Not The "Finally" I Really Want, But Finally!

Zee Avi, aka Kokokaina, is finally releasing a debut CD (May 19th)! Woohoo! She's on the same label as Jack Johnson, which I think is very fitting as her music makes me happy and relaxed. Do yourself a favor and pre-order it. I did!

I'm still waiting to hear from a particular agent on my most recent revision. If I bit my nails they'd be down to nubs right now. If anyone knows of some good relaxation techniques I could sure use them right now!

Cindy Pon's book (The Silver Phoenix) was released last week, and I'm a. jealous, and b. excited for her. Her book launch was a big success. Congrats are in order!

Resurfacing from Revisions

Currently Listening To: The local morning news
Currently Reading: Little Dorrit

I've been working on another revision of my novel. A lot has changed since I first wrote this novel, but I still feel very strongly about my characters, and I hope this new incarnation will be the one that wins people over.

I was promoted at work (woohoo!), but it's led to a lot more responsibility and as such, a lot more of my time. I'm much happier with my job though. For the first time since I quit the bookstore (Barnes and Noble) I don't mind going into work. My boss is very kind and lets me make my own schedule. The coworkers are highly amusing, and I often find myself laughing hysterically.

R. and I are still planning our wedding. We have most everything decided, but we're still working on our menu, and such. We decided to go to Destin, Florida for our honeymoon. It's beautiful and inexpensive (see the photo; I took that a few years ago in Destin).

Whew! Now that I've updated, I need to read everyone else's blogs. I've missed so much!

It's Been So Long

But I'm going to update in just a little bit.

Where I've Been

Photo of my adorable puppy Bowser Digby.

Currently Reading: Another Eva Ibbotsen novel :)
Currently Listening to: Channel 19 Morning News

Quite a bit has happened since I last wrote. I've lost 10 pounds (woohoo), my grandfather passed, and my uncle had a stroke. It's been rough. But I'm dealing with all that has happened in the past year as best I can. My novel has suffered somewhat from my preoccupation but I'm ready to focus my attention on it wholeheartedly.
I love the above dresses for my bridesmaid Stacey (I decided to use different styles for each bridesmaid, so that they could each look fabulous). She's going to look gorgeous.

I purchase Graceling yesterday and I can't wait to give it a try. The publisher created a movie trailer for it that (though cheesy) convinced me I had to read it. The main character has two different colored eyes, which I was disturbed to discover as my mc does as well. Does that make me unoriginal? Below is the amazon.com address where you can find the video.

http://www.amazon.com/Graceling-Kristin-Cashore/dp/015206396X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234791416&sr=8-1

What's Up In The World Of Maggie

Currently Reading: Nothing (sad isn't it?)
Currently Listening to: The Veronicas

I heard from a very reliable source that the revisions on my first chapter were positive and on the right track to bring the book in a slightly different direction. What, you may ask, is the direction I'm going for? Well I've been told that my MC is too introspective. Her internal conversations are making the book a quiet read, instead of the fun, fast story it was meant to be. And as such I'm revising again.

If you read my last entry you'd know that I was reading The Luxe. After getting through about 50 pages I put it down and haven't picked it back up. I'm not sure why exactly. It's not terrible, in fact, from what I read it has great promise. I think I've simply been too busy and the characters didn't grab my interest fast enough.

I've discovered recently that I quite like being an Accountant. It's not dry and boring like one might suppose (most of the time). I enjoy seeing what the company spends money on...it's a window into the world of insanity.

My wedding is now only 9 months away. Gah! I need to plan, plan, plan, starting with going to a trainer tomorrow. My body has to have some serious fine tuning before I walk down the aisle. Especially if I want to fit into one of these dresses:

Encourage Me!

Currently Listening To: Nickel Creek "When You Come Back Down"
Currently Reading: The Luxe

I've started an intensive rewrite of my first chapter, and it's giving me a lot of trouble this time around. I've now been sitting in front of my computer typing for 7 hours, during which I've managed to type 3 pages (at least 3 that I'm satisfied with). It's possibly the most frustrated I've ever been with my novel. I love Imogene (my mc), now if she'd only do something interesting!

