To Sacrifice or Not To Sacrifice?

Happy Halloween!

I'm actually writing this from the Nashville Airport. Business travel. Love Nashville. I managed to grab a few pictures for all of you so I'll post those later in the week for your 'in the midst of NaNo' viewing pleasure.

In the spirit of NaNoWriMo I came up with this idea for a post. However I want to say right off the bat that this doesn't just pertain to those doing NaNo and it most definitely doesn't pertain to writers alone.

My question for all of you is:

What are you willing to sacrifice? And what, under no circumstances, would you ever sacrifice?


I'll go first, as that's only fair.

During NaNoWriMo there are things I am willing to sacrifice:

1. Sleep
2. Junk TV
3. Some reading (though this makes me sad)

Of course there's more but the list could go on for a long time and I want you to stay with me here. :)

During NaNoWriMo there are things that I am NOT willing to sacrifice:

1. Bones, Fringe and The New Girl (they are TV shows)
2. Trivia Nights with my friends/cousins/sister
3. Time with my puppy

In life there are things that I'm NEVER willing to sacrifice:

1. Good toilet paper (Scott 1000 is the best, in my opinion.)
2. Chocolate
3. Time with friends/family

And then in life there are things I AM willing to sacrifice:

1. Cooking
2. Cleaning (not myself, but the house ;))
3. Expensive Paper Towel (it's really all the same in my opinion)

On a Side Note: Celebrating Halloween

I don't usually post on the weekends so I wanted to be sure I wished you all lots of fun with any and all Halloween festivities you've got going on this weekend!

As for me, I started it off yesterday. By carving the first pumpkin I've carved in over 15 years.

Isn't he cute??

So how about you? What fun, ghoulish activities do you have planned? 

Two Reviews: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Thirteen Reasons Why

Happy Friday everyone!

It has been said that aspiring authors shouldn't review books. Apparently it's a bad idea to leave a trail of what authors and books you don't like. But I really appreciate getting recommendations of books I should read. That's usually how I choose which book to read next.

So I've decided that I will review those that I think others should read. Those that I would recommend.

And with that I have two books to add to that list.

Source

Summary from EW:
In this spooky debut novel from filmmaker and travel writer Riggs, 16-year-old Jacob — a witness to his grandfather's horrifying death — journeys to a small Welsh island in search of answers. Were his grandfather's stories about growing up in an orphanage populated by children with powers like invisibility and levitation actually true? What about the box of strange photos his grandfather possessed, including an image of someone with a mouth on the back of his head?


Those photos, in fact, are sprinkled throughout the book, adding a whimsical edge to the text and serving as an introduction to the ''children'' Jacob befriends — not to mention Miss Peregrine herself (one image of the headmistress shows her hunched figure in silhouette, smoking a pipe). The images give depth to a novel that at times feels a little light on character development, possibly because Riggs, eyeing future volumes, spends extra time setting up the framework of his story.



I really enjoyed this story, though I would agree that there isn't a whole lot of character development. The tale is different and the most intriguing part are the pictures that were actually gathered by the author himself. It's a great read but I do recommend buying the actual book at not reading it on your Ereader (unless the screen is larger). I personally read it on an Ereader and I would have liked being able to make out the pictures better. There are also a few letters sprinkled throughout and they were difficult to read as well on my Nook.

Source

Now, I'm not sure if I missed the boat on this one, but I had never heard of it before. I was shopping in an Indie book store in Ithaca, NY and I stumbled upon it in the YA section. It sounded intriguing and I was surprised that it was both on the New York Times and International Bestseller's List.

The summary from Wikipedia:
Clay Jensen, a somewhat shy California high school student, returns home from school one day to find an anonymously-sent package sitting on his doorstep. Upon opening it, he discovers that it is a shoebox containing seven cassette tapes recorded by the late Hannah Baker, his classmate and emotional crush who recently committed suicide. The tapes were initially mailed to one classmate with instructions to pass them from one student to another, in the style of a chain letter. On the tapes, Hannah explains to thirteen people how they played a role in her death, by giving thirteen reasons to explain why she took her life. Hannah has given a second set of tapes to one of their classmates, the identity of whom Clay later discovers, and warns the people on the tapes that if they do not pass them on, the second set will be leaked to the entire student body. This could lead to the public embarrassment and shame of certain people, while others could face physical harassment or jail time. Through the audio narrative Hannah reveals her pain and suffering, and the slide into depression that ultimately leads to her suicide.


