tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41991277304304313622024-02-07T04:50:30.177-05:00Lauren Morrill<center>YA Author and Derby Girl<br> Debut novel <b>Meant to Be</b> releases November 13, 2012 from Random House</center>Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-32007113809304708922012-03-29T10:49:00.001-04:002012-03-29T10:50:00.381-04:00If the Internet was High School, I'd Vote Book Bloggers Most School Spirited<br />
I want to take a minute to say how much I love book bloggers. Seriously, book bloggers are THE BEST. Before I was on the published author track, I loved reading book blogs to find out about great things I should be putting on my Goodreads list. I have book bloggers to thank for finally getting into Sarah Ockler, Gayle Forman, Rachel Hawkins, and Jenny Han. Is there any greater gift than a good book? I don't think so. I love their enthusiasm over books and how contagious that enthusiasm could be.<br />
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But now that I'm a mere 7 months (!!!) from publication of my debut novel, I love love LOVE book bloggers. Over the last couple weeks, I've been spotting a ton of <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/2012/03/waiting-on-wednesday-gone.html">Waiting on Wednesday</a> posts, which are inevitably followed by a slew of comments from people who are psyched up about reading <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a>, some of whom heard about it for the very first time from a blog post! Thanks to book bloggers spreading the word (and the love!), the adds on Goodreads have jumped to exponentially! You guys, thank you so much for blogging and sharing and talking up my book. I really hope you all love the insides as much as the outsides!<br />
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And if you're psyched about <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a>, I have some good news for you: I'm almost done with the second book on my Random House contract, another stand-alone contemporary YA comedy. I can't tell you much about it yet, but I can tell you that I'm working hard to make sure it's HILARIOUS (with some swoony bits in there, too!). There's a little bit of The Parent Trap meets a little bit of The Cutting Edge, and I promise, you're going to lust after it, too! <br />
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While I've been a little absent from these parts due to my insane writing schedule, I have been tumbling fairly frequently over at <a href="http://laurenmorrill.tumblr.com/">laurenmorrill.tumblr.com</a>, so follow along there to see little snippets of my brain. Posts over there seem to fall into one of three categories:<br />
<ul>
<li>Writing is hard, ya'll</li>
<li>OHMYGOD HE IS SO. CUTE.</li>
<li>OHMYGOD THAT IS SO. CUTE</li>
</ul>
It's basically like being inside my head, except less messy and slightly less insane.<br />
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Once I finish book 2 (which should be just four short weeks from now!) I'll be a lot more into the whole long-form blogging thing. I'll probably also have a lot more news to talk about, if these recent Waiting on Wednesday posts are any indication! Keep up the blogging, and if you have a post to share about Meant to Be, leave it in the comments!Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-74243926724888170322012-03-13T10:17:00.000-04:002012-03-13T10:17:17.883-04:00A Round-Up of NewsThe first piece of news is that <a href="http://apocalypsies.blogspot.com/2012/03/starters-by-lissa-price-out-today.html">I'm blogging over at the Apocalypsies</a> today telling you all about how freaking fantastic <a href="http://www.lissaprice.com/">Lissa Price</a>'s <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11861062-starters">Starters</a> is. It's out today, and you will <i>definitely</i> want to pick up a copy. <br />
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The second piece of news is that I have my very first author appearance scheduled! Looks like I'll be speaking at Literacy Night at Foxboro High School for <a href="http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/">World Book Night</a>. I'll be talking about reading, writing, and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a>, and we'll even have a few ARCs to give away! I'm really excited about it. I'll post more details when I have them.<br />
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And finally, a huge thank you to all the people who commented, tweeted, facebooked, smoke signaled, or e-high-fived me about <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a>'s <a href="http://www.laurenmorrill.com/2012/03/announcement.html">fabulous cover</a>. The internet love was out of control, and I definitely have a case of the warm fuzzies. <br />
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Now that the cover is out, I can share these great pictures of my family's traveling ARC of Meant to Be!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3FP1gMgwnKbOGt01QYiI0gsGI8caPNUeYrOqbCBsBIiALv1w3R545dIXZIEJdzJi9zzhx1m1U4GJb6-fdloL1yySnyq2NgooAWVH6rehhKSCLwVQDgPC2pBXsquwEINvfDUFJ2M3GkQ/s1600/IMG_0339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3FP1gMgwnKbOGt01QYiI0gsGI8caPNUeYrOqbCBsBIiALv1w3R545dIXZIEJdzJi9zzhx1m1U4GJb6-fdloL1yySnyq2NgooAWVH6rehhKSCLwVQDgPC2pBXsquwEINvfDUFJ2M3GkQ/s400/IMG_0339.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom, reading MTB at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gs4WcbLnq7Vq1AYwOZSkEg69APv4X8jhpespt-EQowgI33nTE1nPZ9Vd3Tlh1Mm3_X-RYG3EHntkh5WPmDJGljNA4oVKjZdaNFt7ZZtlNcoIk_CM1hExb6wSdXJs7R8hnviRLD2N_Wk/s1600/422511_3401419643605_1513236551_3099745_49460662_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gs4WcbLnq7Vq1AYwOZSkEg69APv4X8jhpespt-EQowgI33nTE1nPZ9Vd3Tlh1Mm3_X-RYG3EHntkh5WPmDJGljNA4oVKjZdaNFt7ZZtlNcoIk_CM1hExb6wSdXJs7R8hnviRLD2N_Wk/s400/422511_3401419643605_1513236551_3099745_49460662_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandparents diving in after my mom handed it off to them</td></tr>
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If you have an ARC of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a> and want to show off a picture of it out in the wild, send it on to me (lemorrill at gmail dot com), and I'd love to post it!Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-9575418638054163592012-03-09T14:49:00.003-05:002012-03-09T14:49:40.984-05:00An announcement!I know, I know ... it's been too long since I've blogged, but it's all because I've been writing my behind off on book 2! And also because I got my wisdom teeth out yesterday, which is no fun at all. But now I'm back, because I have a very exciting announcement about book 1, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a>. Are you ready?<br />
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Like, really ready?<br />
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Because I'm SO ready.<br />
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Drumroll please ....<br />
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<b><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: x-large;">I HAVE A COVER!</span></b></div>
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Oh wait, you want to see it?<br />
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Hmmm....<br />
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Well....<br />
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Ok!<br />
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One second, lemme grab the file ...<br />
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Introducing ....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-JyiHiwti3PwMy8VEGkyJRfWMuQAAd4OBE_5ei9x7VA5Tyvb7O8sm7W0CUf8Od_0-Y6R1jM-oUmassvRfzgQQIezz2IMAyHzqfOauL37XRa11XnrD2kME5HEewhASV1dB197z23u0Q8/s1600/MTB+FINAL+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-JyiHiwti3PwMy8VEGkyJRfWMuQAAd4OBE_5ei9x7VA5Tyvb7O8sm7W0CUf8Od_0-Y6R1jM-oUmassvRfzgQQIezz2IMAyHzqfOauL37XRa11XnrD2kME5HEewhASV1dB197z23u0Q8/s640/MTB+FINAL+COVER.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
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Isn't it so pretty??? I am in LOVE with the color bursts and the London skyline and the green grass ... and also the fact that that's MY. NAME. on the cover! I just couldn't be happier...</div>
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So now when you head on over to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Goodreads</a>, not only will you see the full synopsis, but you'll see the cover, too! And I recommend that you do that right quick!</div>
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Alrighty, back to work on book 2 (which I can't wait to tell you more about!) with frequent breaks to stare at my cover!</div>
<br />Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-7636702321649809892012-02-21T10:48:00.002-05:002012-02-21T11:48:04.580-05:00I want to tell you about TraffickedYes, I'm emerging from the weeks-long writing/life/derby cave. No, I'm not done with book 2. Only about half done, actually. But I had to climb out, because I have something oh so important to tell you:<br />
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You need to read this book.<br />
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<a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/140472511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.thestorysiren.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/140472511.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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No seriously, you should read it now.<br />
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The other night I was curled up in a fluffy hotel bed in Montreal, midway through a vacation weekend that included a game of roller derby against Montreal's New Skids on the Block and some serious writing research (because, as I mentioned earlier, book 2 takes place in Montreal!). It was late, and I was using the Westin wifi to catch up on my GoogleReader. A post from <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/">The Story Siren</a> came up, and I nearly blew by it. It was a <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/2012/02/guest-post-kim-purcell-trafficked-giveaway.html">guest post</a> by <a href="http://www.kimpurcell.com/">Kim Purcell</a>, talking about her own research travel to Moldova for her YA novel that came out last week, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11699182-trafficked">Trafficked</a>. And the post was intriguing and terrifying. <br />
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I immediately went to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670012807?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0670012807&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon and read the sample</a>, and when I got to the end of it, I bought the whole book. And then I didn't stop reading, in the dark on my laptop while my husband and my dog snoozed, until I finished. And then I laid in bed thinking about the story, and Hannah, the main character. You have to meet Hannah. She's a victim of human trafficking who refuses to see herself as a victim. In every situation where she can give herself agency, she does it. She has spunk and life, even in the most horrible of situations.<br />
