Teen Writers Workshop and More :)

Happy Fourth of July! Hope everyone had a great long weekend! :)

As you know because I babble about it constantly, I love summer...

One of the many reasons summer rocks is I'm lucky enough to facilitate a Teen Writer's Workshop with Justin the Librarian at the Cape May County Library every year. We meet on Tuesdays and this year, Justin's publishing the anthology of our short stories and the book will appear in all the libraries across Cape May County. :) Tomorrow we're bringing in our

fave books (I'm looking forward to some new reads) to study what the best authors do right. :)

Besides the Teen Writer's Workshop, I'm also volunteering to teach creative writing at a Summer College for students in grades 5-8 in Atlantic City starting today. :) Then, off to summer teaching at Atlantic Cape Community College.

Speaking of teaching.. I'm teaching writing at Rowan University this fall!

Yay!!! I'm so excited to join the Rowan University writing community. Not only as a teacher, but as a student. I'm taking a class a semester to earn my Masters of Arts degree in Writing. :) :) :) It's been a looonnnggg time since I've been on the other side of the desk.

Rowan and I go way back. It's where I met my hubby. Except, we both weren't attending the college at the time. And we met off campus.. And we knew each other from high school.. Anyway, it's a long story. :)

Last, but certainly not least, stay tuned for a few exciting things..

Like, a teen and author call for submissions that's covered in pink. :)

Plus, Pretty Tough Tuesdays are back next week. Kudos to the L.A. Sparks' Candace Parker who returned to basketball 58 days after giving birth. Impressive.

And.. congrats to my writing friend, C. After many years of hard work, she snagged an amazing agent!! Congrats, C!!!!! :)

Happy Monday, everyone! ;)

Podcast with Justin the Teen Librarian

Check out my podcast interview with the fantastic, Justin the Teen Librarian. We talk about the sequel to SCREWBALL: CHANGE UP, my fave books, and tips for teen writers. But, the best part about the Podcast is my Jersey Girl accent isn't too noticable (or maybe it is and I'm just numb to it). :) Don't forget to leave a comment to win the Yay for January Giveaway! I'll post the winner and a new February giveaway on Sunday. :) Happy Thursday! 

Best Book Ever

Last night at the Teen Writer's Workshop, we discussed our favorite books and why they are our faves. The choices were a potpourri of different tastes. TTYL, AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES, HARRY POTTER, TWILIGHT, THE HOST, SUITE SCARLET, a ton of literary classics, and many other great books filled the table. 

What's your all time favorite book(s) and/or author(s)? And why? 

Although I love a bunch of YA authors, my absolute fave is Megan McCafferty. My absolute favorite adult book is Alice Hoffman's HERE ON EARTH. McCafferty's books resonate with me because I'm a Jersey girl and I absolutely love Jessica Darling's sarcastic voice. HERE ON EARTH is amazing and the best book ever. Okay, I'm not really sure why I love this book so much, but I do know that I enjoy the story, Hofffman's writing, and it's the only book I've read five times. :)

Have a great day everyone! 

Rock and Read

Are you going to be in Hollywood on Sunday? If so, check out Rock n' Read. Rock n' Read is a celebration of reading and rock music that includes a ton of amazing authors signing and reading their books along with live recording artist performances. Also, you can enter to win some fabulous prizes to help support the charity, Virgin Unite. Check it out. 

Speaking of contests,  don't miss this Happy 16th Birthday 'your choice' contest.  It's a good one. 

Last night was the first night of the Wednesday Teen's Writers Workshop I'm facilitating at the Cape May County Library. I met a great group of writers and we had a blast chatting about books, writing, Writer's Notebook, and Chase Crawford. :) Check out their fun blog here. 

Yay! My book streak continues. Alexa Young's book FRENEMIES is a blast. I always can tell when I'm going to enjoy a book because I make an instant connection and FRENEMIES immediately reminded me of a quirky, fun friend from middle school. Then, if it's really, really good, I usually dream about that particular time period in my life. How do you know when you're falling in like or love with a book? Does anyone else dream about books or characters?  

Have a great day!