Pretty Tough Tuesday

Need a last minute gift for a sporty chick? Check out today's Pretty Tough blog, Last Minute Gift List: Sporty Bags. :) 

Have a jolly day, everyone! :) 

Barbies and Bestsellers

It's been a long, long time. But, now we're reunited. Finally. Barbie, I missed you. 

Yes, I know I turned my back to you after my BFF discovered my stash shoved underneath my bed after a seventh grade basketball game. But, seriously, it was time. Now we're together again after Kaci caught the fever and thankfully begged for Barbies for her birthday. And, wow! The twenty-first century Barbie is so much better. Diamond castles, gorgeous outfits, and even a soccer coach Barbie. Amazing. 

Why did I love Barbies so much? I loved creating stories, settings, and characters. Barbies were the beginning of my writing career. So many Friday nights I spent memorizing DALLAS so I could run back into my room and recreate the Pam and Bobby scenes. Then, during the day, I would do the same thing with soaps. Okay, it was blatant plagiarism, but it was the beginning of plotting. And, I always knew I needed a Ken, Barbie, mean Ken, and mean Barbie. Hence, the beginning of character development. :) 

However, Barbie and I do have one unresolved issue. What's the deal? How come I didn't grow up to look like you? 

Did you play with Barbies? If not, what did you play with obsessively? For the moms and dads out there, what toy do you secretly enjoy playing with? :)  

SCREWBALL News: We're gearing up for the release of CHANGE UP, the sequel to SCREWBALL. In the meantime, SCREWBALL is the number one bestseller at the Pretty Tough shop. Yay! Thanks, readers. :) 

Pretty Tough Tuesday: I'm over at Pretty Tough today blogging about my trip to Texas. :) 

Have a jolly day, everyone! :)  

Invaded

Last Thursday, my house was invaded. 

While in the midst of my usual morning routine, I grabbed Kaci's Flinestones' sour gummy multivitamin out of the cabinet and spotted two ants on the countertop. I looked left to open the fridge and ants were seriously everywhere. Zillions on my fridge, the cabinet, the floor, the island, the countertops, even the dishwasher. It was disgusting.

At first, I freaked out. Insects are nasty. Then, I called my hubby to come home and lead the massacre. A few hours later, we were completely bug free and I could breathe again. 

I have an insect issue. Bugs give me the willies. But, I hate killing them. I mean, each ant is a mommy ant's baby and I feel terrible about ending lives. 

Are you a bug smasher or do you call someone else to do the dirty deed? Do you feel bad about killing insects? 

Pretty Tough Tuesday: Check out Part Four of my interview with fastpitch phenom, Angela Tincher. 

Amazing Giveaway: Don't miss Kelly Parra's Secret Fates Giveaway. Tons of authors and tons of free books. Happy Release Day, Kelly! :) 

Have a great day, everyone! :) 

Pretty Tough Tuesday

Check out Part 2 of my exclusive Pretty Tough interview with 2008 Collegiate Player of the Year and super nice softball superstar, Angela Tincher. Today, Tincher shares pitching tips and what it was like to tryout for Team USA. 

Don't forget today is the last day to enter to win the Yay for YA September Giveaway. Tomorrow morning I'll post the winner and a brand new October five book giveaway. Good luck! 

Have an amazing day, everyone! :) Back to work.

Wacky Dreams

I don't know if it's my end of summer ten day cold or a serious case of Post Olympic Depression, but I've been having some wacky dreams lately. Actually, I tend to experience two particular dreams a lot. And whenever I wake up from a crazy dream, I usually head over to Dreamota to analyze it. 

1. Tornadoes - During the past ten years, I consistently dream about tornadoes. I'm terrified of tornadoes. Okay, I've never actually witnessed one, but they look really scary on television. Usually, the tornado is heading my way, I hide with a mattress over my head, and it never hits. Interpretation: Sudden emotional upheaval. Yikes. 

2. Polar Bears - This one is particularly strange, since I live in New Jersey and I've never even seen a polar bear before. But this giant white polar bear chases me, my hubby, and my daughter through the woods. Interpretation: Mothering or hibernation. Or it can mean someone is being overbearing and/or I need to bare my soul. Hmmm... 

Do you dream? Did you ever have a strange dream? Do you interpret your dreams? If so, what do your dreams mean? Anyone else out there dream about natural disasters or large animals? :)

Kudos to USA Soccer star, Carli Lloyd, from Delran, New Jersey who scored the game winning goal against Brazil to win Olympic gold. My hometown is literally minutes from Delran and they're consistently a girl's soccer powerhouse. :) Congratulations, Carli! And congratulations, Mr. Croly, coach of the Delran High School girl's soccer team and one of the best teachers and coaches ever! 

Pretty Tough Tuesday: Miss the Olympics? Battle the post Olympic blues here. 

Screwball News: I'll be chatting with Devon Plumberg from Gutzy Gab tomorrow. Check it out here.  

Have a great day everyone! 

Lightening Strikes

This past weekend one person was killed and seven people were injured after being struck by lightening while trying to flee New Jersey beaches. Last week, I caught a glimpse of the news and a teen was talking about being struck by lightening at a Philadelphia pool. What's the deal with lightening lately? 

I grew up believing that lightening strikes were uncommon. But six in three days? And I'm only counting lightening strikes in New Jersey and Philly.  Is being struck by lightening really that uncommon? A close family friend of ours was struck during World War 2. While discussing lightening strikes in class, each student knew someone who was struck by lightening. So how uncommon are lightening strikes? 

According to this website, the odds of being struck by lightening in a given year are one in 400,000. And each person has a one in 5,000 chance of being struck by lightening in a lifetime. 

