Ah, serendipity.

In all the time I’ve been blogging, I’ve never posted a bio page. I wanted to welcome my new followers (Hello!) and help you to know me better, so this morning I wrote a little about myself. While writing, I received a message from the thoughtful and talented Colin Smith, awarding me the Kreativ Blogger Award. Thank you so much, Colin!

As a Kreativ Blogger, I need to link back to the award giver, share ten random facts about me, then pass on the award to six people.

Colin is truly a Kreativ Blogger. His posts are filled with insight and humor, and he has excellent taste in books. You can find Colin’s blog at: http://www.colindsmith.com/blog/

And now for a few things about me.

I’m a Florida girl.

You will find me somewhere by the sea, either cozy at home, or in a French café or coffee shop, or cheering for the Gators, or at the midnight showing of a YA book-turned-movie, a habit begun before Twi-moms were a thing.

I’ll likely be wearing these, my favorite pair of sparkly shoes.

Wherever you find me, I will be reading, or writing, or looking after my husband, or shouting after Son 1 and Son 2. Alternative music will be playing in the background. I will not be talking on the phone, exercising, or eating any meat of the red variety.

I’m passing this award on to some bloggers I’ve followed for a while, and some who I’ve just recently met through the Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign. All are delightful and well worth following.

Kate Coursey at http://katecoursey.blogspot.com/
Juliana Haygert at http://www.julianahaygert.com/blognews/
Kate Scott at http://www.katescottwrites.com/
Jillian at Writing on a Limb http://writingonalimb.blogspot.com/
Anna Weggener at http://www.annawaggener.com/
Jenna Cooper at http://findingthewriteway.blogspot.com/

Music for today: Trojans by Atlas Genius

This has been an exciting week.

In the book-blogging world, I am so excited to have found the Southern Book Bloggers through the magic of twitter. This site connects book bloggers who live in the south, keeps track of regional book signings and events, and sends ARCs of fabulous YA books on tours from state to state. I am thrilled to take part in my first ARC tour with Black Heart, Holly Black's third book in The Curse Workers series. Be sure to check back in March for my review!

In the writer-blogging world, I discovered Rachael Harrie's blog Rach Writes. Rachel is embarking on her fourth Writers' Platform-Building Campaign. My favorite part of blogging is meeting other readers and writers. I'm looking forward to joining the campaign and embracing more members of this ever-growing family. Sign-ups for the campaign are open until Wednesday, February 15. Click here for more information!

I sometimes find that my Internet self and my real-life self are a tad disconnected. Coinciding with an enjoyable week in my reading-writing-online life, in my personal life, we had some disturbing news in our extended family. I'd rather not discuss the details, but I wanted to share the lesson I learned from this news. When you have a bad feeling about a person or a situation, TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. So many times in life we sense that something is not as it should be, but we dismiss that twisty feeling in the pit of our stomachs. Don't. Do It. Speak up. Ask questions. Show concern.

Stepping off of my soap box now.
Happy Friday, everyone!

Music for today: Cath by Death Cab for Cutie

Welcome to Road Trip Wednesday! Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question. This Week's Topic:

What SNI were you psyched to work on, but discovered it was too close to something already done?

A few years ago, I wrote a short story titled Regeneration. It earned some recognition in a contest, and I had always planned to revisit my feisty main character one day. I wasn't ever sure if it was more dystopian or just speculative; in the world of the story, the government mandated all citizens to take "supplements," which were meant to keep them healthy. The story unfolds when Tabitha loses her supply, and discovers the world without supplement-filtered lenses.

Flash-forward to fall 2011. I finally picked up Ally Condie's Matched, which had been released the year before. First of all, I absolutely loved Matched. The world Condie created still exists in my mind today, all the scarier because it feels so possible. Cassia is both relatable and consistent in the confines of her dilemma. But two thoughts came to me when I put it down:

1. Wow, that was an amazing book.

2. Thank goodness I didn't spend a year of my life turning Regeneration into a novel.

Of course my story was different from Matched, but it wasn't different enough to be successful in the wake of such a blockbuster series. I think writers should tell the stories in their hearts, however similar they may be to others, and I'm glad I got to spend a little time with my Tabitha. But novels require blood, sweat, tears, and time. I haven't done it myself, but should a writer Google his or her super-cool new ideas, or search them on Goodreads, before putting fingers to keyboard?

