Just a few things . . .

I hope everyone had a merry merry Christmas.  We certainly did in the Dailey household.  Unfortuntately, my son and I both woke up sick on the 26th.  I feel like utter poo and have so much stuff to do that it makes me feel even worse.  Anyways, there's not much going on with me, but here's a few things just in case you're curious:

1.  I got a Kindle for xmas!  Yea!  I love it.  The first book I downloaded was Identical by Ellen Hopkins.  It's the only one of her books that I hadn't read.  I actually have a few real books that I want to read, but I couldn't wait to use my Kindle.

2.  Still can't find a title for FALLEN that we both love.  Since a YA novel just came out titled FALLEN, Staci and I are on the hunt for a new title.  SANCTUM is a front runner but we both keep thinking when we hear the right title, we'll know.  Has yet to happen.

3.  Staci and I haven't written in forever.  Poor STATIC has been waiting around for its authors to get their butts in gear.  Hopefully, we will get back on track soon.  It's just been so busy.

4.  I am so glad that the rush of the holidays is over.  I hope I feel better soon and can actually enjoy what's left of my vaca.

5.  As soon as I finish this post, I am going over to the couch, getting under my new snuggie, and watching Law and Order SVU, which I am currently addicted to :)  I set my DVR to record all episodes and let's just say that SVU comes on a lot!

That's about it.  Feel free to chime in with some title options.  We are open to suggestions! 

Cheers!

Sara

Deadlocke and Venomous

I found out some very cool news recently!  One of my all time favorite novels, Venomous by Chris Krovatin, has been turned into a comic book titled Deadlocke, which is on the shelf now, and a screenplay that is in the works.  I read the comic not too long ago, and while I'm definitely not a comicbook person, I really did love it.  Krovatin created an awesomely dark character with Locke, and the reader can't help but sucked into his really screwed-up life.  It was interesting to see the comicbook version of the story.  The creators, Arvid Nelson and Nick Stakal, did and outstanding job. 

About Deadlocke:


In modern-day New York City, a ragtag group of rebellious teens throws its annual raucous Weimar bash filled with debauchery, booze, and bloody knuckles. Going for the first time is Locke Vinetti, a newcomer to this band of bored rich kids--a loner who usually prefers to escape into the world of his alter ego comic book creation, Deadlocke. Under the tutelage of the group's charming but unpredictable ringleader Casey, Locke has learned to express his art, and his angst, in ways he never thought possible. As the violent energy of Deadlocke continues to storm up inside of him, Locke must learn to control his newfound strength at the risk of losing Renee, the darkly beautiful girl of his dreams. Determined to prove that Deadlocke's rage will overpower Locke's love, Casey provokes Locke in a brutal rooftop battle where their lives, and their souls, hang in the balance.
 
Take a look at what Chris Krovatin has to say about Venomous, the movie, and Deadlocke, the comic.
 

 
Happy Holidays!
 
Sara

New Moon - The Movie

I set up a New Moon birthday party last night for my good friend Keely, which was very cool seeing how we didn't have to wait in line with the masses to get a good seat.  We got to go in the theater first and pick our seat, which was the best part.  After seeing Twilight, which was (in my humble opinion) horrid, I just couldn't see standing in line forever to see New Moon, which I wasn't expecting to be any good, but absolutely had to see because, well . . . I just had to.  New Moon was my favorite of the 4 books.  I loved Jacob and rooted for him the whole way through even though I knew all along that Bella was too big of a moron to choose him.

Anyway, back to the movie.  I have to admit, it wasn't too bad.  Way better than Twilight!  I guess I would have to say that I even enjoyed it.  Seeing Jacob wander around half naked most of the movie didn't hurt.  Man, that boy looked . . . lovely (that word seems more appropriate since he's only 17 and I'm just a bit too old to be calling him hot).  Edward, on the other hand, still far from hot. 

