by Laura Beth

Tag #90: The NaNoWriMo Tag

Here’s the link to the original post: NaNoWriMo 2019 and The NaNoWriMo Tag

1. How many times have you participated in NaNoWriMo? How many times have you won?

This will be my ninth NaNoWriMo. I have participated in five NaNoWriMo sessions in November (2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2019). I have also participated in four Camp NaNoWriMo sessions (Twice in 2018 and twice in 2019).

2. Are you a pantser or a plotter?

Historically, I have been a pantser. This year, I started plotting the beginning of the novel.

3. What are the titles of the projects that you have attempted/completed for past NaNos?

2012: Experiences From Camp
2013: Specialton
2014: Discussion of Differences
Camp NaNoWriMo, April 2018: Continued draft of Experiences From Camp
Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2018: Continued draft of Experiences From Camp
2018: Tunnel Vision
Camp NaNoWriMo, April 2019: Continued draft of Specialton
Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2019: Continued draft of Discussion of Differences
2019: The Transformation House

4. What are you working on for NaNo this year?

I am writing a new novel about a woman, Angela Diaz, who decides to purchase a mansion, fix it up, and create a home for transgender people in the Midwest.

5. What is one tip that you’d give to someone else that is participating in NaNo?

I agree with what All Things Momma said: “Do not have any zero days. Even if you write only one sentence that day, that is so much better than having a big fat zero on your NaNo chart. Any progress forward is better than none.”

6. What was the inspiration for this novel? Do you remember when the inspiration hit you?

I listen to the StoryCorps podcast. In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, they created a podcast series, and an initiative called “Stonewall Out Loud.” One of the episodes discussed a home for transgender people in Little Rock, Arkansas (“We’re Still Here”). I wanted to write a story that encompasses a modern version of this effort.

7. Read us the first sentence from your NaNo novel last year?

“No, no, no! Damn it!” Nicole smacked her hands against the steering wheel.

8. What do you plan to do with your manuscript after NaNo?

Like all my other novels, I will let this draft rest for a while. I might pick it up again during Camp NaNoWriMo, April 2020. It depends on how much progress I make this month.

9. Are you prepared for NaNo? Are you nervous?

I always get a little nervous. But, I’m ready to dive in.

Will you be participating in NaNoWriMo this November?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

09.09.19

by Laura Beth

Tag #89: “3.2.1. Quote Me #5 – Inner Beauty”

Picking Fall Flowers at the Flower Patch

Image Credit: Finding Beautiful Truth

Thanks, Kristian, for tagging me!

Here’s the link to Kristian’s post, where I was tagged:

3.2.1. Quote Me #5 – Inner Beauty

Guidelines: 3.2.1 Quote Me!

Thank the Selector

Post 2 quotes for the dedicated Topic of the Day.

Select 3 bloggers to take part in ‘3.2.1 Quote Me!’

Here are the two quotes I picked for “Inner Beauty.”

Image Credit: Quotabulary

Image Credit: AZ Quotes

Tag – You’re It!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.26.19

by Laura Beth

Awesome Authors #19: Lois Duncan

Image Credit: AZ Quotes

I hadn’t thought about Lois Duncan in years!

Born in April 1934, she was the oldest child of professional magazine photographers. Raised in Pennsylvania at first, her family relocated to Florida, where her parents became circus photographers. She played in the woods and read. Duncan started writing and submitting manuscripts to magazines at age 10. She sold her first story at age 13. After graduating from high school in 1952, she enrolled in Duke University. However, she dropped out the following year to start a family with the man who became her first husband, Joseph Cardozo.

Her writing career continued throughout the 1950s, publishing over 300 articles for various magazines. Her first novel, Love Song for Joyce, was published in 1958. In the early 1970s, she was hired to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, after living in Albuquerque for nearly 10 years. While teaching, she enrolled in classes at the university. She earned her B.A. in English in 1977.

Married twice, Duncan had five children. Her youngest daughter, Kaitlyn, was murdered in 1989. After her daughter’s death, Duncan’s writing shifted to lighter fare, particularly children’s picture books.

Her 1966 novel, Ransom, received an Edgar Allen Poe Award. She was the recipient of the American Library Association (ALA) Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1992. In 2014, she was awarded the Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America.

Duncan died on June 15, 2016. She was 82. Although the cause of death was not disclosed, her second husband, Donald Arquette, noted his wife had suffered several strokes in prior years.

Killing Mr. Griffin (1978)

Book cover with a black-and-white marble pattern, showing the title of the novel centered in red, and blue skull and bones at the bottom right

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I’m pretty sure this is first book of Duncan’s I read. Every book written by her, I borrowed from Russell Memorial Library in Chesapeake.

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Summer of Fear (1976)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I don’t remember reading this one, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I did.

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The Third Eye (1984)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

This one absolutely freaked me out. I don’t think I picked up another book by Duncan for at least six months after this.

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Don’t Look Behind You (1990)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I don’t remember reading this one, but I want to. It’s set in Virginia!

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I Know What You Did Last Summer (1973)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I didn’t make the connection between the book and the film adaptation (1997) until years later.

