Love Day Monday

It's time for a Love Day, because Monday needs a little brightening. Especially today--I can't even see the mountains outside, it's so cloudy/foggy/rainy. *peers at mountains*

Today I love:

FALL. Pumpkin-scented candles and salted caramel mochas, sweaters I'd forgotten I owned and everything orange and yellow. Halloween parties crammed with ghosts and vampires and witches.

BOOKS. Specifically, both books I'm reading right now: SUPERNATURALLY by Kiersten White and THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson. Supernaturally is light and fun and escapist, and I love Evie. GoF&T is amazing in its worldbuilding. Once I started the sample on my Kindle I did NOT want to stop. In fact, it's calling to me right now...

FRENCH COMEDIES. Hubby and I have this thing for watching French screwball/romantic comedies every once in a while, and I really enjoy them. They don't do the same plot twists/character developments as American romcoms do, and I love that unexpectedness. I Do is a particularly good one we saw yesterday.

BRITISH DRAMAS. Downton Abbey. Sherlock. Luther. Oh, BBC, I adore you. But PLEASE COME OUT WITH NEW MATERIAL FASTER. Oh my god, the second season of Luther nearly killed me...it was *almost* too dark. So close to that line. But in the end I want more.

HAPPY SAUCE. I hope to finish revisions today or tomorrow and get it out to one more beta reader for a fresh post-revision opinion. Then...the synopsis. Dum dum dum. But I still love this book.

What do you love today?

Love Day Thursday

I haven't done one of these for a while, so here we go!

Love day is celebrating what you love RIGHT THIS MINUTE. I love:

• The sunshine and 70-degree weather going on outside my window. I'm hoping to have lunch on a deck somewhere today.
• My writer friends, and all the new people I've met over the past couple of days!
• Agents and editors who are awesome (most, in my experience) and respond to emails and posts right away even though I know they're busy people.
• The Lindt Dark Chocolate with A Touch of Sea Salt bar I've been snacking off of all week.
• My husband, who just called me with two grammar questions in a row.
• Paychecks.
• The first day of the month, when I get to turn the new page on the calendar.
• The prospect of taking Child to the library this weekend to discover new books.

How about you? What do you love?

Love Day Friday

I think it's time for a little Friday love-fest.

Today I'm sharing the love for:

• Movie: The Tale of Despereaux. I watched it with Child the day she was sick, and we both adored it. Great story, great flick. My first exposure to Kate DiCamillo! I don't think it'll be the last for either of us.
• Book: SKINNED, by Robin Wasserman. Great concept, plot, voice, complex characters. And look, I can get the sequel, too! This is the bonus for being slow on reading.
• My WIP. I know, I can't actually *share* it. But SALVAGED is finally skipping forward again after a facelift of the first 50 pages, and I like where it's going!
• Music: This is an oldie, but The Psychedelic Furs. Hubby and I went to Seattle on Monday to see them live (probably my 4th time (?) and hubby's in the tens), and LOVED them. As always.
• Food: Cupcakes. Particularly this one. (hee hee) And these. YUM.

Please join in!! What are you loving today? Post in the comments!

Love Day Friday: Cookies!

I'ts FRIDAY!! It's been a long, up-and-down week, but we made it. In honor of my good friend Tiffany Schmidt--who generously made 15 DOZEN cookies Wednesday and mailed out cookie SparkleBoxes--I think we need to celebrate with some COOKIES of our own.

What's your favorite cookie recipe? Everyone has at least one. Join the love and share it in the comments, please!

My favorite cookies of all time are Orange Drops, from the 1963 Betty Crocker cookbook. They taste like little orange cakes.

Orange Drop Cookies

Ingredients
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 egg
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup shortening
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 teaspoon orange zest 1 egg 1/2 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 2 cups all-purpose flour 2/3 cup shortening 1 teaspoon orange zest 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir 1/2 cup orange juice and 1 teaspoon rind into the flour mixture.
3. Cream shortening and white sugar together. Mix egg into the sugar mixture thoroughly. Slowly blend flour mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Make the icing: Mix confectioner's sugar and 2 tablespoons butter together until smooth. Pour 2 tablespoons orange juice and 1 teaspoon orange rind into the sugar and butter mixture, mix well. When the cookies have cooled spread the icing generously over the tops of the cookies.

