By now I think most anyone who reads this blog knows about YA Highway's amazing epic super awesome anniversary giveaway. If not: we have three days worth of giveaways this week. From ARCs to some of our favorite recent releases to agent and writer critiques to random other awesomeness. Visit, if you haven't. (Day two is open internationally, even!!)
And, like I said in the title, as if one wasn't cool enough, THREE of YA Highway's members are also doing giveaways on their own personal blogs. So go visit Michelle, Kristin, and Kirsten for even more chances to win prizes.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
As if one wasn't cool enough...
Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 3:52 PM 1 comments
Labels: books, contests, YA Highway
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Two for Tuesday
So this two for Tuesday, a meme created by Kate Hart. I wasn't going to do it this week, but now I'm going to. It's: how my afternoon sucked, and then how it got better again.
1) how it sucked: I decided to go to the library, for the first time since I've moved here. There are lots of reasons I've procrastinated it, the main one being that I was turned off that it doesn't have an actual parking lot, just on-street, metered parking (25 cents for fifteen minutes!) But today I decided I really wanted to go. So I went. And their on-street parking? There's not much of it. And it was all filled. I won't rage on about the frightening journey I had to go on to get back home (because of course there was no easy place to turn around, either), but suffice it to say, it's 85+ degrees out today, and my car doesn't have AC. I brought water for Michael, but didn't think of it for myself. We also stopped at B&N on the way home, because I wanted to buy a book to make myself feel better, but their YA section is kind of lacking. Actually, there were TONS of good hardcovers, but I can't justify spending $17.99 on a hardcover just because I'm sad the library didn't work out today. So after taking Michael around the kids section for his own amusement, I poutily returned home.
2) how it got better: when I got home, there was a happy little package sticking out of my mailbox: Finnikin of the Rock, sent to me by Michelle (and she sent chocolate, too!) So now I'll have something to read, and I feel a little bit less pouty about the library. (Still mad, just the sting is out now).
...and on an unrelated note: drop by YA Highway this week, because we're having an anniversary celebration, and it, of course, includes kickass prizes. Prizes start tomorrow, the celebration starts today!
Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 3:29 PM 9 comments
Labels: books, hobbies, two for tuesday
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
RTW: tattoos!
I'm going to be both serious and very not serious in this topic. You'll have to guess which is which. I hope it's obvious (it better be obvious). This week's topic is: What tattoo would you get to celebrate your book's success or to represent a favorite book?

So Dead. Since the book involves the Afterlife, what with my dead-returned-to-life MC and all, I would have to get some kind of badass Afterlife depiction tattoo for this one. Yes, I know the Afterlife as I describe it in the book looks nothing like that picture (which is related to, or directly from some version of Dante's Inferno). But it's so cool. (Or maybe I just really can't think of anything at all I could get that goes well with this book specifically.)
New WIP. I found this one easier than the other two. Because there actually are tattoos in it, so it makes it easy to figure out what I would get to represent it. One of the love interests (that's right, I'm love triangling it in this one) has tattoos written in a fictional language (fictional as in I made it up, not fictional within the book's world) up his spine. The way I picture the language looking is closest to Arabic of anything else that actually exists. So I could get phrases written in Arabic up my back. (I can hear my boyfriend's brain exploding from miles away at the idea of me getting a tattoo that big.)
In all actuality, despite how much I seriously do love the Arabic tattoo idea, I would most likely get a tattoo in celebration of, but not actually related to, my books. I think 'because I have a book coming out' is as good a reason as any to get a tattoo. The next one I want for real is something along the lines of this cross. (Without dragons, though. But I do like the way they're twisted around it, so I think I would add something else to replace them.)
So that's it for me. What would you get? Visit YA Highway to see what others have said, and to add your own link!
Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 11:01 AM 20 comments
Labels: Roadtrip Wednesday, YA Highway
Monday, May 17, 2010
Awards x2 and blog contest
First: Kathy Bradey is having her first ever blog contest. Go on over there and enter it. Or, you know, don't, so I have more chance of winning her prize. (Just kidding. Go enter!)

Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 7:22 AM 1 comments
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Blog awards
I've gotten three blog awards this week, so I figured I'd better post them & pass them along before I forget about them!


Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 2:51 PM 4 comments
Labels: awards
Friday, May 14, 2010
A Friday Five of obnoxious childhood writing phases

Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 8:53 AM 10 comments
Labels: Friday Five, writing
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
RTW: whose tweets would I follow?
So this week's topic is kind of cool (and random). Which literary characters I would follow on twitter. This is trickier than it sounds! I immediately wanted to just pick all my favorite love interests (hello, Gale, Balthazar, and Brigan!) but I don't actually think any of them would tweet entertainingly. So after some serious thought, here's who I would most likely follow on twitter:
Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 7:02 AM 15 comments
Labels: books, Roadtrip Wednesday, YA Highway
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Teaser Tuesday
Thanks for the comments everyone!
Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 7:20 AM 22 comments
Labels: Teaser Tuesday
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Quickly, because this is important
I wanted to link to the Do the Write Thing for Nashville blog. They're auctioning off some super awesome stuff. And it's for a great cause!
Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 12:30 PM 1 comments
Labels: the world
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
RTW: Pictures









Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 8:59 AM 14 comments
Labels: Roadtrip Wednesday, So Dead, Unthawed, YA Highway
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Beauty and the Truth
I was going to do Kate Hart's Two for Tuesday this week, but then this amazing post by Kristin Otts came up, so I changed my mind. She said at the end of her post:
So, lovely readers, I have a challenge for you. I challenge you to help me start a wave of positive body image - a celebration of pimples and glasses and freckles and curves.
Post a picture of yourself - sans makeup, fashionable clothing, or a fancy-schmancy hairstyle. A picture of yourself in your PJs, hugging your teddy bear, making a stupid face. A picture of YOU.
It won't be perfect, but that's the beautiful truth about people. None of us are.


Ooh! And look--two pictures of me=TWO FOR TUESDAY. In all seriousness, though, it is so important to a) respect yourself and b) respect others. Don't just assume your words won't hurt someone because according to your version of the universe, they have nothing to be hurt about. And don't let anyone tell you what you're supposed to look like. You need to make yourself happy. No one else.
Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 10:44 AM 17 comments
Labels: the world, two for tuesday
Sunday, May 2, 2010
New blog layout and an award
Yep I spent much of my weekend (and Friday) redesigning my blog. I did adore my old template--it was gorgeous!--but I wanted something plainer and cleaner so reading the blog will be easy on the eyes. Plus, I feel a little proud because I did it myself this time--that's my blood, sweat, and tears you see in there.

*Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends. (I'm going to cheat, see below)
*Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award. (Done, and can I just say again, Jenn rocks.)
*Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award. (Whatever I'm supposed to link to where it says 'this post' was lost well before this got to me, so you'll just have to live without.)
*Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog. (Yay this part was easy!)
Posted by Kaitlin Ward at 8:55 PM 9 comments
Labels: awards