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Chapters: My Growth as a Writer (1992)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I’ve always been interested and intrigued by authors and their memoirs or autobiographies.

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Who Killed My Daughter? (1992)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Being such a fan of true crime, this book is already climbing toward the top of my next TBR list.

What about you? Have you read any of Lois Duncan’s works?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.15.19

by Laura Beth

Tag #87: “3-2-1 Quote Me! – Happiness”

Image Credit: Thrive Global

Thanks for tagging me, Kristian!

Here’s the link to the post where I was tagged:

3-2-1 Quote Me! – Happiness

The Rules:

Thank the selector
Post 2 quotes for the dedicated Topic of the Day, “Happiness”
Select 3 bloggers to take part in ‘3-2-1 Quote Me!’

best short happy quotes | happy quotes positive | happy quotes funny | happy quotes positive good vibes | happy quotes about life | happy quotes inspirational | short happy quotes simple | short happy quotes | short happy quotes positive thoughts | short happy quotes smiles | short happy quotes for instagram | short happy quotes love | #happyquotes #happymotto #quotes

Image Credit: Pretty Wild World

It was hard to pick just two quotes!

Image Credit: Country Living

Tag – You’re It!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

03.10.19

by Laura Beth

Writing Prompt #210: Romantic Movies (Day 10)

Image by Nietjuh on Pixabay

When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

Another movie set in New York!

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are one of my favorite movie couples of all time!

I love how the movie explores the question, “Can men and women ever just be friends?”

The famous “I’ll have what she’s having” scene was filmed in Katz’s Delicatessen, one of my favorite places in Manhattan.

This sign still hangs in Katz’s.

I want to watch this again soon! It’s one of those feel-good movies that still hold up, nearly 30 years later!

Come back tomorrow for a new movie!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.27.19

by Laura Beth

Writing Prompt #195: “30 Day Disney Challenge” (Day 27)

Image Credit: Meerkat Musings

Day 27 – Your favorite quote

Image Credit: Blog – Geeker

I loved Lilo & Stitch (2002). It’s such a good movie, set in Hawaii, one of my dream places! It also combines a family movie with science fiction!

Come back tomorrow for a new post!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.20.19

by Laura Beth

Awesome Authors #18: Sarah Dessen

Image Credit: Quotefancy

I’m long overdue for an Awesome Authors post.

I inhaled Sarah Dessen’s books when I was in high school and college.

Dessen was born in June 1970 in Evanston, Illinois. Her parents, Alan and Cynthia, taught classicism and Shakespearean literature at the University of North Carolina.

When she was 15, Dessen became involved with a 21-year-old man. She realized it was a bad idea, and cut ties shortly thereafter. In an interview, she said she took the blame for the situation and relationship for years afterward. When she herself turned 21, she made a point to look at teens and ask herself whether or not she wanted to hang out with them, or even date one. The answer, she said, “was always a flat, immediate no. They were kids. I was an adult. End of story.”

She first attended Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She dropped out quickly to enroll in the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She graduated with the highest honors in Creative Writing.

While launching her writing career, Dessen worked as a waitress at a restaurant called Flying Burrito. Her first book, That Summer, was published in 1996.

The 2003 movie How to Deal, starring Mandy Moore and Allison Janney, was based on Dessen’s books That Summer and Someone Like You.

Several of her novels have been named the American Library Association’s (ALA) “Best Fiction for Young Adults” selection. Along for the Ride (2010) made the New York Times Best Sellers List.

In 2017, Dessen received the Margaret A. Edwards Award as a result of seven of her novels, published between 2000 and 2011. Her newest book is Once and for All (2017).

Just Listen (2006)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I’m pretty sure this is the first book of Dessen’s I remember reading, although I’m not 100 percent sure.

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Lock and Key (2008)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

As someone who has struggled all her life to ask for help, this one cut deep.

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That Summer (1996)

Image Credit: Goodreads

I think I’ve read this? I’m not sure. This is Dessen’s first novel.

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Dreamland (2000)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I passed by this book so many times at the library, and then once I finished either Just Listen or Lock and Key, I knew I needed to read it.

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This Lullaby (2002)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I remember this one, since having faith and learning to leap is something I’ve worked on for years. The cover also caught my eye at the library.

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Along for the Ride (2009)

Image result for along for the ride book

Image Credit: Goodreads

I don’t remember reading this one, but I know I want to.

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Keeping The Moon (1999)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

If I have read this, it was early on. I distinctly remember the cover, and I know I saw it on the library shelves. Regardless, I do want to pick it up and re-read it.

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Saint Anything (2015)

Image Credit: Goodreads

This is one I definitely haven’t read. I’m pretty sure the last new release I read was Lock and Key.

What about you? Have you read any of Sarah Dessen’s works? Have you seen How to Deal?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

10.20.18

by Laura Beth

Awesome Authors #17: Nicholas Sparks

Image Credit: NewInBooks

Nicholas Sparks was my absolute go-to for romance novels for a long time. I own nearly every one of his books, and he was a defining author for me for several years.

In fact, I did my college senior thesis on his books. I studied the perceptions of love and romance from female readers. I would like to eventually publish it!

