That was me when I closed The Fault in Our Stars. Not eloquent and definitely in no stage to give a proper review.

Summary from Goodreads: Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs… for now.  Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.  Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind

When Tracey announced that The Fault in Our Stars would be the book for this month YA Book Club (by the way: if you want to join or just check out Tracey’s amazing blog, you can click here), I did this:

And then, I thanked her.  This was the comment I left on her blog:  “Thank you for picking it, because honestly I was not quite sure I would pick it up. Why? Because I am afraid to know from the get-go that I will cry. Plenty of books make me tear up. Crying while reading happened (cough *more than once* cough) but it came usually as somewhat of a surprise. I have never read books about cancer; I probably stayed away from them unconsciously. I need to warn the hubby that he might find me crying on the couch soon. Since I also become emotive while I watch TV, he might turn to me while I’m reading and say “So not crying yet?” ”

I read that book at my Mother-In-Law’s while my husband was trying to jump the battery of the car which had died because I had left a light on. I cuddled on the bed and read until tears fell freely on my face. My dear Mother-In-Law wondered a bit when I suddenly came out of the bedroom, with red eyes, the sniffles and asking her for tissues. She smiled at me but she glanced quickly at her son, dear hubby, who had just gotten back, with a question mark on her face.  My husband who is fully aware of my possible emotional state when I 1) read, 2) watch a movie, 3) watch a TV show, 4) read old letters…just shrugged it off. “She was reading a sad book”.

But the thing is, as I explained to him while driving around to make sure the battery got charged up, this book is not a “sad book”. John Green did not show us mopey, he introduced us to fun, loving, funny, quirky, witty, strong, weak, flawed, lovable, smart characters. He introduced us to “people”. And that is where the magic of this book is. Hazel and Augustus are afraid of course but their feelings are not tamed. They jump out of the pages directly into the heart of the reader.

I laughed while reading. I smiled. I nodded (like my own characters, I seem to do a lot of nodding). I yelled (in my head) at the unfairness of it all. Yes, I also cried. A lot.

It is a book full of emotions. It´s a roller coaster. It´s life and it´s beautiful.

I cannot wait to join the discussion  :D What did YOU think about this book?

Stephen King mentioned in his book On Writing (which I still have not read – I need to get on this) that he gets his ideas from a “small, bloodthirsty elf who lives in a hole under my desk”.  Hmm any of you have one of those little elves (they do sound scary though). While this elf is less scary, I also don’t think Mister King has Will Ferrell under his desk.

Ok Mister King also said that: “I get my ideas from everywhere. But what all of my ideas boil down to is seeing maybe one thing, but in a lot of cases it’s seeing two things and having them come together in some new and interesting way, and then adding the question ‘What if?’ ‘What if’ is always the key question.”  So it appears that M. King is both active and passive in his ways of getting the Triple I.

“Where do writers get them?” vs. “Where do they hit writers?”

 The construction of those two sentences says it all. In one case, we’re the subject and in the other we become the direct object.

Are we passive or active in our quest for the shiny twist or the unforgettable character?

I started pondering about this because of the flash fiction I posted on my blog on Monday and which you can read here. This little piece which started with a given sentence has since then tickled my fancy.  I enjoyed the voice, it felt easy and right but the characters would like me to tell their story. I have to shush them right now because I’m revising and I already started another draft of another story. But I digress.

I never stopped to think about my ideas. I have them. Or not. Depending on the days but I do rely on them to keep me going. Sometimes, they flow through my fingertips. Sometimes, I go through the creative process, where I try to find new ideas, new twists and whenI stop to ask the “What if?” question. I can ask this question in very random places or just by watching people go about their business. I am very good at the “What if?” I can get a bit on the anxious side  using this way of thinking in my daily tasks.

My husband who reads this is probably rolling his eyes at the words  “a bit”…

While I need to lower my “What if” scenarios when it comes to my non-writing endeavours, I think it does help me a lot, even subconsciously, with my creative process.

I strongly believe that writers are both active and passive in their quest. We have integrated certain processes and our imagination runs wild at unexpected places. However, we also work towards our “Triple I”. How? We read a lot, we scrap entire passages in our writing process because we know it does not work and we buckle up for the tough ride which is writing. We trigger our “Triple I” buttons by consciously taking part in prompts, in discussions…We type, even if it is only a few words, even if those words hurt because we know that, for the most part, the triple I is around there with us. It helps us to almost forget about those difficult moments when the writing gets going and when we fall in our happy, fulfilling, exciting writing place.

