I can’t keep up with all the new products out there.  We’ve updated our home over the past few years with flat screen TV’s and recycled the bulky box TV’s (and were they heavy!).  My “vintage” iPod (the first version made) is tucked in a box somewhere.  It’s not sleek and sexy like the newer ones, but damn does it have some good playlists on it!

My son saw a commercial for the new Nook, and yes, it looked impressive.  I especially liked the “collage” aspect – a collage of all your favorite things.

Lately I’ve been wondering…what’s on your list? If Santa put an unlimited funds credit card in your stocking and you could shop – no holds barred – what electronics would be in your cart?

(Perhaps the Kindle Fire for me, and the Nook for my son…).  Photo of my current Kindle below.

Happy Holidays!!!

So Happy Holidays everyone!  Hope you are all enjoying your holiday season splendidly.  I admit, my shopping is 80% completed..mostly done online thanks to my husband who is tuned in to what our 3 boys want.  I’m not as aware of what’s hot in the video game department since I shy aware from the Xbox 360. Xbox and I are not friends or acquaintances.  But my kids love Xbox and I personally thank Lego for creating some awesome games.  Don’t get me started on Call of Duty (and yes, it’s a staple in my home).

Holidays are expensive – I admit it.  Which is why I’ve been working more this month to compensate for the additional spending.  Hence, the “stress” I mentioned above.  My debut novel, RUN LIKE HELL, although well received and downloaded (thank you!), did not elevate me to “retirement” status financially (and I didn’t expect it to).  I write during the day and work at night.  A fine balance of doing what I love and earning a steady income.

Holidays are fun too!!!  We’re off to Hershey Park later this month with the kids and family to bundle up, sip hot chocolate and enjoy the rides.  “HERSHEY, the Sweetest Place on Earth” – what candy lover wouldn’t partake in their fun festivities??  If you’re in PA, I’d definitely recommend going.  Snow tubing in the Poconos, PA is also on our to-do list when some family members visit around Christmas.  So, my life isn’t all work and no play.  Balance (again).  I’m seeing a theme to this post…

And with the holidays and the new year approaching, we all have impending resolutions.  I’ve decided to bump my resolutions up a month and focus on my goals starting December 1st.  I’m already working on a new YA romantic novel and have some aggressive writing goals to meet by February 1st.  Stay tuned for Valentine’s Day Kindle download.

And last but not least, a sneak peek of the Run Like Hell comic adaptation – compliments of artist George Amaru.  This isn’t a completed page but you can clearly see my character Morgan in the headlights of an oncoming car.  And if you’ve read the first few chapters, you’d know who’s behind the wheel.

Enjoy your holiday’s everyone!  Find a balance this month.  Go out and enjoy yourselves and do what you truly love!

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!!!!

HOMELAND is a must!  Last season was phenomenal – an adrenaline rush of great storytelling and acting.  Claire Danes is fantastic!  I only wished last night’s episode was several hours longer…that’s how much I love this show!

PARENTHOOD is another must.  I totally relate to this show because I’m juggling family & career.  The recent episode involving the smartphone calendar updates between Adam & Christina had me laughing because I too add my husband my calendar updates (hey, we live hectic lives & need to be in synch).  Anyways, it was nice to see the characters dealing with similar issues.  But the show gets deeper, discussing big issues such as ailing parents and health scares, adoption, etc.  I settle in each week to enjoy this series.

Other weekly faves include Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Up All Night (I love Christina Applegate & Will Arnett), How I Met Your Mother, and Law & Order SVU.

As the days get darker and the weather turns colder, the fall TV lineup will keep me entertained.  How about you?  What are your favorite TV shows?

The summer had its highlights – fun days at the pool, theme parks, boating, zoo, etc.  It had its low points too – too much rough-housing, too much xBox 360, 100 degree heat, too little reading (on my kids part).

As of today, though – we’re all on a new schedule.  No more sleeping in during the week, no more “brunches”, no late-night television.

I like having a stricter schedule – and I prefer a quiet house for my writing.

I wish you all a wonderful week, whether you’re attending school or putting kids on the bus!!  But I will be baking my homemade “Back to School Chocolate Chip Cookies” later this afternoon for the kids after-school-snack.  That’s one annual tradition my family relishes!  But first I #amwriting.

Yours Truly,

Elena

I recently had the idea to blog about my favorite book series.  I’ve been reading since I could and I love collecting series of books.  For instance, my kids have almost all the Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer.  The series has always been fun to read and the art is detailed with hilarious pictures.  Even as my kids have grown, they still enjoy digging through the books and rereading them.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is another favorite series of theirs.