This was a beautiful story. One I might actually read again. (And I don't usually read books a second time. There are too many others out there I want to read!) We get to simultaneously hear Clay's thoughts as well as Hannah's as he follows a map included with his tapes and stands where she stood when various events happened to her. It was beautifully written. Making me think what most people thought. Who cares about that one event? Get over it! But it's beautifully woven to reveal that every action we have has an effect on others. When combined with multiple actions, we really don't know what effect it will have on that person.

Do I tell people I'm a writer...

No, not really.

I'm participating in a blog fest over at Juliana L. Brandt's blog:

The question this week is: Do you tell people you are a writer? And when you do, what reaction do you get?


Truth is I really don't tell people I am. My sister knows because she watches me toil away at my laptop. My parents and cousins know because I have to tell someone about the partial/full requests, good/bad feedback. But aside from that, I don't really tell anyone.

The longest conversation I've had about my writing with either A) someone who's not a writer themselves or B) one of the above mentioned people, went kind of like this.

Me: What's up?
Them: All this cool stuff (lists cool stuff). How about you?
Me: Oh you know, work, running, soccer, singing in the band, etc. Oh...and writing a book.
Them: Like a book, book?
Me: Yup
Them: Cool. You'll have to tell me when it's out so I can buy it.

I appreciate the confidence :)

How about you? Do you tell people you're a writer? If you're not a writer, are there things you've given up telling people?

Where in the World is Kelley? Ithaca, New York

My five weekends of whirlwind travel have come to an end. It's sad because I got to visit many great friends and see some very cool places I've never seen before. But it also felt kind of good to fully unpack the suitcase. If you're interested in my other travels this past month you can take a look at Acadia National Park, Walt Disney World Wine and Dine Half Marathon/ Epcot International Food and Wine Festival and Chicago (SWE Conference).



Ever been to the Detroit airport? Unfortunately, I again spent too much time there. Got bumped from my flight so I couldn't get to my final destination till Saturday at 11:00am instead of Friday at 11:00pm. The one cool thing is I got to walk through this ocean-like tunnel a number of times. Definitely has a Disney feel.

But at 11:00am I finally stepped foot at my destination! Ithaca, New York!

Why did I go there you might ask?

Source: Savvy Eats

To visit this lovely lady of course! Julie and I went to school together at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Her husband got a job out in Ithaca so they moved there just days after her wedding (of which I was the Maid of Honor). Haven't seen this girl since and that was a year and a half ago! It had been way too long. It was so great seeing her!

Dan and Julie took me on a tour of their hometown, starting with their farmer's market which we biked to. Farmer's markets are near and dear to our hearts because Madison, WI has probably the best one ever and we visited it every weekend we were in school. The Ithaca one was super nice.

Julie is an AWESOME cook. She is a food writer by profession. You'll find many amazing recipes as well as the science behind food at her website. For brunch she made Coconut Almond Pancakes with baked apples. OMG I miss the cooking nights we used to have in college where she cooked and I messed it up...

Before dinner on Saturday we walked the pedestrian only part of the town and then to this waterfall. Don't they live in just a hideous part of the United States? Ha!

 On Sunday Dan's company took us on a wine tour around the finger lakes. That was our ride, a Hummer Limo. We stopped at about six wineries, distilleries and breweries where we sampled various drinks and looked out at the gorgeous scenery that is Ithaca, New York.

We also drank wine slushies at the Tiki Tent. So yummy!

It was a fantastic time and so good to see Julie and Dan. Ithaca was a beautiful area and I'm totally jealous that it's literally their backyard.

Let's talk about...Flaws

Happy Monday all! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. I visited one of my very good friends, Julie, and her husband Dan, in New York this weekend. SO MUCH FUN. And it was so great to see them. More on that on a later post.

It seems sort of ironic to put this up on a post about flaws but I am totally honored to receive this award from one of my new writing friends, Cassie, over at Reading, Writing and Lovin' It!

Thank you Cassie!

And I promise I'll post the other blogs to receive this award soon!

Okay, flaws.

