This NaNoNewb wants to know: Are you in?

I am a total NaNoWriMo Newbie. I've WANTED to do it a million times before, but November for me usually means being buried deep in revisions, peering out of my revisions cave every now and then in the direction of the NaNoWriMo camp, all wistful. (The last couple of years, I participated in NaNoReviMo instead. :))

But this year, the planets all aligned, and I AM IN! Who else is?

If you've done it before, do you have any advice for any of us NaNoNewbs? I think I could use all of the advice I can get, because I AM DETERMINED TO WIN.

If you're doing NaNoWriMo this year, friend me! My NaNoName is PeggyEddleman. Let's hang out with 117,000 other writers and write a bazillion words in a short amount of time together. It'll be a blast.



P.S. Want to see my query letter, read about how I wrote it and why it worked for my agent? Carl Hackman has a new series called Queries that Hooked an Agent, and he recently featured mine.

Title change, cover news, and The League

Hi, everyone! I have tons of news that I'm all kinds of happy that I can share!

First off, let's talk title. Mine has officially changed. Remember this post where I announced that the series title is SKY JUMPERS? Well, we've decided that it's such a great name, that we are going to give the first book the same as the series title. So my book is now officially called...

SKY JUMPERS!

The change came at the eleventh hour, just as the finishing touches are being made to my cover. I am thrilled with having the single name on the cover! I think it's making it look and feel and sound exactly the way it's supposed to be. Exactly right. Not to mention how awesome it looks.

Speaking of the look of my cover, I got to peek at it! Oh my gosh, you guys. It's so awesome, you're going to die. I am in love with it! I canNOT wait to show you. I'll give you a hint: green. An homage to the green bombs of WWIII that wiped out nearly all the earth's population.

But more than giving you a hint, I can finally share with you who this amazing cover illustrator is!

Owen Richardson

He is the third illustrator that Random House hired to create my cover, and as soon as I got word it was him (and then spent forever ogling his portfolio), I knew he was the one. The one who was going to make the perfect cover. When my editor sent his color sketch, I nearly died of happiness. Yep! Definitely the one.

Because, come on. Feast your eyes upon some of the art he's created for book covers.

Isn't he just beyond incredible? You can check out more of his portfolio here: Shannon Associates-- Owen Richardson (And of course, all these images are copyrighted, and shown by permission from the artist.)

Go ahead and just stare for a while. I don't blame you one bit.

Done? Okay, my last bit of news. The League of Extraordinary Writers has asked me to join their ranks! And in case you were wondering, I totally fan-girled when I got the invitation accepted the invitation in a very professional manner. My first post at The League will be my intro post next week.

And since it's Friday--- a day when I normally do a Quotes and Cookies post, I'll leave you with this: a cookie recipe that Owen Richardson sent after seeing my blog. (How thoughtful is that?! It made me tear up. :'o)) This recipe is an original from his famous chef wife, Amy. Enjoy!

Peppered Ginger Cookies

Recipe by Amy Richardson

3/4 cup Sugar, plus additional for coating

3/4 cup Butter, softened

1 large Egg

1/4 cup Molasses

2 cups Flour

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Powdered Ginger

1/2 tsp. Allspice

1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

1/3 cup Crystallized Ginger, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar together, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and then add molasses. Combine flour and other dry ingredients, then add to the creamed butter and sugar mixture and mix.

Form into 2 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place 2" apart on an un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes.

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

I miss you, bloggers!

Alex Cavanaugh, Matthew MacNish, and Andrew Leon have teamed up on a blogfest that I think is brilliant! It gives us a chance to give a little shout-out to the bloggers who haven't been blogging as much lately, to let them know that we miss them.

And also a shout out to those we'd miss if they ever stopped.

There are so many bloggers that I miss! I am thrilled to highlight a few of them.

THE BLOGS I MISS

When I read about this blogfest, the first blog that came to mind that I miss is C'MERE! Whatcha doin?, the blog of K. Marie Criddle.

Marie is one of those people that is amazing at every single things she does. And she does a lot! She's not a bragger, so she doesn't inundate you with the awesome, but even still, you're blown away at first sight. SHE DRAWS ALL OF HER POSTS, people! And not only that, but she is layer upon layer of funny! And thoughtful. Every once in a while, another detail of her incredibleness eeks out, and you'll find your jaw was still dropped in awe from the last time. I think there's probably nothing she can't do. Hop on over and say hi! Marie's blog.

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Another blog I miss is Empty White Pages, the blog of Sarah Pearson.

Sarah is thoughtful and kind and very supportive of the writing community. Plus, she's a music savant! She used to do a lot of posts where she took someone's book blurb, and found songs that she felt represented their book, in a Musical Impressions series. It was so much fun to see a WIP represented like that! I loved it! Go let her know you miss her! Sarah's Blog.

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I also miss The Startled Spyglass, the blog of Brenda Sills.

Brenda is fun and amazing and insightful, and has a great blogging voice. Plus, I've met her in real life a few times, and I've got to tell you-- besides being a great writer, she is an incredible human being. Stop by! Brenda's blog.

