Gabriella Hewitt

I am doing the happy dance. Last week I was surfing various blogs and landed at fab author Jaci Burton’s site. She had a contest that only required I write down what I’d recently read or had in my TBR pile or wanted to read. I posted, never expecting to win. I mean I never win.

I cruised by yesterday and nearly fell off my chair. I was first on the list and I won a copy of one of Jaci’s rockin’ books as well as a copy of Lara Adrian’s Kiss of Midnight. I am over the moon. Once I get my hands on these babies I intend to devour them from cover to cover. I’ll be sure to let you in on just how good they are. *grin*

Jaci also just found out that her book Wild, Wicked & Wanton hit #3 on the Barnes & Noble Trade List. Go on over to Jaci’s site and send a little love her way. She deserves it. While you’re there take a look around. Between her paranormal suspense and contemporary romance titles, I bet you find a story you can’t wait to curl up with to read.

To all the Moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

I’ve been blessed to have grown up surrounded by strong Italian women. My great aunt at 89 is still running strong and is winging her way to America to spend another summer with the family. My mom is the oldest of three sisters. Even though we lived in NY and they lived in California, my mom shipped my brother and I out regularly to spend time with them. Middle sister never had kids so we developed a bond of friendship that has only grown stronger over the years. Youngest sister married and had kids when I was about twelve. She went on to have three kids and adopt three kids as a single mom. The family is tight and stands together. She’s an amazing woman with a great deal of faith, wisdom and common sense. Then there’s my mom who has always been my biggest cheerleader and fan. She let me go my own way and encouraged me to pick myself up when life smacked me down. She raised me to believe I could be whatever I wanted to be. Can’t do better than that.

I’ve also been fortunate in mothers-in-laws. Dh’s mom never criticizes or blames. She listens when I blister her ear about what a pain in the butt her son is and commiserates. *grin* With my family far away, she’s provided a shoulder more than once to lean and cry on. She turns a blind eye to my less than spic and span house. I’m probably going to be the mother-in-law from hell. Bwa Ha Ha!

So whether you celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday or not, take a minute and think about the strong women who’ve made an impact on your life and send a little thanks their way.

Thirteen things that truly irritate me: 1…Fake British Accent Nothing annoys me more than when I watch a tv show or movie and they have an American actress trying to do a British accent. AGHH! Fluctuates from Aussie to South African to Eastend cockney to Jamaican! 2…Drivers that pick their nose You’ve seen them at traffic lights just digging for gold, totally oblivious to the fact the windows are see through. Eeeewww!! 3…Food critics Not the New York Times kind — the guest at dinner who comments that this dish would taste better with gravy or that the pasta is overboiled or the potatoes could use a bit more salt and pepper or that they only buy top of the line organic vegetables and free range chicken. Yeah, well when you cook the food or bring something to the table you can talk, till then shut your trap and eat up. 4…Litter Bugs Nothing disgusts me more than seeing people at a little leauge game who just leave cups and empty potato chip bags behind. So disrespectful and makes me wonder about how some children are raised if their parents are too dumb to pick up after themselves and throw their junk in a garbage bin. 5…Motor-mouth-know-it-alls You know these people that just keeping talking and won’t let you get a word in edge wise. They know everything, even your own life and your career better than you do. And God forbid you should interupt their litany of prose weaving information because that just is plain rude… 6…Dog owners who don’t clean up after their dog Umm, my philosphy is this: If you can’t handle a bag full of poo-poo then you shouldn’t own a dog because the dog ain’t going to stop pooping anytime soon. NYC has the best law ever! A $250 fine for those caught dumping and not picking up. Rightly so, walking on the sidewalk is like going through a minefield. 7…Cry babies Grown up women or men who explode into tears for any reason. You know the weepy Will who cries because he can’t stand his boss, or sappy Sue who is sentimental over shoes, or emotional Emma who cries because someone looked at her funny and she believes everyone hates her or cry-a-lot Cassie whose boyfriend of 5 hours dumped her. Here’s a box of Kleenex, now go listen to Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me A River.” 8…Freeway drivers You know. The ones who cut into your lane and then remember to turn on the blinker. Oh yeah, thanks as I almost eat my steering wheel. Better yet are the ones where the traffic has to merge and they speed up and then shove their way in to the front of the line. Times like those I want to drive a bumper car. Watch out! 9…Cash register karma I don’t know about you but it never fails that I end up in the line that goes the slowest. The price tag is missing and so you have to wait while they call for it to be checked. Or there’s a problem with the person credit card or check in front and you stand in line forever while it gets resolved. You want to switch to another line but they’re long too and who knows, maybe the guy in toys will care enough about customer service to find the stupid price…sure he will. 10..Books that should deliver and don’t I admit being a writer is no easy profession. And to produce book after book takes perseverence and dedication. But lets face it, bad books happen to good authors and ones who you want to scream “How did this possibly get past the editor,” while you add another rejection letter to the ever increasing pile. There’s nothing worse than the reader guessing the villain from page 1. You’d think that would be a no brainer. When it comes to romance, nobody likes a wimpy heroine or hero. You want your readers to fall in love with your hero and heroine, not gag over their personality defects. I could go on forever but I threw the book against the wall. 11..Bugs Okay, I know they serve a purpose. Except I can’t stand the little critters. If they would be happy to stay far away from me, I’m sure we could co-exist quite well. But they persist in finding ways to get inside. Ever have a mosquito buzzing around every time you turn the light off? By 3am the game of kill that flying sucker turns the sanest person into a bleary-eyed lunatic. 12..Lousy customer service Some places know how to give good service while others seem to be masters of the philosophy of “How to Make Your Life a Living Hell.” Last summer I helped my folks get their cable set up when they moved. We’d call and get put on hold, which was the equivalent of limbo. Forget talking to anyone. Like a nickel slot machine, occasinally I’d hit it right and get a live person, only to be told to call a different department that took care of installation. Called them and was told they couldn’t do anything until they got the approval from the first department. It was a game of Abbot and Costello’s “Who’s on First?” 13..The “Victim” Do you know any of these? People who always seem to feel that life owes them. Everybody owes them. They’re never responsible for what happens in their life. Bad luck. The other guy. The hands of fate, whatever. I’m usually smart enough to avoid this type. ‘Course when they’re related to you…you have to start wondering about those hands of fate. I mean, “Why me?” Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