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<u style="color: red;"><b>****HERE BE SPOILERS! CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK!**** </b></u><br />
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<i>Kim Purcell, please write a sequel to Trafficked. Please. I want to see Hannah further come into her own here in the US. I want to see the work of the organization that helps her. I want to see her stand up to Lillian and Sergey and Paavo in court. I want to see what happens to the children. I want to know a little bit more about the neighbor boy, who was so thoughtfully written. He wasn't a savior, he wasn't swoony. He had his own problems, and he was confused by Hannah. And yet he did the thing that needed to be done at the moment it needed to be done. </i><br />
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<u><b>****SPOILERS OVER!****</b></u></div>
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So please, pick up this book. I promise you, you won't be able to put it down, and it will change the way you look at your safe little world, at least for a little bit. It's an Important book with a capital "I." And then come back and tell me what you thought of it.Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-62472041200281497832012-02-01T11:03:00.002-05:002012-02-01T11:03:31.005-05:00Curiously Absent ... aka, the Life of an Author Between Book 1 and Book 2I know, I know, I've been a little MIA lately around these parts, but that's because I'm smack in the middle of Book 2. And also starting to prep for the release of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a>, aka Book 1 (only 285 days to go!).<br />
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And well, I've been spending the last 48 hours gazing longingly at this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDszrktlFuV54TqBjBETgbxVhh9OK4bhs8yc5jtEw2I3U5ptjrWhOSFAVp2aYXunY1AfFO5BWfEKe3bXF1nEC6Hj-PmpFAzgWN0FTsZCPk-5tOB-Lnko6-3ZhvLhsRAFTuLjMyy2askQ/s1600/photo(6).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDszrktlFuV54TqBjBETgbxVhh9OK4bhs8yc5jtEw2I3U5ptjrWhOSFAVp2aYXunY1AfFO5BWfEKe3bXF1nEC6Hj-PmpFAzgWN0FTsZCPk-5tOB-Lnko6-3ZhvLhsRAFTuLjMyy2askQ/s320/photo(6).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yep, that's the title page to my very YA first novel, our November 13, 2012! Wendy, my editor, sent first pass pages, which basically means the thing is typeset and LOOKS LIKE A BOOK. My job is to go through looking for typesetting or small proofreading mistakes. This is not the time to decide that I want to change a setting or conversation. That ship has sailed. All I can do now is look for misplaced commas or misspellings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkP7DxoxV0TIXvLK_dNi1qzNsJXhbqm-3SRDJjt0P8RQdVyqLvZEyGP96tGD_mQ-b1z0g1g_nswZo6YH4E4m4Hou-s8eb_j_oH_8DZc0km9xwQEbun6L5lngXyPm-GroDWe1twD-8WEy0/s1600/photo(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkP7DxoxV0TIXvLK_dNi1qzNsJXhbqm-3SRDJjt0P8RQdVyqLvZEyGP96tGD_mQ-b1z0g1g_nswZo6YH4E4m4Hou-s8eb_j_oH_8DZc0km9xwQEbun6L5lngXyPm-GroDWe1twD-8WEy0/s320/photo(7).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I estimated that I have to read through 23 pages per day to get through it all by February 14, when it's due back to Random House. I sat down last night to get started, and can you imagine my shock when I ended up at 40 pages! I actually got sucked into my own story, which is kind of crazy since <i>I wrote it and I know what's going to happen</i>. And then I looked over at my husband, blinked back a few tears, and said, "Um, I think this is pretty good." I can't wait for you guys to have Meant to Be and fall in love with it as much as I have. It's funny and sweet and swoony ... it's a rom com with some serious heart.<br />
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But it's not all daisies and roses around here. Yes, it's really exciting to have Meant to Be in my hands, almost a real live book, but there's WORK to be done. Serious work. Beyond reading through it carefully for mistakes, I'm also knee-deep (well, maybe more like neck-deep) in the first draft of book 2. So far I've got 6 chapters, 18,900 words, and 2 POVs. Oh, you didn't know? Book 2 is told in dueling perspectives! <br />
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And so while reading through Meant to Be, I also have 4 new chapters due, plus a revision on the first 6. All by February 14th. There's going to be some serious celebrating come Valentine's Day, that's for sure! Luckily I can do that celebrating in Montreal, where I'll be playing roller derby, eating poutine, and doing some vacation book research. Oh, you didn't know? Book 2 is set in Montreal!Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-481072407743341922012-01-15T23:16:00.002-05:002012-01-20T11:07:26.960-05:00The YAmazing Race!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBz36dGeXt-bZoconBGTY5PzS0NN3dsyIA9tEyclhlpxuzBqXTQVGskmcff1EWT8hrLV71h_9tPDwFfZEfeE_sQiCEzxwxZpc48mR10v_nJjR-xibIunodfpdIVYGSO46D1yBNUH4Cq5w/s1600/yamazing-race.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBz36dGeXt-bZoconBGTY5PzS0NN3dsyIA9tEyclhlpxuzBqXTQVGskmcff1EWT8hrLV71h_9tPDwFfZEfeE_sQiCEzxwxZpc48mR10v_nJjR-xibIunodfpdIVYGSO46D1yBNUH4Cq5w/s320/yamazing-race.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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You made it! Welcome to my humble internet home, and your next stop on Leg 5 of the YAmazing Race! I know it's been a long, arduous journey, but with so many MGnificent prizes awaiting, I'm pretty sure it's worth it.<br />
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If you're reading this and wondering, "What in the heck is the YAmazing Race and how can I join?" then head on over to the <a href="http://apocalypsies.blogspot.com/">Apocalypsies page</a> to read the full rules and get started on the journey to win ARCs, gift certificates, and other awesome swag. Over 50 prizes are up for grabs!<br />
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And now, on to the race...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/images/uk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/images/uk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take note, YAmazing Racers. #hint #hint</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Meant to Be</span></b></a></div>
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<i>Cyrano de Bergerac </i>meets<i> </i>YA<i> </i>in
a Shakespearean comedy of errors in which o<span lang="EN">ne mysterious romantic text message
sets off a wild goose chase full of mistaken identity, misdirected chemistry,
and misguided heartache. Join Julia and her classmates as they tour London and find themselves lost in mystery, romance, heartache, and more than a bit of trouble. </span>If you love contemporary YA, romantic comedies, swoony boys, and not-so-swoony boys, then you will <i>love</i> Meant to Be.</div>
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<span lang="EN">Oh, but don't just trust me ... why don't you ask Sarah Mlynowski?</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UrgHleNYQlRhZ9c4CW6jsEsZypdSjSRSqNJ9yKRSkuG01W3wslC0S9kZtHdCkvXCqOnF3BTT8CwH4PndOyUog3ufL6p3QTabsJyaTAhd7gQjBi8fL-nlay-QYxK8ACsx-wRUZDEIIAA/s1600/tumblr_luknq712w31qz8fyio1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2UrgHleNYQlRhZ9c4CW6jsEsZypdSjSRSqNJ9yKRSkuG01W3wslC0S9kZtHdCkvXCqOnF3BTT8CwH4PndOyUog3ufL6p3QTabsJyaTAhd7gQjBi8fL-nlay-QYxK8ACsx-wRUZDEIIAA/s400/tumblr_luknq712w31qz8fyio1_500.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shameless, shameless self-promotion ... really, I'm ashamed #sortofbutnot</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a> releases November 13, 2012 from Delacorte, and I can't wait for you all to read it! But first, you need to mentally prepare yourself for the next and final stop on this leg of the YAmazing Race ... because you've got a quiz coming up! Thanks for stopping by, I hope maybe you'll came back and visit me sometime, maybe learn a little bit more about <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a>, maybe get psyched up for <a href="http://www.laurenmorrill.com/2011/12/this-post-started-about-me-being-sick.html">book 2, which I'm working on right now</a>, or maybe just learn a little bit about my super hero second life as a <a href="http://www.laurenmorrill.com/p/roller-derby.html">roller derby queen</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://ginadami.co/YAmazingRaceLeg5.html">Now head on over here to finish out this leg of the race</a>!</div>
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Oh, wait! Before you go, <b>a bonus contest</b>! In honor of the amazing Sarah Mlynowski, who is one of my favorite contemporary authors, if you leave a comment here with your email address or twitter name, then you'll be entered to win a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Things-Probably-Shouldnt-Have/dp/0061701246">Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have)</a>, which I picked as one of my <a href="http://www.laurenmorrill.com/2011/12/favorite-books-in-2011.html">favorite reads of 2011</a>.</div>
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Have you commented? Great, <a href="http://ginadami.co/YAmazingRaceLeg5.html">now head on over to finish out the YAmazing Race</a>. Thanks for stopping by!<br />
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EDIT: There have been so many awesome entries into my giveaway, that I can't bear to only have one winner! SO when I draw for a winner, I'm going to pick 2 people! The first winner gets a copy of Ten Things We Did, and the second winner gets a copy of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10798416-the-statistical-probability-of-love-at-first-sight">The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight</a>. Pretty awesome, right? Just doing my part to spread the YA contemporary love!</div>Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-30262854725076094392012-01-12T13:30:00.002-05:002012-01-12T13:30:53.094-05:00Unveiling My Shiny New Blog!If you're reading this through Google Reader or some other RSS aggregator, I recommend <a href="http://www.laurenmorrill.com/">clicking over to the site</a> for a quick moment so you can check out my sassy new design! I'm so excited to have a design that is gorgeous and eye catching that also fits my style to a T. Don't you just love it?<br />
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First, a little commentary on author websites. I think it's cool to have one, and I've seen a lot of truly spectacular ones out there. But every time I go to an author website, my first (and pretty much only) click is the blog link. That's all I'm really interested in. I might look at the books they've written (if I didn't already know) or their bio page, but those can both exist via a blog, so instead of setting up some kind of snazzy author website, I decided to keep everything really centrally located and just go with a blog.<br />