A few weeks ago my wonderful critique partner Theresa sent back my third manuscript. She had numerous suggestions/corrections and as per my usual I went with most of them. 

One of the biggest and most important critiques she gave me was about the love interest of my Main Character...and I quote:

"Sam is perfect. But almost too perfect. I wouldn’t necessarily change anything about him ( I love him) but maybe give him a flaw or two. When people relate to characters they usually relate to their flaws. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy just a little something to keep him from seeming like the guy every girl wants but knows doesn’t actually exist."

Isn't she brilliant? 

And she was right. 100% right. Sam was pretty much perfect. 

Source: Gallivanter

But I couldn't just go back in there and throw in a few flaws. The meaning behind Sam's 'perfectness' is two fold.

1. I wanted those reading it to want to be like him. Because he is a great guy. 
2. There is no way my Main Character, Emma, would be with anyone who wasn't a great guy. She doesn't believe in love to begin with. She would take any reason she could to stop liking him. It had to be hard for her to find that reason.

So after many hours of pondering I decided on two flaws for Sam:

1. He wants to be friends with everyone, to be accepted by everyone, even if they're people he's better off not interacting with.
2. He wasn't too serious about anything when he started high school, including his grades. He's changed his tune now but for somethings it is too late. Those past choices still affect him.

Source: favim.com

Why did I choose these? Because they are flaws that many great people have. That many of us can relate to. That make him real. 

So my questions to you are:

What flaws make you...you? If you're a writer, what flaws make your characters? What flaws do you like reading about?

I'll go first, since that's only fair. :) One of the flaws for Sam I got from myself. I want to see everyone happy, make everyone happy. Maybe some people I shouldn't bother with but I try anyway.

The second kind of goes along with that. I have issues saying 'no' when someone asks me to do something. If it's morally wrong than it's a no brainer. But I end up saying yes so many times I have my calender full all the time. Many of the things I enjoy, in fact most. But it's also good to have some downtime. So I need to start fitting that in on my calender too.

 

inkPageant: Have you checked it out yet?

Happy Friday my friends!

Two things...

First and foremost, have you checked out inkPageant yet? They're running a contest in October if you put a post on their site. Give her a look. If you click on the picture above that I borrowed from their website you should fly right on over.

Second, my second manuscript query and first 250 words are up on Mother. Write. (Repeat.), if you'd like to take a gander. If you don't follow Krista's site, I highly recommend it even if you aren't a writer. It's very cool to be able to read aspiring author's work.


I think that be about it. How about a picture of a puppy to end our week? This happens to be my puppy who usually isn't that cuddly but decided last night she wanted to sleep on my legs. She's claimed my UW-Madison Badger blanket for herself... Have a great weekend everyone!

Book Review: The Shepherd of the Hills

About two weeks ago my parents visited Branson, Missouri. We'd been twice before but it's such a wonderful vacation spot they wanted to go again.

One of the many attractions in the area is Shepherd of the Hills made famous because of the story THE SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS by author Harold Bell Wright who spent eight summers living in the Ozarks in the early 1900s.

While the story is fiction, the location and many of the people are real. My parents bought me the book while they were there.

I must admit, I didn't think I was going to like it. I tend not to like the 'older stuff'. Not fast paced enough for me. Sometimes confusing. This wasn't the case.

I really liked it.

While not a 'page turner' the writing is beautiful and the plot of atonement, forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption is beautifully told. I wasn't able to pick out the twists and how it all tied together until I was in the midst of reading it at the end.


The story depicts the lives of mountain folk living in the Ozarks and a mysterious old man, 'The Shepherd of the Hills,' aka Dad Howitt. (Dad was an endearing title back then) The shepherd, an elderly, learned man, escapes the buzzing restlessness of the city to live in the backwoods neighborhood of Mutton Hollow in the Ozark hills.There's your usual trouble maker, and a love story between pretty Samantha Lane and Young Matt.


The writing is beautiful, without being too wordy. In this example the Shepherd talks about a boy (Pete) with a mental handicap, questioning who, in reality, are the ones with the handicap:

"Pete knew a world unseen by us, and we, therefore, fancied ourselves wiser than he. The wind in the pines, the rustle of the leaves, the murmur of the brook, the growl of the thunder, and the voices of the night were all understood and answered by him. The flowers, the trees, the rocks, the hills, the clouds were to him, not lifeless things, but living friends, who laughed and wept with him as he was gay or sorrowful.


