Sunday Downloads - The Scribbler's Fork 2011

As a part of my goodie bag for all my guests, at my writer's get-together, I included my fav's (top favs right now) playlist.

Disclaimer: Just because I "love" a song, does not mean I "love" the band. (Though most time I do.) So if you like a song I post and then realize the band's other songs are from left field, well, hey, I warned ya.

Here is the list.  After each song I make a brief comment, justifying my love.  Click on the link to explore my suggestion further, with either a video or previous post.


1• color blind-between the buried and me

—originally performed by the Counting Crows, this version gives a more acoustic sound simmered with a slower pace, fueling the drama of YA
2• colours-grouplove
—quirky and full of the indie, slightly off-skew/out there vibe I love
3• I wanna get u alone-joseph arthur

—buzzed electric guitar filled with funk and grind…and want

4• this is the thing-fink

—acoustic, drugging tunes with a melodic voice

5• big jet plane-angus & julia stone

—folky, smooth duo with a feel-good-happy (weird video, don't let it scare you. song amazing.)

6• draw your swords-angus & julia stone

—wow, this song is like the epitome of my 16yo self; full of angst and feral need. *Warning:  F-word Used*

7• hazy (feat. william fitzsimmons)-rosi golan

—beautiful, shared fears expressed from both sexes

8• skinny love-bon iver

—strong indie grunt with a flair for the unusual

9• the ladder-andrew belle

—a tornado of music dancing in a harmonic funnel

10• a maidens last thoughts before bed-molly parden

—a reassuring love between two wedding, tender hearts

11• no ordinary love-the civil wars

—originally performed by Sade’s, this version is live, acoustic with a luring male accompaniment

12• bird song-florence+ the machine

—weird, quirky and all things bizarre mixed with absolutely beautiful, poetic and artistic

13• somebody that I used to know-gotye

—heartbreakingly beautiful with a side of two-sides-of-the-story  

14• hang me up to dry-cold war kids

—funky grind and tragic

15• comes and goes (in waves)-greg laswell

—a gruff gritty voice with a rolling deep “wave” of a smooth beat

16• let’s dance-m.ward

—originally performed by David Bowie, this version is the polar opposite on a slow, smooth pumping of the hips

17• can’t take my eyes off of you-cary brothers

—the hurtful regret of following your heart’s obsession and knowing you’ll get burned

18• heartbeats-jose Gonzalez

—the sharp truth of jagged edges and broken beings

These are my top top favs.  I hope you found them as moving as I do.

What Happened to the Girl?

I'm here.  I'm here.  I swear.  I know you are like:

"Yeah but you've been gone for like, a freaking month. WTF? And like when you get back, you're throwing parties I was SOOO not invited to."

I am so like: "Psha. I've had like...life stuff, dude. Be supportive."

And you're like: "Support this." And wing me a W with your fingers.

Then I'm like: "Whateves yourself.  You were so invited but you either couldn't come or didn't hop on a plane. Shut up."

Then you say something like: "What's up with this LAME valley girl voice? Skip off."

And then I kill the person who ever invented "like" and return on point.

So yeah, I hosted this writer's dinner party and it was a blast (check out Monday's post if you missed it.)  Which involved hand painting bags and organizing = a lot of time consumed.  Also kiddos in multiple sports will eat up gobs of time too.  Oh yeah, and I'm also a mother, wife, laundress, cook, chauffer, referee, friend, critique partner, editor, writer....and the list never ends.  Not to mention I recently found out I have Celiac disease.  Which in short, if I eat foods that contain gluten, it causes an immune reaction that results in damage to the small intestine and does not allow nutrients to be properly absorbed. Gluten is the type of protein found in wheat.  EVERYTHING HAS WHEAT!  So major diet changes here.

In writing related news, I finally finished editing my novel.

"Ooowhap Oooowhap" 

*pumps hands in the air like I just don't care* 

"Ooowhap Oooowhap" 

Strong 2nd draft here people.  Strong, like as in if an agent or editor randomly contacted me and said, "Hey, I heard you were like 9 kinds of brilliant please send me your pages." I would not be humiliated. Because you never know, Josh Adams could so do that.  Stranger things have happened, like sparkly vampires.  Just sayin'.

Is my MS ready to query, no, but the hardcore editing is done.  Now it's time for CP's and beta's two cents, one last overhaul and THEN, oh yeah baby, query time!  WHile I'm polishing, I've decided to allow myself to start researching agents, making a list, checking it twice and all that such nonsense.  I'll also be drafting a query letter, which terrifies the hell out of me.  But according to the women who came to the Scribbler's Fork dinner, they've got my back and will be happy to lend me their 2 cents.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel.  And holy man, has it been a hard ride.  Some days I wanted to set my MS on fire (which would mean burning my computer and let's face it, no sucky first draft is worth the price of a new pink computer.)  (Yes my computer is pink. Jealous?)  But now that I am here, the hard work never felt so sweet.

Buzzzzzzzz. The blog timer has gone off (thanks Liz for that idea) and I am back to the MS.  I will really, really, really try not to disappear for longer than a week around here, I promise.

Since, I've been gone, what's up with you?

The Scribbler's Fork

This past Saturday night I hosted an informal dinner at my house for a bunch of local writers I've grown to love.  We gathered together for food and wine and fantastic writing conversation.  Guests ranged from never queried to agented, with each person's story as unique yet familiar as the other.  I have to say that every single woman there is an inspiration to me.  Each one has a positive, caring soul with a passion for writing and loves all the things writerly, most especially the neurotic nature of writers.  

It was refreshing and exhilarating to chat with so many fellow writers, for hours, about writing, books or the publishing industry.  And if it wasn't for SCBWI or twitter, non of us would have ever met.

Here are the people who came, click on their name to check out their blog:

Lisa Gail Green, Leslie Rose, Gretchen Schreiber (her friend Danielle was not a writer but a great sport), LK Gardner-Griffie, Liz Briggs, Rachel Searles, Ara Burkland  

Out of the whole night, this is the ONLY picture we ended up taking! Gah! Not because the wine was flowing too heavy (it was flowing just not heavy) but the conversation was so rich, photos didn't seem important.

(Lisa Gail Green, Me, Leslie Rose)

I thanked each guest for coming with a hand painted book bag, each with a YA theme.

Each filled with this:

(Book plates, notebook, pen, inspirational journal cards, book light, 

"Possess" book swag and a playlist of my favorite songs right now.)

(BTW guys, if you noticed all your book lights were open,
its because I wanted to make sure they all worked.  :)

We all had an awesome time and I can't wait to do it again next October.
Or as one guest suggested, it should be a biannual thing...maybe I'll host one again in the spring.

Love to all the amazing women who came.  Thank you for being honest passionate beings.  Muah!

Forgot to add, I had a contest for the most uniquely name dishes. Here are a few:

Bye Bye Gold Fish (spicy tuna rolls)
Stinky P (grilled asparagus wrapped in ham and Havarti cheese)
Rotten Cinderella (Pumpkin cheesecake bites)
Ruby Skunk (red wine)
Butt-in-chair Friendly Bites (veggie tray)
Dumb Dogs Tell No Tails (red wine)
Nuts and veins (bread and blue cheese)
Drunken Soldiers (biscotti)
Mint Condition Frankenstein (Mint chocolate cupcakes)
Monkey Brains (mushroom bites)
Pumpkin Pillows of the Gods (Cookie Couture)

And many other fabulous names but I can't remember them all!

We all voted and Leslie won the $10 Barnes and Noble gift card
 with her Dumb Dogs Tell No Tails (red wine)!