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I found Don, my badass designer, after I saw that he did a gorgeous redesign for a blog I read called <a href="http://sometimessweet.com/">Sometimes Sweet</a>. Don runs a blog called <a href="http://www.adelinesdaddy.com/">Adeline's Daddy</a> that is all about his completely adorable family and his design work. After clicking through a couple other blogs he did, I contacted him and
got him on board to do mine for a really reasonable price. With only a couple of emails that included me babbling about colors I like (blues, greens, purples) and colors I don't (pink), plus a couple lines about how much I like vintage library stuff, he came up with this design.<br />
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And I'm so in love with it. So click around a little on my navigation buttons over there on the library card, and check out the sweet widgets for all my social networking on the bookmark. Pretty sweet, huh? Seriously, it's perfect! Don, thank you so much for all your hard work. I'm totally going to steal your kid's name for a character in a future book and make her the cool, smart, fun, nice girl.<br />
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Ok, back into my hole to finish chapters 3 and 4 today. Book 2 is chugging right along!Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-13602223643144316072012-01-09T11:03:00.001-05:002012-01-11T21:03:13.371-05:00Being an author means...I did a big thing this weekend. It may not seem very big to those outside of my world, but it's very VERY big to me.<br />
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But first, some background... <br />
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You see, I started playing roller derby in 2007. From the very first time I strapped on my skates (a pair of Carreras I got off of ebay for $35), I was hooked. I wanted to skate ALL THE TIME. And that's pretty much what I did. I skated my way through my last semester of grad school. I skated my way to Boston for my first job, and from the time I joined the <a href="http://www.bostonderbydames.com/">Boston Derby Dames</a> in the summer of 2008, I pretty much played as much roller derby as I could. I volunteered for extra games outside of the league, I signed up for every extra travel game I could, and I never EVER missed a home game.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYngZjy_toi-ODOgWOERQfRif3cUsQbnZUaZeK_Aoz5fXrdsLPjazbdEWOADrUO3RS_9slQasKiFEQUURXAU-IMT6PaaB1yn4rAMip8dJJoNimiHQS6hWuzqe_HQhc7LpvZKTZkvh5iu4/s1600/mona2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYngZjy_toi-ODOgWOERQfRif3cUsQbnZUaZeK_Aoz5fXrdsLPjazbdEWOADrUO3RS_9slQasKiFEQUURXAU-IMT6PaaB1yn4rAMip8dJJoNimiHQS6hWuzqe_HQhc7LpvZKTZkvh5iu4/s400/mona2011.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wicked Pissahs v. Nutcrackers, BDD Hometeam Championships (we won!)</td></tr>
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As you can imagine, this is a pretty big chunk of my life. I attend 2-3practices a week, lasting from 2-4 hours depending on if it's a team practice or a scrimmage day. And it's not just skating. As a member of the league's executive board, I have a lot of admin work I do from home, and as the manager of our all-star travel team, The Boston Massacre, I'm pretty much always on email organizing games and dealing with team business. It's like having another part time job, but it's never bothered me because I LOVE IT.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5JE0yBPGTE4ZuPqZAkAX_tsOBwXghoYPMj0x1oSFoDi1H5teJoFt56gvLviSHakXQELCcxs-2RFvruK2qBonyeLEaX6y5j8LdZ2qcI_rf9wQ_5UpxXN83h1qNPaAptwx3Tec67RHQ4g/s1600/321225_2367734482007_1509783526_2626460_1286610614_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5JE0yBPGTE4ZuPqZAkAX_tsOBwXghoYPMj0x1oSFoDi1H5teJoFt56gvLviSHakXQELCcxs-2RFvruK2qBonyeLEaX6y5j8LdZ2qcI_rf9wQ_5UpxXN83h1qNPaAptwx3Tec67RHQ4g/s400/321225_2367734482007_1509783526_2626460_1286610614_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the Boston Massacre at WFTDA Eastern Regionals, just before we played London</td></tr>
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But now that I work full-time and am on a book 2 schedule that's so aggressive I think it would make Norman Mailer cry, I'm finding that I need to prioritize my life in a way I've never had to before. And so what was that big thing I did?<br />
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I withdrew my name from tryouts for the Boston B Party, Boston's traveling B Team.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFIgH4RufCryqITxM85ClQVQCpQyT0ySBcPJTrIBnRJltZspNrzR89gxnhNye9DJEhbgywXjguIa2mSvgnO0nFCc_raP0IyZKQg68R6y-OQ-8eIegS7FLFPGF_bt4h8ahSgFRqn6IGcQ/s1600/228997_10150245552949602_788559601_8807121_5876810_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFIgH4RufCryqITxM85ClQVQCpQyT0ySBcPJTrIBnRJltZspNrzR89gxnhNye9DJEhbgywXjguIa2mSvgnO0nFCc_raP0IyZKQg68R6y-OQ-8eIegS7FLFPGF_bt4h8ahSgFRqn6IGcQ/s400/228997_10150245552949602_788559601_8807121_5876810_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skating against Jersey Shore with the B Party (photo by Dezdemona Lott)</td></tr>
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What does this mean exactly? I'm still skating for the Wicked Pissahs and managing the Boston Massacre, but I can no longer commit to an extra practice every week and traveling to extra games. And that really sucks. Because B Party games are really fun. But I know myself and what I have on my plate, and right now my priority needs to be working on Book 2. And that's the part that doesn't suck ... knowing my limits, and making a big girl decision that doesn't exceed them.<br />
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Holy crap, I'm becoming a grown up. When did that happen?!<br />
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Ok, now back to work, so that I can get everything in my office done, so that I can do a final edit on my first two chapters of Book 2 before I send them in (Beth, if you're reading this, it'll be later tonight!)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Book 2, I'm coming for you. (photo by Sergio Keith Abe)</td></tr>
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<br />Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-15763867373471473762012-01-02T20:59:00.002-05:002012-01-02T20:59:37.129-05:00Goals for 2012I'm not a big New Years Resolution person. In fact, I don't think I've ever kept a single one! Well, I take that back. Sometime in high school I probably resolved to quit biting my fingernails, and I managed to accomplish that sometime during grad school. Does that count?<br />
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But I am down for goals. I like accomplishing things, like shaving seconds off my lap time in derby, or reading a certain number of books each year. So instead of resolutions, I'm going with goals, which can be accomplished at any time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.realbeauty.com/cm/realbeauty/images/tZ/rby-tap-is-terrific-water-bottle-lgn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.realbeauty.com/cm/realbeauty/images/tZ/rby-tap-is-terrific-water-bottle-lgn.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bottle is hanging out at work with me. Love it!</td></tr>
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<b>Drink more water</b> ... My liquid diet is made up of mostly Coke and Starbucks grande nonfat iced chai. My body is probably begging for hydration, so I think it's about time I answered the call.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMdCEwJ2gf41282W8pW0h-BTRr7L2MDMJo0n-5CPu6frrkulfAEg6us63Sg8jhHPBTHVqiXzC9MdtBcanB0883P8wWFVoF_B1GNJ2CI65ifSbOQ7i7SquPQwKD0Iq-0rjGoLttY-We6g/s1600/photo%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMdCEwJ2gf41282W8pW0h-BTRr7L2MDMJo0n-5CPu6frrkulfAEg6us63Sg8jhHPBTHVqiXzC9MdtBcanB0883P8wWFVoF_B1GNJ2CI65ifSbOQ7i7SquPQwKD0Iq-0rjGoLttY-We6g/s320/photo%25284%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first bits of work on Book 2</td></tr>
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<b>Write a novel</b> ... ok, this is kind of a cheat, because I'm contractually obligated to do this. But I'm going to say that once Book 2 is turned in (around June), I should finish a draft of something else.<br />
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<b>Read 52 books </b>... this one shouldn't be a problem. I hit 60 in 2011, and 52 is only an average of a book a week. But it's nice to set at least one goal you'll have no trouble accomplishing! This is one you can track along with me (and set you own goal!) <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/challenges/207-2012-reading-challenge">over at GoodReads</a>. This one probably also won't be that hard with all the amazing <a href="http://apocalypsies.blogspot.com/">Apocalypsies</a> book debuting this year!<br />
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What are your goals for 2012?Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-37723655150037425832012-01-01T11:26:00.002-05:002012-01-01T11:29:28.058-05:00In 2012, I resolve to be waaaaay more nerdyAnd to kick that off, here's my very first (super cheesetastic) video blog! Just a little debut year message for all of you<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/r7esyyP15Bk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I'm new to this whole vlog thing ... seriously, I made that about 5 minutes ago, and until then I'd barely used the video feature on PhotoBooth. So if you have any tips, feel free to share them! And of course, I'm always open to ideas for what in the heck I should talk about (though I won't be doing this often ... hello, did you see me in that one?!)<br />
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Happy New Year from a super nerdy 2012 debut author!<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a><br />
November 13, 2012<br />
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Join <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/">The Story Siren</a>'s <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/debut-author-challenge">Debut Author Challenge</a>, and read Meant to Be along with a ton of other great 2012 debuts!Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-16377792660323156752011-12-26T14:50:00.001-05:002011-12-26T14:52:31.534-05:00Favorite Books In 2011<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UliCwEYHGnfooCSZD2dzrzMs6_UyWezXF1OraSQML6BF-c5B-6B1B2thlSElt50_PDZJqsmW87ewBASZ_L6g5P8d4RAzXyaIqAjLwTx4wHVGpIjP_9tc7Ez7lV1Uu_MJ9pmMsDUDH1iE/s1600/photo+%252817%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UliCwEYHGnfooCSZD2dzrzMs6_UyWezXF1OraSQML6BF-c5B-6B1B2thlSElt50_PDZJqsmW87ewBASZ_L6g5P8d4RAzXyaIqAjLwTx4wHVGpIjP_9tc7Ez7lV1Uu_MJ9pmMsDUDH1iE/s400/photo+%252817%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Morning!</td></tr>
