Summer Loving

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:

How did you spend/how will you spend the summer after graduation?
                                                                                                                           
I remember that as one of the longest summers ever. here our summer/end includes Chistmas and New Year so there's a lot happening. University starts about a month after school goes back so I had 4 extra summer weeks.

The first thing was farewell my best friend. She was off on exchange to Germany and I was pretty jealous and a bit sad. We'd been inseperable and I was going to have to negotiate all those weeks without her.

Luckily another friend and I grew closer so i had someone to go out with since legal age here is 18 (and I was almost 18...).

The best thing I did that summer happened near the end. I was actually getting over glandular fever that made me miss most of my final school year and staying up late didn't really happen well but this night I managed nearly 4am. My friend cornered two boys on the side of the road.

Being the nerd I am I was pretty sure they were serial killers but it turns out one of them... the one I didn't really notice at first... would be my husband.

Falling in love was the very best part of my summer!

What about you?

Retreat

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:
If you could go on a writing retreat anywhere, where would you go & who would you bring?

Oooh, now this is a fun question to think about! With three little kids a writing retreat is a way off but one day it WILL happen.

And I know the perfect place to go.

Last summer we went on a driving holiday up the east coast of Australia and stopped at a heap of great places. My favorite for a writing retreat would have to be a caravan park we stayed at near Bateman's bay. We had a beautiful new cabin and we were across the road from the beach.

It was inspirational. The peace I need to write and a lovely town with awesome take away thai food only 15 mins away. I'd have to take a CP or two for brainstorming of course.

Where would you go?

Simply the best

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 the best book you read in May?

This was a tough decision for me. I've been on a contemporary binge lately because of the work in progress. I read 6 great books but when deciding my very best book in May I had to toss a coin between two.

And the reason was pretty simple. It's the one that stayed with me long after I switched off my eReader. I couldn't stop thinking about Anna and St Clair and I knew in my heart they lived on even though I'd stopped reading.

They existed outside the book for me.

That's magic.

What about you? What did you read and like BEST!!

P.S. the lineball book... 'Lola and the Boy Next Door.'

Soaking it up for real

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 book and/or writing conference would you love to go to? 

Where to begin?

 

My main goal is to manage to go to an overseas writing/book conference. But living here in Australia even making the trip interstate is a bt difficult and expensive. I love the online community and have participated in some online conferences but to soak up the atmosphere with real live people and all woyuld be fabulous.

 

The first step for me is the CYA conference here. The timing has been all wrong for me so far but I would love to go.

 

In August there is the RWAus conference and I am hoping to make that as all my stories have that romantic element.

 

Any recommendations for good overseas conferences I should be saving for?

=)

Factionless...

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:

Which Faction from @VeronicaRoth's Divergent series are you? (Descriptions here bit.ly/KJQM58)

I love, love, love Divergent and have thought a fair bit about this one. I’ll start with what I’d like to be… definitely Dauntless.

from Merriam Webster:

DAUNTLESS: fearless, undaunted.

Undaunted: courageously resolute, especially in the face of danger or difficulty; not discouraged.

I would love to be this. I adore Tris and think that lacking fear would give me a freedom to act when I am so often caught up in indecision.  Being a writer means I’ve got the not discouraged (mostly) working though.

However… it’s not really me.

I crave peace and would love that about Amity and I have a PhD in laser chem so I’ve searched for knowledge for years and years (and years) which make Erudite appeal.

Rather than divergent though, maybe I need a new kind of faction… Messy?

How about you?

Growing up

Not me, don't want anyone to get confused.

Last night I went to my nephew's 18th birthday party. I was only a teen myself when he was born and I swear I blinked and he's officially an adult. And a great one, I have to say.

He stayed home the night he turned 18 (which is legal drinking age here) to have his first drink with his mum rather than go out with his mates. The hug he gave her when he thanked everyone for coming brought a lump to my throat.

Time does go by so fast.

And my tbr pile is HUGE.

Better get reading!

=)

That magic moment

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:

A long-awaited kiss, a surprise ending, a character's sudden decision… these are the moments that make us smile, gasp, and LOVE a book for the rest of our lives.

What is your favorite literary moment?

My absolute favourite literary moment is the twist. And nowhere have i found it better than in Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

No spoilers but i never saw it coming and yet it made perfect sense. LOVE that in a book. To pull off that WTF but ah ha moment is brilliant. And so, so hard. it had to be foreshadowed and believable but not predictable. I admit i read it when I was 10 so maybe i was easily transported into suspending disbelief but it's stayed with me a LOT of years.

Oh, and i do love a kiss... one that has been suitably longed for and agonised over.

And a good death. Love to cry.

And a first... well... anything.

 

 

Seems I'm easily pleased. What about you?