Tag Archives: University of Texas

2008 Wrap Up

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I was checkin’ out Shelli’s blog the other day and really liked her review of her life in 2008. Since so much has happened in my writing (and personal) life this year, I thought it’d be nice to look back.

So here we go…

-Graduated a semester early to focus on writing

-Researched industry, tried to figure out what the heck I was supposed to do

-Found Absolute Write Water Cooler

-Finished book #1, a YA mystery titled WEIRD TATTOOS AND LOW IQS

-Queried WEIRD TATTOOS, racked up rejections

-Wrote the proposal for SCOUT, a YA graphic novel

-Started Fumbling with Fiction!

-Began receiving review copies of fabulous books like The Gargoyle, The Map Thief, Land of Invisible Women and many more–an unexpected perk

-Joined the Verla Kay Blueboards

-Discovered some of my all-time favorite YA books: The Boyfriend List, Wicked Lovely, Twilight, I’d Tell You I Love You But Then I’d Have to Kill You, Thirteen Reasons Why…

-Found artists for SCOUT

-Queried SCOUT

-Moved from Philadelphia, PA to Austin, TX to start law school at the University of Texas

-Found Purgatory and the fabulous Purgatorians

-3 offers of representation for SCOUT, plus 1 offer of represenation for WEIRD TATTOOS

-Signed with Super Agent Dan Lazar of Writers House!

-Nate (boyfriend) moved from Washington, D.C. to Austin

-Finished SCOUT script, lengthened synopsis, completed proposal, signed contracts with artists

-Wrote an article for SCBWI’s January issue of Sprouts

-Agent began subbing SCOUT

-Went in a hole to study so that I would not fail out of my first semester of law school

-Met some great writing friends through Purgatory whom I am so thankful for because I know that I would not know half of what I know now without them

-Began work on next 2 proposals/projects

…And here we are. That’s a pretty successful year if I do say so myself. It will be interesting this time next year to check back and see how much has changed and how much as stayed the same. I certainly hope to have taken the next (or next several) step(s) in my writing career. And you can bet that I’ll be spending another year working my tail end off to make sure that happens.

Thursday Pics: Introducing…Scout!

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For today’s picture day I’m going to give you a sneak peek of Scout. This is a cleaned up sketch and flatted version that Scott Forbes, Scout’s artist did. I should be receiving the completed, color version of the first page later today! 

I can’t tell you how cool it is to see my ideas interpreted into a completely different medium. I am in love with the look Scott has come up with. 

This and other drawings from SCOUT will be available on the SCOUT page on the top right. I will continue to add to it, but probably won’t publish a ton of artwork that will actually appear in the book. 

I hope that someday you’ll be able to share my love for this kickass heroine by reading the completed, published graphic novel. But, until then, this will have to count as Scout’s first debut!

 

    

And…in color!

 

 

*** Don’t forget to comment to be entered to win Heather Terrell’s The Map Thief. The more you comment, the better chance you have!

Status: I have so much writing work it’s scaring even me. I have a lot of opportunities coming my way all at once, which is great! But, really, really busy! Later today, I’m meeting Nate’s future roomie and my new classmate at UT law, so that will be fun. I’m getting excited to move, but sad that I will not see Nate for so long. 

Thursday Pics: Countdown to Austin

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I can’t believe I’m moving to Texas SO SOON! I’ve boxed up most of my belongings. I’ve thrown away a couple dressers. I’m selling things on craigslist. I’m almost good to go. My official move-in date at my new apartment is August 11th, but I’ll be heading down to Texas a little earlier than that. But I’m moving out of my Philadelphia apartment next weekend, so that I can come to DC to spend some time with Nate.

Nate and I won’t see each other for a month and a half! That’s by far the most time we’ve had apart in three years and I am not happy about it. Nate will be moving down September 15.

The closer the move gets, the happier I am with my decision to attend law school at the University of Texas. I was deciding between UT, Cornell, and Vanderbilt. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been all that happy at Cornell. Vandy would have been fun, but I’m really excited about living in Austin and getting the big football school experience, since I went to Penn for undergrad. I can’t believe I’m going to be a lawyer. Weird.

Anyway, here are some pictures of Austin and UT and Nate and I not looking as excited to be Longhorns as we are on the inside.

 

     

 

 

 

Status: Tomorrow, I’m leaving for Cincinnati with Nate and his family for their family reunion. So last night I went to the Bethesda library to stock up on books for the trip. I got The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart, Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty, and Betrayed by P.C. and Kristin Cast. (Yes, more YA. I write YA, I read YA–I can’t help loving it, so no apologies here.) Then, Nate took me to the bookstore and, though we were just going to look, he surprised me by buying Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast and Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer. Now, there is only one copy of Eclipse between the two of us, so watch out!

Today, I’ve got to buckle down on SCOUT, so I can sent it out sometime next week or the following Monday by snail mail. Also, I’m feeling like I have ants in my pants. I started thinking about a submission I have out to an independent press that I love, love, love and I was just thinking how much I wanted an acceptance. Plus, I’m still waiting to hear from agents. How much can a girl take?

Thursday Pic: I’m a Graduate!

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A couple weeks ago I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania! Congratulations to the rest of the Class of 2008! It’s easy to forget what a huge accomplishment graduating college is, but we should all be very proud. Go us!

Tomorrow, I’m off to visit my new home (come this August), Austin, Texas where I will be starting law school at UT in the fall.

The boyfriend is also moving down to Austin and this will be his first time seeing the city in which he’ll be living for at least the next three years. Hope he likes it!

Hook ‘em horns!

Status: Wow, I must have done something good because the muse decided to kick in full force last night! I got so many plot points out for the new WIP; It was fantastic. I think this project could be Big! For now, let’s call the new WIP SCOUT because the main characters name is Scarlett Roberts, but she goes by Scout. Another tidbit: It is Young Adult urban fantasy set in Philadelphia. I have given myself a self-imposed, but not completely arbitrary first draft deadline of August 10. That is the day I am planning on moving down to Texas for good. That is a really tight deadline, know, but I want to get another novel out before I start law school at the end of August. I will be waaaaaaaaaay too busy for anything but some light revising at first.