"'Poor Pete,' we said. Was he in truth, poorer or richer than we?"


I highly recommend The Shepherd of the Hills, if only for the simplicity of it all. The time it was written, the people it was written about, the untouched location the story takes place. I think we all need to venture there once and a while.

A new writing friend! Let me introduce you to...

Navigating the Mind of Bianca Rex

Hey everyone! 

You have all been so absolutely supportive and wonderful  in my first four months of this writer's journey. (Wow, I can't believe it's been that long.) I finally convinced a fellow writer who is trying to get off the ground that the online writer's community (and blog community in general) is something she would love to be a part of, and will definitely help her reach her goals.

She finally gave in. (Mwa Ha Ha) Hehe

Anywho... she is a fantastic writer and has interesting ways of thinking about things. (Check out her current post on Books vs. Movies)

I was hoping you could all pop by and say hi. I also realize that a number of you are uber fantastic and have mucho followers and was hoping you could mention our lovely new friend on your blogs as well.

Thanks SO much for the love and support you've given to me (I feel like I can't say that enough.)

You can find Bianca Rex' blog here. 

Blog Award and Conference Recap: Starting your Career

Happy Monday!

I first must pass my extreme thanks to Elizabeth Varadan over at Elizabeth Varadan's Fourth Wish for this award. Her blog is wonderful. You guys should all check it out.

And I promise to follow the rules and name fifteen new blogs that I love. I have to figure out which ones of the many I follow haven't gotten it yet. :)





Last week I attended a conference. While I'd love to get to my first writing conference, this one doesn't fit under that category. However as I sat through the sessions I realized that a number of the things I learned pertain to my writing career as well, so I thought I would share those with you.

Little refresher...My bachelor's degree is in Chemical Engineering. Throughout college I was heavily involved in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). For my senior year I was actually the president of the UW-Madison chapter, an organization of over 160 members.

I have some of my best college memories with this fantastic organization and I decided to stay involved as a professional.

This year's National SWE Conference took place in Chicago. My company was nice enough to give me the few days off so I could attend the sessions and bring back all of the wonderful knowledge I obtained.

The Career Fair is a perfect way to build those networks.

There are two sessions that I think pertain to anyone in any profession. The first I will discuss was a session called: Building Your Career: The First Three Years. While I don't think the timeline has to be three years, the points they made were very valid.

Year 1-2

The UW-Madison SWE ladies giving a fantastic
presentation on the work they did this year.

• Build Credibility: Are there other areas you have worked in that help your current position? People you worked with? Awards you have won?
• Work Smart and Bring Value: Research the area you're working in. In what ways do you want to be the same? In what ways can you bring something different? Which method of work is your strength?
• Join Different Networks: What networks are others like you in? What are you looking for in a network? Search for a mentor/advisor. Think out of the box. Is there a parallel network you can be in that will give you a different perspective?
• Get to Know Key Influencers: Which people in your field do you admire? Why? What do they do to cause you to admire them?
• Ask Questions/Prod for More Information: Why did you get the feedback you did? If the work is 'fine' what does that mean? What areas can you improve on? Pull it out of them.

Year 2-3

• Create a Career Plan: Nobody owns your career but YOU. Map it out. What do you want it to look like? What are your goals? What areas are you strong in that you can leverage? What areas do you need to focus on? What do the people look like/act like in the position you're trying to achieve? What is the path to get there?

Is there anything I've missed? No matter what career you're in (writer, engineer, etc) are there things you focused on at the start that helped get you to where you are today?

YA Inspiration: Gettin' lost in a Corn Maze

As a YA writer I think it is my duty to do research in YA things. So when my sister suggested we buy a Groupon for a Corn Maze I was like...Heck Yeah!

Now, in the spirit of being truthful, I've actually never been to a corn maze. Let me tell you. I'm glad I went. I was missing out! It's run by a local farm and the proceeds go to the Salvation Army. They even give you free burgers and brats.

Nothing like a corn maze with my sister (on the left) and my two wonderful cousins, Loni (you can only see her head) and Jess (on the right), to get into the spirit of Fall.