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Christmas has passed, and mine was spectacular. I hope yours was too! And now, with 2011 creeping to a close, it's time for the traditional reading wrap-up! My tally at this point is somewhere in the low 60s, but since I'm spending the rest of 2011 on vacation, I'll probably add a couple more books to the list (I'm almost done with Jennifer Weiner's Then Came You, a rare grown-up read that I'm totally digging ... JW knows characters). You'll notice everything on my list is contemporary, because even though I'll make the brief foray into paranormal, contemp is my one true love.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7775824-mostly-good-girls">Mostly Good Girls</a>/<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10637697-past-perfect">Past Perfect</a> by Leila Sales<br />
This was a great year for me discovering new authors for The List. For those unfamiliar, The List is the collection of authors who I'll read anything that they write ever. John Green, Sarah Dessen, Courtney Summers ... and now Leila Sales. Her books are the embodiment of a fresh, fun voice, and I can't wait to see what comes next<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9961796-lola-and-the-boy-next-door">Lola and the Boy Next Door</a> by Stephanie Perkins<br />
I lusted after this book from the second I finished Anna and the French Kiss. It's one of the first books I've ever pre-ordered, and I ran home through a monsoon without an umbrella just to make sure I could get the Amazon box off my front stoop. Stephanie Perkins wrote one of the most swoon-worthy contemp YA boys I've ever read. Oh Cricket Bell ... sigh<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4374400-if-i-stay">If I Stay</a>/<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8492825-where-she-went">Where She Went</a> by Gayle Forman<br />
It takes a lot to make me cry while reading. In fact, I think it's only ever happened to me 2 or 3 times in my whole life. So imagine my surprise when I'm sitting in my neighborhood burger joint, sobbing like a baby. I had to get my fries to go and bolt home before I thoroughly embarrassed myself! And if Cricket Bell is one of the most swoon-worthy boys I've ever read, I think Adam is THE most swoon-worthy YA guy I've ever read EVER. TEAM ADAM!<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7074259-fixing-delilah">Fixing Delilah</a> by Sarah Ockler<br />
Sarah Ockler is another other author who joined The List this year. I picked up Fixing Delilah, then promptly moved on to Twenty Boy Summer. Ockler definitely sits on the shelf beside Sarah Dessen, writing really heartfelt contemporary. I already preordered Bittersweet!<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9266810-ten-things-we-did">Ten Things We Did</a> by Sarah Mlynowski<br />
I was on a trip and out of books to read, so I ran to the nearby Target and picked this one up. I thought I was getting just another fun, funny contemp, but what I found was one of the single most realistic depiction of teenage sexuality and the teenage sexual experience ... with hilarity and heart! Which is definitely why <a href="http://www.laurenmorrill.com/2011/12/this-post-started-about-me-being-sick.html">her tweet about reading my book</a> seriously made my heart explode! This is one I'll definitely keep and reread (and probably study for my own writerly ambitions!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEw5TjWK91JpHhiUy5l22PRxhpXF9Jzw-KjH0TA7EfFu5-YXAmr6GvDeDlEPg8nj4k92x_wYHmpYX1UiyCFII0jsmyyDsQVAf9AS9Fd6bbycYlGdv7-waF17563kRQr66gQ_Bzew8uqxk/s1600/photo+%252815%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvEw5TjWK91JpHhiUy5l22PRxhpXF9Jzw-KjH0TA7EfFu5-YXAmr6GvDeDlEPg8nj4k92x_wYHmpYX1UiyCFII0jsmyyDsQVAf9AS9Fd6bbycYlGdv7-waF17563kRQr66gQ_Bzew8uqxk/s400/photo+%252815%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jingle Dog says "Merry Christmas! Now get these damn bells off me!"</td></tr>
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<br />Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-54358935382474971762011-12-16T15:50:00.000-05:002011-12-16T15:56:57.679-05:00This post started about me being sick, and ended with AMAZING NEWS!You guys, this Christmas season has really been kicking my behind! First I got heinously sick with an inner ear and throat infection that necessitated an antihistamine, an antibiotic, an inhaler, and nasal spray ... and two sick days that were the least enjoyable days off of work I've ever experienced.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGw-NQhyphenhyphen1I5gkQo3Z_B-1nRxWN_EmqWGtO27LdoA11Qng34EjEPbWpj3Hpt7OJwINOe79AugVmnsa1en5VQvSmN6cXwVMiMsZlFO12B7moJqUYTXT54bmS5YhDzibK5k3B8e1O-Ay3fmY/s1600/photo%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGw-NQhyphenhyphen1I5gkQo3Z_B-1nRxWN_EmqWGtO27LdoA11Qng34EjEPbWpj3Hpt7OJwINOe79AugVmnsa1en5VQvSmN6cXwVMiMsZlFO12B7moJqUYTXT54bmS5YhDzibK5k3B8e1O-Ay3fmY/s320/photo%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to my world...</td></tr>
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Then, after flying home to Tennessee to surprise my grandpa for his 80th birthday, both the Guy and I picked up a cold. Mine came and went pretty fast, but the Guy has been home sick for three straight days and is now coughing like he's got tuberculosis. I finally got him to go to the doctor this afternoon, so we'll see what becomes of that.<br />
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Then you add in lots of work (yay admissions season!), manic Christmas shopping, wrapping and shipping, and oh yeah, what was that one thing?<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I have the outline for Book 2!</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My trusty Rhodia notebook</td></tr>
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Yep, everything's been approved, and I'm on to working away on Book 2! I've got a finalized outline due next week and am going to start writing over the winter break. This one's set in Montreal (one of my favorite cities!) and while there's definitely some juicy romance, this one is more about family and friendship and finding yourself. It's written with in two POVs, and I'm loving these characters. And I hope you will too! More info to come later, but for now just know that I'm working hard so that you can have this one in your hands sometime in 2013.<br />
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Oh, and I saw an updated proof of the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a> cover ... IT. IS. SO. AMAZING! I can't wait to show it to you, but it'll probably be a while before the big reveal. I think they're still doing some tweaking on it. Also got to see a mock-up of my author bio page ... oh AND I'm getting new headshots taken on Dec 29th, so my face will be all bright and shiny on the back cover.<br />
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Um, and one more really cool thing ... What was it? Oh yeah, this:<br />
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Uh, yeah... I think that's pretty much all the news! *dies*<br />
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November 13, 2012 gets closer and closer every day!<br />
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<i>*For anyone who misses my more regular blogging, feel free to follow me over on <a href="http://laurenmorrill.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>, where there's some more fun micro-stuff ... once-a-week blogging is about all I can do with so much on my plate right now! </i>Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-65276359775957742011-12-06T11:28:00.001-05:002011-12-06T11:47:03.601-05:00In which I turned 29, but sort of missed itI went a whole week without blogging. Eek! But life in my world has been pretty insane-o lately. First, Thanksgiving travel, which was fun and delightful. Then back to work, where I discovered I had a wicked bad inner ear and throat infection. Two hideous sick days and several prescriptions later, and I was feeling marginally better, just in time for my 29th birthday.<br />
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Yep, that's right, I'm now in my very last year of my 20s (sob!). To be honest, I'm not one who gets all in a twist about getting older. It just feels weird to be almost 30 ... that doesn't seem right to me. But ultimately what matters is how you feel inside, and I feel about 23. So take that, 29!<br />
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Since I was still a little sick, we skipped doing any kind of fancy dinner for my birthday and instead just ordered Thai takeout and went to pick out our Christmas tree. The holiday season has begun in my house!<br />
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Oh, and there was cake, of course! Triple chocolate mousse separated by layers of flourless chocolate cake, from my very favorite bakery, <a href="http://flourbakery.com/">Flour</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very funny, my dear!</td></tr>
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If you want to give me a gift for my birthday (because duh, why wouldn't you?),<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be"> head on over to Goodreads and add Meant to Be to your to-read list</a>. And guess what? I've seen cover comps, and they're AWESOME! Soon that little brown box will have a real live cover in it. <br />
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Speaking of book news, my editor approved the outline for book 2, and I'll be starting that right around Christmas (when I have a glorious 10 paid days off for the winter break ... thanks Harvard!). I'll share some info on it as soon as I get the a-ok (publishing is so full of secrets!), but it's another book set during travel, and this one is told from two perspectives! I'm really REALLY excited to get started on.<br />
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One other thing ... GO SEE THE MUPPET MOVIE! It's bursting with joy and happiness. You won't regret it ... and yes, I definitely teared up when Kermit started singing "The Rainbow Connection." *sob* <br />
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I'll leave you with this cute picture of the Boy and the dog crashed out after a morning of decorating the tree while watching Charlie Brown Christmas. Poor kids, all tuckered out!<br />
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<br />Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-59589899641901053172011-11-27T12:29:00.001-05:002011-11-27T12:52:28.502-05:00Happy HolidazeI'm in a post-Thanksgiving coma! 20 hours in the car round trip is EXHAUSTING, and I'm glad to be spending my Sunday vegging at home, reading I<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10335308-is-everyone-hanging-out-without-me">s Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?</a> by Mindy Kaling, and smelling homemade enchiladas cooking. I even made my own margarita mix (simple syrup with lime/lemon/orange zest, the juice of many limes, 2 oranges, and 1 lemons, plus tequila).<br />
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I'm also starting to get the house ready for holiday decorations. We're getting a REAL. LIVE. TREE. this year, and I'm psyched to cover it with ornaments and have the scent of evergreen fill my house. This will only be the second time we've had our own tree. It usually seems like a big production to put it up and take it down, when we're gone for the whole week around Christmas. But this year we're doing Christmas in Boston!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decorating back in 2009</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our very first Christmas tree, Bloomington, IN</td></tr>