I finished Nefertiti yesterday and found it merely readable. My main issue with it was the passage of time. Years go by in a few pages, and I felt cheated. I wanted to know what happened in the years the author breezed over so often. Another little irritant was that Nefertiti seemed to be nothing more than (excuse the coarse wording) a breeding mare. She has six children and as such is always either pregnant, or about to become pregnant...

I'm only two pages into The Luxe, so it's impossible to judge it at this moment, but I'll be sure to post what I think of it.

Back to Revising (A Very Short Post)

Well, as you can clearly see from the title of this post, I am revising my novel once again. I took a good bit of time this week to celebrate the holidays, and now I have to get down to work. The introductory chapter needs to become stellar and impossible to resist. That's the first of many mini goals I have for this revision. I'll keep you posted on how it goes, and how the agent situation is coming along.

The Holiday Haul

As Promised

An update!

First things first...I am no longer a client of ABLA. Jennifer and I separated amicably, and I'm still confident in my novel.
So I'm currently in the market for an agent :)

I got The Tudors in the mail a few days ago, but I haven't touched it yet. I actually took the time recently to watch the first season of Veronica Mars. I loved it. Kristin Bell is adorable, and her character is surprisingly likable. She has quite a few memorable quips. Throughout the first season she is trying to solve the murder of her best friend Lily and there are a number of twists and turns (including possible incest). The identity of the murderer was a bit of a shock to me. Maybe I'm just blind when it comes to mysteries. Anyway I'd really reccomend the show. It was highly entertaining. I think if you liked the first two seasons of Buffy you'd like Veronica Mars. I can't wait to see the second season...The Tudors may have to wait a while longer.

I've worked a bit on my second novel, adding more backstory to my two main characters. But as you can tell from my word count meter it's slow going.

On February 2nd I will begin covering the Accountant's position at my job. He's leaving for 4 to 6 months for spinal surgery. I'm both nervous and excited, mostly nervous though. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I need all I can get just about now.

Coming Soon...

An update!

A Thanksgiving Birthday

Currently Reading: Into The Wilderness by Sara Donati

Currently Listening To: Harry Connick Jr.

This year my birthday fell on Thanksgiving day. I'm officially 24 years old. (How frightening!) My parents, R. and I traveled to Chicago to celebrate with my sister and her husband. It was absoluetly lovely! We stayed at the Hyatt Regency on Wacker, right next to Michigan Avenue. We reserved a couple of the basic rooms but when we got there they upgraded us to a suite at no extra charge. Apparently they'd over booked the other rooms. R. and I had a magnificent view of the lake and Navy Pier.

After we arrived R. and I took a romantic evening walk down Michigan. The christmas lights were up, and street musicians were playing holiday tunes. We stopped at the Ghirardelli ice cream shop, and I got a peppermint bark sundae. Delicious! I couldn't even finish half of it though, it was way too big. The next day was Thanksgiving, so we spent the day at my sister's in Roger's Park. She lives in a delightful gray stone, only about 2 blocks from the lake.

I received some cash for my birthday and as such I've just treated myself to The Tudors Season One. I've never seen it and I'm really looking forward to it. Amazon.com has it for only $19.99! Not bad, eh?

Still no word from Jennifer yet.

A Long Over-Due Update

Let's just take a minute and sigh in relief. I finished my revisions!!! Okay now that that's over it's time for extreme anxiety. My novel was emailed to my agent two days ago and the familiar panic is creeping up on me. Everytime I've sent my novel to my agent (Michelle before, now Jennifer) I start to think that it's absolute crap. From the very second I press "send" my nerves shudder and protest. So now I must wait to see what Jennifer thinks...


In the meantime I saw Twilight this weekend. I have to say that I loved it. There's just something wonderful about seeing one of your favorite books played out. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the actors chosen to play the other vampires. The only exception to that was the guy that played Jasper. He was nothing like what I'd imagined. But it didn't bother me too much.


I think just about every teen author is horrifically jealous of Stephenie Meyer right now. I know I sure am. And strangely that jealousy has absolutely nothing to do with the fame or the money. It's about writing a novel that people fall in love with; writing characters that people fall in love with.


And so I'm jealous.


I read Midwife of the Blue Ridge recently. It's by Christine Blevins, a fellow AWer, and it was very fun. I marveled at her handle of dialects. Definitely not my strong point. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys American History.

