Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts

On November 18, I was lucky to be able to attend a signing even for Susan Kaye Quinn, author of YA novel, Life, Liberty, and Pursuit .   Susan had obviously done her promotions right---even managing to land a well-timed feature article in a local paper---because the coffee shop was packed! This was an informal meet-and-greet at a small coffee shop, and Susan did a fantastic job generating interest in her book.  Within only a few conversational sentences, she let patrons know the premise of the book (falling in love and the hard choices we have to make), the audience that would most enjoy it (all lovers of romance, in particular teenage girls, but there's something in it for the boys too), and also let them in on some of her current projects (middle grade science/adventure geared toward boys---sounds fun!). People were excited not only to get a book for themselves, but also for the young adult readers in their lives. Susan obviously has a passion for the story and her...

 I am ecstatic to announce the release of the first book in  The Order of the Elements series: Breaking Point by Jess Bowen  I adore this story and am already anxiously awaiting the sequel.  This is one of those Young Adult novels that both teens and adults will enjoy.  At first I became swept away in the magical world that Jess Bowen created, and then I got completely carried away in the romantic relationships as they developed. But the story never forgets its purpose---the fight against the darkness. And I now realize  that I forgot to ask Jess about her amazing action scenes!  Urg.  Ah well, I'll just have to bring her back, won't I?  Here's the back cover blurb, followed by my delightful interview with Jess Bowen . Phoebe Johnson and Ethan Smith had everything they needed: loving parents, great friends, and admission letters to Ivy League schools they’d be heading to in the fall. If only they knew that they were never going to reac...

Hey, Liz Fichera and The Mojito Literary Society have started a really fun hop called First Gifts Blog Fest , in which bloggers tell their stories about first gifts received from a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, life partner, or whoever.  (I went heavy on the whoever...as a matter of fact, I may have added that category all by myself.)  If you've got a first gift story to tell, please hop on!  This fest goes through Sunday, November 21.    This post was supposed to go in a whole 'nother direction, but yesterday's mail changed all that.  It starts with a gift I bought for my son...that turned into a gift for me. Baby boy turned thirteen this past Sunday, so I went to Best Buy last week and bought him the M-rated new release, Call of Duty: Black Ops.  But my parenting skills are not the point. The point is that the check-out girl offered me a free six-month subscription to People magazine.  I figured what the heck and took it. Yesterday my...

It just came out on DVD today, and it is fa-bu-lous.  So original and funny and violent and sweet with fantastic special effects and superb acting. I've gotta say, the premis didn't appeal to me at all; I only watched it for my son, but premis, schmemis, it was great!  And the movie doesn't have a chauvinistic bone in its, urm, celluloid---the girls get their faces punched in every bit as much as the guys.  (It even kind of, sort of ties in with this blog as it features Anna Kendrick , my pick to play Jen in the Three Daves movie.)   This is one case where the trailer doesn't do the film justice, but here it is anyhow. I'm sure it does a better job than my gushing:  Do yourself a favor and rent "Scott Pilgrim Versus the World, ney, buy it. It's bound to be a cult classic.

It's Monday, time to see what's up with new-to-you authors as well as those you've already gotten to know through this wonderful weekly hop by Lisa Sanchez, Cali Cheer Mom . If you're a published author or have a contract for a book, please join the hop!  We'd love to have you.   This Monday just so happens to be the birthday of up-and-coming author, Killian McRae , whose debut novel, 12.21.12 will be released next month. Happy Birthday, Killian!!! Please be sure to check out my 100 Follower Contest below.

Well, it happened. Thanks to all of you... I hit a triple-digit follower Trifecta! 1 0 0 ! ! ! And so, I introduce my 100 follower Junk in a Box Competition Not this kind of junk in a box. Minds out of the gutter now,  I'm talking about dioramas! There is only one qualification to enter, and that is that you follow me on either Blogger , Twitter , or Facebook . Didn't see that one coming, did you?  The idea hatched as I watched my daughter build this stellar *award winning* Peter and the Starcatchers diorama for the local library. I had the same thought that got me into this writing thing to begin with: Why not? Do you remember these from grade school?  If not, here's a definition: diorama (ˌdaɪəˈrɑːmə)   a miniature three-dimensional scene in which models of figures are seen against a background  THE THEME The Awesome 80s THE RULES Create an 80s-themed diorama and e-mail a photo of it to elson.nicki@gmail.com by January 31, 2011.  Ent...

Yo.  I'm immersed in an editing project this week and so must step away from the blog for a bit.  But I'll be back hopping around next week to see what's up with y'all, and I plan to return with a   big fat contest ! In the meantime, the authors below are available to play---if you are an author with a book out or one under contract, please join!  And if you're looking for a writing challenge, you may want to check out Tessa's Out of my Box Blogontest , which will be open until December 5. Have a great week!