What do YOU think? Are we passive or active with our Triple I?

Write a short story/flash fiction story in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any format, including a poem. Begin the story with the words, “Shadows crept across the wall”. These five words will be included in the word count.

If you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional), do one or more of these: 

• end the story with the words: “everything faded.” (also included in the word count) 

• include the word “orange” in the story

• write in the same genre you normally write

• make your story 200 words exactly!

And I´ve done all of this: you will see an orange tank top, everything will indeed fade, I wrote the story in my Young Adult contemporary romance voice (or tried to at least) and the story is exactly 200 words I am proud to present:

Now, on to the tagging business.  I have been taggboozzled (reference to Friends – because well, there´s always a possibility to refer to Friends).

In the past week, not one, not two but six wonderful bloggers tagged me.

First a shout-out to them:

Colin, Kiperoo, Elise, Gwen, Sophie, Diane

Really, you should go and pay them a visit, it´s worth it…I promise.

And since all this tagging amounts to 61 questions (and I´m not sure anybody would go through reading 61 questions about me…), I will mix them in my magic mixer and tada…here is the result:

1. Think of one person you aren’t able to see for whatever reason (distance, availability, etc.) you would love to meet up with. Who is this person? This can be a famous person, a relative, a literary agent–anyone, as long as they are alive.

My grandmother.

2. If you were a crayon, what colo(u)r would you be, and why?

Blue. Like the sky. Like hope. Like happy.

3. When you get (or got) “the call” from an agent, who will be (or was) the first person you will tell (or you told)?

My hubby would be the first person I would tell. I´m not sure he´ll understand the words coming out of my mouth though, I might be a tad over the moon.

4. What genre(s) do you write?

I recently finished the first draft of a YA paranormal romance and I started a YA contemporary romance.

5. What is your secret weapon of choice?

My smile

6. If you could sit down for coffee with any historical figure, who would it be?

Louis XIV – I have a healthy fascination with this period.

7. What was the #1 song the day you were born?

My friend “Google” told me that the #1 song in the US on August 18th, 1981 was: Endless Love (Diana Ross & Lionel Richie)

8. If you could speak a (another) foreign language which would it be?

Russian. First, it´s a beautiful language and then…I could understand the jokes hubby and his family make – they´re not easy to translate…

9.  Which series are you eagerly anticipating the newest release for? 

I cannot wait for Insurgent by Veronica Roth! Just a few more months…

10. Keeping with the foodie theme, what’s your signature dish? Something you make that blows people away and that you luuuuurve.

Aussie Chicken. It´s a dish which resembles one from Outback (love that place) and it has a lot of yummy ingredients: chicken, honey mustard sauce, mushrooms, fried onions, mashed potatoes, bacon…hmmm

11.  What’s something that made you smile today? 

Catching up with one of my best friends (big hug across the ocean Tonya!)

If you´d like, you can use those questions on your blog as well Just let me know in the comments. Otherwise, tell me: what foreign language would you LOVE to learn?

* Valentine’s Day: February 14th put a big grin on my face. Your comments brightened my day and….hubby got me those beautiful flowers. Yes, my hubby is wonderful and patient and funny and charming and so smart! I am thankful.

* Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign: Thank you Rachael for this opportunity. It’s fun hopping around

* ChangeWriteNow: You know this wonderful opportunity where you set yourself goals and have the great support system of your team and others. Many of you commented that you would have liked to join. Cory, Sarah & Gina are preparing round 2. It’s really fun! Don’t hesitate to sign up here!

* Revising: I am almost half-way through the first round of revising. Nobody has read it through yet but soon enough it will be ready to be sent out to my wonderful beta-readers

*Anna and The French Kiss: I re-read that book this week. I was in need of a lift-me-up novel and I knew it would definitely make me smile to fall in love again with Anna & Etienne. It did. Thank you Stephanie Perkins!

So tell me what made you smile this week?

(oh and be prepared for a loooong post this weekend…I have been tagged by several wonderful bloggers which means I have a lot of questions to answer Should be fun!)

Dear Writing Community,

Happy Valentine´s Day to you. Feel yourself hugged. We don´t go way back but you´re already very important to me. I met you while looking for answers, for other people going through the same hoops as me. 