I'm currently reading Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati. I've had my eye on it for a while and finally decided to purcahse it. It grabbed me instantly. I'm always impressed when a novel does that. It's so hard for an author to accomplish it. It takes place in upstate NY, 1792. An English spinster leaves her home to join her father on his homestead, where she believes she will be a teacher. When she arrives she realizes that her father actually means to marry her off to save himself from his debts. She's refused so far. And of course there is an unsuitable man that has caught her attention. In a strange way the novel is a continuation of The Last of the Mohicans. Hawkeye is the father of her love interest.

So in addition to reading I've started to work again on my second novel. It takes place in the Pre-Civil War Ohio Valley. Can you tell that I absolutely love historical novels? I'm not very far into it at all, but I'm quickly falling in love with my main characters.

So here's keeping my fingers crossed that Jennifer likes my revisions (feel free to pray for me, if you're of the praying kind)!

Abientot!

Lost in Austen = Lost in Love

Tonight I am fervently happy to be the owner of a region free dvd player. After a day of school and writing, I came home to watch ITV's production of Lost in Austen. Absolutely everything about this mini-series is delightful. Humor, drama, and romance are all jam packed in this story. Jemima Rooper is fantastic as the improper Amanda Price. She's so busy trying to keep the novel on track that she mixes up everything! I was so engrossed in the story that none of the changes to the classic novel bothered me! The ending is beautiful, witty, and dare I say, perfect?! If you have a region free player buy this from Amazon.co.uk! If you don't then get one so you can watch it!

I did vote today, but I'd like to stay neutral on politics I'll not broach the topic anymore than that.

I've written around 2500 words so far for the month. It's a slow start, but I'm pleased with what I've done. I still haven't started reading another book. I'm going to stand by my pledge to finish my revisions first.

Peace.

Registry!

Currently Reading: Nothing until I finish my revisions.

Currently Watching: The Simpsons

R. and I went to Macys and started our registry the day before yesterday. It was so much fun! We chose a Waterford set of china.

The best part about the set is the accent plate, which you can't see in this photo... Since I love Cincinnati history I was thrilled when R. sent me a link to the following photo.

It's Cincinnati in the mid 19th century, which is the setting for my second novel! It's crazy to see how industrial, and muddy the city looked. I've done extensive research on the Underground Railroad in the Ohio Valley, but I guess I need to look into the general history a little bit more. But that can start once I finish the revisions. I'm seriously not going to start another book until I finish. It's amazing how much time reading can suck up.

Back From The Dead (Sort Of)

Currently Reading: Fundamentals of Financial Accounting



Currently Listening to: Someone cutting down a tree with a chainsaw



Well, after a good 3 weeks of without posting I've got an awful lot to say! R. and I chose a date for the wedding (October 24th, 2009), and we chose the reception venue. It's called French House and it's in the middle of French Park in Amberley Village. Here are a few pictures of it:

It's just as beautiful as it looks! We loved it as soon as we saw it. It has really great grounds surrounding it, and you rent the entire house, including the upper floor.

I'm 208 pages into my revisions! I'm so close to being finished! I feel like I've been saying that for a really long time but I sincerely am.

The real reason I haven't been posting is that I'm up for a promotion at work and I'm putting in all the hours I can. If I get the job it will be a very nice pay increase. And with the wedding that's quite an incentive! I had to tell BuyCincy.com that I could only contribute monthly from now on. I'm going to write a wedding journal, which I think sounds pretty fun.

If you ever get the chance you should read any and all Eva Ibbotsen books. Trust me, they're awesome.

If I get a chance I'll post more this evening. Peace!

R. Asked Me!!!!

I'm engaged!!!! Woohoo!!! R. proposed to me on top of the Carew Tower yesterday afternoon. The Carew Tower is the tallest building in Cincinnati, and the view is spectacular. He got down on one knee and asked me, with a gorgeous ring in his hand! It's fabulous! After we left the Tower we walked up a block to Palamino and had an elegant lunch. And then I made him take me to Barnes and Noble so I could buy my wedding planner. Hehe.

Me Me :)

Cindy tagged me for a Me Me a few days ago, so now I'm going to play ;). Here we go:

1. What are your nicknames?

Answer: Mags, Mag, Maggles, Margo, Margie, Maggie Jeanne Jelly Bean, the list just goes on and on. For some reason people love to give me nicknames.