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WHO I WOULD MISS IF THEY EVER STOPPED BLOGGING

One of my very favorite writing blogs out there is Pub(lishing) Crawl.

If I had to recommend a blog to writers, it would be this. The ladies at Pub Crawl rock. Their posts are thought-provoking, insightful, well written, and helpful. They are written by authors, a publishing sales rep, agents, editorial assistants, and a book wholesaler, so there is such a broad range of information and perspectives on the writing world. Even when they are talking about a subject I know quite well, I still learn tons from every post. If you haven't already been reading Pub Crawl, check it out! They are definitely worth it. Pub Crawl Blog.

Thanks, Alex, Matthew, and Andrew for the great blog hop!

Come hang out poolside!

Guys, guess what? The fabulous Angela Cothran has come back to blogging! (I think she realized how much more fun blogging is than unpacking after a cross-country move.) She wants us to come hang out with her at her new digs where, seriously, she has a pool. What say you? Feel free to come in whatever you're wearing. I swear I probably won't push you in.

And I swear we'll talk about more than just this:

Heck, we might even talk about writing! Come join us at Angela's. But bring your own sunglasses. I already stole borrowed hers.

And the winner is.....

First, thank you so much to everyone who entered the One Year, One Month, One Day, One Incredible Giveaway Blogiversary! You sure can make a couple of girls' blogiversary awesome!

And the winner is....

Faith E. Hough!

glitter star backdrop (christmasstockimages.com) / CC BY 3.0

We'll be getting in touch soon, Faith.

One Year, One Month, One Day, One Incredible Giveaway!

Today is my one year, one month, and one day blogiversary! *Tosses confetti* Thanks for coming by to celebrate with me!

My fabulous writing / blogging bff, Jessie Humphries at The B-Word and I started our blogs at virtually the same time, holding hands and fumbling through the dark together. And when you fumble together, it’s only appropriate to celebrate together. Especially when it adds to the epicness of it.

Because oh my goodness, THE EPIC.

Here’s the thing. We love you guys! We’ve been constantly amazed over the past one year, one month, and one day at how welcoming, supportive, helpful, kind and hilarious you all are. We wanted to show our gratitude.

So, we are giving away to one lucky winner......

(Drum roll, please)

Always wanted an e-reader? Here’s your chance to win! Already have one? You can get your choice of a gift certificate to Amazon, your choice of books from The Book Depository, or if you’re in the U.S., books from your favorite indie bookstore! This giveaway is even open internationally! (Where you live might affect the prize available to you. You’d have a choice of Amazon if it’s available in your country, or books from The Book Depository anywhere in the world.)

The giveaway opens today, on my one year, one month, one day blogiversary, and ends next Monday (July 23) at midnight EST, on Jessie’s one year, one month, one day blogiversary.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


What? You want even more chances to win? Head on over to Jessie Humphries: The B-Word, if not for more chances, then do it because Jessie rocks! Plus, I hear she’s offering free spooning.

Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ!

They say writing is a solitary thing. And I guess in a lot of ways, that's true. But it's also one of those things where the help of everyone makes such an incredible difference. None of us would be at the point we are at if it weren't for other people, helping us and supporting us along the way.

To commemorate the release of their book The Emotion Thesaurus, Becca and Angela at The Bookshelf Muse are hosting a TITANIC Random Act Of Kindness BLITZ. I am so excited to be able to participate!

As I was thinking who I wanted to acknowledge, I thought of all the people who have helped me over the years with writing craft. Most of those people I have tracked down and thanked as profusely as possible without crossing into crazy stalker territory. (At least I think I was successful at not crossing that line...)

But do you know who I haven't thanked enough? YOU GUYS! I've read blogs of writers and authors for years. But it was less than a year ago when I first started mine. And boy did I not understand what I was missing out on! I had plunged myself into writing 3 1/2 years before, but starting my blog was like taking the plunge into the writing community. I never fully understood how awesome this community is-- how awesome all of you are-- until I started blogging. I love you guys. You have made this past year incredible. The second that blogging crossed my mind, I knew I wanted my ROAKBlitz to be someone I knew only through blogging.

And then the person specifically I wanted to ROAKBlitz came to mind about half a second later.

Carrie Butler at So You're a Writer

Carrie started following my blog a mere six weeks after I started blogging. She's sweet and loyal and fascinating and downright HILARIOUS! Her posts rock as much as her graphics manipulation skills do. Her blog is a blast to read. If you don't already read/follow her blog, I highly recommend it. The link's right here -- So You're a Writer. If you're lucky, she'll give you a nickname. If you're extra lucky, you might one day win in a giveaway on her blog something as awesome as the button she made for my sidebar. (See what I mean? Serious graphics skillz.)

So as my ROAKBlitz acknowledgee, what does she win? I'm glad you asked! She wins this fabulous notebook and pens (which I had a really hard time not just keeping for myself!), along with a $25 gift certificate to The Book Depository. (I'll get in touch with you, Carrie, to find out where to send it.)

Becca and Angela have a special RAOK gift waiting for you as well, so hop on over to The Bookshelf Muse to pick it up.

