Road Trip Wednesday

This Week's Topic:

When you need creative inspiration, where do you go?

Road Trip Song of the Week: "Where'd You Go?" - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Hmm, where would I go would result in a much different answer that where do I got, but I'll stick to topic :)

Usually, it's not necessarily a matter of needing inspiration, but a matter of clearing my mind and allowing seedling thoughts to break through the surface. And the place I most often go to kick-start this process is not that exciting: my bathroom. There's really nothing like a steamy bath or shower to get the creative juices flowing!

The second most common place for inspiration to strike is on my commute to and from work! Every weekday, I find a good window seat and stare out the window for a good, solid hour. And like magic, my most gnarled of plots untangle themselves as I ride. It's fantastic :)

Should both those options fail, then it's time for a writing break - That's when I get back out into the world and experience something: go for a walk, meet up with friends, go to a movie, visit a museum, soak up some sun at an outdoor bar or cafe (especially if it's on the river) - you get the idea :)

So, what about you? Where do you go to get inspired?

Road Trip Wednesday

This Week's Topic: If you could go on a writing retreat anywhere, where would you go & who would you bring?
If time and money were no object, where would you shut yourself away to write the great American novel? And what friends, crit partners, or inspiring authors (living or dead!) would you bring along?
Road Trip Song of the Week: "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane

I have a few different ideas for the perfect writing retreat, The first involves a cabin in the woods somewhere on Maine coast or in the Pacific Northwest. Something along the lines of this picture. Preferably, my writing friends would each have their own one of these bad boys and we'd be spread out within walking distance of each other - just far enough away for each of us to feel alone in our part of the forest, but close enough to gather in the afternoons for crit groups and discussions. And if we were in walking distance of the ocean, well that would just be amazing! Nothing is as relaxing as the sound of the ocean. 
And who would I bring along? Well, a whole group of crit partners from Scribophile and just about any YA urban fantasy/paranormal author/agent/editor who'd be willing to come along!

Here's another equally wonderful option for my perfect writer's retreat: The Gatehouse at Thornbury Castle. It has everything I'd need that I might not get in a hotel (kitchen, extra rooms, peace and quiet) and yet it's close enough to the hotel (which just happens to be a castle) that I would be able to come over for afternoon tea or order room service. Plus, I'd have the castle gardens to walk whenever I would need a break. 
What do you think about my picks? Do you dream of a writer's retreat in a cabin or a castle? Where would your perfect retreat take you to?

Road Trip Wednesday

This Week's Topic: What was the best book you read in May?
Road Trip Song of the Week: "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses

I only read two books in May, Insurgent and Evermore, and I gave them both 4 out of 5 stars. And since they were both so different but equally enjoyable, I'm  going to cheat and pick them both! Here are the reviews I wrote for Goodreads:

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and it was a quick read! The writing was smooth and polished and not a word was wasted, allowing me to completely immerse myself in the story and never reminding me that I was actually reading. Veronica Roth is a very talented writer!

But...maybe that also means that I hold her stories to higher standards than I would hold other stories. And I have to say, there were some things about Insurgent that I didn't like. The pacing was too intense, imo. I felt slammed with plot point after plot point and didn't have a moment to catch my breath and really think about what had just happened and what it meant before the next bit of action was thrown at me. This might actually be a point of praise for other readers, but for me, Divergent set up this amazing world full of possibilities and I was looking forward to really digging deeper into the world in Insurgent. We did get a look at the other factions in Insurgent, but the surface was just scratched before moving on to the next faction of society and the depth we got with Dauntless in Divergent was missing.

That being said, I still honestly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next in the series!


Evermore by Alyson Noel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. At first, I wasn't sure where exactly things were heading and was worried that this was going to be a Twilight rehash - but it wasn't! And I was so relieved (don't get me wrong, I love Twilight. But it can never be redone, imo). The unique take on the immortal + mortal love story was a lot of fun, the pacing was perfect (nice and quick), and the writing was smooth and never pulled me out of the story. Still though, the overall story structure and plot seemed familiar and that held be back from giving this all 5 stars.

View all my reviews

What about you? What was the best book(s) you read in May?

Road Trip Wednesday

This Week's Topic: What Faction Are You?
In honor of our Bookmobile Book of the Month, Veronica Roth's INSURGENT, we want to know which of the five factions in the DIVERGENT series would you choose? Here's a great breakdown of the five factions, and if you're on the fence, you can even take the quiz for a hint!
And don't forget that Veronica Roth will be answering your questions in a live chat on YA Highway next Tuesday, May 29!
Road Trip Song of the Week: "My Kind of People" by Cee-Lo Green  Next week’s topic: What writing conference(s) would you love to go to?  

This week's topic is just perfect since I'm in the middle of Insurgent right now! After finishing Divergent, I actually took the faction quiz and came up with Erudite. Since this topic is about which faction I would choose though, I'm going to have to say none.

I'd choose to be divergent. In my opinion, allowing any one personality trait or perspective to totally dominate the person you are isn't really natural and isn't beneficial to anyone. There are times to be selfless, but there are also times to put yourself first just as there are times to look at a problem scientifically and times to allow empathy and emotion to influence the way the problem is dealt with. Sometimes, keeping the truth to yourself to spare someone's feelings can be the right thing to do too. And I certainly don't feel brave or particularly peaceful all the time.

In my opinion, it all depends on the circumstance, and behaving in a certain way all the time, despite the circumstance, just doesn't make sense.

