This just in! Check out my FLIP THE BIRD cover!

Hey World ~

After many years––writing this novel, revising this novel, finding the right agent (Eric Myers from DGLM), and then finding the perfect editor (Julie Tibbot from HMH Books for Young Readers)––my dream has finally come true!

I CANNOT  TELL  YOU HOW EXCITED I AM TO KNOW THAT THIS BOOK WILL BE IN THE HANDS OF READERS COME NOVEMBER 1ST, 2016!!

Whoops, maybe I just did. :)

Want to know what it's about? Sure you do! Here's the brilliant blurb that HMH Books for Young Readers (okay, it was all me except the last line) came up with:

Mercer Buddie wants two things in this world: a girlfriend and the chance to prove to his master falconer father that he’s not a flake. With hunting season fast approaching, fourteen-year-old Mercer has only a short time to work with Flip, a red-tailed hawk he irreverently named to show his dad that falconers don’t have to be so serious all the time.
     When Mercer meets Lucy, he falls hard for her gorgeous looks and bubbly personality. He thinks his love life is about to take flight, until he discovers that Lucy and her family belong to a fanatical animal-rights organization called HALT—a group that believes imposing any sort of restrictions on animals is a form of cruelty. Mercer soon realizes that if he wants to keep seeing Lucy, he’ll need to keep his love of falconry and his family’s raptor rehabilitation center a secret from her, and Lucy’s involvement with HALT from his family.
     With humor and honesty, Mercer’s story shows how growing up means making difficult choices…and sometimes, being rewarded in unexpected ways.


And not only that, but the hugely talented New York Times bestselling author, David Lubar, read my book and wrote a wonderful blurb that the marketing team artfully displayed across the bottom! Squee!!


So now....with further ado...may I present the book cover to (pant, pant)....FLIP THE BIRD!

 

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My new (and totally 100% perfect!) book cover for ONE SMART COOKIE...

When Omnific Press bought One Smart Cookie, I freaked out with delight. This book is so true to who I am (Polish, a little crazy and awkward at times, and naturally clumsy), that it feels like a little slice of my own life on the page. While my parents are happily married and didn't own a bakery, I did have a spirit-conjuring Busia who believed ghosts lived in her house and took her glasses when she couldn't find them.

When the Omnific Press art direction team sent me a page asking about the story and all the characteristics and the feelings one would get when reading my book, I knew they were serious about getting the cover just right.

But it wasn't until I actually saw the cover choices, that I knew they had nailed it.

They listened to me and it shows.

The other choices they sent were super cute too, but when I laid eyes on this one, I swear it was like the movie Ruby Sparks - a character I wrote about actually became flesh. And just like the character Paul Dano plays in the movie, I fell in love with her.

So here she is, Sophie Dumbrowski, on the cover of my YA humorous romance:

💙 Arrives July 15th, Omnific Publishing.💙

No links yet, but hopefully soon...

Flipping Out over Flipping Out (former Bravo show) (and how it helped my writing)

One of my loves is watching REALITY TV. Not all shows, but ones that have a purpose besides arguing. I think it's fun to watch people in their (sort of) natural environment.

One of those shows is FLIPPING OUT with Jeff Lewis.

What do I love?

• ZOILA's sassy comebacks and simple, improper phrases (The doggie make a poop.)
• JEFF's off-the-wall sense of humor, smartass-ness, and practical jokes
• JENNI - everything about her. Her sense of humor, warmth, and fresh funny POV on life.
• GAGE - when he blushes at things people say.
• ANDREW - tells it like it is, even though it's often inappropriate (or maybe BECAUSE it is)

Oh - and they need to get rid of MEGAN if she's appalled by what's going on. BUZZ KILL!

HOW DOES THIS SHOW HELP MY WRITING?

Helps me with timing, humor, awkward situations, how people interact at work, and okay, possibly writing scenes that seem natural but are actually scripted. :)

How about you? What shows make you think about your writing process or stories?