But I digress…back to MY Favorites:

1. One of the first series of books I absolutely loved reading in Junior High was the Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal.  I devoured the drama laden pages of sibling rivalry involving good-twin, Elizabeth, and bad-twin, Jessica.  Unfortunately, I don’t have one book on my shelf, a casualty of moving & purging.  But I can recall the many books in the series I bought and shared with my friends.
2. From SVH I progressed to the Flowers in the Attic series by V.C. Andrews.  Instead of the twin rivalry at high school that Elizabeth and Jessica portrayed, I was introduced to children who were hidden in their grandparents attic – for years!  Never had I read anything like this before.  V.C. Andrews captivated my young mind with her horror, characterization and plot.  I was hooked.  Flowers in the Attic was the beginning of my love of all V.C. Andrews books.
3. As I matured, so did my reading.  And I discovered Anne Rice.   The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice became a new obsession of mine.  The series included, Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, The Queen of the Damned, and The Tale of the Body Thief.  Lestat and Louis took me on an erotic, captivating, exciting adventure.   Not only did I immerse myself in the books but I also visited New Orleans and walked the Garden District, home of Anne Rice and the setting for this imaginative series.
4. Not in this exact order, but my love of vampires crossed over to other series such as the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.  Edward, Bella and Jacob became household names due to the popularity of this series – and the much anticipated book sequels and movies as they were released.  I admit to devouring these books but this series wasn’t a true favorite of mine but I’m still including it here because of the phenomenon it  created.  And I did buy all the books and tore through them while breastfeeding my third son.  Those first months of nursing him allowed me the time to read through all four books and each book kept me wanting more.  I gave these books away to a close friend who hadn’t read the series yet so I no longer have them on my shelf.
5. My interest in vampires continued with the popular “True Blood” (HBO Series) based on the Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris.  I was always more captivated by the love story between Sookie and Eric.  Never once a fan of Bill.  What I absolutely love about this series is the small, home-town feel Charlaine writes so easily.  Sookie is the epitome of southern hospitality and I love the food and sweet tea she’s always offering to her guests.  The fairies are evil and interesting and overall, this series was such a fun read!
6. The mature and sexy series, Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole once again took my back to New Orleans but this time I was introduced to numerous, strong alpha-females.  Kresley’s series took my perception of paranormal to an extreme.  She created characters I loved, plots that were thrilling and exciting, and settings I loved immersing myself in.  This is a win-win series and will always be considered one of my all-time faves.  On a side note, she is working on a young adult series that I am very excited about reading – The Arcana Chronicles.  The first book, Poison Princess, is to be released this October 2012.
7. Need I say any more other than Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling.
8. My love of young adult heightened with the widely successful series The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  Katniss was strong, loyal, and capable.  The first book in the series is my favorite but I loved her world-building and conflict.  I haven’t seen the movie but it will be released on DVD this month so I’m looking forward to seeing the movie-version of this favorite book.
9. The final series I’m including is The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.  By far, this was the most difficult to read series for me.  In college I took a course (which I can’t actually remember the name of) that involved reading many fantasy fiction books.  One of the requirements was to read the LOR Series which I dreaded.  For the life of me, I couldn’t read these book in college.  Too many characters, settings, etc. etc. etc.  I struggled with this assignment.  And then the movies were released and seeing the books on the screen actually helped me read the books.  After each movie I was desperate for more – and so I revisted the books I struggled reading and unbelievably I was able to understand them and finish reading them!  My all time favorite character is Aragorn.

Of course many fictional series exist and haven’t been included on my own list.  These are the series that have withstood all my moves and series that represent my life growing up and my interests.  Do you also love these series?  Which would you include on your own almost-top-ten list?

Here’s a refresher for anyone (myself included) who isn’t familiar with the rules of a Haiku.  First line: five syllables, second line: seven syllables, last line: five syllables.  Sounds simple…or is it?

Here’s my Haiku for my young adult novel, Run Like Hell.  My main character, Morgan, finds herself in a rather terrifying situation…

“Run Like Hell Haiku”

by Elena Andrews

Alone on a road.

Headlights provide sweet relief.

But has help arrived?

Writing is very similar.  I often compare my writing experience to my son’s participation in baseball.  “Keep at it and you can only get better.”  He gives me those looks Moms of any preteen child are familiar with – “Are you kidding??!”.

The LAST thing he wants to hear from me is a critique of his performance.  But constructive criticism is key to improving.

I receive constructive criticism all the time – especially when I read reviews on Amazon or Goodreads for my debut novel, Run Like Hell.   And yes, I’ve read them ALL.  Every time I see a new review posted I hold my breath.  It’s scary – I admit.  I could get totally bashed (it’s happened!) or come out smelling like roses with a 5-star review.  Either way, I take into account what the reviewer has said and make a conscious effort to do better the next time.