I haven't tried substituting butter for shortening (which I don't exactly have on hand), but I think I might. If they turn out right, these melt in your mouth!

What's your recipe? (links are good if you don't want to type it out. Just share, please! I'd love to see your favorites!)

Love Day Friday

This should be a fun weekend.

It's Child's school campout. Now, hubby and I don't actually CAMP, per se. Like sleeping in a tent and all...no. That is just uncomfortable. So Child will be staying in her friend's family's camper tonight, and we will be fishing and staying in a hotel somewhat nearby--then meeting them in the morning for the fun family day of gold panning and tours and picnicking and such.

My kinda camping, baby.

In other news, have my more-revision letter, so I'm working on that. Fortunately the LAST revisions are good--now I just have to tweak to match them! It's the butterfly wings effect: every change has more and more consequences. For the BETTAH.

Also, it's Friday, and I feel like having a LOVE FRIDAY. This one is fairly general: list at LEAST ONE thing that is somehow involved in the publishing world that you love. A book you're reading or have read, an author, an editor, an agent, a blog...anything.

I'll do (at least) one of each:

I love:

BOOK: Death by Bikini, by Linda Gerber. Just finished it yesterday. Now on to the next ones, Death by Latte and Death by Denim (which was released yesterday!)

AUTHOR: Maureen Johnson, who makes me laugh on twitter every day, and on her blog. Also Melissa Marr, who inspires me with her generous, honest, serene approach to this crazy world.

AGENT: Duh, Janet Reid The Fabulous Sparkly Shark for more reasons than I can say! Also Amy Tipton and Colleen Lindsay, fellow fabulous FinePrinters.

EDITOR: My dear Moonie. Also, the just-discovered-this morning blog of Molly O'Neill, which I've already added to my Reader.

BLOG: Other than those above, my favorites are Cake Wrecks, Motherhood Is not for Wimps, and The YA YA YAs.

What are your favorites? Please share the love!

Tuesday Love Day

I'm declaring it a Love Day! Here are 5 things I love today. What are yours?

1. CHASING SMOKE, by Bill Cameron.
I finished this book last night. I have 3 words for you: Buy. It. Now. This was one of the best mysteries I've ever read--but it's more than just a mystery. The characterization is complex and real, the plot twisty and compelling, the writing stunning. Go.

2. Reepicheep in Prince Caspian.
We started watching Prince Caspian last night, and of course as a confirmed Narnia fan I love it. But even better: Eddie Izzard does the voice of Reepicheep. I'm a big Eddie fan (example here), so to hear his voice coming out of a little sword-brandishing mouse...Win.

3. Food.
Okay, to be more specific: the food I've cooked the past two nights. New recipes, YUM!
Sunday: Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze and Cuban Mojo Sauce, served with couscous and sliced hothouse tomatoes. Did I say yum?
Monday: Asian Grilled Chicken Breasts, served with jasmine rice and a plate of cucumbers and carrots (with ranch, of course).
The rest of the week we'll have easy foods and leftovers, but I do like to cook every once in a while.

4. Fellow YA Authors.
Just a kick-ass group of people, who happen to be a lot like me. Where were y'all when I was suffering through high school? Yes, Joanna Levy, Courtney Summers, A.S. King, Rose Holck, Julie Kentner, Maggie Stiefvater, Diana Peterfreund, Melissa Marr, Liz Encarnacion, Sarah Prineas, Lisa McMann, Kelly Parra, Sara Zarr, Linda Gerber, Sue Seeger, and all the rest: I'm talking about you. You guys rock.

5. 2009 (so far).
We're only 13 days in, and yes, we're in a deep recession. But I have a really good feeling about this year so far. I hope I'm right, and it's going to be a great one!

What about you? Any things you love today?

Monday Love Day

Okay, it's Monday afternoon. I've seen a lot of people having rough times today.

I think everybody's in need of a love day.

I like to do these every once in a while--they make at least ME feel better. Hope they make you feel better too, for a minute at least. I don't like rules, but if you feel like it here's what you do to participate:

POST A COMMENT SAYING AT LEAST ONE THING YOU LOVE, RIGHT NOW.

Easy, huh?

I'll start. Right this particular second I love:

--Louis Armstrong
--Candy corn
--The brilliant orangey fall light streaming in my window

Your turn! You don't need to stop Monday either. Post as many as you want!