Do you know someone special that you'd like to randomly acknowledge? Don't be shy--come join us and celebrate! Send them an email, give them a shout out, or show your appreciation in another way.

And seriously, everyone. Thank you. I appreciate you all more than you'll ever know. (Mostly because if I really told you how much, I'd be crossing that line into crazy stalker, and almost nobody likes that.)

The Way We Are: Where do you hail from?

Sometimes this blogging world feels so small. I swear I wave at all you guys every morning when I walk out of my house! It always surprises me to find out that you don't ACTUALLY LIVE NEXT DOOR. That some of you are just going to bed when I'm waking up. It's kind of an incredible concept to me. So that's my question this week.

Where do you live?

As for me: I live here. Right at the foot of my* mountains in Utah.

Aren't they beautiful? They're not always snow-covered like this, of course. In fact, they've hardly been snow-covered at all this winter! Between yesterday when I took this picture and today, a lot on the lower mountains has already melted away. But still-- white, green, brown, gray-- I love to call these mountains home.

(*And yes-- they're MY mountains! They've even got my name on them! That mountain there on the left has a big G on it. It's snow-covered and a little hard to see, so I'll zoom in for you.)

(See it? The three mountains to the left of it have a P, an E, and a G. Over a few mountains to the right is the Y. )(....Okay, so only the G and the Y are really there, but still. I'm claiming them as mine. :))

Is the place where you live a forever home for you? Or one for just a little while?

Blogiversary and a huge THANK YOU Party

This is Jessie Humphries. Maybe you know her. She's a fabulous writer, incredibly fun blogger, and every bit as beautiful in real life as she is in her picture. I'm not even kidding. She also happens to be my blogging bff.

For everyone who blogs: I highly recommend having an awesome blogging bff. I think that every blogger runs into a really frustrating time when it feels like no one reads your blog. That all the work is for nothing. Jessie and I started blogging at the same time, so we ran into the same struggles and frustrations and successes at the same time. We talk about goals, give each other advice on handling unexpected things, comment on each other's blogs and cheer each other on. We both reached 100 followers on the exact same day. She had a big celebration thanking everyone on her blog. I had.... Quotes and Cookies. And well, okay, I'll admit: every day you have cookies is a celebration. But it definitely wasn't enough to thank you guys! Since I didn't on that day, I decided to wait for my blogiversary.

I entered the blogging world really late in the game. For a very long time I knew I needed a writing blog, but I kept procrastinating. I'd been blogging on a personal blog for years, so I had no misconceptions on how much time, effort, and stress it would take, or on how much writing time it would eat. Committing to it for me meant committing to do it full out-- five posts a week, along with putting every bit of effort into it that it required. I did not come into this blind. I knew exactly what to expect.

What I didn't expect was how much I would love it! What I didn't expect was YOU GUYS. I'd been lurking and commenting on writing blogs for years, so I already knew that the writing community was a great one. I mean, you guys are my people! We have so many of the same hopes, desires, dreams, struggles, frustrations, and successes. It wasn't until I plopped myself right down in the middle of the writing blog world, though, that I realized exactly HOW GREAT it is. How great my people are. How much I love getting to know you through reading your blogs and reading your comments on my blog. It doesn't matter that we live all over the world-- it feels like you all live right here.

So, to everyone who reads, comments, follows, links to, and / or lurks on my blog, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.You guys have made this worth every single second.

Okay, I think I've been up here, babbling and holding my fancy stemmed cup of sparkling cider, waiting to clink glasses long enough. Cheers! Now let's get to the party! Last time, we had a traditional block party, so I figured we'd go Chinese this time.

First, check out the parade with the awesome dragons!

Then we'll set off fancy lanterns into the night sky, because it is the greatest idea EVER.

Then we'll watch some Chinese fireworks!

And because a party just isn't a party without cookies and because I LOVE fortune cookies in the hugest way possible, for refreshments we are definitely having this classic.

Have a great day, everyone! And may all your fortunes say that fantastic things are about to happen to you.
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A THANK YOU Blog(k) Party

Today is my four-week blog-iversary. And it happens to fall on the exact very middle of summer vacation. We should have a block party!

Er-- I mean "blogk" party.

Not because of the anniversary or the middle of summer thing, though. It's because I want to say,

THANK YOU.

Thank you so much to everyone who reads, comments, and/or follows my blog, and those who have linked to my blog. You guys all seriously rock my world!

When I rub the sleep out of my eyes, click on this blog, and see all your smiling faces over there --->  it totally makes my day.

So come on over and grab a balloon!

Eat some cotton candy! Come on. You know you want to. Everybody's doing it. Plus, it makes you feel young again!

Have some candy! If for no other reason than because THEY ARE SO DARN COOL LOOKING. And um good tasting. Yes. I'm sure they taste every bit as good as they look. How could they not when they went to so much trouble as to put the little Lego logo on the top of each little poker-up?

And have some pizza to attempt to counteract the sugar high!

Then hang out and watch the jugglers. Trust me-- they're amazing.

And then accept the sincerest thank you from the very bottom of my heart. I love you guys!
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