Five on a Friday: Taking Care of Details

1. A note to all the winners of Lessons from a Dead Girl and Jumping off Swings by Jo Knowles–I have sent all of your addresses to Candlewick Press and they will send you the books within the next couple weeks. Thank you, Candlewick Press!

If you want to read Jo’s interview and writing tips, you can find it right here.

2. Since Spy Girl and Ninja Girl did such great jobs drawing names out of the bowl for the last time, I enlisted their help for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt‘s Graceling book giveway. Even though they’re too young to read this book, they were delighted Kristin Cashore wrote about a strong, kick-butt girl. “A superhero!”

Here are the winners:

Infant Bibliophile

Erin

Andromeda Jazmon

Rebekah

Steph Su

Beth Kephart

YA Book Realm

Iron Inklings

Holly Cupala

Jenny Girl

~~All winners will be~~ Everyone has been contacted. Please e-mail your U.S. snail mail address to me by 5pm, Monday, June 8th with the subject header: Book Giveaway – Graceling. Otherwise, your e-mail may be eaten by the trash fairies. My e-mail address is hipwritermama @ comcast.net (take out the spaces). If I don’t hear from you by June 8th, we will draw another name out of the bowl. Addresses will be forwarded to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and they will mail you the books. Thank you, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for your generosity!

If you’d like to read Kristin Cashore’s interview and writing tips, go here.

3. Revisions have been a little slow this week. But, five chapters are done and I’ll have a dedicated writing day this weekend, so I’m pumped! Holly and Jolie have encouraging Revision Smackdown tips over at their blogs. Go and visit!

4. Children and writing sometimes don’t mix–and it’s okay. I’ve been trying to be good and limiting my writing to when the kids are out of the house or asleep, but sometimes, the pull of an idea is much stronger than my willpower. My days are filled with handling Husband’s marketing and office work and taking care of children, so I am weak when I have a writerly moment. Gah! Princess Rock Star feels the pinch the most, since she’s home all day with me.

I must say, I’ve really enjoyed having Princess Rock Star home with me. She’s my baby and while I’m excited at the prospect of having more time to write when she starts kindergarten in the fall, I am also crushed at being left behind, of having to wait for her reports of her day. So, for now, I’m cherishing each day we play hide and seek, tag, go on our walks, play rock star, or simply hang out and be. The writing can wait until she’s asleep.

5. [Added: How could I forget this?] MotherReader is hosting the Fourth Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge this weekend. I won’t be playing this year, since I need to focus on writing, but I’ll be sure to follow along. Here are the rules. Good luck!

6. This song totally makes me smile. Gotta love Jason Mraz for making Kermit’s song his own.

Have a great weekend!