Checking In

I know. I know. It's been a month or so since I've posted on the blog. Honestly, I've just been so busy writing and revising that I haven't had time to come up with anything witty or entertaining to say here. And after all, that's the point of all this, yeah? To first and foremost focus on the writing career, and then supplement with the blog. Unfortunately, the supplementing has gone to the wayside.

This past month I've read some fantastic books. ELEANOR & PARK and FAN GIRL, both by Rainbow Rowell. She's definitely becoming one of my fave authors. I highly recommend both if you enjoy YA contemporary.

I saw one of the most spectacular figure skating performances I've seen in a long time (basically since they changed the judging system), and it brought tears to my eyes to see this humble, talented man bring an arena to their feet. Definitely rooting for him at the Olympics.

I'd love to stay and share and chat more. But I've got to get back to work on my Book Map. I'm participating in Editor Cheryl Klein's (Arthur Levine Books) Plot Intensive at the SCBWI Springmingle in March. I'm so excited to take my MG Sci-Fi and strengthen its plot at this workshop.

I wish everyone a wonderful day and Happy Writing!

Writers Series: Introducing Lisa Casian

My good friend, Lisa Casian's romance novel, BLOODROSE, debuted on November 29th. 

Check out the steamy cover! So I thought we'd spend some time chatting with Lisa about romance novels.

So be honest, how old were you when you read your first romance novel?

I was about fifteen. It was historical and I vaguely remember the story. I remember it was pretty steamy and everyone looked amazing. It was my sister's book.

Yes, eye candy is one of the fun parts about reading romance novels. What inspired you to start writing romance? What was your inspiration for BLOOD ROSE?

I have no loyalty to a particular genre. I read horror, contemporary, fantasy...all in binges. I picked up a Catherine Coulter regency romance book and it led me to read most of her titles. I was completely hooked. I wrote BLOODROSE in 2008. I never meant for it to see the light of day. I wanted to write historical, romance, action-adventure, and paranormal and BLOODROSE was it. I actually had no clue what I was doing. One scene led to the next and on and on it went. Because it was a vampire story, and the market was saturated with them, I decided not to pursue publication. But then this year Breathless Press had a five page critique opportunity for a romance piece and I decided to send BLOODROSE. That led to a full request and here we are. 

I think there is some misunderstanding out there about what romance fiction really is, and some people unfairly group it with erotica or call it closet porn for women. What are your thoughts?

First, let me just say that romance doesn't equal sex in books. It can have sex but the major indicator is the relationship between the main couple. Nicholas Sparks is a great author who gleams over the "sex" part. And then you have JR Ward and Sherillyn Kenyon who can fill pages of the act.  Any book that makes you feel something is worth the read. Horror makes me sleep with the lights on, fantasy lets me dream of dragons, contemporary reminds me I'm not alone, and romance makes me feel that I deserve to be loved. People read to feel something, to connect with the characters, to be thrilled with plot. There shouldn't be any stigma attached to it.

Well said, Lisa. Who are some of your favorite romance authors?

I've been blessed to have picked up some great books. My favorites are Christine Rains, JR Ward, and Sherillyn Kenyon.

I've always thought that with the increase of e-reader use it would help / boost romance novel sales (not that they need any help). Who wants to be caught holding a book with a shirtless man with glistening, bulging muscles, and a swooning half dressed buxom lady draped over his arm? What are your thoughts?

That sounds like the cover of BLOODROSE. LOL.  I don't have the formal numbers, but I want to say that paperback sales were huge with romance. I mean, I used to go into the corner store and their shelves were lined with romance paperbacks. Maybe because they were easier to hide inside a purse, or you can cover the cover with your hand as you read in public, who knows? The e-book is a great substitute for that. Again, I know romance sales are huge, but I'm not sure of the actual numbers.

Thanks for chatting with us, Lisa!

Thanks for having me, Anita. It was fun!

If you're interested in checking out BLOODROSE, you can find it on Amazon, here. And if you'd like a chance to win a copy of the book, the giveaway is here.

BLOODROSE

By Lisa Casian

Dark Fantasy

Publisher: Breathless Press

Isabeau's life is haunted by nightmares her brother insists are a lie. Bowen's looking to revenge himself against his father while helping his friend. When they meet, all hell breaks loose against Isabeau. Can Bowen protect her? Is love ever the safe choice?

