"That was my idea!"

CKHB just posted this fun video (there is an f-bomb, just fyi) and linked to a blog post by Aprilynne Pike. We've all heard agents and other say it: There are no new ideas.



I had previously seen this video (mild language) of the same idea, which is hilarious.



What are some examples of overused plot devices you've seen used in a unique way? What do you think of the "there are no new ideas" mantra?

The Hive Mind

Isn't it interesting how some topics seem to pop up all over the place at the same time? Here I was, having a down kinda week, and I come across a bunch of blog posts about rejection and/or bumming. I liked them, so I thought I'd share.

At The Merry Sisters of Fate blog, we learn that even published authors get that slimy feeling. (You mean a book deal doesn't solve all of your problems?!? Crap.)

In a guest post on Kate Schafer Testerman's Ask Daphne blog, author Sara Beitia blogs about her publishing journey. This is one of my favorite "how I got published" stories of all time.

Finally, a funny one. The Rejectionist posted an email from a friend about an envelope he received from an agency. I laughed until my sides hurt. For real.

Have you seen any other posts on rejection lately? How do you perk yourself up when you're feeling down?

ETA - A few more links I forgot I had saved:

Yasmine Galenorn

Laurell K. Hamilton

R.K. Charron

Myra McEntire


and one from Lisa Green in the comments

New Agency Blog

Hi Everyone!

The McVeigh Agency is starting a blog and they want lots of new followers! They are doing a 15 minute phone or skype chat with anyone who brings in 10 new followers! Cool, right? So, please go follow the blog here, and then comment on this blog post to tell me so.

If you follow The McVeigh Agency Blog and come back to tell me, I will enter you in a drawing for a 2 chapter critique. Don't get excited - it's by me, but I have been told that I give good, helpful critiques...

Happy Friday! :)

Larissa

Giveaway Awesomeness by Maggie

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other.  Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack.  And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

Seriously, Paramount?

I went to a movie recently and was excited to see a semi-preview for Avatar: The Last Airbender, the movie. If you aren't familiar with it, go here. My son started watching this show, and I found myself getting caught up in it. Great graphics, great story. I thought, Oooh, this oughta be great as a movie! The trailer was pretty generic, showing more effects and cinematic views than characters, so I didn't realize it had been whitewashed until today.

I came across Moonrat's post titled whitewashing The Last Airbender, which pointed me to Ellen Oh's blog post Whitewashing is Racist. After which, in tears, I followed links to sign a petition boycotting the movie.

Please, go read Ellen's post. And pass it on.

Review of TIMEKEEPER'S MOON ARC

Keeping in mind that I am not a professional reviewer, here we go.

This post will contain spoilers for the first book, The Farwalker's Quest. If you want to read that first, go do so. You can always come back! ;) Plus, the paperback just came out! Lucky you!

The Timekeeper's Moon is the sequel to Joni Sensel's The Farwalker's Quest. In it, Ariel Farwalker hears the call of the moon and sets out on a journey. She and her guardian, Scarl, must follow a mysterious map found at the Tree-Singer's Abbey.

I really enjoyed this book. A lot. Beyond the fantastic description and amazing characters, these two books are a must-read for anyone writing a series. The first book can stand alone. There are no cliffhangers, there is no question it is a complete story in and of itself. It's awesome. Finding out The Timekeeper's Moon is the second book is like finding out you have a whole 'nother pack of cookies after you thought you ate the last one. You mean there's more?!? SWEET! But better.

Then, Joni does flawlessly what many others fail at, which is giving the reminders/backstory of the first book, so that readers who read The Farwalker's Quest a year ago will remember what happened. There was no info dump. There was no yeah, yeah, read this before, I remember, let's move on skipping ahead (which I do a lot, because I read A LOT of series, and I get sick of it). Seriously, Joni - standing ovation on that.

So, besides the sheer awesomeness of the story, the beautiful descriptions, and the fun little tidbits from our world (the books are set in the far, far future), my favorite part of this book was the relationship between Ariel and Scarl. What a beautiful, complex relationship!

If you are interested in reading this ARC, go here and enter to get a chance! Hurry! Otherwise, buy it when it releases in March!

Larissa :)

My first blog award!!!

I got my FIRST BLOG AWARD!!! How cool is that?!? Thanks to Kasie West for giving it to me. I'm not sure about how I do everything, but I will say that there is a ginormous pile of laundry taking over my bedroom. But if I told you the SAGA OF THE BROKEN HOUSE, you'd freak (hint: it has to do with my answer about TV).

Rules: Answer the following questions with Single Word answers then pass this along to 5 other bloggers. Make sure you let them know about it though.

Your Cell Phone? Ancient
Your Hair? Blondish
Your Mother? Generous
Your Father? Amazing
Your Favorite Food? Pizza
Your Dream Last Night? Nope
Your Favorite Drink? COFFEE
Your Dream/Goal? Published
What Room Are You In? Kitchen
Your Hobby? Scrapbooking
Your Fear? Loss
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Relaxed-er
Where Were You Last Night? Couch
Something That You Aren't? Neat
Muffins? Sometimes
Wish List Item? BookshelveS
Where Did You Grow Up? Wisconsin
Last Thing You Did? Nap
What Are You Wearing? Clothes
Your TV? Storage
Your Pets? None
Friends? Plenty
Your Life? crazy
Your Mood? Pissed
Missing Someone? No
Vehicle? MDX
Something You Aren't Wearing? shoes
Your Favorite Store? Bookstore
Your Favorite Color? Green
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? Earlier
Last Time You Cried? Rarely
Your Best Friend? Regina
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? Blueboards
Facebook? Occasionally
Favorite Place To Eat? Tepanyaki

Okay, that was fun. I pass this award to:

Paul Michael Murphy: Because he makes me laugh.

Heather Kelly: Because she is fun and fantastic and I love her Friday Feature!

Natalie Whipple: Because I want to see if she'll do it.

Kiersten White: Because her answers will be hilarious (no pressure, Kiersten)!

Carrie Harris: Because I want to see how she'll incorporate zombies into her answers. ;)

So there you have it! Go check out their answers!

Look for an upcoming review of THE TIMEKEEPER'S MOON by Joni Sensel (I got to read the ARC - WOOHOO)!

Larissa :)