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And yes, the Christmas music is on full rotation. Currently enjoying "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses and "Christmas in Hollis" by RUN-DMC<br />
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Before I go, a huge thanks to Danya at <a href="http://atapestryofwords.blogspot.com/">A Tapestry of Words</a>, who included <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a> in her <a href="http://atapestryofwords.blogspot.com/2011/11/signed-sealed-delivered-meant-to-be-and.html">Signed, Sealed, Delivered post</a> on Thursday. So awesome to hear that people are looking forward to it! We're now officially less than a year from publication .. holy crap! SO. EXCITING!Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-45243902588476956862011-11-22T21:06:00.001-05:002011-11-23T10:17:25.796-05:00Lights, please? It's time to get psyched for the holidays!Tomorrow I embark on a road trip from Boston to Ohio with Boy and dog in tow. I've got my laptop with AC adaptor charger, my notebook with many pens, and 9 library books to make the trip totally awesome. I never dread a long drive. We'll make it as far as we can tomorrow, stop for the night, then drive the rest of the way Thursday morning.<br />
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I'm not a big Thanksgiving fan. I love food and eating, but I have a relatively small appetite, so the dinner portion of the experience goes pretty fast for me. And believe it or not, I don't really like leftovers (I know... if you ever see me take leftovers home from a restaurant, it's because I'm too polite to have the waiter throw away my food. Instead I take it home in a box, leave it in my fridge for a day, THEN throw it away ... I suck).<br />
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For me, Thanksgiving has always been a day where the entire family hangs out in the family room, the parade followed by football is on tv, we eat, we snooze, we might eat again, we might play a board game, but mostly we just hang out. And that's awesome, but for me, Thanksgiving is just really the starter's pistol that sets me off and running towards the best holiday of all...<br />
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I love Christmas! December is so full of excitement for me, kicking off with my birthday on December 2. I set the tradition long ago that my birthday is the day I deck my house out for the holidays.<br />
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First, there's Christmas music, which I'll start listening to on the way home from Thanksgiving, whether the Boy and the dog like it or not! Confession: I love love LOVE Christina Aguilera's version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas! (warning, she gets a little off in this live version ... the album version gives me serious chills, though)<br />
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And of course, Mariah goes on heavy rotation:<br />
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I also love Christmas oldies, including "What Christmas Means to Me" and "Someday at Christmas" by Stevie Wonder. I'd share my Christmas playlist with you, but there's 167 songs on it... yes, I have a problem. No, I don't care to solve it.<br />
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But it doesn't just stop at Christmas music ... there's the Christmas movies, too!<br />
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I have an unending debate with my friend <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/Patrick_Donohue">Patrick</a> over whether or not Love Actually is a Christmas movie. I say absolutely yes (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christmas_films">and so does Wikipedia</a>!). He vehemently disagrees. Where do you guys fall on that one?<br />
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I also love watching Christmas Vacation ... enjoy this scene! (Not at work though ... NSFW due to language.)<br />
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I actually saw Elf in the theater, totally against my wishes, thinking it was just another stupid Will Ferrell kiddie movie. Oh how wrong I was. I love Elf! How could you not?<br />
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But the best of all....<br />
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A Charlie Brown Christmas. I love Linus, and during this scene my heart feels like it's going to burst from its chest and I get a lil tear in my eye. It's not Christmas until I've watched this very scene about ten bajillion times.<br />
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I'm also a big fan of All I Want for Christmas (an often-forgotten early 90s piece of awesome cinema), A Christmas Story, The Family Stone, The Holiday, It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Scrooged, The Muppet Christmas Carol (well, really ANY version of A Christmas Carol, except for the one with Jim Carrey ... no thank you), Rudolph and the stop-motion/claymation classics, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (ok, so not totally in the Christmas spirit, but I love it anyway).<br />
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Holy crap, just putting all this together is getting me so psyched up for the Christmas season.<br />
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BTW, one way I definitely WON'T be getting in the Christmas spirit? Black Friday. I've never participated, and I don't intend to. Ever. I <i>will</i> be trying to do the whole shop local thing for the holidays this year. I'll definitely be checking out my favorite local book shops to try and fill all my gift-giving needs!<br />
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So, what about you? Christmas music? Christmas movies? Baking Christmas cookies? How do you get in the holiday spirit?<br />
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<br />Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-75654595856739196582011-11-18T11:27:00.001-05:002011-11-18T13:28:56.213-05:00I have been hiding ... and here's whyI'm woefully behind on NaNoWriMo. Like, possibly so far behind that without some kind of Popeye-inspired feat of strength and a hiccup in the time space continuum, I likely won't hit 50k by November 30th.<br />
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But here's the thing.<br />
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I'm not quitting.<br />
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I'm going to keep writing, and even if I only hit 20k or 15k on November 30, I'm still going to call that a win. Why? Because that's 20k or 15k more than I had on November 1. Progress! And that's what NaNoWriMo is really all about. And who knows, maybe with that never-say-die attitude, I might actually hit 50k during my epic Thanksgiving road trip to Ohio.<br />
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And now onto the <i>why</i> I'm not making my NaNoWriMo goals ... well, remember when I said I got a new job? Well, new job is AWESOME, but it is also BUSY. I work in admissions, our deadline is December 2 (which also happens to be my birthday). So I'm busy learning a brand new job while also working through the busiest and most stressful season of that job's year. So yeah, I haven't been getting my hour-long lunch-writing breaks in.<br />
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I've also been knee-deep in roller derby, even though it's the off-season. Long story short, the <a href="http://bostonderbydames.com/">Boston Derby Dames</a> have, in the past, practices at rinks and community centers all over the city. Lots of commuting, lots of hauling gear, lots of changing wheels to adapt to different types of floors. Well, as a member of the league executive board, I've been helping a team of skaters who are looking for a permanent home for our league. And we found one! We're going through the arduous legal process of securing a warehouse space in Somerville that we can call home.<br />
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The good news is that even though I haven't been writing as much, I've definitely been reading. I finished <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone">Daughter of Smoke and Bone</a> (Laini Taylor is an ARTIST. Her writing is just beautiful. I don't know how she weaves those stories, but WOW). And then I read <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9943245-au-revoir-crazy-european-chick">Au Revoir Crazy European Chick</a> in one sitting. That's a fun book that is destined to be a movie. If you have reluctant boy readers, put this book in their hands. They'll love it. And THEN I read <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9842947-pretty-bad-things">Pretty Bad Things</a> by CJ Skuse ... in one day! That's another good one to put in the hand of a reluctant boy. That's two books in two days, and now I'm on to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665671-please-ignore-vera-dietz">Please Ignore Vera Dietz</a> by AS King.Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-75067429474127315362011-11-11T12:39:00.001-05:002011-11-11T12:46:48.019-05:00My 11:11 Wishes1. That you all love reading <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a> as much as I loved writing it. That you think my jokes are funny, my love interests are studly, and my main character, Julia, is someone you'd want to be friends with. It's a good year before it hits shelves, but some of you will be lucky enough to read it as early as the summer maybe (I've even heard there's a copy floating around Random House right now that folks are reading ... eek!). It's a sweet, funny, swoony story, and I just can't wait to hear what you think of it!<br />
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2. That I can get some kind of first draft done by the end of 2011. Working at a college means you actually get a full week+ of vacation around the New Year, because we close for winter break! That's many many days of uninterrupted writing time.<br />
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3. That 2012 brings as many amazing reads as I've had in 2011. Lola and the Boy Next Door, If I Stay/Where She Went, Mostly Good Girls, Fixing Delilah, Amy and Roger's Epic Detour ... I've had some great times reading this year. Many more to come, I hope!<br />
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What did you wish for on 11:11?Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-12385900721383430552011-11-07T10:34:00.001-05:002011-11-07T10:34:27.979-05:00NaNoWriMo Day 7: Procrastination Nation<b>Current Word Count: 9,922</b> <br />
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Here are all the ways I procrastinated this weekend, instead of being a good lil NaNo and meeting my word count:<br />
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I finally went to Target and bought a frame for my Boston postcards. Not only that, I actually put the postcards in the frame AND hung it! Um, and tonight I plan to hang all my derby awards/pictures ... but I'll write tonight, too. I swear!<br />