The scenes with Edward and Bella (thankfully there weren't many) were weird and awkward.  No chemistry there what so ever, which I don't really get because aren't they supposed to be an item in real life?  Now, Jacob and Bella's connection was much more believable.  I'm not a big Bella fan either, but I thought she did a better job in this movie.  Jacob stole the show.  He was great, especially after the haircut :)  I liked Alice better in this movie too.

Likes:

• Jacob!  
• Scenes with the werewolves; I thought they kind of looked my ginormous dogs from a video game, but liked them anyway
• The humor they snuck in there (I think I even laughed a few times)
• Victoria, not much of her, but she looked really pretty
• Jacob and Bella's chemistry

Dislikes:

• Edward! 
• Still don't like the sparkling thing
• Bella seeing Edward when she is being "dangerous"; it's been a while since I've read the books, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she hear him, not see him?  It was just weird
• The water scene where Bella and Edward were floating next to each other after she jumps off the cliff.  Hokey!
• Seeing Edward's puney paleness without a shirt at the end
• Definitely how the movie end

All in all, I'm glad I saw it and really wasn't disappointed.  Surprised, really.  It was a lot less hokey than Twilight, which I rolled my eyes at least a dozen times during.  I will definitely see Eclipse, though I probably won't like it as much because I will have to tolerate a lot more time watching Bella and Edward, but I am looking forward to the tent scene :)  That's all for now.

Cheers!

Sara 

Okay Sara, FINE

Let me start my list by saying that Sara and I do not share a brain, but we do share books.  Many of my favorite books are on her list as well.
1. Acheron - Sherrilyn Kenyon (that is my #1- I love him!)
These are in no particular order, and are all worth the read!
2. Beastly - Alex Flinn
3. Venomous - Christopher Krovatin (awesomely dark)
4. Tales of the MADMAN Underground - John Barnes
5. An Abundance of Katherines - John Green (laugh out loud)
6. Blood and Chocolate - Annette Curtis Klause
7. Wolf at the Door - Christine Warren (Adult ;)
8. 13 Reasons Why - Jay Asher (Don't read if PMSing)
9. Before I Die - Jenny Downham (Ditto)
10. The Host - Stephanie Meyer
Oh wait,
11. Willow - Julia Hoban

There it is friends.  For someone who reads as much as I do, this was extremely difficult.  I'm sure that I will finish this post, start my workout, and remember a book that absolutely belongs on this list.  But I guess that will give me something to blog about later.  Sara will be thrilled!

Bye for now friends!
Staci

Sara's Top 10

I just finished reading Impossible by Nancy Werlin and absolutely loved it.  When you read lots and lots of pretty good books, it's always exciting when you read one that you really love and just can't seem to put down.  Sadly, it doesn't happen very often.  My husband, Jeremy, asked me yesterday (as I was trying to read the last 10 pages of Impossible) what my top 10 favorite books are.  So here they are, in no particular order because I couldn't decide that even if I tried:

1.  Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon
2.  13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
3.  Unwind by Neal Shusterman
4.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5.  The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
6.  The Host by Stephenie Meyer
7.  A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
8.  Venomous by Christopher Krovatin
9.  Impossible by Nancy Werlin
10. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

I just bought Crank last night.  I've never read anything by Ellen Hopkins, but I have to see what all the buzz is about.  So we'll see . . .   

So, here are my two requests:

1.  Staci, it's your turn!  Write something on this damn blog!  What is your top 10?
2.  If you're reading this, leave a comment on here or on the Facebook page and tell us one of your favorite books. 

Cheers!

Sara

Hmmmm . . . what do blog about now

I haven't posted anything in a while,and the only reason I can honestly give is that I have absolutely no idea what to blog about.  The first advice "they" give when you have a novel coming out is to start a blog.  So, check.  Here it is.  But then what?  You don't really have an audience yet.  The only people who actually read this are the few people who care enough to click on the link from Staci and my Facebook fan page.  By the way, if you are reading this, thanks and I love you for being supportive of our little journey.  I asked Staci the other day why she didn't post anything to our blog, and she said because no one reads it.  And I said, well, no one read anyone's blog when they first started out, but everyone had to start from somewhere.  Right? 

