Quote of the Month

“Where the mind goes the man follows.” 

― Joyce Meyer

Totally needed this reminder.  I tell myself "I'll just write later," and later never comes.  I tell myself "I don't have time to write today," and so I spend my time stalking seeing what all my friends on Facebook are up to, and checking my email for the 7th time.  I tell myself "I don't have a good story to write, no one's going to read it", and I avoid working on it like it's the plague.

But other days I think, "Ok, I'll just sit down and write for 15 minutes."  And the next thing I know, I've written for 40 minutes.  Or I think "I'll write before I check Facebook," and I do.  Or I think "Hey, this story isn't so bad."  And it isn't.

Where the mind goes, the man (or woman!) follows.  Joyce Meyer is such a smart lady. :)  

Can anyone else relate to this?!

Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ!

A smile. An encouraging word. A thoughtful gesture. Each day people interact with us, help us grow as individuals, and make our day a bit brighter and full. This is especially true in the Writing Community. 

Take a second to think about writers you know, like the critique partner who works with you to improve your manuscript. The writing friend who listens, supports and keeps you strong when times are tough. The author who generously offers council, advice and inspiration when asked.  The blogging friends who comment on our blogs, re-tweet our posts, chat with us on forums and wish us Happy Birthday on Facebook.

Kindness ROCKS!

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. And because I think KINDNESS is contagious, I'm participating too!

For this blitz, I have chosen to honor Old Kitty at 10 Lives and Second Chances.  Old Kitty is an incredibly encouraging person, who comments on every single one of my posts.  And not just mine: I've seen her enthusiastic comments all over the blogosphere, filled with encouragement, support, love, and always accompanied with exclamation points.  I look forward to her comments every time I publish a post. 


To honor Old Kitty, I've decided to let her choose ANY book from my Teen Reads review archive that she'd love to have her own copy of, as long as it ships from Book Depository.  Old Kitty, let me know which book you choose and I'll contact you for your mailing address.  It's the least I can do for a blogging buddy who has brought me such love and encouragement. :)  Everyone else, if you haven't already please stop by and visit her blog and meet her adorable kitty, Charlie. :)

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for all of you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.

Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way. Kindness makes the world go round. :)

Book Blogger Hop

It's been a long time since I participated in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Crazy for Books, so I figured I'd join in again this time around.  Though this question is tough!

The Question: Who is your favorite book character? I’ll give you a maximum of two choices, but they have to be from different genres!


Hmm, ok.  Lots of female protagonists came to mind at first, but I've figured out my answer.  It's gotta be Jonas from The Giver.  I LOVED that book when I first read it, loved Jonas' desire to really understand things around him, rather than just accept them at face value like every one else in the community.  I like how this began before he was even the Receiver, how he really thought about the words he wanted to say and which words other people use and what it really means (a trait my hubster also shares with Jonas, though in the real life situation it sometimes drives me crazy).  How Jonas thought about his friends, his parents, and how they operated.  I loved how Jonas really thought for himself, and I admire how he uses what he learns to do what is right, despite all the sacrifices it'll cost him at the tender age of 12.

And this could just be me, but I think all the other protagonists in dystopian novels follow a lot of the same patterns.  It is their thirst for understanding their society that makes them stand out, and enables the plot to move forward.

All right, your turn.  Do you think protagonists from dystopian novels are similar?  

And who is your favorite book character(s)?