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While at Target, I took a swing through the toy aisle. Because, why not? Aaaaaaaaand I came home with a 1000 piece puzzle of a vintage travel poster. We're a little bit farther now than when this photo was taken, but there's still several hundred puzzles pieces waiting to be snapped into place. This will provide quality procrastination FOR DAYZ.<br />
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I changed my closet over for winter, stored away all my sandals and sundresses (sob!), and got all my sweaters and jackets out. I don't know if you actually change over your closet, but I highly recommend it. Not only do you get more storage space, but when you open up your storage box, you'll get to see all those cute wool skirts and sweaters that you forgot you had. Early Christmas!<br />
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I made a scrapbook page for my teammate, <a href="http://bostonderbydames.com/index.cfm?cdid=10352">Claire D. Way</a>, who made <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-USA-Roller-Derby/194917163892948">Team USA</a> for the first ever roller derby <a href="http://rollerderbyworldcup.blog.com/">World Cup</a>. She leaves for Denver this week to train, and then is off to Canada to compete. Our team made her a scrapbook full of fun pep talks and inspiration to take with her (my pep talk went in the little white cloud in the middle ... but I decided not to share it with the Internet).<br />
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I'm also in the middle of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone">Daughter of Smoke and Bone</a> by <a href="http://www.lainitaylor.com/">Laini Taylor</a>. It's a little bit too much paranormal for me, but it's ok because the story at the heart of all those monsters and angels is FREAKING AWESOME. I totally don't care that the sexy guy has wings or that people are walking around with animal parts of everyone has names I can't pronounce ... I'm sucked in. I'm reading it now in hopes of going to the <a href="http://www.foreveryoungadult.com/fya-book-club-locations/">Forever YA book club</a> in my area, but I don't know if I'll finish in time. Oh well, still an excellent read!<br />
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Turns out the weekends are by far the hardest for me to buckle down and write. I do better on the weekdays, when I'm cramming 15 minute sprints in between meetings and lunches and bedtime. It's the same phenomenon that kept me from being a productive writer when I was only working part time. But never fear, NaNoWriMos... because though I fell just a bit short of my required Sunday word count, it was only by a little. Little enough that I can easily make it up today and be back on track to finish. By the end of today, I <b>WILL </b>have 11,669.<br />
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<br />Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-78577163945267309192011-11-04T11:08:00.000-04:002011-11-04T11:08:09.418-04:00NaNoWriMo: Day 4<b><u>Current Word Count</u>: 6,949</b><br />
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Work was busy yesterday, so I wasn't able to take my standard lunch hour to eat and write. And then I got home and did something stupid ... I watched the pilot for Revenge. I can't help it! So many of you are going bananas for it on Twitter, so I had to see what all the fuss was about.<br />
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Uh, I totally get it. This show is crazy campy and borderline ridiculous, but it's somehow aware of itself in a way that makes it cool and ok. And it's ADDICTING. I watched three episodes last night. But then I realized it was almost 10pm, and I still hadn't written a word. Uh oh.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily Thorne says knock that shit off and write, dammit!</td></tr>
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I was far enough ahead on my overall word count that I could have afforded to skip the day. I was totally tempted. I even closed my laptop and curled up in bed, ready to leave my word count behind. But who skips day 3? Seriously! It's way too early to start slacking, so I opened up Scrivener bound and determined to write SOMETHING. And what came out was an epic meltdown scene for my main character, which may or may not have been inspired by 3 hours of the 21st century version of Dynasty.<br />
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<br />I didn't quite hit my daily word count, but I'm still ahead enough that it was ok. And today I'm going to make up for it by churning out an awesome follow-up scene where my main character has to pay for her epic meltdown.<br />
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And I'll probably watch some more Revenge ...<br />
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If you want to add me as a writing buddy on the NaNo website, just <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/laurenemorrill">click here</a> (my username is laurenemorrill, same as Twitter!)Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-82985794538476684902011-11-02T11:55:00.005-04:002011-11-02T11:56:00.530-04:00NaNoWriMo: DAY 2!Well, that first shiny day, when everything is possible and you think you might actually write 50k in ONE WEEK ... is over! Now we're on to day 2. Things are still sort of shiny, and if you wrote ahead yesterday, then you're feeling pretty comfortable. If you didn't? You're already feeling the pressure to break even or *shudder* catch up.<br />
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I'm up to 4,111 words, but I haven't written anything yet today (saving that for lunch). I'm definitely going to hit 5,000 today, maybe more if I'm a good little writer. The key for me is to get ahead in the early days, so that when I hit the dreaded middle, I can slog through without my procrastination doing too much damage. Then the end is just a dead spring downhill.<br />
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This is just a pop in to share my progress and hopefully inspire you guys to put your fingers on the keyboard and get writing. SO GET WRITING! And if you need a moment more of procrastination, here's a few fun things:<br />
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This NaNo wallpaper is pretty adorable, and it features a quote from the Gospel According to John Green. Amen. This came from a Tumblr user named <a href="http://serendipity-is-my-stripper-name.tumblr.com/post/12104536418">serendipity-is-my-stripper-name</a> (which is also pretty awesome).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIp-S8fHvoVQMjd1GI48ALcF6-EsGg_3TfyYXABRhF_bgu1h4JnR5T7ScUv5-u9WF5QDBt8vD2rJeJTBeiVx2Kafsx-1TzRSkn2l81KbeVmDrIYP3vPBjRrpPw7ouVS3z_WHGHX0SM6Q/s1600/writing+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIp-S8fHvoVQMjd1GI48ALcF6-EsGg_3TfyYXABRhF_bgu1h4JnR5T7ScUv5-u9WF5QDBt8vD2rJeJTBeiVx2Kafsx-1TzRSkn2l81KbeVmDrIYP3vPBjRrpPw7ouVS3z_WHGHX0SM6Q/s400/writing+room.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another tumblr post, this one from YA author <a href="http://robynisrarelyfunny.tumblr.com/post/12230720783/nanowrimo-time-to-make-a-writing-fort">Robyn Schneider</a> ... isn't this writing fort just lovely? If I had a space like this, I could write ALL. THE. BOOKS.<br />
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And finally, some inspiration for when the going gets tough (and it will ... oh it will)<br />
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If you're looking for some more procrastination (because everyone needs a few minutes of mindless entertainment to keep the words flowing!) <a href="http://laurenmorrill.tumblr.com/">head on over to my tumblr</a>. There will be plenty of mindless fun full of YA quotes, Downton Abbey, good looking fellas, and feminist humor.Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-17279619841615771262011-11-01T09:57:00.002-04:002011-11-01T09:57:58.806-04:00Happy NaNoWriMo!First thing's first, thanks to everyone who jumped on board my one-day-giveaway of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8673931-possess">Possess by Gretchen McNeil</a>! The contest ended at midnight, but I was fast asleep at that point, so I drew a winner this morning. Congrats to <b style="color: #674ea7;">Jesse B</b>! I sent you and email, Jesse, so keep your eyes peeled.<br />
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So now that the Halloween giveaway closed and we've dawned on November 1st ... <br />
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Yes, I am participating in NaNoWriMo this year. Yes, I've participated a few other times. No, I've never won. In fact, I usually don't make it past the first week. But this is the year, friends, I can feel it. I've got a great new idea (some of you saw on Twitter, but I've got a kickin' new character who, in my notes, I described as Lola Nolan + Blair Waldorf). I've got an excellent strategy (just write scenes, don't worry too much about flow). I've got my snazzy new MacBook Air to tote around with me everywhere so I can always write when inspiration hits. I'm using Scrivener to keep track of all my scraps of writing and my word counts. I've got <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/nanowordsprints">NaNoWordSprints</a> added on Twitter for some healthy competition and motivation. I might even hit up a local write-in or two!<br />
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Mark my words, blog readers. This year, I will win.<br />
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But in order to do that, I need you, writer and reader friends. I need you to motivate me. Kick my ass. Make me write! You can harass me via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorlauren">Facebook</a>, you can <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/laurenemorrill">Tweet at me</a> like a drill sergeant, or you can leave inspirational comments right here on this very blog. And anyone who does this who is ALSO doing NaNoWriMo will get their very own inspirational, drill sergeant-y, harassing (with love!) e-pep-talks from me!<br />
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So c'mon, let's go write our 1,667 words of the day RIGHT. NOW. Ready? GO! Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-28257307989482512512011-10-31T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-31T10:40:38.968-04:00Happy Halloween! Let's celebrate with a FREE BOOK!It's here!<br />
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Sadly, Halloween is on a Monday, which means I'm not dressed up or planning on doing anything spectacular tonight other than going to bed early. I live in an apartment building in Cambridge, so we don't get any trick-or-treaters (though I will buy one bag of candy <i>just in case</i>, and then eat it all myself when we, once again, don't get any knocks at the door). <br />
