Restless Sunday

I'm restless today, taking time off for me and bouncing around all my favorite spots in this little college town - the coffeeshop, my favorite cafe, my favorite used book store. The husband and I have been wrapping a bunch of things up, lots of endings in my life lately: we just finished all the hundred little projects on our house and it's finally on the market, my husband is turning in his thesis this weekend (which I proof-read, all 100 pages of computer science-y gobblty-goop-smarty-pants-algorithm-speak!). I got to 50k on book II of the Glitch trilogy, a dead-line I'd set for myself. Accomplishments, accomplishments abound, and I find myself suddenly very TIRED!

I think I would like to sleep for a week. Well, sleep and write. And eat desserts instead of meals. And watch Pride and Prejudice (both the Colin Firth version and then the Kiera Knightly version) about ten times each. And breathe in and then out again until I feel ever ounce of air expand in my lungs and then expel again.

WITHER by Lauren DeStefano - Review!

I got an arc of this last winter on Simon & Schuster galley grab, and during my crazy last semester of grad school, I just devoured it quickly but didn't have the brain space to review it properly. I had occasion to pick up a copy at a store recently and read through at a slower pace.

This book first drew me in by it's drop dead gorgeous cover (cover lust, cover lust!) and the insides didn't disappoint. The thing that remained in my mind long after I first read it was the SHOCKING first chapter! My mouth dropped open - thinking, OMG, did that just HAPPEN?!?

Rhine's story just keeps gathering force as the reader gets to know her through her first steps into the strange new dystopian high-society DeStefano has envisioned. I found myself feeling affection for the husband who, from one perspective, can be seen as Rhine's captor, but on the other hand, is just a victim of circumstance. All the players thrown into the situation are very human, but the question is raised, in this desperate situation--with everyone facing early death--20 to 25 years at most to live, just what degrees of "civilized soceity" would go to in order to continue thier way of life, who really is to blame, and can love still be a choice in such a world?

All in all, Wither is a beautifully written book that kept me thinking about it long after I'd closed the last page. I can't wait to see what comes next!!!

Lookeeee! New Publication Forthcoming!

So we just got news of the cover for the critical anthology I have an essay in! My essay is from a psychoanalytical perspective, questioning why we are all secretly attracted to the sexy tug of war between restraint and desire in Twilight!!!

I'll post more updates when we get a publish date, though it's available for pre-order now :-)

Forthcoming from McFarlands Press!!

Me and Lazarus, Baby

So, I don't talk about this much here, but I have a chronic illness--Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), which as fellow sufferers know, is an annoyingly petty-sounding-name for a life-changing illness. I was in a wheelchair for a year because I didn't have the energy to walk. But after ten years and trying every possible random "cure" out there, I've finally stumbled upon a medication that helps. That really, REALLY helps. Like

I went swimming for an hour and a half today kind of awesome, using muscles I literally haven't in years. It's been a month and a half on the new med. And suddenly, my life is becoming so much LARGER! I can walk more, write more, do more around the house. I think I might actually start to be able to EXERCISE again! Calling it a resurrection might be a little dramatic (but hey, I'm a writer, dramatic is my wheelhouse!), but I really do like I'm coming alive again (especially compared to the wheelchair days). I can play with my son, go on walks with my husband!! If not a resurrection, surely a renaissance. The Amazing Second Life of Heather Anastasiu.

Fear not, I'm not getting my hopes too far up. I'm pushing out my energy feelers further and further everyday, waiting to see if the CFS pushes back. But so far, it's been amazing. I'm not sure I even know who I am as a  More Energy person. For so long, chronic illness has been part of my identity. It's a wild ride, but I'm enjoying the hell out of every new ounce of energy.

Cover Reveals!!!

Three stunning Apocalypsies (mg/ya authors debuting in 2012) covers were revealed this week and I have to share so you can all revel in thier gloriousness! Click on each to check out thier goodreads descriptions!

 

Also check out my blog post on our new group blog: BRAVE NEW WORDS about the writerly joys of putting characters in deadly peril!

Out and About! & My Query Letter!

Hello my lovelies!! Sorry I haven't blogged lately, I've been busy moving and setting up a new group blog for 2012 YA Sci-Fi Debuts called BRAVE NEW WORDS! Check out the link for giveaways of two recent dystopian debuts that I absolutely loved: WITHER by Lauren DeStefano and POSSESSION by Elana Johnson. Also, in the most recent post I posted my query letter that snagged me my agent! Click on the link below!

BRAVE NEW WORDS

Hitting Word Count, Finally!

I was miserably sick all weekend and got nothing done. On the upside, I did have a Firefly watching marathon, and damn does that show hold up after time. I was shocked to realize it ran in 2002! Almost a decade ago! But Joss Wheadon is a master storyteller, even if he has a nasty habit of killing off beloved characters.

This morning, I still felt weak, but much MUCH better, so I hauled it over to the coffeeshop, half-laid on my favorite couch there, and wrote. And wrote and wrote. The word count was still painfully slow, but I made it to 2k today, what I used to average when I was deep in a book, but haven't been able to manage since I started writing full time again last week. It felt good to hit the milestone today. Like--breathe out, yes, my fingers and brain can remember how to do this, even if they were a little rusty at first. I'm not broken, just a little out of practice ;)

I was weary again this afternoon when I finished (probably pushed too hard after being ill), but it didn't matter how weak and shaky I felt. I'd written. There's no more satisfying and uplifting feeling in the world.