In the coming weeks I’m going to test drive this bad boy. Have no idea what’s in store or who will pop in to chat but I promise it will be fun. Call it Spring Fever but I am in a mood to Gab.

To use the chat simply type your name at the bottom in Change Your Name. Press ENTER or Return Key twice. This will automatically put the cursor in the message box. Type your message/reply and click the little person button at the end.

Bingo! You got instant chat:()

Patrizia and I want to thank everyone who came to particiapte in these discussions sponsored by YACWW (Young Adult Creative Workshops)

For the past two weeks, we hijacked Gabriella’s site to have our Young Adult series chat sessions over her. Hopefuly in the future we will be able to invite all of our fellow friends and bloggers to come and join us for some merry chit-chat.

We would like to invite you to continue visiting us @ www.yacreativewriting.blogspot.com

Come and find out the latest news for authors, editors, publishers, books and other media.

This week we have a post about an essay contest from NY Life Insurance for all expense paid trip to India to learn about wildlife conservation.

Check out other interviews with authors, find out the latest YA book releases, and some new publisher imprints that are searching for writers.

Young Adult Creative Writing Workshops:
Bringing together a community of thinkers, readers and writers.

www.yacreativewriting.blogspot.com

Monday, May 7th Chat Session with Jay Asher
1:20-2:15 pm (11:20 am -12:15 pm Pacific)

**THIS CHAT SESSION HAS ENDED**

The rules are pretty simple. There are only two. Rule number one: You listen. Number two: You pass it on. Hopefully, neither one will be easy for you. (from Cassette 1: Side A)

Hannah Baker records the defining moments of the past few years of her life onto seven audiotapes. Thirteen stories involving several people at her school. She packs the tapes into a shoebox and mails them to the first person on the list. Then, she goes home to kill herself.

Two weeks later, Clay Jensen comes home from school to find a box with no return address leaning against his front door. Inside are seven audiotapes, their sides labeled 1 through 13 in blue nail polish. He has no idea what’s on the tapes, which is kind of exciting…until he presses PLAY.

With Hannah’s voice as his narrator, Clay spends the rest of the night wandering through town, visiting places mentioned on the tapes, unearthing the thirteen reasons why Hannah chose to kill herself.

And one reason belongs to him.

About Jay Asher

Jay began Thirteen Reasons Why in Wyoming while working simultaneously as an assistant children’s librarian and a bookseller at an independent bookstore. He continued working on the manuscript after moving back to California’s central coast where he found jobs at a chain bookstore, a discount bookstore, and…finally!…back in the public library system. While he works on his second novel for teens, he hopes to sell at least one of the many picture books or humorous middle grade novels he’s written.

To learn more about Jay, visit his blog Disco Mermaids or his My Space Page.

Thursday, May 3rd Chat Session with Judy Gregerson
11:30-12:25 Central (9:30-10:25 am Pacific)

**THIS SESSION HAS ENDED**

How much would you be willing to lose to expose a lie?

Destiny has a secret. She’s been told not to tell anyone what happened to her, her little sister, and her mother at Crater Lake. Or that her mother is mentally ill and hits her little sister. If she does, it could ruin her family.

