Greetings and Salutations!

Sorry for the week-long absence from blogging ... between revisions and travel, life was a little upside down. Last weekend I was in Portland for roller derby, where the Boston Massacre played 3 games in 3 days (we only won 1 of them, but we're feeling really strong about our performance as a team, so no sad faces!).

I fell in love with Portland IMMIDIATELY. Food trucks? Voodoo Doughtnuts? POWELL'S BOOKS?! Oh hell yes. Powell's was my number one must-see location for the entire trip, and I managed to hit it on the first day. I picked up a tee shirt (of course), and then bee-lined for the massive YA section. I was NOT disappointed. I decided to buy a copy of Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, because I didn't finish my library copy, and I think I want to take my time with it. There's a lot going on there (Libba Bray does NOT write for dummies). And then the find of all finds: an 80s-era copy of Just As Long As We're Together by Judy Blume! It was my FAVORITE book as a kid. I read it a million times, and it was the book that made me think maybe I'd like to write books for a living. Sadly, my mom accidentally donated it after I left for college. I bought another copy, but it had some modern, redesigned cover. Boo. But at Powell's, the used books are integrated in with the new editions, so I was able to find the original cover! I swear, as soon as I pulled it off the shelf, I started to tear up...

Here's a little photo tour of my awesome adventure in Portland:

A gorgeous latte from Stumptown Coffee

I visited the spot in Powell's kickin' YA section where Meant to Be will live!

Found a copy of my favorite book, with the cover I remember from my childhood

My total haul from Powell's ... I could have spent all the money in my bank account EASY

The Boston Massacre with our custom lobster doughnut from Voodoo Doughnuts!

Other than that, revisions are done and sent, and it looks like we're ready to move on to the next book of my 2-book contract (yay!). This means you'll be seeing a lot more posts about drafting (I'll try not to whine too much...).

Oh, and one other fun thing. There's a new contemporary blog on the block! A couple of ravenous contemporary readers have started For the Love of Contemporary, which launches on September 1. I, for one, can't wait! It's no secret that while I'll read a paranormal or dystopian from time to time, my one true love is contemporary. I read it, I write it, I love it. Can't wait to see what's what over there!