Newly convinced by a mentor to value human life, Bowen, a Shade Hunter, has withdrawn from aristocratic society in pursuit of the creature that made him into the evil that consumes him—his father. Bowen's plans are thwarted when he assists a wealthy earl in finding his missing fiancé. He's drawn to the man's beautiful sister, Isabeau. Bowen soon realizes that their fates are intertwined and she's aroused a passion in him he'd never thought possible.

Isabeau Harington has always lived in fear. Surviving an attack that killed her parents, she always believed the monsters would return for her. When she meets Bowen, a mysterious, charismatic stranger who drives away those fears, she learns that the very man she's falling in love with may be in league with the monsters hunting her. As a pawn in an Immortal's scheme, Isabeau must make the ultimate decision—love or safety?

ISBN: 978-1-77101-181-5

Heat Rating: 3

My Favorite Books of 2013

2013 was an odd reading year for me because I  spent a lot of time re-reading and re-listening books that were familiar to me. There's something comforting about sinking back into a story that you know you love. So my reading list of new books for 2013 is actually quite small because I have to admit to spending a lot of time with HARRY POTTER, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, and LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR amongst other books I hold close to my heart.

So here are my favorites for 2013 in no particular order:

I loved Gayle Forman's previous books and when I heard that this book takes place in Paris (partly)--well, I was sold. I devoured this story about Allyson Healey and her "perfect" life. Allyson is a smart student, who always does what her Mom tells her too, what the world tells her too. And somewhere along the way Allyson was doing what others expected of her, but not what she expected of herself. (I totally related to this plot point. Been there, done that.) Until, one act of spontaneity, when she decides to ditch her high school tour group and spend a day in Paris, where she meets "free-spirited, roving actor" Willem. And everything changes. Goodreads has a great summary here.

This book is so beautifully written that it makes you want to cry. It opens with a simple quote: "Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well." I was sucked into the story, and became completely enchanted by the main character, Karou. She sketches monsters and is an art student in Prague. And when she isn't spending time with her entertaining best friend, she's always flitting off on secret errands. And then everything changes when she meets Akiva in Marrakesh. I don't want to give too much away. But, there's a great summary over on Goodreads. And I must say that the sequel, DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT, was definitely one of my favorites of the year as well. I am impatiently waiting for the third book in the series to come out.

It was kind of interesting how I came to read this book. I had the wonderful opportunity of hearing Leila Sales speak at an SCBWI conference in Birmingham, AL. Ms. Sales is an editor at Viking books and she gave an excellent talk about tropes. 

The main character, Elise Dembowski, is the epitome of an unpopular person. She is different to her core and from a young age was never accepted by her peers. And so rather than wallow in her unpopularity, she decides to dedicate her entire summer to learning how to be cool. She immerses herself in pop culture, researches fashion magazines, and even spends money on clothes she doesn't really like. And then when school starts, her efforts turn into an epic fail.

I'd tell you more, but I don't want to ruin the book for you. But, Goodreads has an excellent summary here.

Thanksgiving Recap

I got to spend Thanksgiving with my best friends, husband, parents, and brother-in-laws. And now that it's been a week since I had that abundance of uber-delicious food, I finally feel safe to talk about it.

• I played way too much Plants vs Zombies 2 and became quite frustrated with the Wild West level will all the chickens. I said a few choice words during my repeated tries at that level.
• We had three different types of apple pie. You're probably thinking...whaaa? Is that even possible? Yes. Yes, it is. There's regular apple pie. And then you've got your no-sugar apple pie. And, of course, the gluten-free apple pie for people like me who break out into hives when I eat the stuff.
• We watched Catching Fire. ZOMG. It was amazing. Jennifer Lawrence is amazing. And I just found out Mocking Jay is actually going to split into two movies. Two more things to look forward to!
• We also watched AFTER EARTH, which I thought was a great example of taking your traditional absent-father-trying-to-build-a-relationship-with-his-teenage-son story and executing in a totally different dystopian, apocalyptic, sci-fi, alien sort of way.
• I got to spend a lot of time with my favorite mix lab puppy, Miss Molly Yeung. We played fetch in the front yard everyday, and she'd keep my feet warm while I wrote.
• I worked on my Pitch Wars submissions. A big hearty thanks to Brenda Drake and all the mentors who dedicate their time to help aspiring writers.