Do you know anyone or have you been struck by lightening? Are lightening strikes common in your hometown?  

Okay, thinking about lightening strikes is freaking me out. Check out this cute, calm, adorable puppy video. 

Pretty Tough Tuesday: The Summer Olympics begin in ten days. Yay!  Check out the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Softball schedule here. 

Have an amazing day everyone! :)

Pretty Tough Tuesdays

Today, I'm over at Pretty Tough blogging about the Softball College World Series. I can't wait to watch the series this weekend! :)

Speaking of weekends, I had a great one. Well, besides yesterday when I spent most of the day working. But, on Saturday after the SCREWBALL book signing, I met up with some high school buds in my hometown and celebrated our 'unofficial' thirteenth reunion. We had a great time and it was wonderful to catch up with everyone after so many years. I grew up in a small town in New Jersey and graduated with about one hundred and twenty classmates. Most of us, have known each other since kindergarten, so catching up and seeing everyone's kids, wives, and/or husbands was incredible. Thanks for arranging everything, Amy and Helen! :)

How was your weekend? Anyone out there ever go to a reunion or grow up in a small town? Have a great week! :)

YAY FOR YA MAY GIVEAWAY - Only five more days! The winner will be announced on Sunday, June 1st! :)

Pretty Tough Tuesday & Mail Obsessed

Today, I'm over at Pretty Tough blogging about the College Softball World Series. I'm psyched about the series and coverage of the Super Regionals begins this weekend. Yay! 

I love mail. I love receiving mail. I love hearing the mail carrier's little van puttering down the street. I love peeking in the mailbox. To me, it's like opening a present, endless possibilities. A royalty check could be waiting for me or a response from a magazine query or an ARC that I'm excited to read for my column. The list is endless. 

In fact, I'm so crazy about the mail that my daughter went through a stage where she obsessively played mailbox. During her second birthday party, she was so excited to receive cards with envelopes that she didn't touch her presents. She even uses the oven in her play kitchen as her 'mailbox'. :)

Here's what was waiting for me in the mailbox yesterday: 

Do you like receiving mail? What have you received in the mail recently that you're excited about? 

Pretty Tough Tuesday and Tagged

I'm over at Pretty Tough today blogging about fastpitch hitting tips. :) 

Yay! I've been tagged by Alexa Young for a Meme. I love these memes. So, here it goes.. 

Here are the rules: 

1. Pick up the nearest book. 

2. Open to page 123. 

3. Find the fifth sentence. 

4. Post the next three sentences. 

5. Tag five people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you posted your three sentences. 

Okay, I swear I'm not trying to shamelessly plug SCREWBALL, but like Alexa, I'm working on book number two, so SCREWBALL is near me most of the time.  

Page 123 - Sentences 6, 7, and 8...

I roll my eyes and stab my steak with my fork. Why isn't anyone cooperating? 

"Why don't you help me decorate, Boo?" my mom asks.  

This is a fun one and I'm curious to hear what books are near, so consider yourself tagged if you read this. Also, I'm tagging Alyson Noel, Amy Addison, PJ Hoover, Kelly Parra, and Marjolein. Have a great day everyone! 

Pretty Tough Tuesday

Today I'm over at Pretty Tough profiling amazing Alabama athlete, Baylee Grace Alldrege, the third Pretty Tough Screwball contest winner. I received an email from her mom this morning. Baylee won her league championship last night and hit two homeruns! Way to Go, Baylee! 

Right now, I'm working out the details for a monthly book giveaway contest right here on my blog called Yay for YA. One of my writing gigs involves writing a column for a local magazine, South Jersey Mom. It's called Chick Lit Pick and I receive A LOT of ARCs. So every month, I'm going to giveaway TWO books, one of my current fave YAs and a book that I read for the column. I have a hard time parting with books, but they're starting to pile up on the floor of my office. And I absolutely LOVE chatting about and sharing good books, so I can't wait to share some of my faves.

Does anyone else hoard books? Or do you hoard something else? 

Screwball News: The marvelous Nicole B. from Word for Teens is sponsoring a SCREWBALL contest. To win a signed copy of SCREWBALL, you have to come up with a softball team name. Check out some of the extremely creative names here. 

Pretty Tough Tuesday

Today, I'm blogging over at Pretty Tough.  I'm profiling Hannah Fulk, an infielder from Ohio and Jamie Roland, a California catcher. Both amazing athletes won the March Pretty Tough Screwball Essay contest! You go, girls! 

Speaking of girl power, I'm so psyched that Danica Patrick won the Japan 300 on Sunday. She's the first ever female driver to win a Indy Car race in the sport's history. My brother and dad are HUGE Indy Car fans and I've watched and gone to way too many races in my lifetime (I'm not really a big fan of car racing) so to see a girl take the checkered flag is amazing. 

What's everyone reading? Or what's on your TBR pile? 

I'm reading and loving Violet on the Runway by the fabulous, Melissa Walker. I love books that make me think and VOTR is definitely on my mind. Fantastic work, Melissa! :)

Screwball News: Check out Marjolein's Book Blog for another great review of Screwball. Thanks, Marjolein! 

Pretty Tough Tuesday

I'm over at Pretty Tough today blogging about Bound 4 Beijing. 

Contest Alert: Pretty Tough is running a SCREWBALL contest. You can enter to win a Pretty Tough profile, SCREWBALL, and a subscription to Fastpitch Forever magazine just by sending an email to me at keri@kerimikulski.com. Check my blog this week for more information. 

There's some exciting fastpitch news on the horizon, but I have to keep mum right now. Here's a hint - Hollywood! :)