It’s not that I don’t like the UBER HOT HEROES, because I DO. LOL.  It’s just I always seem to fall in with the “best-friend guys”.  I mean they deserve some love too, right?

 

Just sayin. Hope everyone is having a GREAT beginning to their summer! This weekend we’ll be celebrating my daughter’s birthday by throwing her a pool party.  Should be lot’s of fun.

Read Full Post »

GOOD NEWS OF THE AGENT SORT TO COME…Plus Vampire Diaries and Books…

Phew! It hasn’t been a crazy 24 hours. Next week, I should have some news of the agenty sort to share (squeeee).  A moment  7 years in the making. So stay tuned for an update…

In other news, yesterday was my anniversary (yay). And my darling of a husband bought me some books. See, he knows me too well (LOL). That’s right. I’d rather have a bouquet of books than flowers (ooh, maybe I should start a business called Bouquet of Books–LOL). He got me Divergent by Veronica Roth, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare, and Sean Griswold’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt. They will be going into my TBR pile which is GINORMOUS right now. I’ve still got 14 books on my shelf that I haven’t got to yet. Although, I am making a dent (LOL).

And can I just say ZOMGDIDYOUSEEVDLASTNIGHT! The writers for the Vampire Diaries show are freakin geniuses. Seriously. Me and my sister were watching it and we had tears people! I love the twist with Elijah, Jenna, and John. Totally made the show. And I’m still trying to figure out what’s going to happen with Damon. Because I LOVE that character. Le sigh.

Tomorrow I’ll be spending most of the day at the soccer fields watching my son Chase and Daughter Erin play. Should be lots of fun. And tonight, I actually get to go home after work. That’s right. NO RUNNING! It’s like a National Holiday or something (snicker). I can’t remember the last time I got to come home before 8:00 pm. Oh. Right. BEFORE soccer got underway.

And that about does it with everything going on in my life. Will check in for sure next week…

Read Full Post »

Soccer, Soccer, and More Soccer…And Maybe a Little Writing

Phew, from the title you’re probably noticing a trend. Yep, it’s soccer season in the Purdy house. I LOVE watching my kids play. But I so hate going right from work to practices every night and not getting home until 8:00 pm. And of course, Saturday is spent traveling to and from games.

Needless to say my writing time has gone down (LOL). Which is kind of a bummer because I really want to crank out my current story (AMTS). It’s a contemporary YA and it’s coming along pretty well. I love the characters and the plot. Now, if only my motivation level would go up.

In the meantime, I’m still waiting to hear back on queries/partials/fulls on TFGF. It’s such an exciting/scary time. Strange how one small email can make or break your day. A request=giant squeeeeeee, dreams of contracts, and book covers, and movie deals. A rejection=multiple curse words and self-doubt and chocolate cravings (hehehe).

Querying is such a long process. From creating a perfect letter, to hitting send, to waiting for the responses. And all the while your mind goes a mile-a-minute. As writers we consider what we could’ve done differently or we second guess each word. Then we get that lovely request and the agent loves our voice and wants to see more. Or maybe it’s a rejection and the agent didn’t fall in love with it. But either way, we’re in it for the long haul. We become email/phone message obsessed. Maybe we even tell our kids to make sure they call us at work if a # from an agency pops up.

Most of all, querying is like a roller coaster. There are so many ups and downs. We go from crazy-excited because we finished our MS to frightened of failure when we send our “babies” out into the world. And this range of emotions happens in like .023 seconds flat. But that’s the life of a writer. No matter how many good or bad things happen a long the road, it’s simply about the journey. The obstacles we face to get to where we want to be. We grow stronger and I think that’s what’s most important. So as I hit refresh on my email, yet again, I’ll think about how much I love to tell stories, and that, right there, will keep me going…

Read Full Post »