How was your Thanksgiving?

Gossip Time...THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales

It was kind of interesting how I came to read this book. I had the wonderful opportunity of hearing Leila Sales speak at an SCBWI conference in Birmingham, AL. Ms. Sales is an editor at Viking books and she gave an excellent talk about tropes. How to avoid over done tropes. If you plan on using a trope what are somethings that you can do to make it work and be unique. Anyway, what she said really stuck with me. And I can definitely say the YA Contemporary project I'm submitting to agents and the MG-Sci Fi that I'm currently drafting are trope-free (or at least I'd like to think so).

But enough about me.

We're here to gossip about the amazing book, THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE. So when I saw it sitting on the shelf, the reason I picked it up was because it was written by Leila Sales. I recognized her name and was so impressed to see she is an editor and YA author. *Bows Down to Leila* And I knew this story would be unlike any I had read because of the sheer fact that Leila gave an expert talk on tropes. And I was right!

The main character, Elise Dembowski, is the epitome of an unpopular person. She is different to her core and from a young age was never accepted by her peers. And so rather than wallow in her unpopularity, she decides to dedicate her entire summer to learning how to be cool. She immerses herself in pop culture, researches fashion magazines, and even spends money on clothes she doesn't really like. And then when school starts, her efforts turn into an epic fail.

I'd tell you more, but I don't want to ruin the book for you. But, Goodreads has an excellent summary here.

What I loved about this book:

• Voice
• It's funny!
• Voice
• It's sad!
• I love gushy first love stories as much as the next person. But what I loved about this love story, is that it wasn't a mushy love story. It was real, the way often first relationships are. I applaud Miss Leila for capturing that.
• I believe that everyone has something that they're good at. Sometime it takes people awhile to figure it out their talents. The main character, Elise, is no different. But what she discovers she's good at is so unique and special (definitely not a trope!). Again, you'll have to read to figure out what her mystery talent it. 

And last, but not least...
You know how they always say...if you could meet this writer...or do something with so and so...what would it be?

I want to go to a warehouse party with Leila Sales. =)

You're Never Too Old

So over Labor Day weekend I competed at the Peach Classic Competition in Atlanta, Georgia. And I was so inspired and amazed at the adult skaters who were not going to let a number (their age) keep them from doing something they love--ice skate. I hope that as I age, I continue to have the desire and drive to keep skating, just like the adult competitors you'll see in the intro of the video below.

You're never too old. It's never too late. Keep reaching for your dreams whatever they may be.

Below is my performance from the Masters Junior/Senior Freestyle event. I didn't have any competition, which I was ok with. I just wanted to practice performing my program so I can hopefully get it ready to test Junior Free. And yes, you'll see that a lot of the jumps necessary to pass a Junior Free are missing--but I did what I could do with the hip injury that I had at the time. And I'm pleased with what I put out. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed performing it.

Many thanks to Elite Media Productions for filming the event and posting it on the SVP Vimeo Page.

Anita Saxena Adult Master Jr-Sr Free Skate from Saxena Video Productions on Vimeo.

In Honor of National Cat Day

So apparently yesterday was National Cat Day. Didn't even know that was a thing. But now that I do--I'd like to honor my three crazy, but cute fur balls.

Meet my oldest and sweetest Sasha. She is my love muffin and if there is a box she can't help but jump inside. When she's not snoozing in my lap, she enjoys eating salmon.

This is Miss Jasmine. And oh is she special. There are actually very few pictures of her because she's shy of the camera. Actually, she's shy of everything. Sometimes even her own food bowl scares her. But she's pretty and prissy and loves her sister Sasha.

This is our unplanned kitty. Found her by the Tennessee River on July 4, 2012 so we named her Indie after the national holiday. She is a purr machine and it's taken almost a year for Sasha and Jasmine to semi-accept her. She's like that kid in class that tries too hard to be your friend. When she's not irritating Sasha, Indie likes to puke up hair balls and get in between me and my laptop.

Hope all the cats out there had a wonderful National Cat Day!