I ended up on AbsoluteWrite and from there, I hopped from blogs to other forums…I made connections, I read, I lurked, I smiled and I cheered. Then, I decided to create this blog. I started participating in the Road Trip Wednesdays from YA Highway and got to find even more wonderful people. Then, I gave in to Twitter and I don´t regret a single second of it. It made me realize that the writing community can be creative with only a small amount of characters at hand

You´re a welcoming bunch! And you don´t think my love of books is out of control, thanks for being so accepting!

The people I met through the webs are smart, witty, honest, funny and they´re reaching for the stars. It´s not easy every day for any of you and I really admire your strength and your dedication.  Writing can be a lonesome business. I do not have any writing groups close by nor any English book clubs and thanks to you, I now have a little bit of both.

Happy Valentine´s Day!

Elodie

I joined the “That´s YAmore” Blogfest organized by Oasis for YA…The description: Starting the Saturday before Valentine’s Day (that’s February 11th), we invite you to post 250 romantic, swoon-worthy words from your YA WIP.  Then check out the entries from some of the other participants.  (Just be sure you have a fan and/or a cold glass of water on hand.)  We know your Valentine will appreciate you getting yourself in a romantic state of mind…And, as an added bonus, this year we will select one lucky participant to win a swoon-worthy YA read, shipped direct from the Book Depository (meaning the contest is open internationally, so long as TBD ships to your country).

I chose two short swoon-worthy moments from my YA paranormal romance Falling into you: a kiss (because who does not like these tingly feelings before an awaited kiss?) and…a scene where Aleksi shows his sweet self to Erin.

Excerpt 1

“Let me help you.” His mouth almost touches my ear. I shiver and my heart forgets to beat.  I tilt my head and move a bit closer to him. I can’t help it. His lips find mine. The fire melts the ice and as I lose myself in his arms, I find a home I did not know I had been looking for.

——————————

Excerpt 2

When Aleksi gets up, I turn to him: “I guess you have to go too.” I hug my knees, looking at the floor.

“No I don´t. I took the day off, remember? I think I am running a fever according to what my dear grandmother told the school office this morning.”

He takes my face in his hands and gently brushes my lips.

“I´m going to make some coffee. Maybe some French toast.”

“Don´t tell me you can cook”  A pang of guilt grasps my heart as a smile forms on my lips.

Aleksi’s arm embraces my shoulders.

“Not much but my mother always told me that a man should know the basics. French toast. Basic.” I smile again, more easily. Before I can speak, he continues. “How about you go lay down while I do this and I´ll call you when it´s done” He searches my eyes. “You really could not have done anything, Erin.”

“But maybe now I can.” My voice breaks a little. I pause, looking for words.  “Thank you for trying to help, it…it means a lot.”

He kisses me again, this time more deeply. “Don´t mention it”.

I cannot wait to start reading what others came up with (you can check their entries here)

And as always, I´m curious: what is your favorite swoon-worthy, romantic, steamy scene from novels you read?

Did you know that people start to look for “Happy Friday” as of Wednesday? They sometimes land here, on my blog, where I pour my soul and heart , I hope they enjoy what they see…I think last Friday, I got 40 hits just “search related”…Everybody deserves a happy Friday…

I’ve been feeling down this week, with a cough that just thought we should be best friends and did not understand why I tried to push it away…Feeling better now and finally induldged in coffee (how I missed thou).

Here is my Happy Friday mishmash.

* Reading: I did not revise this week but did a looot of reading. For the genius-Tracey-’s-idea-YA-book-Club, I read The Fault in Our Stars and my fingers itch to share my feelings but I’ll wait until the end of February :D. Thanks to NetGalley, I also read Welcome Caller, this is Chloe and Goddess, Interrupted. They were fun reads and a proper review will come in the next weeks. After finishing Bittersweet , I craved cupcakes and diving into The Future of Us made me miss the 90′s . By the way, if you have any YA romance contemporary recommendations, don’t hesitate to throw them my way…

* Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign: Yay! I joined Rachael’s fourth Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign. I saw the linkie on a couple of blogs before and it just sounds like a wonderful opportunity. The writing community is really supportive and fun to hang out with (even if it is only on the interwebs)

* The people behind the writing community aka you: Blog hopping this week (being for YA Highway‘s the Road Trip Wednesday or my regular blog reading), I could not help but notice again how insightful, thoughtful, funny and inspiring you guys are. Thank you for making me think, smile and for sharing a part of yourself. I really feel like I’m starting to know some of you and I really wish we could go for coffee/tea/movies (The Hunger Games, anyone?). Talking about smiling. thank you also for your support, wit and laughs on Twitter

So, tell me what made you smile this week?