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We did do a little Halloween celebrating this weekend, when we got together with a couple friends and volunteered as chaperones for the annual Halloween Dance hosted by the <a href="http://www.bagly.org/">Boston Alliance for GLBT Teens</a>. The dance is meant to provide a safe, fun, bully-free space for youth to celebrate the holiday. It was a little hard for me to believe I was at a Halloween dance <i>as a chaperone</i>, but it was actually really fun. Watching a bunch of wicked cool, be-costumed GLBT Teens and Allies lose their mind to Katy Perry's Firework might be the most adorable thing I've ever seen.<br />
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The chaperones were encouraged to dress up, so I ran to the costume shop and picked up two little items to make a kickass costume:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNr6ShLbymhozXFr30eDdqzX_1GgKLHfvvz-xwDwq7qvUHCE4isCKX-2LqDmXTIJEioA1r6z39IGi_3SptCJsC2v47BPJs53wSejpX3VA1JbNccZXxamLd84-js4C9FQ4ecZvPrYpMHOE/s1600/ae1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNr6ShLbymhozXFr30eDdqzX_1GgKLHfvvz-xwDwq7qvUHCE4isCKX-2LqDmXTIJEioA1r6z39IGi_3SptCJsC2v47BPJs53wSejpX3VA1JbNccZXxamLd84-js4C9FQ4ecZvPrYpMHOE/s400/ae1.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amelia Earhart!</td></tr>
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Being a chaperone required a non-slutty, youth-appropriate Halloween costume (plus being a derby girl, the novelty of going outside without pants on has long since worn off....), so this was a perfect costume for a history nerd like me. Plus, it was comfortable and warm! BONUS!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bH_lI_sa-IJrqSOr41AUej4PaNc52wMEX21H7RfpzkQh2O6Ul6fxWCkN4JO5rf6DEel2PVFcJbGMZV89Bc_cBFj6ExH9Hm5vPpCJT7cgnbaYriHgmjTu-m2-RTBLNlWlFZ79LXnRONM/s1600/ae2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bH_lI_sa-IJrqSOr41AUej4PaNc52wMEX21H7RfpzkQh2O6Ul6fxWCkN4JO5rf6DEel2PVFcJbGMZV89Bc_cBFj6ExH9Hm5vPpCJT7cgnbaYriHgmjTu-m2-RTBLNlWlFZ79LXnRONM/s400/ae2.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Anyway, Halloween fun was had by all. But the holiday is not over yet, so I want to spread some more Halloween cheer! As I mentioned last night on Twitter,<b> I'm giving away a copy of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8673931-possess">Possess</a> by <a href="http://www.gretchenmcneil.com/">Gretchen McNeil</a></b>. Gretchen is a fellow Apocalypsie (and shares the coolest name ever with my mom!). Possess is a super creepy, really engaging mystery/thriller that I think is totally in the spirit of the holiday, and if you haven't read it, you definitely need to.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2d6gnfY6-IxiEmRwnnnahj8tF52t7VeLAmPofWebjqR4tHuDd_H8VTpTnPk0q3OGVOrFEp0VaOsgk14mEs7YNu0u7pWejNNbsqWKRZT-13bvk_uJ3b9PXjlZ8BWGX4pMIDKW-vWAdWQ/s1600/possess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2d6gnfY6-IxiEmRwnnnahj8tF52t7VeLAmPofWebjqR4tHuDd_H8VTpTnPk0q3OGVOrFEp0VaOsgk14mEs7YNu0u7pWejNNbsqWKRZT-13bvk_uJ3b9PXjlZ8BWGX4pMIDKW-vWAdWQ/s400/possess.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Since this is a Halloween giveaway, and today is Halloween, we're doing this quick and dirty. All you have to do is <b>comment on this post by midnight</b> (um, the witching hour!), and you're entered to win! And while you're commenting, why don't you <b>tell me your all-time favorite Halloween costume</b> (links to pictures would be AWESOME). I'll announce the winner tomorrow and will ship the book out to you asap. Tweeting and Facebook sharing is always appreciated, but this time around it'll just be out of the kindness of your own heart.<br />
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I think Amelia is up there with my all-time fave costumes, but here's a good one my mom made me when I was just 2 (maybe 3?).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYWP7-VZaO1TkOnCFmQIDHvR1d68nMQUGDSYQ3CePCeZAah-CEGd1rmAA3WPFfSoCZTWaNgi9x0Ymr5fi53yBv_gDkEJyKfada4q3bOHyE0DmI10A-rupM7j8VBlALn7N4YLjK3izPbE/s1600/ladybug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYWP7-VZaO1TkOnCFmQIDHvR1d68nMQUGDSYQ3CePCeZAah-CEGd1rmAA3WPFfSoCZTWaNgi9x0Ymr5fi53yBv_gDkEJyKfada4q3bOHyE0DmI10A-rupM7j8VBlALn7N4YLjK3izPbE/s400/ladybug.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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That's lil Lauren as a ladybug, in a costume lovingly made by my mom. I was pretty cute, huh? Hope you all have a fantastic holiday filled with candy and super-scary books (like Possess! Enter to win!)<br />
<br />Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-36100507439170758532011-10-27T13:11:00.000-04:002011-10-27T13:11:00.503-04:00This post is brought to you by...I subscribe to several fashion blogs. This is weird on a number of levels. First of all, I'm only "stylish" if jeans, tees, tanks, flip flops, or ballet flats happen to be in season. Which I think means I'm fashionable for a few months every couple of years. And I'm totally fine with that. If I had lots of money, I'd buy the entirety of an Anthropologie store, but beyond that, I just can't bring myself to get that into fashion. I think the blogs are just pretty inspiration for me and my writing. Besides, I may not be stylish, but some of my characters are. I owe it to them to dress them in something other than jeans and ballet flats.<br />
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But this isn't a post about fashion. It's a post about sponsorships. Because on fashion blogs, you'll always see "Dress c/o..." or "Shoes courtesy of..." or "This outfit brought to you by..." Jessica Quirk of <a href="http://whatiwore.tumblr.com/">What I Wore</a> is a tremendous hustler when it comes to sponsorships. She's got Modcloth and Timex and Coach on the regular, plus all the fabulous other freebies she stumbles across (btw, Jessica and I both went to IU, graduated in the same year, and she was in the same sorority as one of my very best friends ... also, she dated one of my boyfriend's best friends, so we were in the same circle, but never met. That can happen at a gigantic state school...)<br />
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So all that is to say that I'm now thinking about what it would be like to be a sponsored author. What brands would I want to hawk on my writing blog?<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><u>Apple</u></span></b><br />
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Who amongst all ye writers out there wouldn't give your first born book to be sponsored by Apple? To have <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/">iPads</a> and <a href="http://www.apple.com/iphone/">iPhones </a>and <a href="http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_air">MacBook Airs</a> just APPEAR in your mailbox? I would vlog EVERY. DAY. OF. MY. LIFE. and wear only tee shirts with the Apple logo and make all my characters Mac nerds just to get sponsored by the almighty Apple.<br />
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And it's not just lusting over the shiny products. I use the time on my iPhone to do word sprints when I'm first drafting. 10 and 15 minute increments are perfect for getting words on the page. I use the Evernote app to keep track of ideas and brainstorms when I'm on the go. I write using Scrivener on my MacBook Air and my shiny new iMac. If I had an iPad? Oh the writing I could do on the go <br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><u>Post-It</u></span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.post-it.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Post_It/Global/">Post-Its</a> are a necessity for me during my revision process, mostly because I revise on a hard copy. Thus, I print out the entire beast of a manuscript and set about flagging all the passages that need adjustment. This helps me visualize my progress and also not miss an important revision. If Post-It were to sponsor my writing, I could have a rainbow of stickies in all shapes and sizes. I could have the ruled notepads for outlining, the little flags for revisions, the fun shapes for drafting.<br />
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<u> <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Coke</span></b></u><br />
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Ok, I think I need my <i>life</i> should be sponsored by <a href="http://www.coca-cola.com/en/index.html">Coke</a>, but my writing definitely owes a lot that fizzy beverage, too. I think about 93% of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a> was brought to you by a very large Coke. I prefer a fountain Coke (preferably from McDonald's. Did you know they have their own formula of Coke? It's seriously the best), followed by a nice cold can. I really hate the 20oz plastic bottles. I think they go flat really fast and just don't taste as good. And yes, I'm more than a little crazy when it comes to my consumption of Coca-Cola.<br />
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What are your author brands? Your can't-live-without-them writing products?Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-35165236443115069422011-10-25T12:51:00.000-04:002011-10-25T13:08:30.837-04:00My Favorite Book CoversIf you follow me on <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/laurenemorrill">Twitter</a> or <a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorlauren">Facebook</a>, you know that last week my editor sent me a couple proofs for the cover of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721314-meant-to-be">Meant to Be</a>. I believe the postings all had a lot of capital letters and exclamation points ... you definitely couldn't miss them. There were about three different cover designs in different colors, adding up to seven total proofs. <br />
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I supposed the number one question I've been asked since I sold the book is, "Do you get to pick the cover?" The answer is no, but it's a little more complicated. The cover is made by an incredible talented graphic designer (thanks Heather!), who collaborates with my editor to get it just right. But marketing of course can get involved, as can actual booksellers like Barns & Noble and Amazon. When I received the proofs, I wrote back with my opinions, but I knew that while the folks at Random House are kind and listen to what I have to say, the decision is ultimately up to them. <br />
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Luckily, all seven of the cover options ROCKED. And though I have a favorite, I'd be wicked psyched to see any of them on the shelves at my local Barnes & Noble. I wish I could share it with you, but that's a ways off. For now, I'm going to leave you with a selection of some of my favorite book covers ... since I loved what Heather at Random House did so much, I guess you could say this collection of amazing covers serves as a bit of a hint!<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49750.An_Abundance_of_Katherines">An Abundance of Katherines</a> by <a href="http://johngreenbooks.com/">John Green</a><br />