I follow a ton of author blogs,and they post cool stuff about their upcoming releases, events, and have contests and such.  Well, that's not really something we can do yet.  So, I did a little research.  I went back to a few authors' blogs from when they just started out.  And they blogged about, well, not much in particular, but they did blog.  There just isn't much going on when your waiting for your first novel to come out. 

So, in case the few of you reading this are wondering, here's what's going on with us:

1.  We are waiting for the first round of edits to come back from our editor for FALLEN, but that won't be until the spring. 
2.  The release day is scheduled for November 2010.  Yea!
3.  We are going to get posters made soon and graciously ask our teacher friends to display them to help get the word out.
4.  We are working on our second novel, STATIC.  We are about 14 or so chapters in, but haven't been able to get together in a few weeks.  Hopefully, we'll get back on track soon.
5.  We do have our website up and running so that's exciting.  Check it out at saraandstaci.com

Yeah, that's about it.  As for me (Sara), here's what's up with me:
1.  I'm already ready for summertime to come, though I must admit, it's been a much better school year this year than last.  My students are great, and I really can't complain . . . much.
2.  My husband is getting on my nerves.
3.  We got a new puppy.  She is a golden retriever named Belle.  She has finally decided to stop peeing on my carpet and is now going outside or on the puppy pads (which I probably will spend a small fortune on over the next few weeks). 
Here she is:

4.  My son Gavin is the coolest little man on the planet.

5.  I'm reading Sherrilyn Kenyon's Born of Night and just can't get into it, which is a bummer because she is my favorite adult author.  I refuse to put it down because I know I will love it eventually. 

Yes, my life is totally exciting.  Thanks friends for reading.

Cheers!

Sara

Wait time . . .

What I'm doing: just finished up Movie Night with my boys featuring Wall-E, candy, and chocolate milk
What I'm reading right now: Big Bad Wolf by Christine Warren (it's a good one!)
What I'm thinking about: the long wait ahead of me

Staci and I got our official release date for FALLEN.  It's set to be out November 2010, just a little over a year from now.  People keep asking us when our book is coming out, and they are always surprised when we tell them that it won't be out until late 2010.  I don't think a lot of people realize how long this process takes.  We submitted FALLEN to Mundania last October and didn't get an offer until May.  Does it usually take that long?  I think it depends on the publishing house, but I don't think it's all that unusual.  If we had found an agent, which we were trying to do, it may have taken the agent several months to find a publishing house that wanted to buy the book.  So once your novel is complete, it will most likely take several months to find an agent and then who knows how many more months for the agent to find a home for the book.  Then it's another year to year and a half for the book to come out.  I'm thinking unless you're the next Dan Brown or Stephenie Meyer, your going to be waiting a couple of years to see your book in print.  Nothing happens over night.

So, this got me thinking.  Staci and I have written about 14 chapters of our next novel STATIC.  If it takes us 6-9 more months (maybe a year) to finish it, we will probably be looking for an agent or a publisher for it right about the time FALLEN comes out.  Maybe.  Then it could take several months to find someone interested in representing STATIC.  Hopefully, someone will love it.  Keep your fingers crossed.  Then we are looking at another year to year and a half before it will be released.  That means that our second novel might not come out until like 2+ years after FALLEN is released.  That kind of sucks, you know.  It would be really nice if you could just snap your fingers and have everything fall into place.  But, it's a waiting game.  I guess I better get used to waiting.

For now, I'm going to be thankful that Mundania Press loved FALLEN and that I will actually get to see my name on the cover of a novel one day in the future.  There were many times that I thought it would never happen.  And, I'm going to sit back and hope that Staci and I are lucky enough to see STATIC in print as well.  Even if we have to wait :)

Cheers!

Sara