Moving Hiatus Day #3

By Susan | Published: February 3, 2012

The third most important room in the house–following the office and then the kitchen–is without a doubt the bedroom. It’s where I sleep (duh) and where I do most of my reading, so it’s gotta be comfortable and (yet again) inspiring.

So what if it's meant for kids...I could totally see myself curling up in here with a great book.

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Moving Hiatus Day #2

By Susan | Published: February 1, 2012

I spend a LOT of time in my kitchen. First and foremost because I love to EAT. So, it should come as no surprise that muchof my day revolves around cooking. And as such, I like to feel inspired while I’m in the kitchen. I like to use that time bent over the chopping board to brainstorm for my books.

I also like LOTS of counter space–especially if the Frenchman and I are both in there cooking (which is usually the case for dinner).

So…dream kitchen, GO!

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Moving Hiatus Day #1

By Susan | Published: January 30, 2012

So, as I mentioned in passing, the Frenchman and I are moving. We bought a house! Our very first! C’est très excitante!

Anyway, the whole point of this post is to say I’ll be absent from the the blog this week. BUUUUT, I’ll tide you over with pictures of my dream house. You know…once I have a lot of $$ and a lot of time, then this is what I want my house to look like.

Dream big, right? ;)

Let’s start with my dream office. It’s gotta be inspirational, organized, and well-lit. Airy, too…

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Cinder: a book recommendation

By Susan | Published: January 29, 2012

5 out of 5 stars.

What a fun read! Honestly, I was hooked from page 1–Cinder has such an appealing voice, and the world is so fascinating (I heard someone liken it to Sailor Moon, and that just made me DETERMINED to read).

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl…

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. Read More »

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Publishing Industry Lowdown (January 23-27)

By Susan | Published: January 27, 2012

It’s that day again–time for Sooz’s YA and MG Publishing Industry Lowdow. The general idea is that I share all the deals I know if in the young adult and middle grade publishing world each Friday.

My source for deal news is Publishers Marketplace, which requires a paid subscription. As such I’m only sharing part of the information here–basically, just author names and pitches. If you want to know deal sizes (e.g. advances), editors, publishers, and agents, I highly recommend you sign up for PM–it’s totally worth the cost!

And yikes…who can believe January is almost over? Already?! Well, let’s get to these deals, shall we? Read More »

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Protecting Our Children From Darth’s Secret (Star Wars Life Thoughts Part 2)

By Susan | Published: January 25, 2012

To continue my Very Deep Life Ponderings from Monday, I wanted to move to point #2. In case you forgot the important points Sarah & I came up with, here’s a refresher:

1. Boba Fett is THE HOTTEST character (possibly even more so than Han Solo)…but only so long as you ignore those silly prequels and their silly Boba Fett-backstory.

2. Darth Vader’s “secret” as Luke’s father should be protected from our children at all costs.

Okay, so we’re going to address #2 today. I know not all of you lovely readers have seen the Star Wars original trilogy, but you DO know Darth Vader is Luke’s father.

EVERYONE knows Darth is Luke’s father. It’s ingrained into our psyches…

But it wasn’t always.

When I was a kid, I had no idea who Darth Vader was, and I certainly didn’t know of his parternal relations to a certain Luke Skywalker.

And that ignorance made ALL the difference. Why? Well, indulge me for a moment as I share a story. Read More »

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Boba Fett is a Hottie (Star Wars Life Thoughts Part 1)

By Susan | Published: January 23, 2012

So, when I was visiting Sarah J. Maas over the holidays, we got to talking about our shared love: Star Wars. We’re both pretty obsessed, pretty familiar (she even more so than I—that girl is a STEEL TRAP for movie quotes), and pretty anti-prequels (seriously, episodes I-III are BAAAD).

We actually talked A LOT about Star Wars…and we might have watched the originals…and analyzed them with far more depth than the average watcher. Ultimately, though, we came up with two VERY important points:

1. Boba Fett is THE HOTTEST character (possibly even more so than Han Solo)…but only so long as you ignore those da**ed prequels and their da**ed stupid Boba Fett-backstory.

2. Darth Vader’s “secret” as Luke’s father should be protected from our children at all costs. (I’ll talk more about that on Wednesday).

Now back to Boba Fett. Why is he so hot, you ask? It’s all about the mystery, my friend. (Okay, and the rusted, rogue-ish armor, giant guns, and utility belt…but MOSTLY, it’s about the mystery.) Read More »

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The Assassin and the Pirate Lord + Flipped: book recommendations

By Susan | Published: January 22, 2012

5 out of 5 stars.

My BFFR Sarah J. Maas‘s first novella is FOR SALE! And all I can say is: you NEED this story in your life. And no, I’m not just sayin’ that because she’s my BFFR. All friendships aside, this story and its heroine are fantastic.

Celaena Sardothien is tough, stubborn, and impulsive–we all know that from Throne of Glass…but she wasn’t always AS tough (though she was certainly MORE stubborn and MORE impulsive).

On a remote island in a tropical sea, Celaena Sardothien, feared assassin, has come for retribution. She’s been sent by the Assassin’s Guild to collect on a debt they are owed by the Lord of the Pirates. But when Celaena learns that the agreed payment is not in money, but in slaves, her mission suddenly changes – and she will risk everything to right the wrong she’s been sent to bring about. Read More »

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Publishing Industry Lowdown (January 16-20)

By Susan | Published: January 20, 2012

It’s that day again–time for Sooz’s YA and MG Publishing Industry Lowdow. The general idea is that I share all the deals I know if in the young adult and middle grade publishing world each Friday.

My source for deal news is Publishers Marketplace, which requires a paid subscription. As such I’m only sharing part of the information here–basically, just author names and pitches. If you want to know deal sizes (e.g. advances), editors, publishers, and agents, I highly recommend you sign up for PM–it’s totally worth the cost!

It was kind of a slow week in the MG/YA world, so shall we get started? Read More »

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Write Dreams Auction!

By Susan | Published: January 19, 2012

Don’t forget today’s auction! I’m offering a 50 page + query letter critique, and all proceeds go towards helping Donna’s Dream House, a home for children and teens with terminal illness.

My critique strengths in my own words:

1) I’m tough. There’s no holding back here. If I see something that’s an issue (be it a plot hole, an inconsistent character, poor dialogue tags, etc.), I point it out. ALL of it. But…that said…

2) I say it nicely. Writing and reading are so subjective, I make sure to emphasize that all my comments are my opinion. It’s up to YOU to decide if you want to listen or not. I’ve received many comments from crit partners that I’ve chosen to ignore, and I’m sure they’ve received many from me that they’ve opted to ignore. :)

3) I also offer suggestions for how to fix things I think are issues. If I see a flat paragraph, I’ll offer you ideas for how to amp up the emotion. If I see a character behaving “out of character”, I’ll write up suggestions for how I think the character would act. Sometimes, it’s impossible to see our own issues–much less come up with solutions! Oftentimes, an outsider can spot things and find ways to fix problems that you’re simply too close to the story to catch.”

Bidding is open until January 22nd 10.00PM GMT

Bidding is in POUNDS (£)

♥

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  • About Sooz

    Hi! I'm Susan Dennard. I'm a reader, writer, animal-lover, and cookie-eater. My debut novel, Something Strange and Deadly, will be available in July 2012!

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