2. What was the first movie you bought in VHS or DVD?

Answer: I was 12 years old, and I bought Ever After on DVD. Man I loved that movie!

3. What is your favorite scent?

Answer: Pumpkin Pie

4. What one place have you visited that you can't forget and want to go back to?

Answer: Right now I'd have to say Destin, Florida. Yes I know I go there almost every year, but seriously it's paradise. The white sandy beaches, clear turquoise water, and delicious salt breezes always get to me.

5. Do you trust easily?

Answer: No. I don't think I do. Or rather, I trust, but when someone betrays that trust, it's difficult to get it back.

6. Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?

Answer: Oh goodness. I speak before I think, but think before I act. The former often gets me in trouble.

7. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?

Answer: Recently, just work. But those issues seem to have been resolved, so life is good!

8. Do you have a good body image?

Answer: Um, maybe?

9. What is your favorite fruit?

Answer: Strawberries!

10. What websites do you visit daily?

Answer: Hotmail, Gmail, AbsoluteWrite, BuyCincy, Cindy's Blog ;)

11. What have you been seriously addicted to lately?

Answer: Chocolate soy milk, Dexter, Revising, and Email.

12. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

Answer: She's sweet, beautiful, nice, always willing to cheer me up :), positive, and tons of fun!

13. What's the last song that got stuck in your head?

Answer: "Where I Stood", by Missy Higgins. If you don't love that song, you need your ears checked!

14. What's your favorite item of clothing?

Answer: My pink pajama pants from Gap! They are sooo comfy.

15. Do you think Rice Krispies are yummy?

Answer: Yup.

16. What would you do if you saw $100 lying on the ground?

Answer: I'd make sure the owner was nowhere to be found then take a trip to the book store.

17. What items could you not go without during the day?

Answer: My laptop, my toothbrush, and a book.

18. What should you be doing right now?

Revising!

Oh, The Joy Of Reading!

If you have the time READ THIS BOOK!!! I was very engrossed in this novel. Anna is a Russian Countess forced to flee her home country during the revolution. She ends up in England, and takes a position as a lowly maid in the home of an Earl. She quickly falls in love with him, as well as her surroundings. But the Earl is already engaged to a wealthy, beautiful, and evil woman. The characters are well drawn, and the plot is comfortably paced (not too fast, not too slow). Oh and did I mention the compelling romance?

Well because I loved A Countess Below Stairs so much I immediately went out and purchased A Company of Swans. That was a very smart decision. It was just as good if not better. Harriet is a repressed young girl in turn of the century England. She runs from her cold father and aunt to join a company of dancers who are traveling to the Amazon to perform. She meets the man of her dreams, but doesn't know that her father has sent someone to bring her back, whether she wants to or not. Both of these novels were significantly more entertaining than Sovay. I can't wait to read the rest of Eva's novels!!!

There was a huge power outage here in Cincinnati while I was on vacation, so unfortunately I was unable to finish my novel. But I will finish it within the next month!

Drum Roll Please...

And my new agent is...Jennifer Laughran. Happy times :D

A Book Review (While I'm Waiting)

Currently Reading: A Countess Below Stairs
Currently Watching: "Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part 2"

I'm still waiting to hear from the agency. I've learned through the grapevine that the agents are currently reading our stuff, and that they'll get back to us next week. So I've had another weekend of trying not to think about it.



I finished Sovay. It was very readable, and entertaining but there were a few things about it that bothered me. Sovay had 5 potential love interests (who all thought she was gorgeous and wanted her), and it wasn't clear who she was interested in until the last 50 pages. Another thing that bothered me is that in the middle of this very non-gothic novel is a section of about 80 pages that drip with gothic horror. I absolutely love gothic novels, but in this book the descriptions just felt ridiculous. It seemed like I'd picked up The Mysteries of Udolpho again. That's just my opinion. You might feel differently. It really is worth reading though. I think the last 100 pages were wonderful.

I'll let you know what I think about A Countess Below Stairs when I finish it.

I finally got my region free dvd player!!!! Hurray!!! British DVDs here I come!

I'm on vacation this week and I think I might finish my revisions this week! I have to say that even after all these revisions I still love my characters. That's probably a good thing ;) . Keep me in your prayers!