Now, on to Road Trip Wednesday (get ready for a long post!)…

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.

This Week’s Topic: What Shiny New Idea were you psyched to work on, but discovered it was too close to something already done?

I finished my first draft of my first-ever-finished-draft last month so I don’t have a lot of experience on this and I have plenty of ideas for my second/third/and upcoming WIPs…none of them I am tossing aside yet.

The question would be: How close is too close for comfort?

Let’s say I am writing a dystopian book and my new shiny idea is: a world where each year tributes from different sectors fight to death until only one stays alive.

This may sound a tad too close to something already published (*cough* The Hunger Games)…unless…it takes place in an avatar-like world and it’s beasts vs humans and we see the perspective of the monster and it’s in an arena where everybody can cheer them on and nobody volunteers for somebody else and the humans become more monstruous than the beast and a beast rescues a human and they flee the game and the winner of the game needs to kill them both if he wants to survive and it’s her brother and the monster and the beast discover they have more things in common and….the story is actually different. 

• Does my actual draft (the one I wrote, not the imaginary one I just made up above) have similarities to something already published?

Yes.

• Is it a bad thing?

I don’t think so.

My book has witches in them. It also has love, steamy kisses, sad moments and learning to know oneself. 

Plenty of books have witches and love, just like plenty of books had vampires before Twilight. And don’t get me started about books where love plays a role in…

• Would you pick my draft  up and think: wow, wait a second, I read this and this French lady should totally be sued for copyrights’ infringement, like Deforges for Gone with the wind? (by the way I love the Bicyclette bleue series)?

No

I will not toss my idea aside for two reasons:

1. By the time I am actually done with the process of seeing my book on shelves: revising, sending it to my beta-readers, making changes, querying, getting-the-agent-who-loves-my-story-and-the-way-I-tell-it, making changes, landing the contract with amazing-publisher,  possibly making more changes…, the market may be curious for new stories about witches.
2. The story will be different. Let’s take another example the fairy tales re-telling…they have the same idea in them but the way they are told make them stand apart,

Let’s talk movies.

See, I love that movie!

And I love that one too (not ashamed to admit it)

And wow, Drew Barrymore in that one? (amazing…)

Ok to get back to point 2) The story will be different because this is the one I wrote. We all bring ourselves to the paper, one way or another, if we recognize it or not. Books are not written in a vacuum - New Historicism amongst other literary theories help us to see this.  I get inspired by other people’s writings, by the sun, by the clouds, by music, by a certain light, by a smile…by many things. I get better thanks to other people’s writings but the story I am telling is still my own.

Sometimes, as a reader, we see story lines which ring a bell but we still dive into a novel because of the craft of the writer, because the characters become endearing, because this story becomes fresh in our eyes when we do so.

My story is original and I certainly hope that it will get the chance to see the wild wild world…And if it does not, it might get tossed aside for awhile but it will always hold a special place in my heart!

Wow…this was a looong post

I cannot wait to read your thoughts on this!

Summary from Goodreads: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.  And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.  Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself

I finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone this week-end. I had picked it up after reading so many good reviews about it and seeing it showing up on Best Reads of 2011. I was not quite sure what to expect from it. I went into reading this book with anxious questions: would I actually enjoy it? will I feel with Karou?

And then…I read the first sentence.

The story of Karou and Akiva is not just another star-crossed love story. It takes your heart, breaks it and tries to mend it as it goes.  Karou is the type of heroin you root for.  You feel close to her as the book reveals her personality and her quirks.  The way she reacts makes sense because that´s how well you get to know her. What I particularly enjoyed is how true the emotions felt in such a fantastic world. And there are the details: you can roam the streets of Prague with Karou (I´ve been there once and this is such a magical place), you can learn so much about men with mustache (and here I mentioned this in my Happy Friday post but it reminds me of the way Gogol wrote), you are reminded how there´s always more to a story than the surface, how myths grow on history (to use Laini´s words)

Favorite quotes:

• “Stop squandering yourself, child. Wait for love.”
• “Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?”
• “She had been innocent once, a little girl playing with feathers on the floor of a devil’s lair.”
• “My life is blood because my world is beasts”
• “Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope makes its own magic.”

So tell me, what book surprised you recently? and did you have a nice weekend?