Contest time

Suzanne Reese just published her first novel!

Here is a link to her blog if you want to win Amazon $$ (and who doesn't want to buy a book?)

http://chocolatedaydreams.blogspot.com/2008/12/contest-contest-contest.html

Book Review

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

I finally got my copy of this book from the library.  I was anxious to read this much heralded lecture.  

My first impression: I was surprised at the smallness of the book. 

My second impression: book filled with fun stories that didn't change my life.

I did love reading about his childhood dreams and how they came true.  All of us have childhood dreams.  Being a writer was the only one I could remember.  Maybe I will go back to my journals I kept when I was young and see if I wrote dreams.

I did pick up a few ideas from the book:

If there is an elephant in the room, introduce it.  You can't ignore an elephant or sickness that is looming in the room.

Keep teaching and pushing your children.  Teach them the fundamentals.  For me, I want to make sure my children understand the fundamentals of the gospel: Prayer and scriptures.

Fundamentals in home life means everyone pitches in with chores, cooking, etc and learning and serving.

And lastly, If you don't understand something,  be willing to admit it and keep trying until you do understand.

Random Book Quote

Here is this week's random passage from the most current book by the side of my bed:

"I tried to remember if I had any meds in my bag.  I might have something in my small bag. But I would have to get some strength in my limbs to get up and unzip the bag.  I would have to find more strength to search the dark recesses for the green bottle.  Just thinking about getting to my bag took the little strength I  had to keep my eyes open. 

I fell asleep again.

I woke sweat drenched. My sheet was wet. My eyes were crusted.  I couldn't open them.  I listened to the sounds of the hut.  Father was not snoring.  It didn't sound like he was around.  The heat in the hut was oppressive.  My throat ached. I needed to get to water.  I thought of the creek behind Old Man Hattie's hut. "

Last week's random book passage: 

"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch

I wrote a novel in under 30 days

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

In 2007, we had over 100,000 participants. More than 15,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

I wrote 50,497 words from November 4-30!  

I did it! Yeah! I did it!  

It was  fun and hard and exasperating but I buckled down and wrote a novel! :)

Random Book Quote

Guess the book!

"I live in the computer age and I love it here!  I have long embraced pixels, multi-screen work stations and the information superhighway. I really can picture a paperless world. 

And yet, I grew up in a very different place.

When I was born in 1960, paper was where great knowledge was recorded.  in my house, all through the 1960s and 1970s, our family worshipped the World Book Encyclopedia---the photos, the maps, the flags of different countries, the handy sidebars revealing each state's population, motto and average elevation."

LAST WEEK'S BOOK WAS:

ABINADI by H.B. MOORE

Twilight Movie Previews WARNING

When is it appropriate to show previews of rated 'R' movies before 'PG13' movies? Apparently if the movie business is marketing to teens.

The first preview that is shown before the "Twilight" is called... I don't want to give the movie any free publicity but it is rated 'R' and it is SCARY!! It is about a girl who had a twin brother. You'll know the preview when a little boy hits the babysitter hard in the face with a book or something.

The young teenagers I was with all screamed during the preview and talked about how scary it was at least 3-4 that night. Many wished they would have covered their eyes. It did lead to a good discussion on the topic of why the prophets counsel us not to watch rated 'R' shows and being careful with 'PG13' movies as well. The images that are in the girls heads from the preview left an lasting impression. A few even voiced concerns about having nightmares.

If you are taking a young teenager BEWARE! I don't know how to avoid the previews except to get to the movie late or cover your eyes. We saw 5 previews before "Twilight" started. 3 of the 5 are rated 'R' movies! It's getting harder to protect ourselves and our children. I am going to talk to the manager of our theater. I would urge everyone with young teens to talk to the managers of theaters about the previews. It may not change Hollywood, but it we can change our neighborhoods!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Contest Time! I need your help!


This is part of an email I'll be sending out to my friends. Since we're all friends here, please consider yourself invited to spread the word and win prizes! Send a message to five friends, or post something on your blog, and I'll enter you to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Just copy me or send the link to: contest @ suzannevreese.com. Even bigger prizes are available if you actually read the book and recommend it! Finally, one last favor to take note of: if you've decided to buy the book (just cause you love me or whatever) please do it ON DECEMBER 11 FROM AMAZON!

See my website for a preview or more info!