What do you think? Do you think a person really can be defined by a single faction? Do you think it makes sense to strive to be selfless (or intelligent, brave, peaceful, honest) all the time? Or is there a time and place for even the more peaceful person to protest and take up arms (for example)?

Road Trip Wednesday

This Week's Topic: What IRL people can you talk to about YA?
The internet is a smiling sea of writers, editors, book bloggers and other people who spend blog post after tweet espousing YA knowledge. But who can you call in your family to recommend the newest Sara Zarr? Anyone around the watercooler psyched that Bitterblue is finally out? Who are your in-real-life YA buddies?
Road Trip Song of the Week: “You Understand me" by Sam Cooke 
Wow, it's been awhile since I've been able to participate in a RTW, but now that the A-Z challenge is over, I'm back :) And here's my answer to this week's topic:
I don't really have a real-life YA buddy. I do have friends who read a bit of YA, but none who are really as psyched about it as I am. And certainly none who are up-to-date or are psyched for what's coming out next. On the other hand, my friends do come to me for reading recommendations (and not just for YA) and I love being able to take their interests into consideration and really think about a book I know they'll love - and then (hopefully) be able to talk to them about it once they're done. In the end, I'm not sure I need a IRL YA conversation partner - there's such a huge online community and I love being able to interact with other readers and writers via Goodreads, blogs, and writer websites.
What about you? Do you have real-life YA buddies? And if not, do you feel like you're missing something? Or does the online community fill your need to talk YA?

Road Trip Wednesday

This Week's Topic:

What was the best book you read in March? 

Road Trip Song of the Week:

(because I'm pure evil and if this song got stuck in my head I shall make sure it's in yours too!)

"I Like it Like That" by Hot Chelle Rae

I'm going to have to go with a book I haven't technically finished - but I'm one train ride to and from work away from "the end", and tomorrow is still March, so I'm going to count it. I won it on Larissa's blog and actually just started reading it yesterday, but it's a really fast read :) 

It's one of those books that isn't breaking any new territory, and doesn't make you think terribly hard to see where things are going, but it's still a great story and keeps me turning the pages. And it made me realize something - a book doesn't have to have a mind-boggling, never-been-seen-before concept or style or "something" to be a great book. I keep seeing really cool ideas get shot down because they aren't unique enough or they sound too familiar. But MATCHED proves that "uniqueness" isn't really as important as having a great story, one that people are drawn to and want to follow until the end. 

And you know, sometimes it's nice to pick up a book that doesn't seem so concerned with doing something "new" or "different". MATCHED (so far - but I'm alllmoostt done) is a dystopian romance with a typical love triangle and a very familiar future "feel" to it. Nothing new there. But the story itself belongs to the characters, and even if they might be a bit stereotypical, they're still unique. It's like settling down to watch a romantic comedy - you pretty much know what you're signing up for and if you like romcoms, then chances are you're going to like this one. 

What was the best book you read in March?

Road Trip Wednesday

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic. 


This Week's Topic:
In honor of the release of Kirsten's WANDERLOVE yesterday--which is amazing, by the way; get yourselves to a bookstore if you haven't!--we bring you a travel-themed RTW prompt today! If you could wander anywhere in the world, where would it be, and why?

Road Trip Song of the Week:
“Let Go" by Frou Frou
My Answer:  Bora Bora, Tahiti in an over-water bungalow with a glass floor! I didn't even have to think about this one - I've been dreaming of staying in one of these bungalows for awhile. As far as I can tell from the photos, Bora Bora is paradise and I would love to soak in its beauty, without a care in the world. Where would you go?

Road Trip Wednesday

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic. 

This Week's Topic: NAME THIS LIFE: What would your memoir be called?Road Trip Song of the Week: “Strawberry Wine" by Deana Carter



My answer: LOVE WILL SAVE THE DAY


And if you don't recognize that, it's from a song by Des'ree (You Gotta Be). At some point in the early 90's I adopted this song as my personal theme song and it's seen me through some tough times. And yes, I sometimes still sing it in the shower (but only on special occassions).


What would your memoir be called?

Road Trip Wednesday

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.



This Week's Topic: What was the best book you read in February?
Road Trip Song of the Week:“Leap Year" by Maria Taylor

Across the Universe by Beth Revis! What I liked most about this book was how well the author did her research. There really is another earth-like planet out there, Kepler 22b, and if a generation ship was built which could travel at twice the speed of light, then it really would take 300 or so years to get there. So even if the cryo technology didn't sound very plausible, the idea of a generation ship did.

Generations of people being born and dying on a spaceship without ever setting foot on land made me wonder if I would be altruistic enough to volunteer to be part of the first generation. And how I would deal with things like mutiny, population (and gene pool) control, and psychosis within the ship. To me, this is a sign of a great book: one which gets me thinking beyond the pages.

What do you think? What was the best book you read in February? Or, in case you haven't had time to read this month, what was the best book you read lately?

Road Trip Wednesday

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This Week's Topic:

February is Black History Month and it's also the month of Valentine's Day. So let's show some writerly love by answering the following question: Who is your favorite African American author or fictional character?

My Answer:

As far as fictional characters go it's got to be Rue from The Hunger Games! This was an easy answer because The Hunger Games series is still fresh in my mind and because I connected with Rue's beautiful, fragile character as soon as she was introduced. I realized though, I couldn't think of a single additional YA book I've read in the past year where one of the characters was African American. The next books to come to mind were "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Invisible Man" and I haven't read those since high school.


Visit YA Highway to see everyone else's answers too :)