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Born on New Year’s Eve 1965, Sparks was the second of three children. The family moved frequently while his father was pursuing graduate studies in Minnesota and California. Eventually, they settled in California after his father became a professor. On a track and field scholarship, Sparks majored in business finance at Notre Dame.

He married Cathy Cote in 1989, and they have had five children, three sons and twin daughters. He started writing in his early college years. His first publication was as a co-author in 1990. The book was titled Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding.

While selling pharmaceuticals in the early 1990s, Sparks wrote The Notebook. Literary agent Theresa Parks offered to represent him after finding it in her agency’s slush pile and liking it. She secured a $1 million advance from Time Warner Book Group in 1995. After its publication in October 1996, it made the New York Times best-seller list in its first week.

He lives in New Bern, North Carolina, where he donated $9 million to New Bern High School for an all-weather tartan track. He and his wife amicably separated in 2015, and subsequently divorced.

As of October 2018, he has published 22 books. He has published one book nearly every year since 1996, with two books being released in 2003, as well as 2005. Eleven books have been New York Times best-sellers. His most recent book is Every Breath.

A Walk to Remember (1999)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I honestly can’t remember if this was truly the first Sparks book I read. But, I loved it, and the movie adaptation (2002) was very good. It was also incorporated into some of our Sunday School classes and youth group activities.

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The Notebook (1996)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I think I read this after the movie adaptation (2004) came out, but this is one of Sparks’s books that I treasure and re-read frequently. The movie adaptation is one of the best that’s ever been made, hands down.

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Nights in Rodanthe (2002)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I felt a special connection with this book, since Rodanthe, North Carolina, is only about two hours south of where I live!

I wanted to love the movie adaptation (2008) so badly, especially since I’ve visited the house that’s featured in it multiple times, but it wasn’t that great.

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Safe Haven (2010)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

This book was a hard read for me. I myself was a part of an abusive relationship for several years, and this book brought back several memories. Thankfully, by the time I actually read it, I was several years into dating Al.

I’m pretty sure we watched the movie adaptation (2013) together. I liked it a lot, despite the subject matter.

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The Last Song (2009)

Image Credit: Goodreads

I waited for what seemed like FOREVER to get my hands on a copy of this from the library! I devoured it on a car trip either to or from Florida.

Most people hated / loathed the movie adaptation (2010), but I liked it.

What about you? Have you read or seen any of Nicholas Sparks’ work?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

06.22.18

by Laura Beth

Awesome Authors #16: Chris Van Allsburg

Image Credit: Quotefancy

Chris Van Allsburg was practically a household name when I was younger. He has created some of the most beautifully illustrated books I have ever seen. Our future kids will definitely know about him, too.

Born in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, in June 1949. Van Allsburg has an older sister. His parents moved a few times between East Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids. After graduation, he attended the College of Architecture and Design at the University of Michigan, where the art school was located at the time. After graduating in 1972, he went on to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he obtained a master’s degree in sculpture in 1975. He opened a studio. Struggling with time in the studio, he started to sketch his ideas and designs at home. His wife thought his drawings would be good for children’s books. His first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, was published in 1979.

He resides in Providence, Rhode Island, with his wife, Lisa. They have two daughters, Sophia and Anna. Van Allsburg converted to Judaism, which is Lisa’s faith.

He has received several awards, including two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration. He was the 1986 U.S. nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christain Andersen Award, the highest international recognition for those who create children’s books. In April 2012, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from his alma mater, the University of Michigan.

The Polar Express (1985)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

My parents have had a copy of this book since before I was born. It was a Christmas tradition for years to read the book and/or listen to the story on cassette tape. We even had a collector’s set with the book, cassette tape, and a silver bell. If you haven’t read it, you should.

Also, the movie adaptation (2004) is wonderful. We went to see it in theaters, likely the weekend it was released. We love Josh Groban in our house, so we also got the soundtrack and DVD. It’s a thing.

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Jumanji (1981)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I’m pretty sure I first read this book through either the Chittum Elementary School library, or the Russell Memorial Library. I remember the Reading Rainbow episode, too.

Like The Polar Express, the movie adaptation (1995) is awesome, with Robin Williams and a cast of characters. I think I saw it on TV first. It’s one of my favorite movies that will never get old. We also saw the sequel (2017) in theaters, and it was pretty good, too. We miss you, Robin. There was also a TV series that ran from 1996 to 1999.

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The Wreck of the Zephyr (1983)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

This is one book that I hadn’t heard of! I need to see if the local library has it.

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Zathura (2002)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

This is one instance where I saw the movie adaptation (2005) before I read the book. It’s always fun to think about and dream about space. We actually watched the movie again recently – It’s really well-done. Plus, it’s fun to see several actors when they first got their start in the film industry.

What about you? Have you read or seen any of Chris Van Allsburg’s work?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

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Tag Archives: Quotes

Awesome Authors #19: Lois Duncan

Writing Prompt #210: Romantic Movies (Day 10)

Awesome Authors #18: Sarah Dessen

Awesome Authors #17: Nicholas Sparks

Awesome Authors #16: Chris Van Allsburg