The paperback cover is widely known to be an epic fail (even John Green says so), but the original hardback cover was unique and fresh. It captured the spirit of the book and the characters, and definitely made me want to read it before I really even knew how great John Green is. And best of all? <a href="http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/youngreaders/minisites/john_green/">Dutton is re-releasing the paperback version, and they're hosting a contest for fans to design the new cover!</a> I also think the cover to his upcoming book, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11870085-the-fault-in-our-stars">The Fault in Our Stars</a>, is bold and badass, too.<br />
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<a href="http://digitalbookshelf.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/this-lullaby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://digitalbookshelf.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/this-lullaby.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22205.This_Lullaby">This Lullaby</a> by <a href="http://sarahdessen.com/">Sarah Dessen</a><br />
I love Sarah Dessen books. I don't always love the covers. This one, though, perfectly encapsulates everything that is sweet and delicate and perfect about This Lullaby.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IYXjk4-NbQA/TSTvEZud8VI/AAAAAAAAA6k/Hx3S5XMZKsA/8591107%5B3%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IYXjk4-NbQA/TSTvEZud8VI/AAAAAAAAA6k/Hx3S5XMZKsA/8591107%5B3%5D.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8591107-the-unbecoming-of-mara-dyer">The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer</a> by <a href="http://michellehodkin.com/">Michelle Hodkin</a><br />
I had almost no early interest in this book until I saw the cover. It's both beautiful and haunting. And where can I buy this dress? <br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46190.Love_is_a_Mix_Tape">Love Is A Mix Tape</a> by <a href="http://www.robsheffield.com/">Rob Sheffield</a><br />
I LOVE GRAPHIC COVERS! I strongly prefer them to photos. The brighter the colors, the quirkier the design, the more it looks like it could be for sale on Etsy, the better. This looks like a print I want for the wall of my office, not just a book cover. <br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7529.I_Love_Everybody">I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies)</a> by <a href="http://idiotgirls.com/">Lauries Notaro</a><br />
If a book is going to have a photo of a person on it, though, I prefer not seeing the face. I know, the decapitated cover girl is kind of an overused trope, but there's a reason. It gets in the way of a reader imagining the character (or even better, imagining <i>herself</i> as the character), when there's already such a clear example of who that person is. Also, if you haven't read anything by Laurie Notaro, I highly recommend it. Her memoirs are a scream, and I've read this one maybe three times.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9638418-gimme-a-call">Gimme a Call</a> by <a href="http://www.sarahm.com/">Sarah Mlynowski</a><br />
I love the paperback cover for Gimme a Call. The colors. The outfit. The vintage phone. The fonts. It all comes together to look like a book that will jump straight of the shelves and into my bag.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ransomriggs.com/storage/miss%20p%20book%20cover%20with%20border.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1294703597923" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.ransomriggs.com/storage/miss%20p%20book%20cover%20with%20border.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1294703597923" width="207" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9460487-miss-peregrine-s-home-for-peculiar-children">Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</a> by <a href="http://www.ransomriggs.com/">Ransom Riggs</a><br />
It's pretty hard to have your book cover suck when the name on the front is Ransom Riggs. Ransom freakin' Riggs. And this book cover doesn't disappoint. What looks, at first glance, like a simple cover, is actually really complex and visually interesting. I just keep looking and looking, drawn in by so many elements of the picture.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8535447-reunited">Reunited</a> by <a href="http://www.hilarygraham.com/">Hilary Weisman Graham</a><br />
Hilary is a fellow Apocalypsie, and I got to see this cover on her iPhone not long after she received it. I was already intrigued by the premise of Reunited, but I'm not an ounce ashamed to say that the moment I saw this cover, I was like, "Yup, going to read this one on release day." Perhaps I'm a very specific breed of YA fan, but when I see a cover like this, I just <i>know</i> the book is going to be my cup of tea. It's bright and cute, stylish but not cheesy, and gives me a sense of the characters without serving them to me on a silver platter. I can't wait to read Reunited for the book cover alone.<br />
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And a final shoutout to all the UK covers of all the Sarah Dessen novels. If I could have book covers like these, I'd be fine just locking myself in a room and staring at them all day long. Aren't they just lovely?<br />
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<br />Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4199127730430431362.post-42041133613338227232011-10-20T13:40:00.000-04:002011-10-20T13:44:58.567-04:00I'll read anything by ...This post is brought to you by the last week, when I picked up <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10637697-past-perfect">Past Perfect</a>, burned through it in about 2 days, then promptly got <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7775824-mostly-good-girls">Mostly Good Girls</a>, which I read in another 2 days. And now? Now I'll read anything <a href="http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Leila-Sales/70251553">Leila Sales</a> writes. Ever.<br />
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A couple quick reviews:<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10637697-past-perfect">Past Perfect</a> is ... oh god, I'm going to do it ... well, it's perfect. I mean, the book is about teenagers who work at a Colonial Reenactment Village, and they stage a summer-long war with the kids who work at the Civil War Reenactment camp across the street. Oh, and there's a little Romeo and Juliet going on there, too. It's sweet and funny and swoony, and then at the end, it pack an incredible emotional punch.<br />
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When I finished, I wanted more of the Leila Sales voice. MORE I SAY! I grabbed her debut novel, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7775824-mostly-good-girls">Mostly Good Girls</a>. MGG isn't about anything, in the traditional sense. There's no twist or hook or interesting plot device. It's essentially a book about friendship and growing up. But this book is all voice. It's Opera, I tell you. Voilet, the main character, leaps off the page. It reads as if you're hanging out in a coffee shop and Violet is just filling you on life, with lots of snarky sarcasm and jokes to color the story. MGG reminded me that you can write a perfect YA novel without any ghosts or vampires or characters getting amnesia or nearly dying. You can write a perfect YA novel that's just about getting through every day as a teenage girl. Can I say perfect again? It's perfect. PERFECT!<br />
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So Leila Sales? Yeah, she goes on the list. I will preorder anything she writes from now until forever. I want her characters to sit on my couch and be my friends and just talk to me while we eat brownies and drink root beer. Leila Sales joins a pretty great list ... these are the authors for whom I will preorder YEARS in advance if I have to.<br />
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<a href="http://johngreenbooks.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">John Green</span></a><br />
John Green has definitely never written a miss. All hits. Top 40. Beatles, I Wanna Hold Your Hand-style hits. Don't ask me to pick a favorite. I really don't understand people who do ... how did you make that choice, Sophie?<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_798351309"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></a><br />
<a href="http://courtneysummers.ca/"><span style="font-size: large;">Courtney Summers </span></a><br />
I picked up <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3521484-cracked-up-to-be">Cracked Up To Be</a> at my local library a couple years ago, based solely on the cover. I'd never heard a word about it, and I didn't even read the blurb on the back. I just threw it on my stack and headed to the check out desk. I've been a CS fan ever since. The emotional weight to her writing and the grit to her characters makes reading her books an <i>experience</i>. Her upcoming book is a bit of a detour for her (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12043771-this-is-not-a-test">it's about zombies</a>), but I'll read it anyway. And even though zombies scare me and I'm not a big paranormal fan, I'm pretty sure it'll be excellent.<br />
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<a href="http://www.meganmccafferty.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">Megan McCafferty </span></a><br />
Here's another author whose voice is so strong I'll read her even if she writes a YA novel about centipedes. Those would be some damn funny centipedes, I tell you. I'm really looking forward to the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8517207-bumped">Bumped</a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9709495-thumped">sequel</a>. <br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_798351293"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></a><br />
<a href="http://sarahdessen.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">Sarah Dessen</span></a><br />
Her novels are like big, fluffy quilts. Comfortable, homey, perfect for a snow day or a rainy day or a beach day. Her characters are sweet and relatable, and the fact that she brings old ones back for cameo appearances makes reading them a little bit like an Easter egg hunt, except instead of chocolate you get to find out what Remy and Dexter have been up to.<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_798351284"><br /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://stephanieperkins.com/">Stephanie Perkins</a> </span><br />
SWOON. 'nuff said. (Is <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9627755-isla-and-the-happily-ever-after">Isla</a> out yet? Is it????)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://sarahockler.com/">Sarah Ockler</a></span><br />
Her books are a lot like Dessen books, in that I always know it's going to be a fun, funny, comforting experience to read whatever she writes. I nearly broke my mouse adding <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12478533-the-language-of-impossible-dreams">The Language of Impossible Dreams</a> on GoodReads (as if a good, hearty click will make it come faster!)<br />
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<b><u>QUESTION</u>: Who are your "must preorder" authors? </b>Leave your answers in the comments!Lauren Morrill (Mona Mour)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00082745040182589130noreply@blogger.com0