My son’s tournament is over, but soon he’ll be on the pitching mound for Fall Ball in August and back at bat.  He’s young, and has many more seasons of baseball ahead of him.  And many more tournaments to play!  This recent loss isn’t the end of his baseball path.

Run Like Hell was my first “tournament” – my best effort written in 2011.  I’m still writing and hope to have another book out in a few months, as well as a novella before the end of the year.  Anything less than a 5-star or 4-star review won’t discourage me from continuing on this written path I’ve taken.

For writing – as well as baseball – practice and perseverance can only get us that much closer to a home run hit!

What better way for characters and stories to come to life than in comics?

I co-wrote my first comic in 2011 for The Gathering Love Letters Anthology (Issue #5).  Our story “Postcards” is a love story that blossomed via postcards.  It was a fun experience and my interest peaked when I saw the words accompanied with the art.  I was hooked.

I submitted a second story, this time on my own, to The Gathering, All Women Anthology (Issue # 12).  At the time I was writing a YA Romantic Paranormal Series called Crimson Hunters.  Book 1 will be available  in August 2012 but in the interim I wanted to incorporate my characters from the novel into a comic.  My story “Forbidden” involves my main characters, Val and Axel, and the obstacles they must overcome to stay together.

Furthermore, a secondary character from the Crimson Hunters series captivated my attention.  I didn’t want to incorporate his back story into the novel but felt his character would make an interesting tale.  Therefore, I submitted my third story to The Gathering for their Horror 3 Anthology (Issue #14), available August 2012.

What’s next?  I’m working on adapting RUN LIKE HELL, my YA Thriller, as its own mini-comic.  I have an artist on board for the project and look forward to seeing the story brought to life in this format.

I highly recommend you check out The Gathering and also visit a local comic store.

Elena

She’s certainly convincing.

Meanwhile, my familiar desk is moaning and groaning under the weight of papers, deadlines, and handwritten notes.  All reminders of the invoices I need to sort, the books I’m currently writing (yes, plural!), and the social media updates I need to post.

The doorbell rings.  Now Summer invites me to a BBQ – “Turkey burgers and lite beer,” she croons.  My favorites.  She knows me so well.

Back to work.  The cool, air conditioned office is refreshing after encountering Summer’s heat.  An iced latte helps me prioritize and focus.  I’m in a groove, my story is coming alive.

Knock-knock.  Summer’s back.  “Cotton candy.”  She’s wicked.  All good friends know their friend’s Achilles heel.  Mine is candy.  She describes the rides at the nearby theme park, the thrills awaiting me, the fireworks that will light up the sky later that evening.

So tempting – but my story was really coming together.

“Another night,” I promise her, my gut wrenching at the disappointment etched on her vibrant face.  The theme park will be open all season.

As I ease into my leather, swivel chair, the cursor flashes, grateful for the words I eagerly begin typing.

Many places.  Many diverse places.  I keep my mind open to anything and, gratefully, the stories present themselves.  All I have to do is type them out (a slower process than the idea building unfortunately).

For instance, my brother recently visited – mostly to see his three nephews – and while we were at a little league game I happened to mention to him an interesting story I heard.  He immediately turned to me and said, “you love your gossip.”

Gossip.  It’s a dirty word and I felt ashamed that he was labeling me a gossip.  I’m not on the phone talking, talking, talking to people, or spreading word about so-and-so…but sometimes gossip happens in the simplest of conversation and suddenly I’m hooked on a crazy story I just can’t stop listening to.  And then my author-imagination kicks in and I begin to think, “wow, I should incorporate this into a book, a character, a setting, a scene, etc.”  The wheels begin spinning inside my head and behold, a book is born.

The “morning shows” (I flip between The Today Show and Good Morning America) are great inspirations for ideas too.  I’m constantly talking about one story or another that I heard on either one of these shows.  There’s always a new disappearance of a mother or child that’s peaked my interest (and sympathy), or recently an adorable fat-cat, or a dog that can carry an oxygen tank around for a 3-year girl with health problems.  And “Where in the World is Matt Lauer?” showcases some incredible scenery.  All great fodder for the writer’s mind.

Lastly, I watch a lot of kids TV.  Just last night, for instance, I was watching Shrek 2 with my kids over dinner and suddenly I had an incredible idea for a YA book.  And no, it did not include an Ogre.

I guess the point of this blog is that my mind is never shut-off for new book ideas.  A quick jaunt to the grocery store, a run-in with a friend, some casual conversation, and behold – another idea.  I never know when an idea can strike, but I’m grateful when it does.  May the well never go dry.

Elena