But the secret is killing her and every day she remembers the bad thing she did at Crater Lake. Every day, she pays for it. Her life is a nightmare and her boyfriend, Joshua, and best friend, Chloe, don’t understand. When she pulls away from them, and refuses to leave the house that summer, they don’t realize that she’s trying to fix the horrible mistake she made. They only know that she’s slipping away from them.

But trying to hold her family together doesn’t work. Destiny feels a darkness in the house and when Mom gets out of the psychiatric hospital, it takes over. First it attacks her little sister, and then it comes for her.

Destiny has to choose whether to expose the lies and the darkness or tell the truth about what happened at Crater Lake. It could ruin her mother and father and she might never see her little sister again. It could be the end of her life.

Can the truth really set her free? Or will she remain what her mother has always called her–a bad girl?

Bad Girls Club coming July 2007, Blooming Tree Press. See the book trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngOBf6d_IlI

About Judy Gregerson
During my teen years, I worked as a scallop and an oyster shucker, a waitress, and a chambermaid. I also spent time in the A&P produce department, weighing and putting up fruits and veggies. I ran my father’s fish store on weekends and cleaned houses for rich people.

At eighteen I took refuge at SUNY Oswego and later transferred to SUNY at Stony Brook.

Life began after college. I had some interesting jobs
–a stint as a copy writer trainee at the Syracuse Post-Standard, a seasonal job in the NY Times advertising department, and a very boring time at Viking/Penguin in the marketing department. I got an ulcer working at an advertising agency but while working there, Doubleday published my first book, SAVE ME!. Thus ended my days in NYC. That year I was listed in Who’s Who in America.

I fled to the West Coast and began a new life in Seattle. I’ve been here a long time now.

I worked on THE BAD GIRLS CLUB for over seven years, did multiple rewrites and revisions, and sold it to Blooming Tree Press in 2005.

I am still working on my other novel, CRACKING NORMAL.
For more information, visit Judy’s website at www.judygregerson.com

Just came back from visiting Holland. Well, not really…

But if your curious to learn a little about the land of happy people without spending a fortune then check out the Dutch version of Big Brother
http://www.gillestdesmit.com/goudenkooi/ or just scroll down to Gabby’s CHATter Box and click on popular sites. You’ll automatically be taken to the chat site.

It is so much fun! The tv show has 24 hr survellience on the house guests and you really get hooked up in their lives. The best part is the live chat that goes on at the site. I love speaking with the people from Holland. Some speak English and will answer your questions and strike up a conversation. So, go on and go crazy in Amsterdam!

FUN WORDS IN DUTCH
hoi = hi/ hello………………………………..welkom = welcome
ja = yes………………………………………nee = no
weet nie = I don’t know……………………good-bye = bey bey

Want to look like a pro? Head over here to learn some Dutch.

Monday, May 7th Chat Session with Bev Katz Rosenbaum
10:00-10:55 am (11:00-11:55 am EST)

**THIS CHAT SESSION HAS ENDED**

Floe Ryan was frozen—well, ‘vitrified’—when she was sixteen. She’s just been thawed, and guess what, it’s ten years in the future and she’s still a teenager. And her parents are still, shall we say, chilling out. Floe’s little sister is now her older sister (and guardian!), and payback’s a beyotch. On top of that, Floe has to get used to a new school, new technology, and a zillion other new things that happened while she was napping in the freezer. Luckily, she has Taz Taber–the hottie sk8er boy who used to make her melt before she was frozen—to reintegrate with. But now they’re trying to close the Venice Beach Cryonics Center—with Floe’s parents still in it! Now that’s cold. It’s up to Floe to save the clinic and her parents—so she can finally have a chance at a somewhat normal life…

* * * * * *

Floe Ryan was frozen (well, vitrified) for ten years because of a rare disease. Now she’s been thawed back to her normal self, but absolutely everything else has changed. Just when she starts warming up to this new scene, everything falls apart…. Her boyfriend is giving her the cold shoulder, and there are all these cliques she can’t fit into–high school can be a cold place. Worse yet, Dr. Dixon at the Cryonics Center tells her that those who were frozen are more susceptible to illnesses and the one doctor who can cure this immune system weakness has gone AWOL. Now it’s up to Floe and her brainy friend Sophie to find him. But they’re not the only ones looking for him–and this time, Floe could be iced for good…

I Was A Teenage Popsicle available now. Beyond Cool coming out August ‘07.

About Bev Katz Rosenbaum

Bev Katz Rosenbaum, a former fiction and magazine editor, is the author of the young adult novel I Was a Teenage Popsicle and its upcoming (August) sequel, Beyond Cool. She hopes to channel her inner sixteen-year-old for many years to come! Check out Bev’s website at www.bevkatzrosenbaum.com and her blogs at www.myspace.com/bevkatzrosenbaum or www.teenfictioncafe.blogspot.com .