We even acted like kids. Never would guess we're in our twenties... but it was so much fun!

The goal was to use this map to get through the maze while trying to find the answers to ten questions hidden throughout the corn.












The questions were actually really easy. The hard part was finding them.

This whole experience got me to thinking... how cool would a scene in a corn maze be? The obvious spin would be to make it scary...

Those are their scared faces...

But you could totally make it funny.

Or how sweet would a romantic scene be? :) Rolling around in the corn husks... Ha!

Even if the experience doesn't make it into a WIP, it was still so much fun! And we conquered it baby! Got all the questions right. This is our Armageddon walk. We're ready for the next Corn Maze. Bring it on.

Have you ever been in a Corn Maze?? Did you make it out alive? If someone answers no I'd have to question it. Unless you're still stuck there looking at this on your phone. And if that's the case you get a star in my book. You should also tell us where you are so we can come rescue you...

Guest Performance

As some of you may or may not know, I used to sing for a band in the Southeastern, WI area. It was a great time, with wonderful musicians and all around great guys. We sang pretty much anything with a rock/dance vibe from the 70s to current. My lineup included Heart, Pat Benetar, Carrie Underwood, Alanna Myles, Michelle Branch, Evanescence and No Doubt, just to name a few.















Unfortunately, there's only so much time in a day...week...month and I just couldn't fit it in anymore.

So now I freelance. A great local band needed someone to fill in for a show this Saturday so of course I was more than happy to help them out!

I sang a number of songs for them and recorded a few. Hopefully you'll find them enjoyable.

Here is a classic from 1995, Alanis Morrissette's You Oughta Know.

Additions to the blog!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

I'd like to give you a little tour of the new additions to Between the Bookends. Aside from a few cosmetic changes I have added:

Literary Endeavors: This tab has all manuscripts I am working on and the status on said projects.

Music: This isn't new but I finally figured out how to embed a YouTube video (This technology stuff is so tricky!). So I'll be able to add videos in here properly. I made a guest appearance for a local rock/pop band this weekend so look for a few fun stuff there in the coming week or two.

Where in the World: I am fortunate and blessed with the ability to do a bit of travel. Hopefully this tab will help others with travel plans and give a little more insight about me.

Around the World in One Night (Epcot's Food and Wine Festival)

As promised in my earlier post about the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon, I am pleased to introduce you to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival!

The International Food and Wine Festival runs for about a month and a half, the dates vary slightly every year. This year it runs from September 30th to November 13th.

Around thirty countries are represented. The food and drinks are shipped from their respective countries. The park is alive with demonstrations specific to different cultures. They also have the Eat to the Beat! concert series which features many well known bands.

After the Wine and Dine Half Marathon you are granted admission to your own private Food and Wine Festival Party. Most rides are ready for use and all countries are open for business. Included with your run admission is a $10 gift card which you can spend however you like. Of course my sister and I spent ours on food and drink.

First stop, and our meeting place after the run, was Belgium. It was pretty cool to say to my sister, 'I'll meet you at Belgium after the run!' (She's faster then me so about seven miles in she took off and I proceeded with my run/walk.)

Why did we go to Belgium??? Well for Belgium Waffles and Mussels in a garlic cream sauce of course! The waffle was slightly crispy on the outside and nice and soft in the middle.

And the mussels? Oh. My. Gosh. Yum. I contemplated getting another plate. I also converted my sister to a mussel lover. Go me! :)

Then we hit up New Zealand for some pan seared scallops. They were just as good as the mussels. Of course my mouth watered so much and I was dying in anticipation that I forgot to take a picture of them. Maybe I should go back. I'd do that for you guys...

I also forgot to take a picture of the kielbasa and potato croquette we got from Poland. That was amazing as well. Other countries have such great food.

We had $4 left to spend and couldn't decide where to go. But as we walked by the South Korea booth the smell of BBQ sucked us in.

The kimchi was a little too spicy for me, but my gosh were the BBQ ribs amazing.

The night was perfect with most people walking around in just shorts and a tank top. The park was a glow, each country with their own special touches on display. It's a totally awesome festival. Amazing to think you can experience some of what our world has to offer just by walking a one mile path around a lagoon.

Have you every been to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival? What was your favorite country? If you could go to any country right now and grab a bite to eat, where would you go?