Music for today, in honor of Matched: Resistance by Muse

Welcome to the new look of Unavoidable Awkwardness!

I think of myself as an 'artsy' person, but I'm not an artist. A few years ago, one of my favorite bands held contests for VIP tickets to their concerts. Each one involved art in some way, either designing posters or t-shirts for the band. Even though I'd never done anything like it before, I decided to give it a try, because, are you kidding, a chance to meet the band?

I had no idea what I was doing. I only finished one of the projects, and I didn't win the contest. I had decent ideas, but not the skill to execute them. Still, I enjoyed working with the graphics. Couple that with my obsession with Bravo's reality show Work of Art, and I finally decided to scratch the surface of the vast world of graphic design.

I spent yesterday playing around with a new program, and I thought I'd dress up the blog while I was at it. I hope you like it!

Welcome to Road Trip Wednesday!

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. This Week's Topic:

What was the best book you read in January?


I read several great books in January. A few of my favorites were:

But my top book for January has to be The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.

This book had been on my to-be-read list for a while. When it kept showing up on bloggers' lists of best books of 2011, I finally picked it up.

Instead of summarizing, which would give too much away, I'll just sing its praises. Mara is equal parts spooky and suspenseful. Hodkin's prose is spot on, clean and lyrical, with snappy dialogue and the magical quality to give you goosebumps. I was really fascinated by the way she let the reader experience Mara's madness. I felt Mara losing it, in a very different way from Juliette's state of mind at the beginning of Shatter Me. (Another good book, with amazing voice.)

Shifting gears, but on a related note, I've been reminded recently that I sometimes forget the audience for my blog. I expect most of my readers to come from the YA world, since I mostly read and review YA books, and because I am writing a YA novel. But I don't usually talk to people in the 'real' world about that. When I run into someone locally and they mention my blog, or that they bought a book based on my recommendation, I am floored. (Thanks for reading, by the way!)

How does this relate to Mara Dyer? This book is dark and violent. Some reviewers compare it to early Stephen King. (I wouldn't go quite that far.) Not out of the ordinary for the books I read, but I thought it deserved a mention.

How about you? What was your favorite book in January?

Music for today: Sweet Sour by Band of Skulls

I had planned to post for YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday, but I could spend hours with today's task: Write a dialogue between two of your favorite YA characters. As I considered it, I couldn't get Eldric from Chime out of my mind. (I envisioned a lively conversation between Eldric and Will from The Infernal Devices that ended in a boxing match and tears.)

But instead of trying to write these characters' voices, which their creators have already perfected, I decided to just review Chime instead.

The summary, adapted from Goodreads:

Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out. Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes, and everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know.

I have a confusing relationship with this book. Around 100 pages in, I decided that this was one of those books that I respect, because I recognize how well-written and unique it is. It is a wonderful book, and I would recommend it. But I wasn't in love with it. (I'm a love-at-first-sight kind of girl; I usually know in the first thirty pages.)

Chime took me almost a week to finish. And then suddenly, at the end, it tugged on my heartstrings. The reason? Eldric. Eldric is complex but consistent. He's one of the most well-crafted characters I can think of whose story comes through a first person narration by the main character. So, as it turns out, Chime is like an acquaintance I didn't think I'd ever be close to, and we ended up the best of friends.

If you'd like to find out more about Chime, by Franny Billingsley, click here.

Music for today: Turn Off This Song And Go Outside by The Lonely Forest

Just a quick Sunday night post... I took a few days off from the web to spend a fun weekend with my family. (I can't say technology, because of course I had my phone, my camera, and my nook.) The weather was beautiful, and we had a lovely time together. I'm glad we were all able to focus on each other.

Just in the past hour, though, I found some things I missed by stepping away from the social network. My sweet little niece took her first steps. My friend's son made a Tardis inspired derby car. Writing contests and giveaways have been going on all weekend and are ending at midnight. I can't help but wonder, what did I miss during the other 72 hours? Several of my blogging buddies talked about the goal of achieving balance in 2012, and I hope to do the same. I hope to find the perfect balance of devoted family time, writing time, and time to connect with friends, both online and in real life.

One of the things I found on my weekend twitter update was a link to several reasonably priced ebook titles. If you like romance, check out Deborah Camp and Lorena Dureau.