News and Such Things

Dear Blog Friends,

I know I've been rather sparse lately in the whole posting-stuff-region, but I have a good reason. I've been really busy. Like, super crazy busy even for me. That paltry excuse said, I do have some good news to share.

I'm engaged! *cue cheering* 

The Boyfriend finally proposed and we're very happy. He has now been renamed The Fiancé. Hope I did that accento mark right....

Anyway, that's not the only news! I'm currently working as an Editorial Intern (which is a confusing title because technically I'm not getting paid, hence Intern, but I'm getting all of the credit of an Editor) at a local independent called Negative Capability Press, located here in Mobile, AL. My mentor is the great poet (and former Poet Laureate of Alabama) Dr. Sue Brannan Walker. I'm learning so much about publishing that I can barely hold all of this new information, and the great thing is, I'm doing a directed studies class titled Publishing and Editing with her in the Fall so the fun will just continue. In addition to that, she is also my creative thesis mentor, so that means I'll be spending more time with her in the next year working on my, you guessed it, creative thesis!

Due to my current sharing mood, here is the premise:

 Found wandering the Grymm Forest at age five and raised by a roving band of gypsies, Eurydice and her chatty sidekick Harly—a scholar turned mule—navigate the criminal underbelly of the Twin Kingdom as assassins for justice. Now seventeen, Eury’s loyalty to justice is tested when she comes face to face with an enemy that she never imagined: her past. Not knowing whom to trust, other than Harly, Eury must discover her origins, save a vagabond prince from almost certain death, and prevent a terrible curse from spreading beyond the Grymm Forest—a place she never anticipated returning, much less remembers having left. Magic, murder, and mayhem abound in this tale about identity and crafting the perfect arrow for every occasion. May the Grymm Fighter watch over us all. 

By Spring this will be a full-fledged (haha it's punny because the title is Fledgling) novel and I have plans for a trilogy. I'm so excited!  

In order to keep the good news train rolling, here is my final bit of fun! My good friend Kelsey Sutton (whom I've posted about several times) has just won a Gold IPPY for her debut novel Some Quiet Place! More cheers! And Stephen Colbert dancing!

Well, that's all folks! Just look at him dance. Go Stephen, go Stephen, go Stephen!

Until next time...

RTW: The Great Shelf Journey

Welcome to our 108th Road Trip Wednesday! 

 Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic. 


 We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link in the comments - or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments. 

This Week's Topic:
How far would you go to get published?


It must be the fact that I'm scrambling to cram for finals and finish all of these dratted ten page papers, but I couldn't help but chuckle at the topic this week. I know; my mind is in a dark place. Don't judge me. (You were all thinking it, too.)

I suppose I have to provide some sort of answer. Let's just assume for a moment that I'm done with college and I'm on my own. Wow, that sounds nice.

Anyway, in this dream, I'm out there in the world, giving as good as I get and not taking 'no' for a final answer. That world is my oyster. Anyone who stands in my way to publication is going to feel the swift edge of my paper sword. And we all know how horrible paper cuts are. *shudders*

However, I'm not quite sure just exactly how "far" I'd go to get published. It's not a question I tend to ask myself or get asked by other people. I mean, technically I'm already published multiple times over since I have articles in my college paper every week, but I don't think that's the kind of published we're talking about.

So, for brevity's sake, let's just assume that I won't do anything morally or ethically compromising in order to have a larger piece of my work published and on bookshelves across the world. That's probably the best answer I can come up with.

I'm far too easy-going to do anything strenuous or complicated either. Some may say I'm lazy (and that would be true in some sense), but it all comes down to the fact that I'm too good-natured and content with my life to do anything that may jeopardize my success or rock the boat.

I'm happy to work for everything that I get, and it is the journey more than anything that I enjoy. So, there is another answer. I'm willing to put in the time and effort to get to publication the hard way. I like the idea of earning my spot on those shelves.

It appeals to me.



On a different note, I don't know if y'all have noticed, but I've been adding some new doohickeys to the blog of late. There's the new comment system that allows us to have a dialectical relationship. I did lose all of the past comments (here's my post lamenting that), but I think the end result is worth it.

Also, if you address your attention to the end of the post, you will see some links to other posts similar to this one. This is my new favorite thing! I've been lusting after the recommended posts widget that others have on their blogs for a long time, and I finally organized an attack plan and made it happen, resulting in glorious options at the end of each post. Success is the best balm for envy.