Conference reads

This is a RWAus conference and a RTW post combined.


Because I actually read both my fave books for this month while travellling. It's amazing for me to have hours and hours and hours to read without interruption (unless you count bouts of nervous nausea for my pitch appointments). This year's conference was on the sunny (compared to icy Sth Australia) Gold Coast in the funkiest of hotels, QT.


The whirlwind weekend included meeting brilliant people, old friends and learning so much my brain hurt. The cocktail party on the Friday night let me get my Grease on:



With Pink Ladies Rach Johns (Aussie Mira author) and Jackie (Entangled and Samhain author).

The workshops were amazing (am still processing) and the awards dinner was inspirational. Kind of like the early morning view. What made me think a 7am breakki Sunday was a good idea? But even only 3h sleep Eloisa James was worth listening to although I've never read Historical Romance.

Was a brilliant time but I was also really happy to get back home to the family!
Anyway, that brings me to the two best books I read this month:



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. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.





This Week's Topic:
What was your best book for August?


This is no particular order....

On the way to the conference I read Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. And... wow. These two people were so full of pain and so strong. i laughed, i sobbed. i sobbed more... I was thankful my eyeliner stayed more or less in place (am not used to dressing up and these days). It was one of the best books i've read in ages... but there was more to come...


And on the way home i read First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky which didn't make me cry... as much... (i'm not usually so weepy, honest) but I loved for the fact it really seemed like it was HIS story more than hers despite them being told in alternate POV. Was really interesting.




What about you? What did you like in August?

=)

Now i remember.

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. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.





This Week's Topic:

What is your novel's "Love List"?

  First, a love list is the things about your WIP that you LOVE. And I'm so excited by it. Sometimes it gets hard to remember what drew me to start this thing and why I want to spend so much time in this world.   Here's a few things on the love list:     secrets purple ribbon ice-cream electric blue runners pine needles the flip of a coin real   What about you? What do you love about your WIP?    

Playing in my head

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. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.





This Week's Topic:
What is your Summer soundtrack?

Thanks to the wonders of hemispheres mine is actually a winter soundtrack. I actually mainly listen to music when I run (to try to keep the boredom at bay) because i prefer quiet when I write. I get lyrics in my head and then they infect what comes up on the screen.

My soundtrack this winter has be affected by my princess learning guitar. So lately it's been all about Back in Black and Boulevard of Broken Dreams. The latter has really resonated. Something about walking an empty road keep playing in my head as i think about my next story. At the moment it's a billion possibilities but I think it just might have a road trip.

What about you?

Me first... Sigh...

Friday is the end of the week and we all breathe a big sigh of relief. Yay for the weekend! I want to start it full of awesome. Here at the blog, I'm dedicating Fridays to those sigh moments. I'm planning to collect from friends and other writers and anyone else who will answer my annoying questions.

*looks around for the dog*

What was the most sigh-worthy gesture someone did for you when you were in school/college?

Today's guest is ME!!
=)

When: I was at University

Who: New-ish boyfriend

What: I studied at a campus out of town a little and he was in the city. I had a long afternoon stretching in front of me in an Earth Science lab (i know, rocks never really were my friends. i think they would have served me better as pets) and I hadn't seen my new boyfriend forever (a couple of days).

The murmuring of students actually quietened. I glanced up.

My stomach flipped. There stood dear BF in the front of the lab filled with maybe 50 first year students. But it couldn't be. He'd emailed me from the city earlier and to get to my uni he would have had to walk.

But it was him. So, cute. So sweet. So awkward-looking.
Everyone looked as he walked up to me (near the back) and stopped in front of my work bench.

He grinned. "I just wanted to say hi."

I think i fell in love with him there and then. Sigh...

Have you had a surprise visit to melt your heart?