A 6th grader's take on Spreading Rumors

The publisher who is publishing my middle grade chapter book likes to have kids' perspectives as endorsements. I know a few 5th and 6th graders, so I was happy to send out an arc to them for their thoughts.

Here is verbatim what one 6th grader said in an email:
I loved the book!!! here are my first two reactions.

This book was so good it made me laugh just because!!
This book teaches you a lot of lessons. Here is the one that appealed to me. Friends are the best thing that happend to the world(at least that's what I think!!!!)

 
It gives me goosebumps to know that he enjoyed the book so much. Obviously, we'll have to do a bit of editing for the back cover, but his words were spoken from the heart.

I just had to share with you all.

New Project, New Playlist

Well, folks, I'm starting a new project today. It's a collaboration, so it's a bit new for me. I'm really excited. It's YA and a bit darker than I normally write. You'll see by the songs I'll be jamming to as my fingers fly across the keyboard:

Lose Yourself - Eminem
8 Mile - Eminem
I Need a Doctor - Dr. Dre (featuring Eminem & Sklyar Grey)
F**kin' Perfect - Pink
Rabbit Run - Eminem
Bleed it Out - Linkin Park
Love the Way You Lie (featuring Rhianna)
What I've Done - Link Park
S&M - Rhianna
Not Afraid - Eminem
Sometime Around Midnight - The Airborne Toxic Event
Just Can't Get Enough - The Black Eyed Peas
Sing - My Chemical Romance
On the Floor (featuring Pitbull)
Written in the Stars - Tinie Tempah (featuring Eric Turney)
Airplanes - B.o. B. (featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore)
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Areosmith
Rolling in the Deep - Adele
Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
In the End - Link Park
Is Anybody Out There - Maroon 5 (featuring PJ Morton)
For the First Time - The Script
Let it Rock - Kevin Rudolf & Lil Wayne


There it is. Hoping to have the first draft of this project completed by August 1st. It's only 65k words and completely doable by then.

I'll give you more information about the project as I go along. I'm working with a screenwriter, so I get to learn how to use Final Draft. Very cool!

New Project, New Playlist

First of all, Happy New Year!
I hope you said good-bye to 2010 painlessly and have welcomed the new year with expectations and dreams.

I've started a new project while TK is being shopped around. With a new project comes a new playlist.
This story is more emotional and bit darker than TK, so the music is way different.

What do you think?
F**kin' Perfect by P!nk
Not Afraid by Eminem
Raise Your Glass by P!nk
Gives You Hell by The All-American Rejects
Love the Way You Lie by Eminem
In the End by Linkin Park
Wonderful by Gary Go
Hey Jealousy by Gin Blossoms
Airplanes by B.O.B.
New Divide by Linkin Park
If I Never See Your Face Again by Maroon 5
Life is a Highway by Tom Cochrane
Let it Rock by Kevin Rudolf & Lil Wayne
Move Along by The All-American Rejects
Family Portrait by P!nk
Love Like Woe by The Ready Set
Give a Little More by Maroon 5
World on Fire by Sarah McLachlan
Landslide by Dixie Chicks
She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5
For You I Will - Confidence by Teddy Geiger
Building a Mystery by Sarah McLachlan
High by James Blunt
Everything by Alanis Morissette
The Remedy by Jason Mraz
Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park
You and Me by Dave Matthews Band
You and Me by Sarah McLachlan
Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day

And there are about 10 more! I can't believe how big of a playlist I made for this one. But if you look at the songs, you may be able to figure out the underlying issues of this story.

Can you figure it out?